Elena's POV
I stare at the paper in front of me.
MARRIAGE CONTRACT
The words blur together. This can't be real. People don't actually do this. Marry strangers for money like it's some kind of business deal.
Except Adrian Blackwell is sitting across from me, completely serious, waiting for my signature.
You're insane, I say again.
You already said that. He sips his coffee. Calm. Like we're discussing the weather instead of marriage. And yet you haven't left.
Because I can't. Because he's right, I have nowhere to go and no options left.
I pick up the contract with shaking hands. Start reading.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
1. Duration: Twelve (12) months from date of legal marriage
2. Compensation: Five million dollars ($5,000,000) paid upon completion
3. Living arrangements: Separate bedrooms, shared penthouse
4. Public appearance: Maintain image of stable, loving marriage
5. Confidentiality: All terms remain private
6. Termination: Either party may void contract, forfeiting all compensation
My eyes catch on the next line.
7. No romantic or sexual relationship. This is business only.
I look up. Adrian watches me with those cold gray eyes.
Business only, I repeat.
Yes.
For one year.
Yes.
And then we never see each other again.
That's the plan. He leans forward. Elena, I'm not offering you a fairy tale. I'm offering you survival. Five million dollars. Proof of your innocence. A chance to destroy the man who destroyed you. All you have to do is wear my ring and pretend to love me when people are watching.
Why me? The question bursts out. You're Adrian Blackwell. You could have anyone. Why choose a broke, homeless woman accused of fraud?
For the first time, something flickers in his expression. Not quite emotion. But close.
Because you're desperate enough to say yes. Smart enough to pull this off. And innocent enough that no one will suspect ulterior motives. He pauses. Also, you hate your boss Steven Palmer as much as I hate my uncle Marcus. Revenge is excellent motivation for commitment.
He's not wrong. The thought of Steven behind bars makes my chest warm.
Tell me about your family, I say. Why they took your company.
Adrian's jaw tightens. For a second, I think he won't answer. Then
My father built Blackwell Industries from nothing. Made it worth thirty billion dollars. When he died last year, he left everything to me. His voice goes hard. My uncle Marcus spent his entire life in my father's shadow. He was never good enough. Never smart enough. So when I took over, Marcus decided to destroy me instead.
How?
Systematically. He bribed board members. Created fake investments that failed. Made me look incompetent. Within six months, I lost everything. Adrian's hands curl into fists on the table. The board voted me out. Gave control to Marcus. Took my father's legacy and handed it to the man who hated him most.
The pain in his voice is real. Raw. This isn't just about money for him.
It's about family. Betrayal. Everything he lost.
Just like me.
The will clause, I prompt. The marriage requirement.
My father knew Marcus would try something. So he included a safeguard—if I can prove I'm stable and capable for one year, I can challenge the board's decision. Force a re-vote. Adrian meets my eyes. But I need to be married. Need to show I have my life together. That I'm not the failure they claim I am.
And you think I can help with that?
I know you can. He gestures to the contract. You're brilliant with finances. You can help me find proof of Marcus's sabotage. And in return, I give you everything you need to rebuild your life.
I look down at the paper again. My future in black and white.
Could I really do this? Marry a man I don't know? Live with him for a year? Pretend to love him?
My phone buzzes. I glance at the screen.
News alert: Police Issue Warrant for Elena Martinez
My stomach drops. They're really going to arrest me.
Not if you're my wife. Adrian's voice is steady. My lawyers are the best in New York. They'll have the charges dismissed by tomorrow afternoon. But only if we're married. Only if I can claim you're under my legal protection.
He's backing me into a corner. And he knows it.
This is manipulation, I say quietly.
This is opportunity. He doesn't apologize. Doesn't soften. I'm offering you a way out, Elena. Most people in your position would kill for this chance. So stop overthinking and make a decision. Because in about three hours, the police will find you. And then all of this becomes irrelevant.
I hate that he's right. Hate that I have no choice.
But maybe that's the point. Maybe having no choice makes this easier.
I pick up the pen. My hand hovers over the signature line.
Five million dollars, I say. You swear?
I swear.
And you'll destroy Steven Palmer.
With pleasure.
No feelings. No complications.
None. Adrian's face is stone. This is purely business. You're not my type anyway.
The words should sting. They don't. Because I'm not looking for love. I'm looking for survival.
I press pen to paper. My signature flows across the line in blue ink.
Elena Martinez
It's done.
Adrian takes the contract, folds it carefully, and tucks it into his coat. When he looks at me again, something has changed in his eyes. Not warmth exactly. But acknowledgment.
Welcome to the team, Mrs. Blackwell.
Mrs. Blackwell. The name sounds foreign. Wrong.
When My voice cracks. I clear my throat. When do we get married?
Adrian checks his watch. City Hall opens at nine. We'll be there at nine-fifteen. Witnesses are already arranged. License processed. By ten o'clock, you'll be my legal wife.
That's seven hours from now.
Yes.
Adrian, I haven't even—I don't have a place to shower. Or clean clothes. Or—
All handled. He stands, pulling out his phone. My car is outside. You'll stay at my penthouse tonight. Shower, rest, whatever you need. There's a bedroom prepared for you.
Your penthouse? I stand too, grabbing my sad little bag of belongings. You said you lost everything.
I lost my company. My reputation. My investments. His smile is bitter. But real estate was in my father's name. They couldn't touch the penthouse. It's the one thing I have left.
A penthouse. In Manhattan. I'm about to move in with a billionaire, well, former billionaire, and marry him in seven hours.
This is insane.
We walk out of the diner into the cold night air. A black car waits at the curb. Not a limo. Just a sedan. But it's sleek and expensive and everything I'm not.
Adrian opens the door for me. Waits until I'm inside before closing it gently.
He slides in beside me. The driver pulls away without being told where to go.
We drive in silence through empty streets. My exhaustion hits me all at once. I haven't slept in twenty-four hours. Haven't eaten anything real. My body aches.
You should rest, Adrian says quietly. Tomorrow will be difficult.
Difficult how?
My family will find out about the marriage immediately. They'll investigate you. Question you. Try to prove you're a fraud. He glances at me. You'll need to be ready.
Ready for what?
The car pulls up to a tall building. Elegant. Expensive. A doorman actually waits outside.
Adrian looks at me with those cold, calculating eyes.
Ready to convince everyone that you're desperately in love with me, he says. Starting tomorrow, we're not strangers making a deal. We're a married couple. Happy. Stable. Perfect.
But we're not
I know. He opens his door. That's why you need to be a very good actress.
The doorman opens my door. I step out onto the sidewalk, clutching my pathetic bag.
Adrian leads me inside. The lobby is all marble and gold. The elevator is silent as we rise up, up, up.
Floor forty-five.
The doors open directly into his penthouse.
And I stop breathing.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook all of Manhattan. The city glitters like fallen stars. Expensive furniture. Art on the walls. Everything perfect and cold and untouchable.
Your bedroom is down that hall, Adrian says, pointing. Second door on the left. There are clothes in the closet that should fit. Bathroom attached. Lock works from inside if you need privacy.
I just stare at him. This strange man I'm marrying in seven hours.
Why are you really doing this? I whisper.
Adrian's expression doesn't change. But something dark flashes in his eyes.
Because Marcus took everything from me. My company. My father's legacy. My future. His voice drops. And I'm going to take it all back. No matter what it costs.
He turns and walks away, disappearing down another hall.
Leaving me alone in a penthouse that feels like a beautiful prison.
I look down at my left hand. Imagine a ring there. Mrs. Blackwell.
In seven hours, I'll be married to a man who sees me as a business deal.
In seven hours, my entire life changes again.
I just hope I'm making the right choice.
My phone buzzes one last time.
Unknown number: Congratulations on your engagement, Elena. Hope the groom survives the wedding.
The message disappears before I can screenshot it.
My blood turns to ice.
Someone knows. Someone is watching.
And they just threatened Adrian's life.