Lena couldn't stop staring at the contract in front of her.
The bold words at the top of the page—Marriage Agreement—felt unreal, like something out of a strange dream she hadn't yet woken up from. Her fingers hovered just above the paper, hesitant, as though touching it would seal her fate in a way she couldn't undo.
"This isn't funny," she said finally, her voice softer than she intended.
Across the desk, Aiden Cole remained completely still. His sharp gaze stayed fixed on her, calm and unreadable, as though nothing about this situation was unusual.
"I don't joke about business," he replied evenly.
Business.
The word echoed in her mind.
That was all this was to him. Not love. Not emotion. Not even something remotely human.
Just… business.
Lena swallowed, trying to steady herself. "You're asking a stranger to marry you. Do you even hear how insane that sounds?"
"I'm offering you a solution," he corrected without hesitation.
"A solution that involves marriage," she pressed.
"Yes."
The simplicity of his response unsettled her even more.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Lena let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh and shook her head, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You don't even know me."
"I know enough."
Her eyes snapped to his, narrowing slightly. "What does that mean?"
Instead of answering immediately, Aiden reached into his drawer and pulled out a file. He placed it on the desk and slid it toward her with deliberate calm.
"Take a look."
Lena hesitated before reaching for it, a strange sense of dread creeping up her spine. Slowly, she opened the file.
And then her breath caught.
Her entire life was laid out in black and white.
Her job. Her monthly salary. Her apartment address. The exact amount of debt hanging over her head like a storm cloud. Even details about her father's hospital bills were listed with cold precision.
Her grip tightened on the papers. "You investigated me?"
"I prepared," Aiden corrected.
"That's not normal."
"It is for me."
She looked up at him, something uneasy settling in her chest. There was no apology in his tone, no hesitation—just certainty.
"You had no right to dig into my life like this," she said, her voice firmer now.
"I have every right when I'm about to invest millions."
The word hit her like a sudden jolt.
"Millions?" she repeated, almost breathless.
Aiden leaned back slightly, watching her reaction with quiet calculation. "I will clear your debts. All of them. Immediately."
Her heart skipped.
"You will keep your apartment," he continued. "You will have financial security. Stability. A future that doesn't depend on survival."
Each word felt like it was aimed directly at her weakest points.
"And in return?" she asked quietly, though she already knew.
"You become my wife."
This time, the words didn't shock her.
They settled.
Heavy.
Real.
Dangerously real.
Lena lowered her gaze to the contract again, her thoughts spinning in a thousand different directions. "Why would someone like you need a marriage like this?" she asked after a moment.
"It's not fake," Aiden said.
Her head lifted sharply. "What?"
"It's real. Legal. Public."
Her pulse quickened. "Then why me?"
Aiden paused, and for a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes—something she couldn't quite read.
Then it disappeared.
"You're suitable."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Frustration rose in her chest. "You expect me to agree to something like this without knowing everything?"
"I expect you to read the contract."
Lena exhaled slowly and began flipping through the pages. The sound of paper seemed louder in the quiet room.
Conditions.
Rules.
Expectations.
"No romantic involvement… maintain public image… attend events as required…" she murmured under her breath.
Then she stopped.
"Follow instructions?" she repeated, her brows furrowing.
Aiden didn't react. "You will represent me. That requires discipline."
"That sounds like control."
"It is control."
The blunt honesty caught her off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless.
She leaned back slightly, her mind racing. This situation was insane. Completely insane.
And yet,
So was her reality.
The eviction notice.
The debts she couldn't pay.
The life that was slowly slipping out of her hands.
"What happens if I break the rules?" she asked after a moment, her voice quieter now.
Aiden's gaze darkened slightly. "You won't."
"That's not an answer."
"It's a warning."
A chill ran down her spine.
There was something about the way he spoke—calm, controlled, certain—that made her believe him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Lena let out a slow breath, her shoulders sinking slightly.
"Why does this feel like I'm signing my life away?" she muttered.
Aiden's lips curved faintly, though there was no warmth in it.
"Because you are."
Her chest tightened.
The honesty should have scared her.
And it did.
But not enough.
"Take your time," he added. "But not too much."
"How long do I have?" she asked.
"Until you walk out that door."
Her heart dropped.
No time to think.
No time to run.
Just a decision.
Lena stared down at the contract again, her thoughts in chaos. Every instinct told her to get up, walk away, and never look back.
But reality held her in place like chains.
If she walked away, she would lose everything.
If she stayed…
She might lose herself.
Slowly, almost as if she were moving without full control, Lena reached for the pen.
Aiden's gaze sharpened slightly. "Once you sign, there's no going back."
She paused.
Just for a second.
Her fingers tightened around the pen.
Then,
She signed.
The moment the ink touched the paper and her name was complete, something shifted inside her.
It felt final.
Irreversible.
Aiden reached for the contract and glanced at her signature briefly before setting it aside.
"Good," he said.
That single word sent an unfamiliar feeling through her chest.
Not relief.
Something else.
Something heavier.
He stood, his presence instantly filling the space again.
"Welcome, Mrs. Cole."
Lena froze.
Mrs. Cole.
The name echoed in her mind, foreign and unfamiliar.
It didn't feel like hers.
Not yet.
But somehow…
She had the unsettling feeling that soon
It would.