Chapter Four

Alexander's POV.

The whole space reeked of medicine and blood. The stench of antibiotics clinging to my nose.

I stood with my arms crossed, watching the unconscious lady in front of me as the machine beeped slowly beside her.

A male doctor stood by her side, examining her with a chart in his hands.

Her hands moved and her eyes fluttered open shortly after.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?” The doctor asked, examining her once again.

I watched in silence until she was made to sit on the bed.

She looked confused, unable to say a word.

“Where am I?” She asked the doctor, her eyes moving around everywhere.

When I picked her up from the cold floor last night and brought her to the hospital, the doctor had said she had hit her head hard and there was a risk of amnesia.

“This is a hospital. Do you remember anything that happened?” The doctor responded.

“If you have confirmed that she's okay, leave the room” I said coldly. “I will do the questioning”

The doctor bowed slightly, leaving the room immediately.

I moved closer to her, arms still crossed. “What do you remember?”

She looked at me while her eyes blinked. “Who are you? Who am I?”

“I can't remember a thing. What happened to me?” She was starting to panic.

“Ask the questions slowly. I will answer everyone of them”

“You are Marianna Crowns. My wife” I said, face glued on her to see her reaction.

“I'm married?” She breathed heavily. “What happened to me? Why can't I remember anything?”

“Why can't I remember you, my husband?” She panicked.

“Stay calm” I sat down beside her on the bed, landing my hand on her shoulder.

“You had an accident yesterday. I arrived late to save you but still, I'm glad you are safe” I pulled her into a hug.

That was what any filial husband would do in this situation, wasn't it?

It took a while before she could relax into the hug. Soon, I broke the hug and our faces were forced to snap to the television in the room when a news anchor’s voice rose.

“Last night, a car was found in the river near the Los Angeles main bridge. The car was caught driving recklessly under the CCTV, resulting in the accident. Authorities have searched the river and had recovered a body of a dead woman recognized to be a famous conglomerate’s wife, Anna Lauren”

The anchor continued and I turned to look at the expression on my wife's face.

She looked confused, forehead creased like she was desperately trying to recall something.

I stood up and grabbed the remote control, switching the TV off immediately. She turned her face to me, looking surprised and unsettled.

“You shouldn't be watching something like that in this state” I defended my actions. “The doctor said you needed rest”

“I still can't believe this,” she croaked. “I don't know who I am, I don't know if I should believe you, I don't……”

I moved closer to her again, sitting in front of her and raising her chin to make her look at me.

“If you see a picture of us together, will you be convinced?” I asked.

She stared for a while before she responded. “Yes”

I brought my phone out of my pocket and unlocked it, clicking on one of the photos in my gallery.

I showed it to her, letting her hold my phone for a moment. In the photo, I was holding her closely while looking at the camera, a smile on both of our faces.

That was fake, photoshopped. It was something I had never done except it was for business.

I needed a wife, a fake one to be exact and she happened to appear at the right place at the right time.

~Flashback~

“Grandfather! You can't give the company shares to Rowan!” I growled, eyes darkened. “You know what he'd do! He'll bring everything down, he'll ruin everything!”

That morning, I had seen on the news that Crowns Group would be handing the business over to one of the founder's grandsons, Rowan Crowns, my stepbrother.

That had thrown the whole company into turmoil as everyone was shocked Rowan was listed for the takeover and not me.

It was absurd, totally unacceptable. The only thing Rowan was ever good at was clubbing and flocking around girls.

He doesn't want to go through the trouble of working his way to the top but he desperately craves power.

Once, he tried to assassinate grandfather just for the shares. I knew about it as well as grandfather, but he didn't punish him or do anything about it.

“Just give up your shares by tomorrow morning! That's all I have to say!” Grandfather growled back at me.

“Everything is going to Rowan!” He emphasised.

“You know how dangerous he is. You know if you hand that company over to him, he won't stop until he takes everything!” I gritted, anger seeping into me with force.

“I don't care, Alex!” Grandfather shot a glare at me.

I sighed and relaxed, adjusting my tuxedo. “What do you want? What do I have to do to stop you?”

“Get married” he said without a bit of hesitation.

So that was all this was about. Marriage. Just because I refused to get married, he'll let the hard work of hundreds of people go to the drain by handing the company to Rowan.

“I'll get married.” I declared and that made grandfather raise his head to look at me. “Put the company succession on hold”

“Two months. If you don't get married by then, everything will go to Rowan” the old man said.

I clenched my jaws but said nothing. I turned and only stormed out of his sight.

Inside the car, the attention of a car swerving everywhere caught my sight.

“Why is that car driving so recklessly?” I growled angrily at my driver, who had just saved us from getting hit by the reckless driver.

“Follow that car” I instructed, knowing the driving was beyond ordinary.

I watched the car crash and when I stepped out, a lady was on the ground, on the verge of death.

“Save me” she pleaded. “Please save me”

I saved her and made sure she didn't die. The doctor said there was a high chance that she would wake up with no memory so I planned everything.

When the unknown lady wakes up, she will wake up not as a nobody, but the wife of Alexander Crowns and the future heiress of Crowns Group.

That is the price she will have to pay for having me save her life.