Chapter 5

Alessia felt her heart beating very fast inside her chest. It was beating like a small drum. BAM! BAM! BAM! Her whole body was shaking because the tall, rich man was holding her so tight.

His hand was very big and very warm on her soft waist. He pulled her body closer to his hard chest. She could feel his hot breath on her face. It smelled like fresh rain and expensive sweet perfume. His face was so close to her face. His dark, angry eyes were looking straight at her wet lips.

"You are really wet for me," Lucien whispered again in his deep, cold voice.

Alessia’s breath stopped in her throat. Her face felt hot like fire. Her mind was totally confused. She was a married woman, but her bad husband Evander had not touched her or kissed her for four long months. Evander always told her that she was too big, too fat, and too ugly to be loved. Evander always pushed her away with disgust.

But this strange, dangerous billionaire was holding her like she was something very special. He was holding her like he really wanted her. A sweet, hot feeling spread down into her stomach and between her legs. She closed her eyes. Her lips parted just a little bit. She was waiting for his kiss. She wanted him to kiss her right there in the big, silent room.

Lucien moved his lips even closer. They were just one small millimeter away from her mouth. She could feel the gentle touch of his skin.

Suddenly, a cold thought hit Alessia's brain like ice water.

What am I doing?! she shouted in her mind. I don't even know this man! He is a total stranger! He pulled me from the street! He is just playing with me! He is a rich player who thinks he can touch any poor woman he sees!

Panic filled her mind. The sweet, warm feeling turned into deep fear and anger.

Alessia put both of her heavy hands against Lucien’s hard chest. She pushed him away with all the strength left in her arms.

"No! Stop it! Leave me alone!" Alessia screamed loudly.

She shoved him so hard that Lucien had to take one small step backward. He did not fall. He stood straight and tall like an iron tree, but his dark eyes grew colder and sharper as he looked down at her.

Alessia took three big steps away from him. She wrapped her wet arms around her thick waist to cover herself. She was breathing heavily, her chest moving up and down very fast. Raindrops were still dripping from her dark hair onto the expensive carpet floor.

"Don't touch me!" Alessia yelled, her voice trembling with anger. "Do not come near me! I am not a playground for rich men! Who do you think you are? You dragged me into your big car, you brought me to this hotel room, and now you want to take advantage of me because I am sad and poor? You are a very bad man!"

Lucien did not look angry. His handsome face was completely calm, just like a sheet of ice. He adjusted his dark tie with his long fingers. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his white shirt and rolled them up slowly.

"Are you done talking?" Lucien asked softly. His voice was so cold and steady that it made Alessia shiver.

"No, I am not done!" Alessia cried out. "Tell me why I am here right now! If you don't let me go back to the hospital to see my sick father, I will scream! I will call the police!"

Lucien gave a small, dark smile. It was not a happy smile. It was a scary smile.

"Call the police," Lucien said quietly as he walked past her. "Tell them that Lucien took you to his private hotel room. See if any police officer in this city will dare to step into my room to touch me."

Alessia bit her lower lip so hard she almost tasted blood. She knew he was telling the truth. The doctors at the hospital were terrified of him. The hotel workers bowed their heads to the floor when he walked past. This man had too much power. He was like a king, and she was just a small ant beneath his shoe.

Lucien walked over to a big polished wooden desk in the corner of the grand room. He picked up a white paper and a dark pen. He walked back to where Alessia was standing and held out the paper in front of her face.

"Look at this," Lucien commanded.

Alessia looked at the paper with wide, fearful eyes. At the top of the white page, there were big, dark words typed in bold letters: MARRIAGE CONTRACT AGREEMENT.

Alessia gasped loudly. "What is this? What contract?"

"Read it," Lucien said coldly. "Or I can read the simple terms for you so your tired brain can understand."

He held the paper in one hand and pointed at the black lines with his sharp finger.

"Term number one," Lucien said in a loud, clear voice. "I, Lucien, will transfer one hundred thousand dollars to the chief doctor at the hospital tonight. That money will pay for your father’s brain surgery immediately."

Alessia’s breath hitched in her throat. Her heart skipped a beat. One hundred thousand dollars! That was the exact amount of money her father needed to stay alive! Evander had refused to give her even one single dollar for that surgery, but this stranger was offering the full amount right now!

"Term number two," Lucien continued, his dark eyes fixed on her pale face. "I will pay for all your father's recovery bills, his private hospital room, his medicine, and his special doctors until he is completely healthy and strong."

Tears began to pool in Alessia's eyes. Hot tears ran down her cold cheeks, leaving wet marks on her face. She could not believe what her ears were hearing.

"Term number three," Lucien said, his tone of voice completely dry and business-like. "I will pay off every single debt you have. You will never worry about money, clothes, or food again."

Alessia swallowed the hard lump in her throat. She looked up at his tall frame, her eyes full of confusion.

"Why?" Alessia asked in a small, breaking voice. "Why would you do all this for me? Nobody does anything for free in this world. My own husband threw me out like trash because I have no money. Why are you offering to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a poor, fat woman like me? What do you want from me?!"

Lucien stepped closer to her until his shadow covered her whole body.

"Term number four," Lucien barked softly. "In return for all my money and help, you will become my legal wife for twelve months. Exactly one year."

Alessia felt like the ground under her feet was shaking. "A fake wife? Why do you need a fake wife? You are rich, handsome, and powerful! You can have any slim, beautiful model in this city! Why me?"

Lucien’s face turned even colder. "My family board and my old grandfather are forcing me to settle down. They want me to marry a woman from a rival billionaire family to control my business. I refuse to let anyone control my life or my company. I need a wife who has no powerful family behind her. I need a wife who will obey my rules, sign my papers, and stand beside me at public events as Mrs. Lucien for one year."

He looked at her wet clothes and her heavy body.

"After twelve months, we will get a quiet divorce," Lucien added. "I will give you a big house, five million dollars in cash, and you will go your own way. You will be free forever, and your father will be alive and healthy."

Alessia stood completely frozen in the middle of the room. Her head was spinning fast.

Twelve months, she thought to herself. Just one year as his contract wife. If I say yes, my poor father will live. The doctors will fix his brain tonight. I will never have to beg Evander for money again. I will never have to listen to Liora’s wicked laughs again.

"What if I say no?" Alessia asked in a quiet whisper.

Lucien put the pen into his pocket and turned his back on her.

"If you say no, you can walk out of that door right now," Lucien said carelessly. "You can go back to the hospital, sit in the cold hallway, and watch your father die because you don't have $100,000. The choice is yours, Alessia."

His words were like sharp knives cutting through her heart. He was cruel, but he was telling the plain truth. She had no money. She had no job. Her cracked phone had zero dollars in her bank account. Her father was dying on an operating table right at this very moment. She had no other choice in this whole wide world!

"Wait!" Alessia shouted, her voice full of panic. "Don't walk away! I... I will sign it!"