THE WIFE HE NEVER EXPECTED

Chapter 1

Elena POV

I stood outside Damien Kane’s office door with my heart already racing. The stack of files felt heavy against my chest. I could hear them clearly through the door. The woman’s soft laugh. Damien’s low voice as he spoke to her.

I knew I should wait. But he had messaged me five minutes ago to bring the contracts immediately.

So I knocked once. No answer. I knocked again. Still nothing but her soft laughter.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the handle and stepped inside.

The sight hit me like a punch.

Damien had the thin model perched on his massive oak desk. Her arms were around his neck. His shirt was open. Her lipstick was smeared. He was kissing her deeply, holding her close. Neither of them stopped at first. Neither of them even looked embarrassed.

They didn’t care that I was there.

Damien glanced at me for half a second, then stepped back from her.

His shirt was open, his chest exposed. The woman stood up, fixed her dress, and gave me a quick, superior smirk as she walked past me and out the door.

I stayed frozen near the entrance. My heart hammered.

Damien was still shirtless. He looked completely unbothered.

He ran a hand through his messy dark hair and reached for his phone just as it started ringing.

He answered it with an annoyed tone.

“What?”

I could hear Victor Kane’s voice clearly. The conversation was short, cold, and brutal. Damien had one week to get married. One week to find a wife and make it look real. Or he would lose his position as CEO, his controlling shares in Kane Global, and his entire place as heir.

Damien’s face darkened. His jaw clenched tight.

“Understood,” he bit out before ending the call.

He slammed the phone down so hard the screen cracked.

“Damn!” he cursed loudly.

Then he turned and looked straight at me.

His gaze locked on me. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. A slow, calculating look crossed his face as he took in my curvy body.

My chubby cheeks. My full breasts pressing against the files. My soft belly and wide hips under the tight skirt.

He stepped around the desk. Still shirtless. Still smelling like the other woman’s perfume. My pulse raced faster. I felt tiny in front of him.

“My dad wants me to get a wife within a week,” he said. His voice was low and rough.

“And I think I have found a person that will do that.” He pointed right at me. “You, Elena.”

The words hit me hard. I froze completely.

My heart hammered so loud I could barely think. The air felt thick and heavy. Damien kept walking toward me until he stopped just inches away.

He towered over me. Heat rolled off his bare skin. His eyes moved slowly down my body, taking in every soft curve.

I suddenly became hyper aware of how different I was from the model he had just been holding. My plush thighs. My round ass. My generous breasts. My chubby figure that I had always felt insecure about in his world of perfect, skinny women.

Yet he was looking at me like I was an option. Like I was the solution.

“I…” My voice came out shaky.

He didn’t smile. He just watched me with those dark eyes.

“One year contract,” he continued, voice dropping lower. “You become my public wife. Big payout when it ends. I keep my private life exactly as it is. You get financial security and a chance to help your family. And I get the one woman who knows every part of me and has never sold me out.”

My mind spun wildly. Four years of loving him in silence. Four years of watching him with woman after woman. Four years of burying my feelings while I picked up the pieces of his reckless nights. This offer was dangerous. It would break my heart into pieces.

But it was also the closest I would ever get to the man I loved.

Damien stepped even closer. His bare chest was almost touching me. I could see his skin. Smell his scent mixed with her perfume.

“Say something, Elena,” he murmured.

I looked up at him. My chubby cheeks felt on fire. My soft body trembled slightly. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. I wanted him to pull me close and kiss me.

“I… I need time to think,” I whispered.

But deep down I already knew my answer.

I would say yes. I loved him. Madly. Desperately.

Damien didn’t move back. He stayed right there, so close I could feel his breath on my forehead. His fingers lightly brushed my arm. The touch sent sparks through my entire body.

“Think fast,” he said quietly. “I have only one week to get married.”

I stood there frozen. Heart hammering wildly. Body tense with fear and longing.

The scent of the other woman still filled the office. The weight of his unexpected proposal pressed down on me like a promise and a threat at the same time.

And I knew nothing would ever be the same again.