Chapter 2

Ryan scratched the back of his head. As a widower, he had always tried to protect his reputation as an honorable man. He had only come to work for Vanessa and her husband because Richard had personally asked him to, wanting to repay Ryan for saving him from a gang of thugs.

"I know my place, sir. I'm just a servant in this house. My job is to clean, keep the place in order, and look after your home. That's why it feels so strange being asked to do something like this with Mrs. Johnson.

"Won't she be disgusted by me? She's used to a handsome, polished man like you, Mr. Johnson. Then all of a sudden she's supposed to be with someone who looks like... well, me. I'm afraid she'll run away before we even get started," Ryan said.

Richard burst into laughter at Ryan's honest remark.

Vanessa, on the other hand, simply frowned.

Ryan wasn't entirely wrong. How was she supposed to embrace something like this when the man involved was someone like him?

"Ryan, you're unbelievable." Richard chuckled. "Stop worrying so much. My wife has already agreed, and my goal is for her to be pregnant by next month. She's ovulating right now.

"If you're in, I'll book a hotel room today. The three of us will go together, and you and Vanessa can... take care of it there. I'll give you two hours. After that, you need to be finished and out of the room. Deal?"

The proposal sounded completely absurd.

Just to protect his career, Richard was willing to let another man sleep with his wife.

"At a hotel... today?" Ryan's eyes widened.

"What? You can't do it?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why does it have to be at a hotel? Couldn't we just do it here at the house, sir?" Ryan suggested innocently.

"We could, but I happen to be meeting a client there anyway. I'll wait for you in the hotel lobby. After two hours, you come out, and we all go home like nothing happened."

"It has to be tonight, sir? Isn't that a little soon? There's always tomorrow... or the day after."

"The sooner, the better," Richard replied. "Especially while my wife is ovulating."

"I... I guess you're right, sir. The only thing that matters is whether Mrs. Johnson agrees. As for me, I'll do whatever you ask."

Richard turned toward his wife.

"So, sweetheart? Are you ready for tonight?" he asked with an encouraging smile.

Vanessa sighed.

"I don't know, Richard. Do I really have to do this with Ryan? Couldn't it have been someone like Lee Min Ho or Chris Evans instead?

"At least I'd have something nice to look at. And they'd probably have good genes too. Instead, I'm supposed to do this with the servant. What if the baby comes out looking just like him?"

She forced herself to joke, hoping it would ease her anxiety.

The thought that Ryan, the man from a small country town, would be the one to father the child she carried was almost impossible for her to process.

"It'll be fine," Richard reassured her. "Ryan isn't as bad as you think. Just close your eyes if you don't want to look at him. Remember why we're doing this. We want a baby."

Vanessa let out another weary sigh.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. But at least give Ryan a makeover first. He can't look like he just walked in from the countryside. At least make him look a little different. You can't expect us to show up at a hotel with him dressed like that."

She knew exactly how Ryan looked every day.

After hearing his wife's request, Richard looked Ryan over from head to toe.

She had a point. For a man his age, Ryan dressed far too simply.

"That won't be a problem," Richard said. "I'll make sure he cleans up before we leave. As long as you're comfortable, that's all that matters."

Richard then handed Ryan a written agreement with signature lines and official revenue stamps. The contract contained several key conditions.

First, once Vanessa was confirmed pregnant, Ryan would never be allowed to have any further relationship with her for any reason.

Second, under the law, the child conceived would be recognized as Richard's legal child.

Most importantly, Ryan would never be allowed to seek custody or claim to be the child's biological father, even after the child became an adult.

Richard would pay the advance in Ryan's presence, and the remaining balance would be paid once Vanessa's pregnancy was medically confirmed. Ryan was also required to keep their arrangement secret for the rest of his life.

After carefully reading every condition, Ryan signed the agreement.

If he violated even one of its terms, Richard would pursue legal action against him or make sure Ryan and his family, including his three children, paid the price.

A signature was placed on the stamped agreement.

Without the bond of marriage between them, Richard had hired Ryan to father a child with his wife.

"Deal."

The agreement was finally settled.

At Vanessa's request, Richard took Ryan to a salon for a complete makeover.

Meanwhile, Vanessa got herself ready as well. For her husband's sake, she was willing to sacrifice everything to keep their marriage intact. She loved him too much to let it fall apart.

Vanessa left with Richard, while Ryan was to meet them at the hotel. After finishing at the salon, he headed straight to the hotel they had agreed on.

"All done! Oh my gosh... is this really Mr. Johnson's servant? Wow, he's actually handsome! And so masculine!" one of the salon employees exclaimed in amazement after Ryan's transformation.

Ryan looked like an entirely different man.

Dressed in tailored black slacks and a maroon button-down shirt, he carried himself with effortless confidence. The rich color complemented his sun-kissed complexion, making him appear years younger.

Instead of looking like the live-in servant who spent his days cleaning the house, he now looked every bit the successful businessman, especially with his newly styled hair.

His physique only completed the picture.

The sleeves of his maroon shirt had been casually rolled up, revealing powerful forearms sculpted by years of physical labor. Combined with his broad chest and athletic build, he was the kind of man women couldn't help but notice.

By six-thirty that evening, Ryan had arrived at the hotel and waited outside for Richard and Vanessa.

To his surprise, his presence quickly became the center of attention.

Women passing through the hotel lobby kept glancing his way. Some even walked over to strike up a conversation or ask for a selfie, as though he were a celebrity.

Not long afterward, Richard and Vanessa arrived at the hotel they had reserved for the night.

The married couple looked surprised when they noticed a crowd of women gathered outside.

"What's going on?" Vanessa asked curiously.

"No idea. Maybe some celebrity showed up," Richard guessed.

"Where's Ryan? It's getting late, and he still isn't here."

Richard pulled out his phone and called Ryan.

The call immediately rang through Ryan's pocket, right in the middle of the crowd surrounding him.

"Excuse me... excuse me. I need to take this," Ryan said politely as he worked his way out of the group.

"Hello, sir. Where are you?" Ryan asked, scanning the area.

"I'm standing in front of the hotel lobby. Where are you?" Richard replied, looking toward the crowd outside as he searched for Ryan.

"This is so annoying," Vanessa muttered. "It's like everyone's waiting for a movie star."

Just then, Richard spotted a man waving enthusiastically in their direction.

"Sir! Over here!"

Ryan's voice instantly drew both Richard's and Vanessa's attention.

"That's... Ryan?" Vanessa's irritation vanished in an instant.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the man who looked unmistakably like Ryan.

Only this time, he was the handsome version.