Lost a contract, gained another.

VALENTINA

“What?” I blurted and flinched. “White what?”

My eyes widened in surprise, fear gripped me for a moment. Then I cleared my throat and straightened my spine.

“I know who you are, you don’t need to feign ignorance,” he began. “Six years ago, a mysterious hacker by the name White Phoenix infiltrated one of the most protected software systems, claimed it was just for fun and disappeared without trace,” he said.

I laughed. “And how does that affect me in any way?”

“You know,” he began, “people speculated that white phoenix was fished out and silenced, but I think they're doing just fine.”

“And you think I’m that woman?” I said.

“I never mentioned anything about their gender,” he said, smiling coyly, “but of course you know because it’s you.”

I chuckled nervously. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Then prove this.” He pulled out a file and handed it to me, my eyes scanning the paper instantaneously before handing it back to him.

Fuck! I blinked.

“Let’s say I am who you think I am, then what?” My voice lowered.

“Marry me.” He moved closer, his shoulders squared. “And I will silence the investigation. My lawyer is already on his way here.”

I stepped backward. “Lawyer?” I muttered.

He smiled. “Who do you think owns OX-Tech?”

I'm screwed.

A nervous chuckle escaped me, and I blinked in disbelief, waiting for him to laugh, to tell me it was a joke—but he did none of that.

He didn’t budge. He just stood there, still as ever, his shoulders squared, intense gaze fixed on me, waiting for an answer.

If he was the CEO, then why didn’t I recognize him?

“One year,” he began. “And I will make all your problems disappear without a trace. All you have to do is put your skill to work one last time.”

“This is crazy,” I found myself saying.

I laughed.

“Okay, stop,” I began, pulling out my phone. “This isn’t funny anymore. Were you the same person who called me with an unknown number earlier? Are you a detective or something?”

His facial features twisted in confusion.

“Something.” He checked his wristwatch one more time.

This whole thing is creepy. A stranger proposing marriage to another stranger? To top it up, the CEO of a company I hacked into six years ago.

He knows my secret, knows everything about me, I on the other hand knew nothing about him and yet I felt like I could trust him.

Even though my guts were screaming at me to run.

“First of all, I don’t know you,” I began. “Secondly, I just got out of a toxic marriage three months ago. And lastly, how do I know you’re not here to turn me in?”

“Why would I turn you in when I need your help?” he said.

Fair enough.

My phone buzzed yet again—another set of contract terminations.

For fuck’s sake, what was going on?

I sighed deeply, the frustration already visible on my face.

“You look troubled,” he said calmly.

“It’s nothing,” I blurted, and he raised a single eyebrow at me.

I sighed exasperatedly. “I think my crazy ex-husband is pulling some weird stunts on me. I keep getting the same contract termination email from my business partners. I needed to deal with it real quick.”

“How do you intend to do so?” he asked.

My gaze darted around. “That’s the problem—I don’t know how. Yet.”

“More reason for you to consider my offer,” he began. “Marry me, and I will make all your fantasies a reality. Those clients who terminated their contracts will troop back in within an hour, and your ex-husband will regret ever messing with you.”

I gave him a suspicious look.

“Are you bullshitting me or what?” I asked, conflicted.

“I don’t make empty promises.” He squared his shoulders.

His offer sounded bizarre and interesting at the same time, which made it even more tempting. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I actually had more to lose if I didn’t grab the opportunity.

He could sue me for hacking into his company’s mainframe, which could destroy my reputation.

I glanced back at the luxurious car, then back at him. He indeed seemed like the kind of man who could do as he said.

For a moment, I was lost in my own thoughts and didn’t notice when he moved a few steps away. He lifted his phone to his ear, speaking words I couldn’t make out.

Just then, a black SUV pulled over, and two men dressed in black body-fitted suits stepped out. Another slender man appeared from the other side with a briefcase—he must have been the lawyer.

My phone buzzed with a text. The screen lit up, and my eyes widened at the credit alert flashing across it.

One hundred million dollars.

“Did you—”

“I needed this marriage badly,” he cut in.

An awkward silence filled the air, thick enough to be felt.

“Just so you know,” I started, “I’m not doing this for the money. And our marriage would be nothing other than a contract. It won’t restrict me from other things—and by other things, you know what I mean,” I said, just to be clear.

He nodded. “I’m totally cool with it.”

I tilted my head, one hand landing on my waist. “Okay, what are the downsides?”

“There are no downsides,” he began. “All you need to do is sign the contract. You are free to set the terms and conditions as you see fit.”

This is interesting—too interesting.

The lawyer handed me the papers, and I read through them.

And just like that, I was married to Frederick Langston—the wealthiest man in the country.

After the paperwork was complete, I stood on the steps of the restaurant, waiting for him to come out.

My head was unable to wrap around the fact that I had just married a total stranger. Then I heard footsteps behind me.

My head snapped in his direction, and that was when I saw it—a red dot on his chest—unmistakably a sniper.

My eyes widened, and his name tore out of my throat.

He barely had time to react when the sound of gunshots rippled through the air and a bullet sank into his chest.

I froze. My hand flew to my mouth as he clutched his chest and crumpled to the ground.