THE BARGAIN

CHAPTER FIVE | THE BARGAIN 

DAHLIA HAYES

I froze, his words lingering in the air long after he said them. They were heavy, powerful, dangerous, and tempting. His offer was everything anyone would expect me to not just want but desperately need. He promised me revenge, redemption, and desire, all at once.

Anyone else would have jumped at the offer, but I wasn’t anyone. I was Dahlia Hayes.

Playing it safe was the only thing that had kept me alive this long, and I wasn’t about to change that for a bargain with the devil.

“I’m sorry, Alec. I don’t roll that way.” With one last look at him, I sighed and walked toward the door.

After a few steps, my feet paused on their own. Memories of everything that had happened over the past few days came rushing back, whispering doubts into my mind.

Was playing it safe really worth it? What had I actually gained by playing safe?

I’d always followed the rules. In college, while everyone else was having fun and making memories, I was buried in my books. While others lost their virginity and moved on to their fifth boyfriend, I was still a virgin obsessed with my GPA.

I got my first boyfriend after college. I was loyal to him, even though he claimed to be impotent. I gave him access to everything I owned, every part of me, and in the end, I was cheated on, humiliated, and stripped of everything I worked for.

I turned around, my gaze hardening with determination. I walked back into the room, bold and reckless, ready to make up for the time I’d wasted on a man who didn’t deserve me.

“I’m willing to accept the deal, but first, I need to know something.” The silence that followed was heavy. “What exactly do you want from me?”

He smiled, walking to a desk near his bed and pulling a file from the drawer. He waved me closer, and when I looked, I saw the title printed across the top: Marriage Agreement: One-Year Term.

I scoffed, unable to help myself. “This must be a joke.”

He raised a brow, a hint of amusement curling his lips.

I took the contract, flipping through the pages, and with each line, my outrage grew.

“Dahlia Hayes must remain married to Alec King for one year. She must attend all public events as his wife. She must stay close to him and obey every one of his instructions in public. In exchange, Alec King will clear her name, rebuild her law career, and destroy Jason and Rachel.”

At the bottom, printed in tiny font as if to hide it, was a final clause: Physical intimacy will be at the husband’s discretion.

The audacity.

My gaze snapped to him, my fists clenching. “I refuse this clause,” I said flatly. “It’s ridiculous.”

I felt my face heating, but I held his gaze.

“Those are the terms of any partnership with me.”

My anger flared, but his calm confidence only fueled it more. “No. I don’t agree.”

Alec smirked, stepping closer until I almost forgot why I was mad in the first place. Why did he keep doing this?

“Yesterday, you said you wanted to feel attractive,” he murmured. “I’m just trying to help.”

Heat rushed up my neck, and I covered my face with my hands. “Shut up, Alec. Stop milking my desperation.”

His expression shifted, amusement fading into something colder. “You can walk out of here and pretend yesterday never happened,” he said. “But you’ll still wake up tomorrow as the woman who got replaced by her best friend. Or…” His gaze darkened. “You can stay, and rewrite your story…with me.”

I hesitated, and my heart raced, torn between fear and temptation. But when I realized I had nothing left to lose, and everything to gain, I breathed out, “Fuck it.”

I walked over to him and took the pen. “Are you sure I won’t regret this? It feels too good to be true.”

He circled me like a predator sizing up its prey. “Trust me, Dahlia. You’ll enjoy this agreement more than I do.” He stopped behind me, his breath brushing my neck. “Sign it, and watch me remind you who the hell Dahlia Hayes really is. Your success before this will look like child’s play compared to what’s coming.”

I signed the document, whispering a silent prayer that I wouldn’t regret it.

Alec’s eyes flicked to my bold signature, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Congratulations, Mrs. King. Your new life begins now.”

Then his lips crashed into mine. It wasn’t soft or tender—it was dominant, claiming, sealing my fate for the next year. The kiss promised pleasure, the kind that made sin feel holy.

My body reacted on instinct, igniting with a heat that consumed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands slid down to my thighs, lifting me until my legs wrapped around his waist.

He broke the kiss, his breath warm against my lips. “Dahlia King,” he murmured, testing my new name like it was a vow.

Something inside me shifted at the sound. I shivered, eyes clouded with want, and pulled him back in for another kiss.

We were on the edge, seconds away from crossing a line I’d never crossed before, when the door slammed open.

I jumped back, heart pounding, as a woman barged into the room.

“What the hell is going on here?” she demanded, her face red, her chest rising with fury.

Alec groaned and rolled his eyes. “What are you doing here, Mother?”

Mother?

I straightened, trying to compose myself, and extended my hand. “Hello, Mrs. King. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dahlia.”

Her gaze swept over me, slow and dismissive, stripping away what little confidence I had left.

Then she spoke, her tone sharp enough to cut. “Has my son introduced you to his wife, Hailey King?”

My stomach dropped as one of the most stunning women I’d ever seen stepped into the room, smiling shyly.