CHAPTER 2-THE CONTRACT

I spent the entire night staring at Adrian Blackwood's business card.

It lay on my bedside table, only a few inches away, yet it felt as though it had taken over the entire room. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard my mother's voice telling me we had thirty days before the bank took our home. Then I remembered Daniel and the humiliation of finding him with another woman.

By morning, I had made a decision.

I was going to meet Adrian.

That didn't mean I had agreed to marry him. I simply needed to hear what he was offering before deciding whether the deal was as ridiculous as it sounded.

At nine o'clock, I called the number printed on his card.

A woman answered almost immediately.

"Mr. Blackwood's office."

"Hi. My name is Elena Moore. I need to speak with Adrian Blackwood."

There was a short pause.

"Mr. Blackwood is expecting your call. He has already arranged a meeting for ten."

My eyebrows rose.

"He knew I would call?"

"Apparently."

The call ended before I could ask anything else.

I stared at my phone.

That man was far too confident.

At ten minutes before ten, I arrived at Blackwood International. The building was enormous, with glass walls that reflected the morning sun and employees moving through the lobby with the kind of confidence that told me everyone here knew exactly where they were going.

I suddenly felt out of place.

A receptionist checked my name and immediately smiled.

"Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you."

Of course he was.

The elevator carried me to the top floor, where a private assistant led me through a quiet hallway. When the office doors opened, I saw Adrian standing beside a large window with his back toward me.

He turned when he heard me enter.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

He looked exactly as he had the night before, except now there was nothing between us except a desk and the strange proposal that had brought me here.

"You came."

I folded my arms.

"You said you had a solution."

His eyes briefly moved over my face before he gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.

"Sit."

I sat, and he took the chair across from me.

A thin black folder rested on the desk.

I looked at it.

"Is that the contract?"

"Yes."

"You prepared it before I agreed?"

"I told you I needed a wife."

"And you assumed I'd say yes?"

"No."

His answer was so calm that it irritated me.

"Then why prepare it?"

"Because I prefer being prepared."

I opened the folder.

The first page contained my name.

ELENA MOORE.

My eyes narrowed.

"You already had my information."

"I have access to public records."

"That's a little disturbing."

"It's business."

I continued reading.

The contract stated that our marriage would last six months. During that period, I would live with Adrian, attend certain public events with him, and maintain the appearance of a genuine marriage.

In return, Adrian would pay the debt threatening my family's home.

I looked up.

"You'll pay everything?"

"Everything listed in the agreement."

"And after six months?"

"The marriage ends."

I stared at him.

"No chance of changing your mind?"

His eyes met mine.

"Is that something you're worried about?"

"Absolutely not."

Something resembling amusement crossed his face.

"Good."

I returned my attention to the contract.

There was another condition.

"No romantic involvement outside the marriage."

I looked at him.

"What does that mean?"

"It means neither of us dates anyone else while we're married."

I laughed softly.

"So you don't want your temporary wife sleeping around."

"And I assume you don't want your temporary husband doing the same."

"You're assuming correctly."

I turned another page.

There was one final clause that caught my attention.

"No emotional attachment."

I stared at it for several seconds.

Then I looked at Adrian.

"That's not something you can put in a contract."

"Why not?"

"Because people can't control their feelings."

His expression became unreadable.

"Then don't develop any."

I almost smiled.

"You really are arrogant."

"I've been told that."

"Often?"

"Frequently."

Despite myself, I laughed.

It was the first genuine laugh I'd had since the previous night.

Adrian watched me quietly.

Something changed in his eyes.

It was gone so quickly that I wondered if I had imagined it.

I closed the folder.

"I need time."

"You have until tomorrow."

My eyebrows lifted.

"Tomorrow?"

"The bank doesn't have to wait for us."

He was right.

I hated that he was right.

I stood.

"I'll give you my answer tomorrow."

Adrian nodded.

As I turned toward the door, he spoke.

"Elena."

I looked back.

"Yes?"

"If you accept this, there is one more thing you need to understand."

"What?"

His gaze held mine.

"My family will not welcome you."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"Because they won't believe you're marrying me for the right reasons."

I gave him a dry smile.

"Considering this is a contract, they're probably right."

His expression didn't change.

"That isn't what I meant."

I waited.

But he said nothing else.

I left his office with more questions than answers.

Outside the building, I pulled out my phone and saw several missed calls from Daniel.

I stared at his name.

For three years, seeing his name on my screen had made me smile.

Now it only made me tired.

I ignored the calls.

Then a message appeared.

WE NEED TO TALK.

I deleted it.

Another arrived.

I NEVER MEANT TO HURT YOU.

I almost laughed.

Before I could put my phone away, a final message appeared.

I CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.

I didn't respond.

That chapter of my life was over.

At least, I wanted it to be.

That evening, I went to my mother's house and told her about Adrian's offer.

She stared at me in disbelief.

"You're going to marry a stranger?"

"Temporarily."

"Elena, that doesn't make it better."

"I know."

She sat down slowly.

"What kind of man offers something like this?"

"A billionaire."

She gave me a tired look.

"That doesn't answer my question."

I smiled weakly.

"No, it doesn't."

My mother reached for my hand.

"You don't have to sacrifice yourself to save this house."

"I'm not sacrificing myself."

I squeezed her fingers.

"I'm making a decision."

"And what if you fall in love with him?"

I froze.

The question shouldn't have bothered me.

But for some reason, Adrian's face appeared in my mind.

His dark eyes.

His calm voice.

The way he had looked at me in the hotel lobby.

I pushed the thought away.

"I won't."

My mother studied me.

"You sound very certain."

"I am."

At least, I wanted to be.

The next morning, I returned to Adrian's office.

He was standing beside his desk when I entered.

His expression remained calm, but his eyes immediately searched my face.

"Well?"

I took a deep breath.

"I'll do it."

For the first time, Adrian looked genuinely surprised.

"You're certain?"

"No."

He raised an eyebrow.

"But I'm desperate."

His expression hardened slightly.

"I don't want you to feel forced."

"I'm not being forced. I'm choosing to protect my family."

He studied me for a long moment before extending his hand.

"Then we have a deal."

I looked at his hand.

Then I placed mine in it.

His fingers closed around mine.

The warmth was immediate.

Neither of us moved.

His eyes dropped briefly to our hands before returning to my face.

Something passed between us that neither of us acknowledged.

Finally, he released me.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll get married."

My eyes widened.

"Tomorrow?"

"There's no reason to wait."

I stared at him.

"You're serious."

"Completely."

I took a slow breath.

Tomorrow, I would become Mrs. Adrian Blackwood.

A woman marrying a billionaire she barely knew.

A wife with an expiration date.

A marriage built on a contract.

I thought I was walking into a business arrangement.

I didn't know I was walking into the beginning of the greatest love of my life.