CHAPTER 2: “TERMS OF A FAKE MARRIAGE”

The storm had softened by the time Panni stepped out of the restaurant, but inside her chest, the thunder hadn’t stopped. Every heartbeat felt like a warning. The city lights blurred past the window of the black car sent by Jinyan Lu, but she barely saw any of it.

One message haunted her.

You shouldn’t have signed that. You’re not Annie.

Her fingers curled tightly over her phone, knuckles white. Who sent it? How did they know? And worse—were they watching?

Before she could spiral further, the car slowed to a stop before iron gates taller than anything she had ever stood near. They slid open silently, revealing the Lu mansion grounds—manicured gardens, quiet paths, soft golden lighting outlining every corner like a painting.

It didn’t look like a home.

It looked like another world.

The driver stepped out and opened her door. “Miss Su.”

Panni flinched. Miss Su. They believed she was Annie. She was already living inside a lie she had no plan to escape.

“Thank you,” she murmured, stepping out carefully.

Footsteps echoed beneath the shelter of the stone portico. Jinyan approached from the entrance, hands in his pockets, posture crisp. Even without speaking, he radiated discipline and power.

“Come inside,” he said. “There are matters to finalize.”

Panni followed in silence, nerves coiling tighter with each step. The mansion interior was colder than she expected—crystal chandeliers, marble floors, minimalist furniture. Everything is immaculate. Everything is intimidating.

He led her into a private study. Dark wood shelves, soft lighting, an untouched set of tea cups on a polished table.

Jinyan’s voice broke the quiet.

“Before we proceed, I want to be clear about two things.”

Panni straightened, forcing composure.

“One,” he said, turning to face her fully, “our marriage will remain contractual. You will have your space; I will have mine. There will be no expectation beyond public appearances and formal duties.”

Panni nodded, though something inside her twisted—for relief, guilt, she wasn’t sure.

“And two,” his eyes narrowed slightly, “I value honesty above all else. Even in a contract, agreement requires truth. If you withhold something important from me, this arrangement will end immediately.”

Panni’s heartbeat skittered.

Honesty.

A rule she had already broken.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Understood.”

“Good.” He motioned toward the contract she had already signed earlier. “Tonight, I want to ensure you’re aware of the commitments.”

She stepped toward the table.

He walked beside her, close enough that she caught his scent—clean, faintly like cedar and rain. It unsettled her more than it should.

He pointed to the first clause.

“No romantic involvement is expected or required. Our personal lives remain separate.”

Panni exhaled shakily. “All right.”

“Second—discretion. Anyone outside my inner circle must believe our marriage is real. That includes employees, the media, and the board.”

She swallowed. “I can manage that.”

“Third—stability. No scandals. No dramatic behavior. No public outbursts. My position demands consistency.”

Panni almost laughed. Annie would have failed that requirement in three hours. But she? She had spent her entire life avoiding attention.

“I understand,” she murmured.

“Lastly.” He tapped the final clause. “No falling in—”

He cut himself off abruptly. His jaw tensed.

Panni blinked. “No falling… what?”

“Nothing.” He straightened. “It’s irrelevant.”

But the way his gaze slid away a beat too late told her it wasn’t irrelevant at all.

No falling in love.

It was likely written—maybe removed before she saw it.

A rule he needed.

A rule he feared.

Panni looked down at the ink she had signed. Her name—Annie Su—in careful handwriting that was a lie.

Guilt suffocated her.

She didn’t belong in this mansion.

She didn’t belong beside this man.

She didn’t belong in his grandmother’s final wish.

“Is something wrong?” Jinyan asked, studying her face.

Panni forced a breath. “I’m just… adjusting.”

He considered this, then nodded. “Understandable.”

A soft knock interrupted the moment.

The door opened, revealing a sharply dressed woman in her late fifties—elegant, poised, eyes sharper than glass.

“Jinyan,” she said. “You didn’t inform me we had a guest.”

Panni stiffened.

This must be his aunt.

The one who handled most family affairs—and who had been closest to his grandmother.

The aunt’s eyes swept over Panni, lingering on her posture, her expression, her trembling hands. A faint frown formed.

“You’re Annie Su,” she said flatly. “Correct?”

Panni’s stomach dropped.

Her throat tightened.

Jinyan stepped between them with a quiet but firm tone. “Aunt Luyi, I was going to speak with you tomorrow. We’ve finalized the marriage arrangement.”

Aunt Luyi blinked. “You finalized it? Without consulting me?”

“You manage the household,” Jinyan replied. “Not my personal decisions.”

Her eyes narrowed—not at him, but at Panni. “This girl… looks different than the woman I met before.”

Panni froze.

Before?

Annie had already met the aunt? When? And how did she behave then?

Panni forced herself to speak. “I—I wasn’t myself that day. I was sick.”

Aunt Luyi stared hard enough to see straight through her soul.

Jinyan’s voice turned icy. “Aunt.”

She sighed, stepping back. “Fine. But I will be watching closely.”

Panni’s breath quickened.

Of course she would.

One wrong slip and everything would unravel.

The aunt exited, tension lingering like smoke.

Jinyan turned to Panni. “Don’t let her intimidate you. She protects this family, but she oversteps.”

Panni forced a nod. “I’ll try.”

“You’ve been thrown into a demanding environment,” he said, softer than before. “I don’t expect perfection. Just sincerity.”

If he only knew.

The study fell quiet, too quiet. Panni couldn’t stop staring at the contract—at the life she’d agreed to.

Jinyan unexpectedly moved closer, reaching for her wrist.

She flinched.

He paused, eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion. “Your hand is shaking.”

“I’m fine,” she whispered.

“You’re not.”

His closeness was unsettling. His voice, calm and low, sent a pulse through her chest.

“You don’t need to be afraid of me,” he said.

But that wasn’t true.

She feared the lie.

She feared the truth.

She feared the moment he learned she wasn’t Annie.

“I’ll… do my best,” she said.

He released her wrist slowly, his fingers brushing her skin just long enough to make her breath catch.

“Good.” He stepped back. “Our engagement announcement will be in three days. Prepare yourself. My assistant will brief you.”

Three days.

The walls felt like they were closing in.

“I—may I leave for the night?” she asked softly. “I need… time to process.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll have the driver take you home.”

As she turned to leave, Jinyan called her name—Annie—but it struck her like a wound.

“Before you go,” he said, “remember this: honesty is the only thing that will keep us safe.”

Her heart cracked.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I know.”

She walked out before he saw the guilt in her eyes.

Outside, the car waited. She slid into the back seat, gripping her phone again.

One new message.

Same unknown number.

“You signed the contract.

And now you’ve trapped yourself.

Does he know who you really are, Panni?”

Her breath stopped.

Another message immediately followed.

“If you don’t tell him, I will.”

The car pulled out of the gates as her world collapsed.