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Chapter 2: The Rules of a Fake Marriage
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2026-07-08 19:55:22Sophia Carter stared at the contract in front of her for a long time.
The words on the paper seemed simple. One year of marriage. No love. No questions. No interference in each other's personal lives. But Sophia knew better than anyone that simple words could hide complicated truths. Especially when they came from someone like Alexander Black. She looked up at him. "The person who destroyed my father's company is inside your family?" Alexander remained silent for a moment. The expression on his face had changed. The cold confidence he showed moments ago was gone, replaced by something harder to read. "Yes." "Who?" "I can't tell you yet." Sophia immediately pushed the contract away. "Then this conversation is over." Alexander looked at her calmly. "You came here because your family is in trouble." "My family being in trouble does not mean I should walk into another person's trap." "Smart." Sophia frowned. "What?" "You are exactly the type of person I expected you to be." She disliked the way he said it. Like he had studied her. Like he already knew everything about her. "What does that mean?" Alexander walked back to his desk. "It means you don't trust easily. You question everything. You look for the hidden reason behind every action." "Because people usually have hidden reasons." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "Exactly." Sophia crossed her arms. "Why me, Alexander?" It was the first time she called him by his name. For some reason, he noticed. And for a brief second, something unfamiliar passed through his eyes. But it disappeared quickly. "Because you are not interested in my money." Sophia almost laughed. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" "It is the truth." "You don't know me." Alexander looked at her. "Actually, I know more about you than you think." Those words made her uncomfortable. "What does that mean?" Before he could answer, the office door opened. A man in his late twenties entered carrying some documents. "Mr. Black, the board meeting has been moved to tomorrow morning." His eyes landed on Sophia. For a second, surprise appeared on his face. Then he quickly hid it. "Miss Carter." Sophia looked at him. "You know me?" The man hesitated. "I have heard of you." Alexander interrupted. "Daniel, leave the documents." The man placed them on the desk and walked out. But Sophia noticed something. Daniel looked at her like he had expected to see her. Like her arrival was not a surprise. She turned back to Alexander. "How many people know about this?" "About the contract?" "About me." Alexander didn't answer. That was answer enough. Sophia sighed. "This is getting worse." "Your life was already getting worse before you came here." The words were harsh. But they were true. Sophia hated admitting it. Her father needed help. Her family's company was drowning. And she had no other option. She picked up the contract again. "Fine." Alexander watched her carefully. "You agree?" "I agree to the marriage." A moment of silence filled the room. "But I have conditions." Alexander leaned back. "Tell me." "First, my father must receive medical treatment immediately. The debt must be cleared completely, not temporarily." "Agreed." "Second, you do not control my career." "Agreed." "Third, after one year, if this marriage ends, I leave with nothing except what belongs to me." Alexander nodded. "Agreed." Sophia looked surprised. "You agreed too quickly." "Because I have conditions too." She waited. "You will live in my house." "Your mansion?" "Yes." "No." Alexander raised an eyebrow. "You just agreed to marry me." "And I said I won't let you control my life." "It is not control. It is necessary." "Why?" "Because people need to believe this marriage is real." Sophia looked away. She hated that he had a point. "Fine." "Second, you cannot tell anyone this marriage is a contract." "Obviously." "Third..." He paused. Sophia noticed. "What?" Alexander looked at her. "You cannot disappear without telling me." She frowned. "Why would I disappear?" "Because you are the type of person who carries everything alone." Sophia was silent. That sentence hit harder than she expected. Because it was true. She had spent her whole life protecting everyone else. Her father. Her family. Her employees. But nobody ever asked if she was okay. She picked up the pen. "I'll sign." She wrote her name at the bottom of the contract. Sophia Carter. The moment she finished, Alexander took the document. Their eyes met. And for a strange moment, neither of them looked away. It felt familiar. Too familiar. But neither understood why. --- Three hours later, Sophia arrived home. Her small apartment felt different. Because she knew it would not be hers for much longer. She placed her bag down and sat quietly. A marriage. To a stranger. A billionaire. A man who looked at her like he knew secrets she didn't. Her phone rang. It was her father. She answered quickly. "How are you feeling?" "I'm fine, Sophia." She smiled sadly. Her father always said he was fine. Even when he wasn't. "Someone helped us today." Her expression changed. "What do you mean?" "The hospital called. Your medical bills have been paid." Sophia closed her eyes. Alexander kept his promise. "Who did it?" There was a pause. "Sophia..." She immediately noticed. "What?" "I saw the name on the payment record." Her heart started beating faster. "Who?" Her father hesitated. "Blackwood International." Silence. "Sophia, what is happening?" She looked at the contract sitting beside her. "I'll explain everything soon, Dad." After ending the call, Sophia looked outside the window. Tomorrow, she would enter Alexander Black's world. A world filled with wealth, power, and secrets. She didn't know that someone else was watching her. Across the street, inside a black car, a woman stared at a photo of Sophia. The woman's fingers tightened around it. "So she finally appeared." A cold smile formed on her lips. "After all these years, Alexander Black is finally bringing her back into the Blackwood family." The driver looked at her through the mirror. "Should we stop the marriage?" The woman looked at Sophia's apartment. "No." She slowly tore the photo in half. "Let them get married." A dangerous smile appeared. "Because once Sophia Carter enters that mansion..." "She will never leave the same way." The next morning, every major news outlet received the same headline: "Billionaire CEO Alexander Black Announces Marriage To Mystery Woman." And beneath the headline was a picture. Alexander Black. Holding hands with Sophia Carter. The world was shocked. But nobody knew the truth. Their marriage was not built on love. It was built on a contract. And contracts could be broken. But secrets? Secrets could destroy everything.
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