chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: THE DEAL IN BLACK AND WHITE

Mia did not sleep that night.

How could she sleep when the man sitting across from her had just offered to buy her pain and turn it into a weapon?

Adrian Cole did not rush her. He sat in the leather chair in the corner of the penthouse guest room, his suit jacket off, his white shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, watching her like a man who had all the time in the world.

But Mia knew better. Men like Adrian Cole never had time. They only made time when they wanted something.

"You want me to marry you," she said again, just to hear how crazy it sounded in her own voice. "For one year."

"Yes," he said.

"To destroy my father."

"Your father destroyed my family first," Adrian said, his voice low and calm, but his eyes turned to ice. "Ten years ago, Richard Hayes stole a contract that belonged to my father. He framed him for fraud. My father lost everything. His company. His name. Three months later, he put a gun to his own head."

Mia's heart stopped.

She had always known her father was ruthless in business. She had heard the whispers at parties. But this... this was different.

"And you want to use me to get to him?" she whispered.

"I want to use our marriage to get to him," Adrian corrected her. "Richard trusts blood. If you are my wife, he will invite me into his house. Into his meetings. Into his secrets. And when I have enough..." He paused. "I will burn him to the ground."

Mia wrapped her arms around herself. Her wedding dress was still damp from the rain. It clung to her skin, cold and heavy, like the shame of that day.

"And what do I get?" she asked.

Adrian leaned forward. "You get Daniel. And Lily."

At the mention of those names, something inside Mia snapped back to life. The tears stopped. The shaking stopped. All that was left was a cold, burning anger.

"What do you mean?"

"I know what Daniel did to you," Adrian said. "He didn't just leave you at the altar, Mia. He planned it. He and Lily planned it for months. They wanted to humiliate you in front of everyone so Lily could take your place. So Daniel could take your father's company."

Mia felt sick. "How do you know that?"

"Because I pay people to know things," Adrian said. "And I also know that after today, you have nothing. No money. No home. Your father has frozen your accounts. Your friends have already started posting Lily's pictures. By tomorrow morning, the whole city will call you the bride who was left in the rain."

He was right. And that truth cut deeper than Daniel's betrayal.

"So what is your offer?" Mia asked, her voice shaking but steady.

Adrian stood up and walked to the desk. He pulled out a thick black folder and placed it in front of her.

"Marry me for one year. Live in my house. Attend events with me. Pretend to be the perfect wife. In return, I will give you everything you need for your revenge."

He opened the folder. Inside was a contract.

Mia scanned the pages. Her eyes widened.

1. A new identity. A new bank account with one million dollars.

2. A team of lawyers to protect her.

3. Evidence against Daniel and Lily - proof of their affair, proof of the money they stole from her.

4. A promise: After one year, she could divorce him and walk away with ten million dollars.

"Ten million?" she breathed.

"Yes," Adrian said. "But there are rules."

He turned to the last page and pointed.

Rule 1: No love. This is business.

Rule 2: No one must know this marriage is fake.

Rule 3: No touching... unless it is for the cameras.

Mia looked up at him. "Rule 3?"

Adrian's eyes dropped to her lips for just one second. Too fast for her to be sure. Then he looked away.

"If we must touch, it must be for show," he said, his voice suddenly rough. "Do you understand?"

Mia understood. But her heart was beating too fast for a business deal.

She picked up the pen. Her hand was shaking.

She thought of Daniel's laugh. She thought of Lily's smirk. She thought of her father watching her cry in the rain and doing nothing.

Then she signed her name.

Mia Hayes.

Adrian watched her sign, and for the first time that night, something soft passed through his eyes. Something that looked almost like respect.

"Welcome to your revenge, Mrs. Cole," he said.

Mia looked up, tears still on her cheeks, but a small, dangerous smile on her lips.

"No," she said. "Welcome to yours."