Chapter 11

The words hung in the air like a physical presence.

I want you to be my wife.

For a moment, nobody moved. Nobody breathed. The apartment was so quiet I could hear the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the distant sound of traffic outside.

“I’m sorry,” I said finally. “What?”

“You heard me correctly.”

“No. No, I don’t think I did. Because it sounded like you just proposed marriage.”

“I did.”

I laughed. The sound came out high and strange. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“You have to be joking. People don’t just show up at someone’s apartment and propose marriage with a contract. This is… this is insane.”

“This is business.” Xander’s expression remained calm. Infuriatingly calm. “Diana, I understand this is unexpected—”

“Unexpected?” My voice climbed. “Unexpected is running into an ex at the grocery store. This is… I don’t even have words for what this is.”

Maya had gone very still beside me. Not speaking. Just watching Xander with an unreadable expression.

“Take a breath,” Xander said. “Let me explain.”

“Explain? You want to explain why you showed up here with a marriage contract?” I stood up, needing to move. “We slept together once. Once. And now you want to marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I need a wife, and you need resources. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

“Mutually beneficial.” I repeated the words like they were in a foreign language. “You’re talking about marriage like it’s a business merger.”

“All marriages are business mergers. Most people just don’t acknowledge it.” He gestured to the couch. “Sit. Please. Let me explain my situation, and then you can decide if you want to hear the terms.”

I didn’t sit. I paced instead, my mind spinning. “This isn’t real. This can’t be real.”

“Diana.” Maya’s voice was quiet. “Maybe hear him out?”

I spun to face her. “You think I should hear him out?”

“I think you should at least understand what he’s offering before you throw him out.” She looked at Xander. “Though I reserve the right to throw you out if this gets any weirder than it already is.”

Xander nodded. “Fair enough.”

I sat down slowly, feeling like I’d stepped into an alternate reality. “Fine. Explain. Why do you need a wife?”

“My father died twelve years ago. He left me controlling interest in Lockwood Industries, but with conditions.” Xander’s voice was measured, professional. Like he was giving a business presentation. “Specifically, I must be married by my thirty-fifth birthday, or control of the company reverts to a board of trustees headed by my mother.”

“When is your birthday?”

“January tenth.”

I blinked. “That’s… that’s in nine months.”

“Yes.”

“So you have nine months to get married or you lose your company.”

“Correct.”

“And you decided the solution was to track down a woman you slept with once and propose a contract marriage.”

“Yes.”

I laughed again, the sound bordering on hysterical. “This is insane. You know this is insane, right?”

“I know this is unconventional.”

“Unconventional? This is—” I stopped, pressing my hands to my face. “I need a minute. I need to process this.”

“Take your time.”

I stood again, walking to the window. Brooklyn stretched out below, normal and real and making sense in a way this conversation didn’t.

Xander wanted to marry me. With a contract. Because he needed a wife to keep his company.

“Why me?” I asked without turning around. “You’re Alexander Lockwood. You could marry anyone. Models. Actresses. Women who actually know you.”

“Because everyone else would want something more. To complicate something meant to be simple.”

I turned to face him. “And you think I won’t?”

“I know you won’t. You made that clear when you left my penthouse without saying goodbye. When you told me in text messages it couldn’t happen again.” His eyes held mine. “You understand boundaries. You don’t confuse one night for a relationship. Those qualities make you perfect for what I need.”

“What you need. What about what I need?”

“You need money. Stability. A way to rebuild your reputation and your career. I can provide all of those things.”

“In exchange for pretending to be your wife.”

“Yes.”

I sat back down, my legs suddenly unsteady. “This is insane,” I whispered.

“You’ve said that several times now.”

“Because it keeps being true!” I looked at Maya. “Tell him this is insane.”

Maya was quiet for a moment. “It is insane. But Di… he’s not wrong about your situation.”

“So you think I should consider this?”

“I think you should hear all the details before deciding anything.” She looked at Xander. “What exactly are you offering?”

Xander pushed the leather folder toward me. “Open it. Read the first page.”

My hands trembled as I reached for the contract. The leather was cool, substantial. Real.

I opened it.

“MARRIAGE CONTRACT

Between: Alexander James Lockwood and Diana Elizabeth Pembroke

Duration: Two years from date of marriage

Effective Date: To be determined, no later than January 10, 2027”

My eyes scanned the words, but they didn’t feel real.

“Keep reading,” Xander said.

I turned the page.

“Article I: Compensation

Annual stipend of $500,000, paid monthly.

Full health insurance.

Legal representation.

Wardrobe allowance.

Completion bonus of $500,000.

Business startup capital up to $1,000,000.”

The numbers swam. I read them again. Then again.

Two million dollars total.

“This can’t be real,” I breathed.

“It’s very real. Keep reading.”

“Article II: Obligations

Public appearances. Cohabitation. Discretion. Public persona as devoted spouse. Physical displays of affection in public.

Separate bedrooms provided unless mutually agreed otherwise.

Physical intimacy optional and mutually consensual.”

I closed the contract, my heart hammering. “You want me to pretend to be your wife. In public. At events. In front of your family.”

“Yes.”

“For two years.”

“Yes.”

“While living with you.”

“In separate bedrooms if you prefer. But yes, we’d share a residence. The marriage has to appear real.”

“Why?” The question came out sharper than I intended. “Why does it have to be real? Why can’t you just get married on paper?”

“Because my mother isn’t stupid. Neither is my board of directors. They’ll be watching. Scrutinizing. Looking for any sign this is fake. We need to be convincing.”

“Convincing how?”

“Attending events together. Appearing affectionate in public. Spending holidays with family. Living like a married couple in all the ways anyone can observe.” He leaned forward. “Diana, I’m not asking you to fall in love with me. I’m asking you to play a role for two years. You’re excellent at managing events, at meeting impossible expectations. This is the same skill set.”

“Events don’t involve lying to everyone I know.”

“Read Article Three. The discretion clause.”

I opened the contract again, flipping pages until I found it.

“Article III: Discretion

Both parties agree to maintain absolute confidentiality regarding the contractual nature of the marriage. Violation results in immediate termination and forfeiture of all compensation.”

I sighed.

“So I can’t tell anyone this is fake.”

“Correct.”

“Not even Maya.”

“Especially not Maya. But unfortunately, she’s here and since you’re staying at her apartment, she needed to know. The fewer people who know, the lower the risk of exposure.” He glanced at Maya. “No offense.”

“Plenty taken,” Maya said dryly.

I kept reading, my mind struggling to process the words.

“Article IV: Fidelity

During the term of the contract, both parties agree to refrain from romantic or sexual relationships with third parties….

You want me to be faithful to a fake marriage.”

“I want both of us to avoid complications. If either of us is seen with someone else, it damages the illusion.” His expression was unreadable. “Two years of celibacy is a small price for what you’re gaining.”

“Unless we…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Unless we choose otherwise. Which is covered in Article Two. Physical intimacy is optional. If both of us want it, fine. If not, separate bedrooms. No pressure. No obligation.”

My face burned. We were discussing sleeping together like it was a contract addendum.

“There’s more you’re not telling me,” I said. “There has to be. Men like you don’t offer this kind of money without a bigger reason.”

Xander was quiet for a moment. “You’re right. There are other factors.”

“Tell me.”

“My ex-girlfriend is causing problems. Seraphina Vale. She’s a model. We dated for two years. I ended things six months ago. She didn’t accept it.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means she shows up at my office. My apartment. My events. She tells people we’re reconciling. Gives interviews implying we’re getting back together.” His jaw tightened. “It’s affecting my business relationships. Making me look unstable. A wife sends a clear message.”

“So I’m a solution to your ex-girlfriend problem.”

“You’re a solution to multiple problems. Seraphina is one of them. My mother’s meddling is another. She has candidates she wants me to marry. Women from appropriate families. A sudden marriage circumvents her interference.”

“Appropriate families.” The words tasted bitter. “And I’m not appropriate.”

“You’re intelligent, beautiful, and currently in a position where this arrangement benefits you significantly.” His eyes held mine. “I don’t care about appropriate. I care about effective.”

I closed the contract, setting it on the coffee table like it might explode.

“This is too much. I can’t… I need time to think.”

“Of course. That’s why I’m giving you a week.”

“A week? You want me to decide whether to marry you in a week?”

“I need time to plan a wedding if you say yes. We need to establish how we met, how I proposed, why we’re marrying quickly. Every detail has to be perfect.” He stood, straightening his suit. “Read the entire contract. Think about what this means for your future. Consider what you’re gaining versus what you’re sacrificing.”

“What am I sacrificing?” I asked. “You make this sound like I’m getting everything.”

“Two years of your life. Two years of living a lie. Two years of being scrutinized by my family, my colleagues, the media.” His expression was serious. “This won’t be easy, Diana. But it will be lucrative. And at the end, you’ll have the resources to build whatever life you want.”

He walked toward the door.

“Wait,” I said. “I have questions. So many questions.”

“Write them down. When you call, I’ll answer all of them. But tonight, you need time to process.” He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “One week, Diana. My contact information is on the last page of the contract. Call me when you’re ready to discuss this further.”

“What if I’m not ready in a week?”

“Then I move on to other candidates. But I don’t think I’ll need to. I think you’ll call.”

“You’re very confident.”

“I’m a good judge of character. And I think you’re someone who makes hard choices when they’re the right ones.” He opened the door. “Read the contract. Think carefully. Then decide if you’re willing to be my wife.”

He walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

The apartment fell silent.

Maya and I stared at the leather folder on the coffee table.

“Did that just happen?” I whispered.

“I think so. But I’m not entirely sure I didn’t hallucinate the last twenty minutes.”

I picked up the contract again, opening to the compensation page. The numbers were still there. Five hundred thousand dollars per year.

“This is real,” I said. “This is really happening.”

“Are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything right now except my brain is screaming and I feel like I’m in some weird fever dream.”

Maya pulled me into a hug. “Take the week. Read everything. Think about it. Don’t decide anything tonight.”

“He wants me to marry him, Maya.”

“I know.”

“For money. With a contract.”

“I know.”

“This is insane.”

“You’ve mentioned that.” She pulled back, looking at me seriously. “But Di, crazy or not, he’s offering you a way out. And right now, you don’t have many of those.”

“So you think I should consider it?”

“I think you should read the contract. Understand what he’s really asking. Then make a decision based on facts, not panic.” She squeezed my hand. “Whatever you decide, I’m here. Always.”

I looked at the contract again.

One week to decide if I was willing to marry Alexander Lockwood.

One week to decide if I was desperate enough to sell two years of my life.

One week to figure out who Diana Pembroke really was.

The girl who played it safe and ended up with nothing.

Or the woman who took the dangerous choice and fought her way back.

I didn’t know the answer yet.

But I had seven days to find out.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​