Chapter two-Keep calm. The paparazzi are here.

Mira had barely started changing out of her work clothes when Benita entered her room without knocking. She was still unbuttoning her blouse when her stepsister dropped a garment bag onto the bed.

"Take this dress. You have your first date with Alex this evening, so please don't mess things up."

Mira turned to her. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Stop complaining and listen. You have a date to prepare for."

Mira wanted to remind Benita that she had never asked for this arrangement, but arguing would change nothing. She finished changing before picking up the garment bag.

"Since we're making an agreement, I want a contract," she said. "I don't intend to trust anyone's word when my future is involved."

Benita laughed. "You think I'll back out? Please. When I return, I'll still be everything you aren't."

Mira ignored the insult. A moment later, Vanessa entered with several sheets of paper and placed them on the bed.

"We prepared the contract," she said. "Read it and sign."

Mira examined the terms carefully. She was forbidden from revealing their arrangement to anyone, could not end the marriage during the three-year period, and had to comply with Alexander's requests. She was also required to return home every week and report everything happening around him.

"You expect me to report his private affairs to you?"

"We need to know how things are progressing," Vanessa replied.

Mira knew there was little point arguing. With her mother's medical bills hanging over her head, refusing would only give Vanessa another reason to threaten her. She signed the contract and handed it back.

Benita pushed the garment bag toward her. "Good. Your date is this evening. Don't be late."

After the two women left, Mira changed into comfortable clothes and packed the dress. When she reached the living room, her father looked up from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"To visit a woman you haven't bothered to see in three years."

Richard said nothing as Mira walked out.

The hospital staff already knew her, so she passed through the necessary checks without difficulty. Within minutes, she stood beside her mother's bed.

Laura Nolan looked frail beneath the white sheets. Three years earlier, she had been poisoned, and the resulting damage to her liver had gradually progressed to liver failure. Despite treatment, her condition remained critical, leaving her weak but still conscious.

"Mira," she whispered.

Mira sat beside her and took her hand. "How are you feeling, Mom?"

"Better now that you're here. But something is bothering you. What happened?"

Mira hesitated before explaining that she had agreed to a marriage she did not want. She avoided mentioning names, but she told her mother enough for her to understand the situation.

Laura listened quietly before speaking.

"Then pull the plug on this arrangement. If they're using my illness to control you, let me go rather than sacrifice your future for me."

"Don't say that!" Mira protested. "You're all I have. If I lose you, I'll have nobody I can trust."

Laura gently patted her hand. She knew how much her daughter had already sacrificed, but she also knew Mira would never willingly abandon her.

As Mira wiped her eyes, she noticed the flower vase beside the bed.

"You still haven't found out who's been sending these flowers?" Laura shook her head. Mira picked up the tag. "Angy. The same sender again."

"I have no idea who it is," Laura replied. Then her expression changed. "The only Angy I knew is dead. I watched that little man die. The same incident that put me here."

Mira stared at her mother, but Laura looked too exhausted to continue. She returned the tag to the vase and checked the time. She still had a date to attend.

After changing into the dress Benita had provided, Mira kissed her mother's forehead and promised to visit again before leaving the hospital.

She arrived at the restaurant at exactly 7:59 p.m. The place was lavish, with crystal chandeliers above neatly arranged tables. Alexander sat near the window, dressed in a dark suit, and watched her approach.

"I'd be disappointed if you were late," he remarked.

Mira sat opposite him without responding.

Alexander glanced at her dress. "Why did you pretend not to know about the marriage this afternoon? And isn't that the dress I bought for you?"

Mira knew it had been intended for Benita, but explaining the truth would expose their arrangement.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "I shouldn't have spoken to you that way."

"See that it doesn't happen again. And don't expect me to treat you specially because we're getting married. I won't change my relationship with Rachael for you."

Mira met his gaze. "I would be disappointed if you showed me any special treatment. If I tried to write down every time you've cared for me while I worked for you, I'd have an empty page because you've never done so."

Alexander fell silent.

Mira continued, "I know you're head over heels for Rachael. Honestly, that's none of my business. And since there is no need for us staying any longer I need to leave here."

“What?”

She rose from her chair and walked toward him. Alexander looked startled when she stopped beside him, especially when she leaned close enough for him to hear her whisper.

"Keep calm. The paparazzi are here."

His gaze shifted toward the entrance, where several photographers had begun watching them.

"I'm here because your parents wanted this marriage," Mira continued quietly. "I'll play my part until I'm no longer needed. But for now, let's put on a show."

Before Alexander could respond, she kissed him on the lips.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it was long enough for the photographers to capture the moment. Mira pulled away, straightened her dress, and headed toward the entrance.

"I'll be waiting for your call!" she announced with a bright smile, waving at him.

Alexander stared at her in surprise before awkwardly returning the wave.

Once outside, Mira let out a quiet breath. She had no intention of competing with Rachael or falling in love with Alexander. She only needed to endure the arrangement for three years, rebuild her savings, and become financially independent enough to care for her mother without relying on her father's family.

If she could achieve that, nobody would ever be able to use her mother's medical bills to control her again.