"Two million dollars."
Lior felt the air leave her lungs. "Two million..."
"Plus expenses. Eighteen months." Lucien's voice carried the same tone he might use to order lunch.
"I..." She struggled to form coherent thoughts. "What exactly would I have to do?"
"Be my wife." His gray eyes remained cold, assessing. "Public appearances. Social functions. Whatever the situation requires."
"Why me?"
Lucien set down his glass with deliberate precision. "Don't flatter yourself, Miss Atheria. You're convenient. You need money, you're presentable enough, and most importantly, you know better than to dream beyond your station."
The words hit like a slap. Heat flooded her cheeks at his casual dismissal, the way he spoke about her like she was a commodity to be evaluated.
"You're offering me two million dollars and insulting me in the same breath?"
"I'm offering you a solution to your problems. The terms are non-negotiable." He moved to his desk, retrieving a thick folder. "Everything you need to know is in here."
"What if I say no?"
"Then you leave. Marcus will drive you home." His tone remained conversational, as if discussing the weather. "Your choice."
Lior flinched at his bluntness.
The arrogance in his voice made her want to throw his offer back in his face. But her mother's face flashed in her mind, pale and tired, and the fight drained out of her.
"Why do you need a wife?" she asked quietly.
"That's not your concern."
"If I'm going to pretend to be married to you, I think I have a right to know."
Lucien studied her for a long moment. "Business deal. Traditional partners. They want stability."
"And you think I can provide that?"
"You'll provide whatever I tell you to provide." His voice carried an edge that made her spine straighten. "Don't mistake this arrangement for anything beyond what it is, Miss Atheria. You're being hired for a job. Nothing more."
The folder felt heavy in her hands as she accepted it. "How do I know you won't change the terms once we're married?"
" I have no interest in keeping you longer than necessary." The dismissal in his tone was absolute. "Eighteen months and you're free to go back to your coffee shop and medical textbooks."
"I need time to think about this."
"You have until tomorrow evening. After that, I find someone else."
Someone else. As if she was replaceable, interchangeable. The casual way he said it reminded her exactly where she stood in his world.
"Is that all?" she asked, standing on unsteady legs.
"Marcus will handle the details if you accept. I hope you know what to choose."
He'd already turned away, dismissing her from his attention like she was a servant who'd delivered a message. Lior clutched the folder against her chest and walked toward the elevator on trembling legs.
The ride back to her apartment passed in a blur. Lior sat in the back of the luxury sedan, the contract folder burning like fire in her lap. Her hands shook as she thought about what had just happened.
Maya was asleep when she finally climbed the stairs to their cramped apartment. Lior was grateful for the solitude as she spread the contract across their tiny kitchen table and began reading by the light of their single overhead fixture.
The document was thorough to the point of being overwhelming. Clauses covering everything from public behavior expectations to social media restrictions. Financial terms that made her head spin. Termination conditions that seemed to favor Lucien significantly.
But buried within all the legal language was the lifeline she needed.
Her phone buzzed with a text from her mother:
"Can't sleep. Thinking about you. Are you taking care of yourself?"
Lior stared at the message, her throat tight. She typed back:
"Always. Get some rest. Love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart. Sweet dreams."
Sweet dreams. If only her mother knew what she'd just agreed to consider.
Lior returned to the contract, reading each clause with the careful attention her pre-med training had taught her. The terms heavily favored Lucien, giving him broad authority over her schedule, appearance, and public behavior.
When she finally went to bed three hours later, her decision felt both terrifying and inevitable.
The next evening, her phone rang precisely at six o'clock.
"Miss Atheria? This is Marcus Sterling. Do you have an answer for Mr. Pembroke?"
Lior closed her eyes. "Yes. I accept."
"Excellent. Car will pick you up at seven-thirty for the signing."
"Signing?"
"Marriage Certificate. City Hall. Mr. Pembroke prefers to handle these matters efficiently."
Marriage license. The reality hit her like a physical blow. "Tonight?"
"Is there a problem, Miss Atheria? You accepted the terms."
"No, I..." She gripped the phone tighter. "No problem."
"Good. Dress appropriately. This is a legal proceeding."
The line went dead, leaving Lior staring at her phone in the silence of her apartment. She'd just agreed to marry Lucien Pembroke. Tonight.
Maya emerged from her room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Who was that?"
Lior looked at her best friend, knowing this was the last normal conversation they'd have for a very long time.
"Work stuff."
"This late?"
"You know how it is." Lior forced a smile. "Go back to sleep."
Two hours later, she sat in the back of the same luxury sedan, wearing her only decent dress and fighting waves of nausea. The city passed by in a blur of lights and shadows as they drove toward City Hall.
Marcus met them at a side entrance, his expression professionally neutral. "Everything is arranged. The justice of the peace is waiting."
Lucien emerged from a second car, looking impossibly composed in a dark suit. He glanced at Lior once, taking in her simple black dress and nervous expression.
"Let's get this over with," he said curtly.
The ceremony, if it could be called that, lasted less than ten minutes. A tired-looking official read from a standard script while Lior and Lucien signed documents that would legally bind them together.
"Do you, Lucien Pembroke, take Lior Atheria to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do." His voice was steady, businesslike.
"Do you, Lior Atheria, take Lucien Pembroke to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Lior's mouth felt dry as sand. "I do."
"By the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
No kiss. No celebration. Just the scratching of pens on paper and the official stamp that made their arrangement legal.
"Congratulations," the justice of the peace said with forced cheer. "The certificates will be ready in a few days."
Outside City Hall, Lucien straightened his tie with the same casual indifference he might show after any business meeting.
"Marcus will handle the financial arrangements. The money will be transferred to your account within twenty-four hours."
"That's it?" Lior's voice came out smaller than she intended.
"What did you expect? A honeymoon?" His gray eyes held no warmth. "This is a business transaction, Mrs. Pembroke. Nothing more."
Mrs. Pembroke. The name sounded foreign, impossible.
"When do we... when does the public part start?"
"When I tell you it starts." He was already walking toward his car. "Don't contact me unless Marcus instructs you to. Don't tell anyone about tonight. As far as the world knows, nothing has changed."
"What if someone asks questions? What if Maya notices..."
"That's your problem to manage." He paused at his car door. "You signed a contract, Miss Atheria. Honor it."
Miss Atheria. Not Mrs. Pembroke. He was already dismissing their marriage as meaningless.
The car door slammed, and Lucien Pembroke disappeared into the night, leaving his new wife standing alone on the steps of City Hall.
Lior looked down at her hands, still trembling from signing her name to a marriage certificate. The simple gold band Marcus had provided felt heavy on her finger.
"Mrs. Pembroke," Marcus appeared beside her, holding out a set of keys and a black credit card. "Your new residence is ready."
The reality hit her like cold water. She wasn't going back to her cramped apartment with Maya. She was going to some unknown place that Lucien Pembroke had chosen for her.
"What about my things? My textbooks, my clothes?"
"Everything essential has been moved. Anything else can be retrieved tomorrow." Marcus gestured toward the waiting car. "Shall we?"
The drive took them to the Upper East Side, through streets lined with elegant brownstones and manicured trees. Lior pressed her face to the window, watching a world she'd only seen in movies pass by outside.
They stopped in front of a pristine white building with a doorman who nodded respectfully as Marcus approached.
"Good evening, Mr. Sterling. Is this Mrs. Pembroke?"
Mrs. Pembroke. The name still sounded impossible.
"Indeed. James, please ensure Mrs. Pembroke has everything she needs."
The lobby was all marble and crystal, with arrangements of fresh flowers that probably cost more than her monthly coffee shop salary. An elevator whisked them silently to the fifteenth floor.
"Penthouse apartment," Marcus explained as they walked down a hallway lined with expensive artwork. "Mr. Pembroke maintains several properties throughout the city. This one has been prepared specifically for your use."
He unlocked a door marked 15A and stepped aside for her to enter.
Lior's breath caught in her throat.
The apartment was stunning. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a spectacular view of Central Park, the lights of the city twinkling like stars below. The living room was spacious and elegant, decorated in soft grays and creams with touches of gold. Everything looked like it belonged in an interior design magazine.
"The master bedroom is through here," Marcus continued, leading her down a hallway. "Full bathroom with a soaking tub. The second bedroom has been set up as a study space for your medical school work."
The study took her breath away. Built-in bookshelves lined the walls, already filled with every medical textbook she could possibly need. A state-of-the-art computer sat on a mahogany desk positioned perfectly to take advantage of the natural light.
"How did you..." she started.
"Mr. Pembroke is thorough in his preparations." Marcus handed her a tablet. "This contains your schedule, contact information, and household instructions. Mrs. Chen comes in three times a week to clean and manage any domestic needs."
"Mrs. Chen?"
"Your housekeeper. She's been with the Pembroke family for years, very discreet. She'll stock your kitchen, handle dry cleaning, whatever you require."
Lior wandered back to the living room, still trying to process the luxury surrounding her. The apartment was easily ten times larger than the place she'd shared with Maya.
"Does Mr. Pembroke live here?"
"Occasionally. He has a master suite on the top floor when his schedule requires it, but his primary residence is elsewhere." Marcus checked his watch. "The building has a gym, concierge service, and 24-hour security. Your name has been added to all the relevant systems."
"What do I tell people? My friends, my professors?"
"That you've moved to a company apartment. Nothing more. The lease is under a shell corporation name, not Pembroke holdings. Anyone who looks will see standard rental agreements."
Marcus moved toward the door, his job apparently complete. "Your first transfer will appear in your account tomorrow morning. After that, monthly installments as outlined in your contract."
"Wait," Lior called out as he reached the door. "What happens now? When do I see him again?"
"When Mr. Pembroke requires your presence. Until then, continue your normal activities. Medical school, work if you choose, though financially it's no longer necessary."
"Work?"
"The coffee shop. Mr. Pembroke leaves such decisions to your discretion, as long as they don't interfere with your obligations to him."
The door closed with a soft click, leaving Lior alone in her new life.
She walked slowly through the apartment, touching expensive furniture and staring out windows that offered views she'd never imagined having. In the kitchen, she found the refrigerator fully stocked with gourmet foods she'd never heard of.
The master bedroom was equally impressive, with a king-sized bed dressed in sheets that felt like silk. The walk-in closet was larger than her old bedroom, though mostly empty except for a few basic outfits in her exact size.
How had they known her measurements? How long had Lucien been planning this?
In the bathroom, she found luxury toiletries arranged perfectly on marble countertops. The soaking tub looked deep enough to swim in, surrounded by windows that somehow managed to provide a view while maintaining privacy.
Lior sank onto the edge of the bed, overwhelmed by the opulence surrounding her. Hours ago, she'd been sharing a cramped apartment with Maya, worrying about making rent. Now she was sitting in a penthouse apartment that probably cost more per month than most people made in a year.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Maya: "Where are you? Your bed wasn't slept in."
Lior stared at the message, realizing she'd have to lie to her best friend. Maya would never believe she could afford a place like this, even with a new job.
She typed back: "Got called in early for work stuff. Will explain later."
It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. Just the first of many deceptions she'd have to master in her new role as Mrs. Lucien Pembroke.
As she prepared for bed in her new luxury surroundings, Lior caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror. She looked the same as always, but everything had changed.
She was living in a world she'd never imagined, married to a man who saw her as a business arrangement, playing a role she didn't understand yet.
The apartment was beautiful.