Chapter 1 : The Contract Bride
The rain hadn't stopped in three days.
It soaked through the city like a curse washing away hope, but not her pain.
Ava Sinclair stood outside the glass doors of Drax Enterprises, clutching a worn envelope against her chest.
Inside that envelope was the last thing she owned her father's debt papers.She had been turned away twice already.
But tonight, she didn't care if the guards dragged her out. She needed to see him. She needed to see Nathaniel Drax.
The elevator ride to the top floor felt endless.
When the doors opened, she stepped into a world of glass, steel, and silence.
Everything smelled expensive cold, sharp, untouchable.
Behind a massive desk, he sat black suit, unreadable face, fingers tracing the edge of a silver pen.
The man the world called ruthless.
The man who now held her future in his hands.
"Miss Sinclair." His voice was calm, deep, too controlled. "I didn't expect you'd have the courage to come."
Ava swallowed hard. "Please… my father ,he'll lose everything. My brother"
"Your father already has lost everything," he interrupted softly. "And as for your brother's treatment… that requires money your family doesn't have."
Her knees weakened, but she refused to cry.
"Then tell me what you want," she whispered. "Anything. I'll do anything."
Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing.
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them then he said the words that would change her life forever.
"Marry me."
Ava's breath caught. "What?"
"You want your family saved. I want a wife. On paper, nothing more."
He slid a thin document across the desk a contract sealed with his signature.
"One year," he said. "You'll play the role of Mrs. Drax in public. No love, no expectations. In return, your debts are erased."
Ava stared at the papers, the ink blurring as her eyes filled.
"Why me?" she asked softly.
He looked at her for the first time really looked.
Something dark flickered in his eyes, almost like pain.
"Because you remind me of someone I lost."
And just like that, the deal was made.
Her signature trembled across the page, binding her to a man who didn't believe in love and a future she couldn't escape.
Outside, the rain stopped.
But inside, Ava knew the storm had only just begun.
"What do you think of Nathaniel's offer? Would you accept it if you were Ava?"