*"MY BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET" *Chapter 1: The Job I Didn't Want*The rent was due in 3 days. My younger brother’s school fees were overdue. And my phone kept ringing with "Unknown Number" — the loan app people.I needed money. Fast.That’s why I was standing outside Cole Towers in a borrowed blazer and heels that were killing my feet."Personal Assistant to CEO. 600k per month." I applied at 2am. I never thought they’d call.The receptionist smiled. "Miss Ada? Mr. Cole will see you now. 40th floor."My heart stopped. Cole. Damian Cole.The same Damian Cole who told me 3 years ago: _"Girls like you don’t belong in my world."_ The same man who broke me and left town the next week.The elevator doors opened. And there he was. Tall. Suit. Cold eyes that used to look at me like I was everything.He looked up from his laptop. His eyes met mine. For one second, nothing.Then: "Miss Adeola. Sit down. You’re hired. But we have a problem."*End of Chapter 1* _What problem? Does he remember her?_-- -*Chapter 2: The Condition*"Problem?" I asked, voice shaking.Damian leaned back in his chair. 600k per month. I couldn’t walk out."You start today," he said. "But there’s a condition."He slid a contract across the table.I read it. Twice. My hands started shaking."Marry me," he said flatly. "For 6 months. My grandfather is dying. He wants to see me settled. You’ll be my wife on paper. 10 million naira at the end."10 million. Enough for mom’s surgery. Enough for everything.But marry the man who broke me?"I need an answer by 6pm," he said. "Or the job goes to someone else."---*"MY BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET"* *Chapter 3: I Said Yes*6pm came too fast.10 million naira. Mom’s surgery. Brother’s school. And me, standing in Damian Cole’s office with a pen in my hand."This is crazy," I whispered. "You hate me."Damian didn’t look up from his laptop. "I don’t hate you, Ada. I just... made a mistake 3 years ago."My chest hurt. 3 years ago he called me a distraction. Now he wanted to marry me?"6 months," he said. "No feelings. No complications. We go to events together. You wear the ring. You play the part. At the end, we sign divorce papers and you get your money."Simple. Cold. Business.I thought of mom in the hospital bed. The debt. The shame.I signed."Good," he said. Finally looked at me. "Wedding is on Saturday. Private. Just family."Saturday?! That’s 3 days!"One more thing," he added as I walked out. "Don’t fall in love with me, Ada. I’m not the same boy you knew."Too late, I thought. Because the moment he said my name, my heart remembered. --- *Chapter 4: The Contract* The pen felt heavy in my hand. Aria’s office smelled like money and power. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a desk bigger than my apartment, and her. Sitting across from me in a black blazer, looking like she owned the world. "Read it again," she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm. I did. `"$500,000. 6 months. Wife on paper only. No love. No intimacy. No questions."` My heart was pounding. Half a million dollars. Enough to pay Mom’s hospital bills. Enough to save our house. "Why me?" I whispered. "You could have any woman, Aria." She leaned forward. Her green eyes didn’t blink. "Because you’re desperate enough to say yes. And clean enough that no one will suspect." Desperate. That was the word. I thought about Mom in that hospital bed. The bills piling up. The calls from the bank. My hand shook as I signed. Aria Carter. The moment the ink dried, she stood up and walked to the window. "Good. We leave for the press event in 2 hours. Smile. Act in love. That’s all I need from you." She turned back to me. "And one more thing, Mrs. Carter. Don’t fall for me." I forced a laugh. "Don’t worry. I don’t do billionaires." But as the car pulled up and the cameras flashed, as she slipped the ring on my finger and pulled me close for the photos... I felt her hand squeeze mine. And for half a second, I believed the lie too. *To be continued...* ---