Signed Away To A Stranger

Neya didn’t believe in luck. If anything, life had proven to her—over and over again—that luck simply didn’t exist for people like her. Not when your landlord was threatening to throw your things out. Not when your school fees were overdue. And definitely not when your phone kept buzzing with messages you couldn’t afford to answer. She exhaled slowly, staring at the email on her cracked screen. “URGENT: High-paying assistant position. Immediate hire.” High-paying. Those two words alone were enough to make her ignore the small voice in her head telling her to be careful. “I don’t have time to be careful,” she muttered under her breath. The office building was nothing like she expected. It was too quiet. Too clean. Too… expensive. Her slippers felt out of place against the polished marble floor as she stepped inside, clutching her small bag tightly. A receptionist barely looked at her before speaking. “Name?” “Neya.” A pause. Then the woman’s expression shifted—just slightly. “Go to the last office on the right.” No interview. No questions. Weird. But Neya was too desperate to think too deeply about it. The office door was already open. Inside, a man in a black suit stood beside a desk, flipping through a document. He didn’t look at her immediately. “Sit.” No greeting. No smile. Just that one word. Neya frowned but sat anyway, her eyes scanning the room. Everything screamed money. “Sign this.” The document was pushed toward her. She blinked. “That’s it?” “Yes.” Her suspicion flickered… but only for a second. “You’re hiring me without even asking questions?” “You need the job,” he replied calmly. “And we need someone who can follow instructions.” That hit. Hard. He wasn’t wrong. Neya pressed her lips together, glancing down at the papers. The words blurred together—legal terms, long paragraphs… things she didn’t fully understand. But at the bottom— A blank line. Waiting. Her fingers tightened around the pen. This could fix everything. Her rent. Her school. Her life. “Once I sign… I start immediately?” she asked. “Yes.” Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten. But she ignored it. Because she had no other choice. The pen touched the paper. And just like that— She signed her name. The man collected the document immediately, scanning it with a satisfied look. “Congratulations,” he said. Neya let out a small breath of relief. Finally. Something was going right. Then he added— “Mrs. Kade.” The word didn’t register at first. She blinked. “…What?” He looked at her fully this time. Cold. Unreadable. “You are now legally married to Mr. Adrian Kade.” Silence. Heavy. Unreal. Neya let out a short laugh. “Okay… that’s not funny.” No one laughed with her. Her smile slowly faded. “…Wait.” The room suddenly felt too tight. Too small. Her heartbeat picked up. “What do you mean married?” The man slid the document back toward her, tapping a specific section. Her eyes dropped to it. And for the first time— She actually read. “This agreement legally binds the undersigned, Neya, as the lawful wife of Adrian Kade…” Her blood ran cold. “No… no, this is a mistake.” Her voice shook as she pushed the paper away. “I thought this was a job contract—” “It is,” he interrupted calmly. “A position as his wife.” Neya shot to her feet. “I didn’t agree to this!” “You signed it.” “I didn’t read it!” “That,” he said, “is not our problem.” Panic hit her chest hard. “I want to cancel it.” “You can’t.” Her breath caught. “What do you mean I can’t?!” “It is legally binding.” The words echoed in her head. Legally binding. No. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening. “I need to speak to him,” she said quickly. “This Adrian Kade, I need to talk to him now.” For the first time— The man smiled. But it wasn’t kind. “He’s been waiting for you.” The door behind her opened. Slowly. Deliberately. And a voice—deep, calm, dangerous—filled the room. “There’s nothing to discuss.” Neya turned. And froze. He stood there like he owned the air itself. Tall. Composed. Dressed in dark perfection. His eyes landed on her—steady, sharp, calculating. As if he had already decided everything about her. “From today,” Adrian Kade said, “You’re mine.” Neya’s heart slammed against her chest. This wasn’t a mistake. This was a trap. And she had just signed herself into it.