Untitled Chapter 2: A Marriage Contract Episode
3151 Words
The black car moved through the city while Elena sat rigidly in the back seat.
She had not said a word since leaving the ballroom.
Sebastian Cross sat opposite her, one ankle resting over his knee, his attention fixed on the documents in his hands. He looked completely unaffected by the chaos he had created.
Or perhaps he was simply skilled at hiding his emotions.
Elena glanced down at her wedding dress.
The white fabric was wrinkled and stained from the rain outside. Her veil had slipped from her hair, and one of her earrings was missing.
She looked like a bride who had lost everything.
That was exactly what she was.
“You can stop staring at the contract,” Sebastian said without looking up.
Elena’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t staring.”
“You have been reading the same paragraph for eight minutes.”
She looked at the document in her lap.
The words blurred together.
“Maybe I’m trying to understand why a stranger offered to marry me in front of half the city.”
“I already explained.”
“You need a wife to inherit your grandfather’s company.”
“Yes.”
“And you selected me because…”
“Because you need protection.”
“That still doesn’t explain why me.”
Sebastian finally looked up.
His eyes were dark, sharp, and impossible to read.
“You were available.”
Elena’s fingers tightened around the contract.
“Available?”
“You were already being publicly humiliated. Your reputation was damaged. You had no allies left. That makes you unlikely to betray me.”
She stared at him.
“So you chose me because I was desperate.”
“I chose you because you had nothing left to lose.”
The words struck harder than they should have.
Sebastian returned his attention to the papers.
Elena looked out the window.
The city passed in streaks of gray and gold. People hurried along the sidewalks beneath umbrellas, unaware that her entire life had collapsed in a single morning.
She had spent five years building a future with Adrian.
Five years believing that his love was the one thing she could depend on.
Now she could not even depend on her own family.
Her phone vibrated.
Elena pulled it from her purse.
There were thirty-seven missed calls and more than a hundred messages.
Most came from unknown numbers.
Some were from former friends.
Others were from reporters.
One message came from her father.
**Come home immediately. We need to discuss the consequences of your actions.**
Elena let out a humorless laugh.
Her actions.
Not Adrian’s betrayal.
Not Vivienne’s deception.
Not the missing company money.
Her actions.
“What does your father want?” Sebastian asked.
She turned the phone facedown.
“Nothing that matters.”
“You should block him.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
“You will if you marry me.”
Elena looked at him.
“Let’s make something clear. A contract does not give you the right to control me.”
“No,” he said. “But it gives me the right to expect you to follow its terms.”
“And what exactly are the terms?”
Sebastian placed his documents aside.
“Clause one: the marriage will last twelve months.”
“Why twelve?”
“My grandfather’s succession meeting is next month. The company shares will be transferred to me after the marriage is publicly verified and remains valid for one year.”
“So I have to pretend to be your wife for twelve months.”
“You will be my wife legally and publicly.”
“But privately?”
His gaze lowered briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes.
“Privately, we maintain separate lives.”
Elena ignored the strange flutter in her chest.
“Good.”
“Clause two: we will attend all major family and business events together.”
“I can do that.”
“Clause three: neither of us will discuss the contract with the media or anyone outside the legal team.”
“Fine.”
“Clause four: you will live in my residence for the duration of the agreement.”
Elena sat forward.
“Absolutely not.”
“It is not negotiable.”
“I am not moving into a stranger’s house.”
“You are not moving into a stranger’s house. You are moving into your husband’s house.”
“We are not married yet.”
“We will be within the hour.”
She glared at him.
Sebastian’s expression remained calm.
“You have nowhere safe to stay tonight,” he continued. “The police may not arrest you immediately, but they will question you. Reporters are outside your family home. The Hartwells have already contacted your bank.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I have people monitoring the situation.”
“Why?”
“That is my business.”
“No. If you expect me to marry you, your reasons become my business.”
For the first time, something shifted in his expression.
Not anger.
Something colder.
“Do you want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“I need access to your family.”
Elena went still.
“What does that mean?”
“Your father and the Hartwell family have been connected to several financial irregularities. I believe they are hiding something.”
She studied his face.
“And you think marrying me will help you investigate them?”
“I know it will.”
There it was.
The real reason.
He did not want a wife.
He wanted access.
He wanted information.
Perhaps he wanted to use her against the people who had already destroyed her.
Elena’s hand moved toward the door handle.
“Stop the car.”
Sebastian did not even glance at the driver.
“Where will you go?”
“I’ll find somewhere.”
“Every hotel in this district will recognize your name. You will be photographed before you reach the front desk.”
“I don’t care.”
“You will when those photographs are attached to tomorrow’s headlines.”
She froze.
Sebastian leaned forward.
“I am not asking you to trust me. I am offering you a shield.”
“And what will you demand in return?”
“Your cooperation.”
“That’s all?”
“For now.”
Elena looked down at the contract again.
A marriage with a man who admitted he wanted to investigate her family.
It was dangerous.
But so was returning home.
The car slowed as it approached a red light. Across the intersection, a large digital billboard displayed a photograph of Adrian and Vivienne.
The image had already been taken.
They stood outside the Hartwell hotel, smiling for cameras.
The headline beneath them read:
**HEARTWELL HEIR FINALLY MARRIES HIS TRUE LOVE.**
Elena’s stomach twisted.
She looked away.
Sebastian watched her carefully.
“You can hate him later,” he said.
“I don’t hate him.”
“No?”
“I hate that I loved him.”
Sebastian’s gaze remained on her.
“And do you love him now?”
Elena’s throat tightened.
She wanted to say no.
She wanted to say that love had disappeared the moment Adrian walked in with Vivienne.
But the truth was more complicated.
Love did not vanish simply because someone betrayed you.
Sometimes it remained inside you, wounded and humiliating, refusing to die.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
Sebastian’s jaw tightened.
The expression disappeared so quickly that she almost believed she had imagined it.
The car stopped in front of a tall glass building.
Elena recognized it immediately.
Cross International headquarters.
“You said we were going to your house.”
“We are.”
“This is your office.”
“I need to complete one thing first.”
Sebastian opened the car door and stepped out.
Elena remained seated.
He looked back at her.
“Are you coming?”
“You said I had no choice.”
“I said you had nowhere else to go.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I will have the driver take you wherever you choose.”
His answer surprised her.
Sebastian stepped aside, waiting.
Elena looked at the rainy street, then at the contract.
She hated that he was right.
She had nowhere to go.
With a sigh, she stepped out of the car.
The moment she entered the building, every conversation stopped.
Employees turned to stare at her wedding dress.
Some recognized her immediately.
Others recognized Sebastian.
Whispers followed them across the lobby.
“That’s Elena Vale.”
“The woman from the wedding?”
“Isn’t she being investigated?”
“Why is she with Mr. Cross?”
Sebastian placed one hand lightly against Elena’s back.
The touch was brief, but it sent a wave of unwanted awareness through her.
She stiffened.
His hand disappeared.
“Do not touch me,” she whispered.
“Then stop walking like you’re about to collapse.”
“I am not going to collapse.”
“You nearly fell twice in the car.”
“I was adjusting my dress.”
“Of course.”
She glared at him.
A woman in a cream-colored suit hurried toward them.
She was elegant, composed, and probably in her early forties.
“Mr. Cross,” she said. “The lawyers are waiting upstairs.”
Her eyes moved to Elena.
For one brief moment, surprise crossed her face.
Then she smiled professionally.
“Congratulations.”
Elena forced a polite expression.
“We are not married yet.”
The woman looked at Sebastian.
“Not yet?”
“Not yet,” he confirmed.
“Then the legal team is ready.”
The elevator doors opened.
Sebastian gestured for Elena to enter.
She stepped inside, keeping as much distance between them as possible.
The woman followed.
“I’m Camille Reed,” she said. “Mr. Cross’s chief legal adviser.”
“Elena Vale.”
“I know.”
Of course she knew.
Everyone knew her now.
Camille glanced at the document in Elena’s hand.
“You have reviewed the agreement?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have questions?”
“Several.”
“Good. You should.”
Sebastian leaned against the elevator wall.
Camille continued, “The agreement protects both parties. You will receive a monthly allowance, medical coverage, legal protection, and a settlement payment when the contract ends.”
Elena looked at Sebastian.
“And if he ends it early?”
“You receive the full settlement,” Camille said.
Sebastian’s expression hardened.
“That is not going to happen.”
“People change their minds,” Elena replied.
“Not me.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know enough.”
The elevator reached the top floor.
The doors opened onto a private office with walls of glass. The city stretched below them, dark and glittering beneath the rain.
A long table occupied the center of the room.
Three lawyers were waiting.
One of them stood.
“Miss Vale, I must advise you that entering this agreement under emotional distress could affect its validity.”
Elena raised her chin.
“I am aware.”
“You have the right to independent counsel.”
“I don’t have time.”
“You should make time.”
Sebastian reached into his pocket and placed a business card on the table.
“This is the name of an attorney who has no connection to my company. She can review the contract for you.”
Elena picked up the card.
“Did you arrange this before today?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You were planning this.”
“I was planning for several possibilities.”
“Including my fiancé abandoning me?”
“Including the possibility that you would need help.”
She studied him.
His answer was vague, but there was something in his voice that made her hesitate.
Had he known Adrian would betray her?
Had he arranged everything before the wedding?
Elena set the card down.
“I’ll sign.”
The lawyers exchanged glances.
Camille moved a second set of documents toward her.
“There is one additional matter.”
“What?”
“Because the marriage will be public, Mr. Cross requires a prenuptial agreement.”
Elena almost laughed.
“You’re asking me to sign a prenup after offering me money to marry you?”
“The terms are standard.”
“Do I receive anything?”
“You retain all personal assets acquired before the marriage. You also receive compensation for public appearances and any professional work performed on behalf of Cross International.”
Elena scanned the pages.
Then she saw the final section.
**The wife shall not pursue romantic or physical relationships with any other person during the contractual marriage.**
She looked up.
“You included a fidelity clause.”
“So did you.”
“There’s no clause preventing you from sleeping with someone else.”
“I will not.”
“That isn’t the point.”
“Then what is?”
“The point is that you expect loyalty from me while offering me none.”
Sebastian’s gaze sharpened.
“I am offering you the same condition.”
“Where is your clause?”
“I added it this morning.”
Camille looked surprised.
Sebastian took the document, turned to the final page, and showed Elena the amendment.
**Neither party shall engage in a romantic or physical relationship with another person during the term of this agreement.**
Elena looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because I won’t share what belongs to me.”
The words were possessive.
Far too possessive for a business arrangement.
Her pulse quickened.
“I don’t belong to you.”
“Not yet.”
The room fell silent.
Sebastian’s eyes held hers.
For a moment, the contract, the lawyers, and the entire humiliating day disappeared.
There was only the space between them.
Then Elena looked away first.
“Where do I sign?”
She signed every page.
Sebastian signed after her.
Camille gathered the documents, then placed two small velvet boxes on the table.
Elena opened one.
Inside was a diamond ring.
It was beautiful, enormous, and cold.
“Is this real?” she asked.
“Would I give you a fake ring?”
“I don’t know. We just met.”
“You have known me for years.”
Elena frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Sebastian’s expression became unreadable.
“Nothing.”
He took the ring from the box.
“Give me your hand.”
“I can put it on myself.”
“I know.”
“Then I will.”
She reached for the ring, but Sebastian closed his fingers around it.
His voice lowered.
“Give me your hand, Elena.”
She should have refused.
Instead, she extended her left hand.
Sebastian slid the ring onto her finger.
The diamond caught the light.
Elena stared at it.
A ring from one stranger after losing the ring she had expected from another.
“How romantic,” she murmured.
“I’m not a romantic man.”
“I noticed.”
He released her hand.
His fingers had been warm.
She hated that she noticed that too.
Camille checked the time.
“The civil registrar is waiting at the residence.”
Elena looked at Sebastian.
“Tonight?”
“You agreed to the contract.”
“I thought we would wait.”
“For what?”
“For this to feel less insane.”
“Your life is already insane. Marriage will not make it worse.”
She stood.
“You are remarkably insensitive.”
“I have been called worse.”
“By women you married?”
“I have never married anyone.”
“Then why do you look so comfortable arranging one?”
Sebastian moved toward the door.
“Because business decisions should not be made based on comfort.”
Elena followed him.
At the elevator, Camille handed her a garment bag.
“Your clothes for the ceremony.”
Elena opened it slightly.
Inside was a simple black dress.
She looked at Sebastian.
“You bought me a dress?”
“I had one sent over.”
“Why black?”
“It suits the occasion.”
She gave him a cold smile.
“For a wedding?”
“For a funeral.”
She stopped walking.
“What?”
Sebastian turned toward her.
“Your old life ended today.”
His words were quiet, but they settled heavily between them.
“The woman who trusted Adrian Hart is gone,” he said. “The daughter who expected protection from her family is gone. If you enter this marriage, Elena, you cannot keep pretending that anything will return to the way it was.”
She looked down at the diamond on her finger.
He was right.
The woman who had walked into the ballroom that morning no longer existed.
That woman had believed in promises.
This woman believed in contracts.
Elena lifted her eyes to his.
“Then I have one condition.”
Sebastian waited.
“When this year is over, I want the truth about my family.”
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she saw it.
A pause.
A flicker of something guarded.
“What truth?”
“Why did my father accuse me? Who transferred the money? And what does your family have to do with any of it?”
Sebastian’s face became cold again.
“If I find the answers, you will know them.”
“No. I want you to promise.”
He stepped closer.
“You want a promise from me after what happened today?”
“I want a promise because I refuse to be used again.”
For a moment, they stood face-to-face.
Then Sebastian leaned down until his mouth was near her ear.
“I promise you this,” he murmured. “When this is over, everyone who betrayed you will regret it.”
A shiver moved through her.
It sounded less like comfort and more like a threat.
The elevator doors opened.
Sebastian stepped inside.
Elena followed.
As the doors closed, her phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came from an unknown number.
**You should not marry Sebastian Cross.**
A second message appeared immediately.
**Ask him what happened to your mother.**
Elena’s blood ran cold.
She slowly looked up.
Sebastian was watching her reflection in the mirrored elevator wall.
He had seen the messages.
“Who sent them?” he asked.
Elena held the phone tighter.
“You tell me.”
His eyes met hers in the mirror.
The elevator descended into darkness.
And for the first time, Elena wondered whether Sebastian Cross had rescued her…
or walked into her life to finish what someone else had started.
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