The contract
1121 Words
Elena stared at the document on Adrian Vale’s desk as if it were something dangerous.
Maybe it was.
The thick stack of papers looked ordinary enough, but the words inside could change her life forever.
A contract marriage.
The idea sounded ridiculous.
Something that only existed in movies or the dramatic romance novels her roommate loved to read.
Yet here she was.
Standing in the office of one of the most powerful men in the city, being offered exactly that.
Adrian sat calmly behind his desk, watching her reaction with quiet patience.
“You don’t have to decide immediately,” he said.
Elena let out a small breath.
“That’s good… because right now my answer is definitely no.”
Adrian didn’t look surprised.
He leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed.
“Most people would say yes immediately.”
Elena crossed her arms.
“Most people aren’t being asked to marry a stranger.”
“That’s true.”
The calm way he agreed somehow annoyed her more.
She picked up the contract slowly, flipping through the pages.
The document was detailed.
Very detailed.
There were clauses about public appearances, confidentiality, and even where she would live.
Elena’s eyebrows slowly rose as she read.
“You want me to move into your house?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not weird at all,” she muttered.
Adrian ignored the sarcasm.
“It’s necessary for the arrangement to appear real.”
She flipped another page.
“You also want me to attend business events with you?”
“Yes.”
“And pretend to be your loving wife?”
“Correct.”
Elena dropped the papers back on the desk.
“This is crazy.”
Adrian studied her calmly.
“Yet you’re still reading it.”
Elena’s cheeks flushed slightly.
He had a point.
She glanced at the papers again.
The numbers in her head kept repeating.
Eighteen thousand five hundred.
Her tuition debt.
The extra twenty thousand he had promised.
Her chest tightened.
That kind of money could completely change her future.
She could finish school.
She could stop working exhausting night shifts.
She could finally breathe.
But marriage?
Even if it was fake… it still felt like something serious.
“What happens after the year is over?” she asked.
“We divorce.”
Just like that.
No emotion.
No hesitation.
Elena studied his face carefully.
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
“What?”
“The idea of marrying someone you barely know.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“Marriage is a business arrangement for many people in my world.”
She frowned.
“That sounds sad.”
He didn’t respond.
For a moment, silence filled the office.
Elena looked down at the contract again.
Her mind felt like it was being pulled in two different directions.
One side screamed that this was a terrible idea.
The other side whispered that opportunities like this never came twice.
She looked up again.
“There must be hundreds of women who would agree to this instantly,” she said.
“Why choose me?”
Adrian’s gaze remained steady.
“Because you have nothing to gain by manipulating me.”
Elena blinked.
“That’s… not very flattering.”
“It’s honest.”
She sighed and rubbed her temple.
“So basically, I look poor and desperate enough to be trustworthy.”
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
“If you want to phrase it that way.”
Elena shook her head in disbelief.
“This is insane.”
“Perhaps.”
“But you’re still considering it.”
Her stomach twisted again.
He was right.
She was considering it.
That scared her the most.
Elena walked slowly toward the large windows behind his desk.
The city stretched endlessly below.
People moved like tiny figures in the streets far beneath the building.
Everyone living their lives.
Everyone making choices.
Some good.
Some terrible.
Her reflection in the glass looked uncertain.
Tired.
Conflicted.
She thought about her mother back home.
The woman who had worked endless hours just to give Elena a chance at a better life.
She thought about the sleepless nights studying.
The part-time jobs.
The sacrifices.
If she lost her place at the university now…
Everything would collapse.
Elena closed her eyes briefly.
When she turned around again, Adrian was still watching her calmly.
“How long do I have to decide?” she asked.
“Three days.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s enough.”
Elena hesitated.
“Can I ask something else?”
“Of course.”
“Have you done this before?”
Adrian’s brow lifted slightly.
“A contract marriage?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Elena studied his face carefully, searching for any sign that he was lying.
But his expression remained perfectly calm.
“You’re serious about this,” she murmured.
“Yes.”
“And if I refuse?”
Adrian shrugged slightly.
“I’ll find someone else.”
The answer was simple.
Logical.
But somehow it made her chest feel strange.
Elena looked down at the contract again.
Her fingers brushed over the paper.
It felt heavy.
Like it carried the weight of her entire future.
Finally, she slid it back toward him.
“I can’t sign this today.”
“I didn’t expect you to.”
She picked up her bag slowly.
“I need time to think.”
Adrian nodded once.
“That’s reasonable.”
Elena walked toward the door.
But before leaving, she turned back one more time.
“You realize this sounds like the beginning of a terrible mistake.”
For the first time, Adrian’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Most interesting things in life begin that way.”
Elena didn’t know how to respond to that.
So she simply walked out.
---
The afternoon sun felt bright and warm compared to the cool air of Adrian’s office.
Elena stepped out of the building slowly.
Her mind was still spinning.
A contract marriage.
With a billionaire.
Even saying it in her head sounded unreal.
She reached into her bag and pulled out the copy of the contract Adrian had given her.
The paper felt heavy in her hands.
Her phone suddenly buzzed.
A message from her university.
Her stomach dropped instantly.
She opened it.
Final Reminder: Tuition balance must be paid within 10 days to avoid suspension.
Ten days.
Elena’s chest tightened.
She looked down at the contract again.
Then back at the massive Vale Industries building behind her.
Three days to decide.
Three days to choose between walking away…
Or stepping into a life she never imagined.
But deep down, Elena already feared something.
The moment she signed that contract…
Nothing would ever be simple again.
- Writer
