A problem bigger than pride
1033 Words
Elena walked aimlessly down the busy sidewalk, the contract folded tightly inside her bag.
Her mind felt heavier with every step.
Cars passed.
People rushed to their destinations.
But she barely noticed any of it.
All she could hear was Adrian’s calm voice repeating in her head.
“Three days.”
Three days to decide if she was going to marry a man she barely knew.
Even thinking about it made her heart pound.
She stopped at a crosswalk and leaned against the metal pole, letting out a long breath.
“This is insane,” she whispered to herself.
But the numbers in her mind refused to disappear.
Eighteen thousand five hundred dollars.
Her tuition.
The extra twenty thousand.
It wasn’t just money.
It was her future.
Without it, everything she had worked for would vanish.
The light changed, and Elena forced herself to keep walking.
Eventually she reached the small apartment building she shared with her best friend.
The old stairs creaked beneath her feet as she climbed to the third floor.
When she pushed open the apartment door, a familiar voice immediately called out.
“Elena! You’re late today!”
Her roommate Maya appeared from the kitchen holding a bowl of noodles.
Her bright eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“What happened? You look like someone just told you the world is ending.”
Elena dropped her bag on the couch and collapsed beside it.
“It might be.”
Maya raised an eyebrow.
“That bad?”
Elena pulled the folded contract from her bag and tossed it onto the table.
Maya glanced down at it.
Then she picked it up.
Then her eyes slowly widened.
“What… is this?”
Elena rubbed her face with both hands.
“It’s exactly what it looks like.”
Maya skimmed the first page quickly.
Her mouth slowly opened.
“This says marriage contract.”
“Yes.”
“With… Adrian Vale?”
“Yes.”
Maya screamed.
Not loudly.
But loud enough.
“What?!”
Elena groaned.
“Can you not shout it like that?”
Maya rushed over and sat down beside her.
“Why would a billionaire want to marry you?!”
“That’s a great question,” Elena muttered.
Maya flipped through the pages rapidly.
“He’s offering to pay your tuition?!”
“Yes.”
“And give you twenty thousand dollars?!”
“Yes.”
Maya stared at her like she had just lost her mind.
“And you didn’t sign it immediately?!”
Elena blinked at her.
“You think I should?”
“Of course!”
Elena stared at her best friend in disbelief.
“Maya, this is a fake marriage.”
“So?”
“With a stranger.”
“A hot billionaire stranger,” Maya corrected.
Elena rolled her eyes.
“That’s not the point.”
Maya leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
“Elena… your tuition is due in ten days.”
The reminder hit like a punch.
“I know.”
“You’ve been working three jobs just to stay in school.”
“I know.”
“And now someone is literally offering to solve all your problems.”
Elena frowned.
“Nothing is that simple.”
Maya waved the contract slightly.
“It kind of looks simple to me.”
Elena grabbed the paper back.
“You’re ignoring the crazy part.”
“What crazy part?”
“The marriage part!”
Maya shrugged.
“It’s not real.”
Elena hesitated.
That was true.
The contract clearly said the marriage would last one year.
Then they would divorce.
No emotional obligations.
No romantic expectations.
Just appearances.
Still…
Something about it felt dangerous.
“Elena,” Maya said gently.
“Do you want to drop out of school?”
The question hit deep.
“No.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
Elena opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because she didn’t have one.
Maya sighed.
“Look, I’m not saying you should rush into it.”
She leaned back on the couch.
“But you should at least consider it seriously.”
Elena stared at the contract again.
Her fingers traced the edge of the paper.
Three days.
That’s all the time she had.
Her phone suddenly rang.
Both girls looked down at the screen.
The name made Elena freeze.
Northbridge University Financial Office
Her stomach twisted instantly.
She answered slowly.
“Hello?”
“Miss Carter,” a formal voice said on the other end.
“This is a reminder that your tuition balance remains unpaid.”
Elena closed her eyes briefly.
“Yes… I know.”
“We wanted to inform you that failure to pay within the deadline will result in immediate suspension.”
The words hit like a hammer.
“Suspension?”
“Yes.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
That meant she wouldn’t even be allowed to attend classes.
Years of work… gone.
“I understand,” she whispered.
“Thank you.”
The call ended.
The apartment suddenly felt very quiet.
Maya watched her carefully.
“That didn’t sound good.”
Elena dropped the phone onto the table.
“They said I’ll be suspended if I don’t pay.”
Maya exhaled slowly.
“That’s… serious.”
Elena nodded.
Her throat felt tight.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Maya gestured toward the contract again.
“You still think it’s insane?”
Elena stared at the papers.
Her heart pounded louder with every passing second.
“Yes,” she said quietly.
“But now…”
She paused.
“…it might be the only insane choice I have left.”
Maya gave her a small smile.
“Well,” she said.
“If you’re going to marry a billionaire…”
She pointed at the contract.
“…you should probably read the fine print.”
Elena picked it up again.
This time, her hands trembled slightly.
Because the truth was slowly becoming impossible to ignore.
If she didn’t take Adrian Vale’s offer…
She might lose everything she had worked for.
And for the first time since leaving his office…
Elena began to seriously wonder something.
What if saying yes was the only way forward?
- Writer
