The first condition
1710 Words
Elena barely slept that night.
The contract lay open on the small desk in her room, its pages covered with neat legal language that seemed far too heavy for something that was supposed to be simple.
A fake marriage.
Every time she read those words, her heart beat a little faster.
The room was quiet except for the faint sound of cars passing outside the apartment building. Moonlight slipped through the thin curtains, casting soft shadows across the floor.
Elena sat cross-legged on her bed, the contract resting in her hands again.
She had read it three times already.
Maybe four.
Still, it felt unreal.
Everything in the document was written clearly.
Duration: One year.
Purpose: Public marriage arrangement.
Compensation: Full tuition payment and $20,000.
Rules: Maintain public image as Adrian Vale’s wife.
No emotional obligation.
No romantic expectation.
It was supposed to be simple.
Yet nothing about it felt simple.
Elena leaned back against the wall, letting out a tired sigh.
“What kind of life am I about to step into?” she whispered.
Her mind drifted back to Adrian.
The calm way he had spoken.
The cold confidence in his voice.
The way his dark eyes had studied her like he already knew what she would choose.
That bothered her more than anything.
He had looked certain.
Certain that she would come back.
Elena shook her head slightly.
“Arrogant billionaire,” she muttered.
But even as she said it, a strange curiosity lingered.
Why was he really doing this?
A man like Adrian Vale could marry anyone.
Famous actresses.
Rich heiresses.
Powerful businesswomen.
Yet he had offered the role to a struggling college student who had almost walked in front of his car.
The whole situation felt like a strange twist of fate.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
Elena looked down.
A message from Maya.
Maya: Still awake?
Elena quickly typed back.
Elena: Yes.
Her phone rang almost immediately.
“Elena,” Maya said the moment she answered. “Tell me you’ve decided to marry the billionaire already.”
Elena groaned softly.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I’m serious!”
“Maya, it’s not that easy.”
“Why not?”
Elena looked at the contract again.
“Because it’s still marriage.”
“Fake marriage.”
“Still marriage.”
Maya sighed dramatically through the phone.
“Elena… you’re acting like he asked for your soul.”
“It feels like he might have.”
Maya laughed.
“Okay, dramatic queen.”
Elena smiled faintly despite herself.
“Look,” Maya continued, her voice softer now. “I know it’s scary. But you need to think about your future too.”
Elena didn’t answer immediately.
Her eyes drifted toward the tuition notice still lying beside the contract.
Ten days.
That was all the time she had before the university suspended her.
“I know,” she murmured.
Maya hesitated before asking the question she had been thinking about all evening.
“So… what does your heart say?”
Elena blinked.
“My heart?”
“Yeah.”
“Honestly,” Elena admitted, “my heart says run away from this crazy situation.”
Maya chuckled.
“And your brain?”
Elena looked down at the contract again.
“My brain says… sign it.”
Silence hung between them for a moment.
“Well,” Maya finally said, “at least your brain is smart.”
Elena laughed quietly.
“Thanks for the support.”
“Anytime.”
They talked for a few more minutes before ending the call.
When the room became quiet again, Elena stared at the contract once more.
Her fingers slowly turned the final page.
At the bottom was a blank space.
A place for her signature.
Her name would go there.
And the moment she wrote it…
Everything would change.
Elena closed the document quickly.
“No,” she whispered.
“Not yet.”
She needed more time.
More answers.
More understanding of the man behind this strange offer.
One thing was certain.
If she was going to marry Adrian Vale—even in a fake arrangement—she needed to know exactly what she was getting into.
---
The next morning arrived faster than Elena expected.
Sunlight poured through the apartment window as she quickly dressed for class.
Her mind was still filled with thoughts about the contract.
During her lecture, she barely heard the professor.
Her notebook remained mostly blank.
All she could think about was Adrian’s offer.
When the class finally ended, Elena packed her things slowly.
Her phone buzzed again.
She glanced at the screen.
An unknown number.
Her heart skipped slightly.
She answered.
“Hello?”
A familiar calm voice spoke on the other end.
“Good afternoon, Elena.”
Her stomach tightened instantly.
“Adrian.”
“I assume you received my contract.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Elena hesitated.
“I’m still thinking.”
“That’s acceptable.”
There was a brief pause.
Then Adrian spoke again.
“I have a proposal.”
Her brows knitted together.
“Another one?”
“Yes.”
Elena walked slowly out of the classroom building.
“What kind of proposal?”
“If you’re going to decide whether to marry me,” Adrian said calmly, “you should at least see the life you’d be stepping into.”
Elena frowned slightly.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he continued, “I’d like you to come to dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?”
“At my house.”
Elena stopped walking.
Her heart skipped.
“That sounds… very fast.”
“It’s simply a conversation.”
She hesitated.
“I don’t know…”
“Think of it as gathering information,” Adrian said smoothly.
Elena considered it for a moment.
He had a point.
If she was truly going to make this decision, she needed to understand him better.
“Fine,” she said finally.
“Good.”
“I’m not promising anything.”
“I’m aware.”
She sighed.
“What time?”
“Seven.”
“And your address?”
“I’ll send a car.”
Elena blinked.
“That’s not necessary.”
“It’s already arranged.”
Before she could argue further, the call ended.
Elena stared at her phone.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered.
---
That evening, a sleek black car stopped in front of her apartment building exactly at seven.
Maya nearly screamed with excitement when she saw it through the window.
“Elena! Your billionaire ride is here!”
Elena rolled her eyes.
“Stop calling him that.”
But her heart was already racing.
She grabbed her small bag and headed for the door.
“Call me the moment you get back,” Maya said.
“I will.”
Elena stepped outside.
The driver opened the car door politely.
“Miss Carter.”
She nodded nervously and got inside.
The car pulled away smoothly.
As the city lights passed by the window, Elena’s thoughts raced again.
She was about to visit Adrian Vale’s house.
The man she might soon marry.
The idea still felt surreal.
After nearly thirty minutes of driving, the car finally slowed.
Large iron gates appeared ahead.
They opened slowly.
Beyond them stood a massive mansion surrounded by perfectly trimmed gardens.
Elena’s eyes widened.
“Wow…”
The car stopped in front of the grand entrance.
Her heart pounded loudly as she stepped out.
The front door opened before she could knock.
Adrian stood there.
Dressed in a dark suit.
Looking calm and composed as always.
“You’re right on time,” he said.
Elena forced a small smile.
“Nice house.”
“Come in.”
She stepped inside.
The interior was even more impressive than the outside.
Marble floors.
High ceilings.
Elegant chandeliers.
Everything felt luxurious.
Adrian walked beside her.
“I thought it would be easier for you to understand the situation if you saw my world first.”
Elena looked around slowly.
“This place could fit my entire apartment building inside it.”
He almost smiled.
“Probably.”
They moved into a large dining room where a table had already been prepared.
Dinner was waiting.
Candles flickered softly.
Elena sat down carefully.
“This feels… very serious for a fake marriage discussion.”
Adrian took the seat across from her.
“Important decisions deserve proper settings.”
They began eating.
For the first time, their conversation felt almost normal.
They talked about school.
About business.
About life.
Elena slowly realized something surprising.
Adrian wasn’t as cold as he first seemed.
He was intelligent.
Calm.
Even slightly humorous in a quiet way.
Hours seemed to pass without her noticing.
Finally, Adrian placed his glass down.
“There’s something else you should know,” he said.
Elena looked up.
“What?”
Adrian’s expression became serious again.
“If you agree to this marriage… there is one condition I haven’t mentioned yet.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What condition?”
Adrian held her gaze steadily.
“My family is hosting an engagement gala tomorrow night.”
Elena frowned.
“Okay…”
“If you sign the contract,” he continued calmly, “you’ll need to attend.”
Her brows slowly rose.
“As your fiancée.”
Elena blinked.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible.”
Adrian leaned back slightly.
“Is it?”
Elena stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re asking me to pretend to be your fiancée in front of your entire family after knowing you for two days.”
“Yes.”
Her heart began pounding again.
“This is insane.”
Adrian’s eyes remained calm.
“Perhaps.”
He slid the contract across the table toward her.
The pen rested on top of it.
Elena looked down at the paper.
Then back at him.
“If I sign this tonight…” she said slowly.
“Tomorrow night… everyone will believe we’re getting married.”
“Yes.”
Silence filled the room.
Her heart pounded louder with every passing second.
Elena looked at the blank signature line again.
Then at Adrian.
And suddenly she realized something terrifying.
If she signed that contract right now…
Her life would change in less than twenty-four hours.
- Writer
