HER SILENCE, HIS REGRET

Marriage contract

Alexander Voss stepped out of the rundown apartment building into the cold night air, His mind raced. Pregnant. She was pregnant with his child. The word kept repeating, louder each time. A scandal waiting to explode. If word got out,"a hotel waitress with him turned into a baby after a night and refuses to take responsibility",he could already see the headlines. "Voss Empire Heir: Billionaire's Secret Baby with Low-Class Lover."

Social media would riot. His board would whisper about instability, his rivals would pounce. Victor Kane, that snake who'd likely drugged him, would love nothing more than to watch Alexander's carefully built reputation crumble.

He couldn't let that happen. His name wasn't just a name; it was his armor, his legacy, the only thing his parents had left him before the accident that took them. One leak, one careless word from Elena, and everything could fall. She might not want money now, but people changed. Pressure, desperation, bitterness,they all turned honest people into opportunists. And she was angry,hurt.The fire in her eyes when she'd snapped the card in half told him she could be dangerous if he pushed too far.

He turned back toward the building, boots splashing in shallow puddles. No. He wasn't walking away. Not yet.

Back up the narrow stairs, heart pounding harder than it should, he reached her door and knocked,three sharp raps. Inside, Elena had barely moved from where she'd collapsed against the door after he left. Her sobs had quieted to shaky breaths, her hand still protectively over her stomach. The second knock made her jump.

"Who...?" She wiped her face roughly, peering through the peephole. Him. Again.

She opened the door just a crack, chain still on. "What do you want now? I told you to leave."

Alexander met her gaze steadily, rain dripping from his hair onto the hallway floor. "Let me in. One more minute. Please."

Something in his voice,less arrogance, more urgency,made her hesitate. She unhooked the chain and stepped back. He entered quickly, closing the door behind him.

Elena crossed her arms, chin lifted defiantly despite the redness around her eyes. "You have thirty seconds."

He didn't waste them. "Marry me."

The words dropped like stones into still water. Elena blinked, stunned. "What?"

"A contract marriage," he continued, voice low and businesslike. "We get married quietly tomorrow, civil registration. You will live with me,low profile. No public appearances as my wife. No telling anyone,not friends, not family, not the press. After the baby is born and you're both healthy, we divorce. You walk away with your life, I keep mine."

Elena stared at him, mouth slightly open. The room felt smaller, the air thicker. "You want me to marry you... just to hide this?"

"To protect us both," he corrected. "If people find out you're pregnant and unmarried, the story leaks anyway. But if you're legally my wife even temporarily the narrative changes. It's private,And you..." He paused, searching her face. "You won't give birth out of wedlock. Isn't that what matters to you?"

She flinched. He had guessed right,her mother's promise, Carla's endless lectures about "shame," the guilt that had been eating her alive since the test showed positive. A legal marriage, even a fake one, would shield the baby from that label. From the whispers. From her own self-judgment.

She looked away, toward the photo of her mom on the shelf. "And after? You just... disappear?"

"You get five hundred million dollars," he said flatly. "Transferred the day the divorce is final. Enough to finish school, buy a house, never work another night shift. You and the child will never lack anything. We never speak again unless it's about custody arrangements."

Five hundred million. The number didn't even feel real. Elena's mind spun,college paid off, a safe home, security for the baby. No more scraping by, no more fear of eviction but tied to him,to the man who'd taken her choice away that night.

She met his eyes again. "You think money fixes everything."

"I think it gives you options," he replied. "Options you don't have right now."

Silence stretched. Elena's thoughts churned. She hated him,hated the arrogance, the cold calculation, the way he'd barged back into her life like he owned it. But she also hated the alternative more.

Raising a child alone while the world judged her, while Carla preached, while the truth slowly leaked and ruined any chance at a quiet life. And deep down, a tiny part of her whispered that a piece of paper might make the baby feel... legitimate,Wanted,Even if the marriage was a lie.

She swallowed hard. "Fine. I agree. But on one condition, you never touch me again. This is business. Nothing more."

Alexander nodded once, relief flickering across his face so quickly she almost missed it. "Agreed. I'll pick you up tomorrow at nine. Bring ID. We'll handle the registration at the city hall downtown private entrance,No ceremony, no witnesses."

He turned to leave, pausing at the door. "This stays between us."

Then he was gone.

Elena locked the door and leaned against it, sliding down until she sat on the floor. Her hands shook. Wife. The word echoed in her head, foreign and terrifying. She would be Alexander Voss's wife on paper, for six months, maybe seven. Then nothing. Gone.

Regret crashed over her like a wave. She regretted ever taking that night shift. Regretted helping him to his room. Regretted not screaming louder, fighting harder. Most of all, she regretted the moment her life had tangled with his. If she could go back, she'd run the other way. She'd never look into those blue eyes. She'd never feel the weight of his body, the broken promises he muttered in the dark.

Tears slipped down her cheeks again, quieter this time. "I'm sorry, Mom," she whispered to the empty room. "I tried to keep my promise. I really did."

Across town, Alexander sat in the back of his black SUV, city lights streaking past the tinted windows. The driver was silent; he always was when his boss was brooding. Alexander stared at his phone, the calendar app open to tomorrow: 9:00 a.m Marriage Registration with Elena Reyes.

Wife.

The word felt strange on his tongue, even unspoken. He'd never wanted a wife.

He leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes. Six months, Maybe seven, Then divorce. Five hundred million gone, a child he'd never have to see if he chose not to, and his name safe.

It was the smart move. The ruthless move.

So why did it feel like the beginning of something he couldn't control?