THE BILLIONAIRE'S CONTRACT WIFE

Chapter Three: Her Conditions

Clara Bennett had read the marriage contract six times, yet she still couldn't decide whether it was her salvation or the beginning of her greatest mistake.

Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

The amount could settle the outstanding rent, pay her father's medical expenses, and give her a chance to rebuild her life. But accepting it meant marrying a man she barely knew for twelve months.

Why had Adrian Blackwood chosen her? What would happen if the arrangement went wrong? And what was he not telling her?

The eviction notice lay beside the contract on the kitchen table.

Seven days.

That was all the time she had to find a solution.

Clara searched for an independent lawyer, but most consultation fees were beyond her budget. Then she remembered Rachel Morgan, a lawyer who had helped her father with a workplace dispute several years earlier.

She found Rachel's old business card and called.

“Rachel Morgan's office.”

“My name is Clara Bennett. You helped my father, Thomas Bennett, a few years ago.”

“Thomas Bennett's daughter? I remember him. How is he?”

“Not very well. That's partly why I'm calling.”

Clara explained the marriage proposal and asked Rachel to review the contract.

“Don't sign anything yet,” Rachel warned. “An agreement involving marriage and substantial payments needs careful examination. Send it to me, and I'll identify the terms that need clarification.”

Clara emailed the document and felt slightly less alone.

A cough from the living room reminded her why she was considering such an extraordinary arrangement.

Her father sat beside the window, a book resting on his lap.

“What's troubling you?” Thomas asked when she joined him.

“Dad, what would you do if someone offered you enough money to solve your problems, but accepting it meant doing something you weren't comfortable with?”

“That depends on what they wanted. Why would someone pay so much for it?”

Clara looked down at her hands.

“I've been offered a contract marriage. Twelve months.”

Thomas stared at her.

“Clara, tell me you're joking.”

“I'm not.”

She explained Adrian's proposal, the payment, and the family trust that required him to be married before his thirty-third birthday.

When she finished, her father looked deeply troubled.

“You're considering marrying a man you barely know?”

“For a year.”

“A year isn't a small amount of time. And money doesn't automatically make a bad situation good.”

“I know, Dad. But we could lose this apartment. Your medication is expensive, and I lost my job yesterday. I've applied for other positions, but I don't know when anyone will respond.”

Her voice faltered.

“I can't keep promising everything will be fine when I don't know how to make it fine.”

Thomas reached for her hand.

“I don't want you sacrificing your future because you feel responsible for everything that has happened to us.”

“I'm considering it because I want us to have a chance.”

He squeezed her fingers.

“Then understand the price before you agree to pay it.”

Before Clara could respond, her phone rang. Rachel had finished reviewing the initial terms.

“The contract is written primarily to protect Mr. Blackwood,” Rachel explained. “The payment schedule needs to be specific, the termination conditions need clarification, and his promise to cover your father's medical expenses must be properly defined.”

“Can those things be changed?”

“They can be negotiated. Don't sign the current version. If he wants this arrangement, he should consider reasonable protections for you.”

After the call, Clara opened her laptop and prepared a list of conditions.

She wanted an initial payment and a written schedule for the remaining compensation. Her father's medical expenses had to be clearly defined. She needed the right to leave if she felt unsafe or if Adrian seriously breached the agreement.

She would retain control over her work, friendships, and private correspondence. She also wanted access to independent legal advice throughout the arrangement.

Finally, neither party would be allowed to use the other's family as leverage.

Clara read the list twice.

If she was going to enter an arrangement this unusual, she would not do so without protecting herself.

The following morning, Clara returned to Blackwood Tower in a navy-blue dress she had once worn to a job interview. She carried Rachel's recommendations in a folder.

Ethan Cole met her at reception.

“Miss Bennett. I wasn't sure we'd see you again.”

“Neither was I.”

He glanced at her folder. “You've reviewed the agreement?”

“With a lawyer.”

“Good. Mr. Blackwood is expecting you.”

Adrian stood behind his desk when she entered. He looked up from his papers.

“Have you made a decision?”

“I've made a list.”

He gestured toward the chair opposite him.

“Let's hear it.”

Clara sat down and placed her folder on the desk.

“I'm willing to consider your proposal, but I won't sign the contract as it stands.”

“Why not?”

“Because it protects you more than it protects me.”

“It's a business agreement.”

“Exactly. Business agreements require clear terms.”

Adrian folded his hands. “Go on.”

“I want a defined initial payment after the agreement is executed, with the remaining compensation paid according to a written schedule. Your promise to cover my father's medical expenses must be specific. I also want independent legal review and a termination clause that protects both of us if the arrangement becomes unsafe or either party seriously breaches the agreement.”

Adrian glanced at Ethan, who had taken a seat nearby.

“Are these your conditions?”

“Yes.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I won't sign.”

The answer came out more confidently than Clara expected.

Adrian leaned back. “You understand I have other options.”

“I assumed you did.”

“Then why negotiate as though you have the stronger position?”

“Because I'm not asking you to love me. I'm asking you to honour the agreement you're offering.”

Something flickered across his face.

“You need a wife to satisfy the conditions of your family trust. I need money to protect my family. But you're asking me to put my reputation and a year of my life into an arrangement that will affect nearly everything I do.”

She held his gaze.

“If you want me to take this seriously, you need to take my conditions seriously too.”

Silence settled over the office.

Adrian studied the proposed amendments before looking up.

“The payment schedule is negotiable. The medical provision can be defined. Independent legal review is acceptable.”

Clara released a quiet breath.

“But confidentiality must be maintained,” he added. “I won't accept terms that expose private business information.”

“Confidentiality cannot prevent me from seeking legal advice or protecting myself.”

“Agreed.”

He marked the document.

Clara had expected resistance, perhaps even a reminder that he could easily find another woman. Instead, he seemed willing to negotiate.

Then Adrian reached the final page.

“There is one condition I won't negotiate.”

Her stomach tightened. “What is it?”

“No romantic expectations. We will have separate bedrooms. Neither of us will be required to engage in physical intimacy or display affection in private simply because we're married.”

Clara studied him.

“Have you always been this afraid of marriage?”

His expression hardened.

“This isn't a discussion about my personal history.”

“Fair enough. I can agree, provided our public appearances are clearly defined and neither of us is forced into anything we haven't agreed to.”

“That's reasonable.”

Adrian pushed the papers toward Ethan.

“Prepare a revised draft with the agreed changes. Both legal teams must review it before it goes to Miss Bennett's attorney.”

Ethan nodded.

Clara stood. “So we're not signing today?”

“Not until the final version has been reviewed.”

“Understood.”

“Don't thank me yet. We haven't agreed on everything.”

“Then I suppose we'll meet again.”

For a moment, Clara thought she saw amusement in his eyes. It vanished almost immediately.

As she reached the door, Adrian spoke again.

“My family will scrutinize you. Some will assume you're interested in my money. Others will see you as a threat.”

“I've spent most of my life being judged by people who know nothing about me. I can survive another year of it.”

“Confidence is useful,” he replied. “Don't confuse it with preparation.”

“Then I'll prepare.”

She walked out with her head held high.

That evening, Clara sat beside her father while waiting for the revised agreement.

Nothing had changed financially. She hadn't signed anything, received any money, or found another job. Yet she felt different. For once, she was negotiating instead of accepting whatever life placed before her.

An email from Ethan arrived.

REVISED MARRIAGE AGREEMENT — PRELIMINARY DRAFT

Clara opened the attachment and compared it with Rachel's notes. Most of the proposed changes had been included.

Then she reached the section concerning the public announcement of their marriage.

Her eyes stopped at a name.

Eleanor Blackwood.

Adrian's mother.

Clara remembered that Eleanor had died years earlier. Why, then, was she listed as the person responsible for introducing Clara to the Blackwood family?

Beneath the name was a reference to a sealed family memorandum.

Clara read the paragraph again, her fingers growing cold.

Why would a dead woman have anything to do with a marriage being arranged now?

And why had Adrian never mentioned her?

Her phone vibrated.

An unknown number had sent a message.

If you value your family, Clara Bennett, do not marry Adrian Blackwood.

Before she could respond, another message appeared.

Ask him what really happened to his mother.

Clara stared at the screen, her heart pounding.

She had thought the greatest risk was marrying a man she barely knew.

Now she wondered whether Adrian Blackwood was hiding something far more dangerous than his cold personality.

And if his mother's death was connected to the contract, Clara might already be involved in a secret she could not escape.

End of Chapter Three