Chapter 1: Desperate Choices
573 Words
Lexi Carter sat outside the hospital room, her hands trembling as she clutched the final bill in her lap. The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly, matching the static chaos inside her mind.
$180,000. That was the number standing between her and her father's life. Dialysis. Medications. Surgery. Time. Time they no longer had.
Her phone buzzed. One message.
From: Vanessa (her best friend and legal intern friend)
“He’ll meet you. Today. Don’t back out. This is your chance.”
Lexi swallowed the lump rising in her throat.
Alexander Knight.
The name echoed in her head like a warning bell. Cold. Ruthless. Billionaire. The man who could save her father—or destroy her completely.
Two hours later, Lexi stood in front of the tallest skyscraper in downtown Manhattan, dressed in the only decent dress she owned. A navy blue knee-length one that hugged her curves but did little to hide her anxiety.
She took the elevator to the 56th floor. When the doors opened, she was greeted by silence. Black marble floors, white leather chairs, and a receptionist who didn’t even look up from her computer.
“He’s expecting you,” the receptionist said flatly, gesturing to the grand double doors behind her.
Lexi's heels clicked too loudly as she walked in. The room was enormous, with wall-to-ceiling windows and a single man standing by them, his back turned.
“Miss Carter.”
His voice was deep. Icy. Controlled.
He turned, revealing sharp cheekbones, stormy gray eyes, and a mouth that looked like it hadn’t smiled in years.
Lexi straightened her shoulders.
“Mr. Knight. Thank you for agreeing to see me.”
He walked over to the table and dropped a folder in front of her.
“Let’s not waste time. You know what I need. I know what you want.”
Lexi opened the folder. Her eyes scanned the words quickly.
Marriage Contract.
Six months.
No romantic entanglement.
No physical intimacy unless agreed.
Public appearances optional.
A strict clause about confidentiality.
She blinked.
“You want me to marry you?”
“Temporarily,” he replied. My grandmother's health is declining. She refuses to name me CEO until I ‘settle down.’ This is the fastest solution.
Lexi's voice cracked.
“And in return…you’ll give me the money?”
“Half up front. The rest is at the end of the six months—if you don’t break any terms.”
She should have run. Should have screamed that she wasn’t a product to be bought. But her father’s pale face in the ICU, the mounting debt, the helplessness—it all screamed louder.
“Why me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Because you’re desperate. And desperate people don’t ask too many questions.”
Lexi stood silent for a long moment. Then she picked up the pen. Her hand trembled as she signed her name on the dotted line.
"Welcome to our business arrangement, Mrs. Knight." he said coldly.
Lexi looked up at him, her voice shaking.
“And what happens if I fall in love with you?”
For a second, something flickered in his eyes. But it was gone just as fast.
“Don't.”
“Because I never will.”
He walked out, leaving her alone with a signed contract and a sinking feeling that she had just sold her soul to the devil—with a perfect jawline.
- Writer
