Chapter 2 Signed, Gunfire…
681 Words
Amara stared at the contract in front of her.
Her eyes scanned the pages, but the words were blurred together.
Her mind kept returning to the same sentence, Alexander had said.
“Someone is trying to kill me.”
The office was silent except for the soft tapping of rain against the glass window.
“Take your time, “Alexander said calmly, leaning back in his chair.
But Amara knew time was the one thing she didn't have.
Her father's condition was getting worse every day.
If she walked away now….He might die.
“What exactly do I have to do?” She asked quietly.
Alexander folded his hands on the desk.
“You will live with me as my wife for one year.”
Her heart skipped.
“You will attend public events with me ,act like we are deeply in love, and convince the world that our marriage is real.”
“And after one year?”
“The contract ends, you walk away with Eighty Million Naira.”
Amara blinked in shock.
Her entire life could change.
“But there are rules,” Alexander added.
Her stomach tightened.
“Rule one: You must never reveal that this marriage is fake.”
“Rule two: You must stay in the mansion with me.”
“Rule three… his eyes darkened slightly. “You must trust me completely.”
Amara frowned.
“And if I don't?”
Alexander's voice lowered.
Then you won't survive.”
The words sent chills down her spine.
Finally, Amara took the pen lying beside the contract with trembling hands.
“Once I sign this,” she whispered, "There's no turning back, right?”
Alexander watched her carefully.
“No.”
The pen touched the paper.
For a moment, she hesitated and then signed.
Amara Okeke.
Alexander picked up the contract and examined it briefly.
“Good,” he said quietly.
But before Amara could respond–
BANG!!
A deafening explosion shattered the silence.
The massive office window burst inward, sending shards of glass flying across the room like deadly rain.
Amara screamed.
Alexander lunged across the desk, grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to the floor.
Another shot rang out ..
Then another.
Bullets tore through the office walls.
Gunfire
Real gunfire.
Amara's heart pounded so violently she could barely breathe.
“What's happening?” She cried, her voice shaking.
Alexander's expression had transformed completely.
The calm billionaire had vanished. In his place was a man whose face showed years of danger, discipline and survival.
“They found us sooner than I expected,” he muttered.
More bullets ripped through the room.
Without hesitation, he tightened his grip on her hand.
“We have to move.”
“B-but…”
“Run.”
His voice was sharp and commanding.
“Now!”
He rushed towards an enormous bookshelf lining one wall of the office.
To Amara's astonishment, he pressed a hidden button beneath one of the shelves.
The bookshelf slowly slid aside, revealing a narrow passage hidden behind it.
Her eyes widened.
“A secret passage?”
Alexander gave a grim smile.
“I wasn't exaggerating when I told you someone wants me dead.”
Another burst of gunfire echoed through the office.
He pulled her into the dark passageway just as more bullets crashed into the room they had left behind.
The hidden door slid shut.
Darkness surrounded them except for dim emergency lights along the narrow corridor.
Amara could barely keep up as Alexander hurried through the passage with confident strides.
Her legs felt weak.
Her breathing uneven.
Only minutes ago, she had been an ordinary woman desperately searching for a way to save her father.
Now she was running through a secret tunnel beside one of the most powerful men in the country while assassins tried
to kill them.
The contract she had signed wasn't just a marriage agreement. It was a ticket into a deadly world of secrets, lies and
danger.
And somewhere deep inside, Amara realized something she wished she could ignore. That this was only the beginning.
- Writer
