The Contract Bride

Three – His Dangerous Proposal

The week passed in a blur of exhaustion. Between juggling shifts at the café and rushing to the hospital to check on my mother, I barely slept. Still, every time I closed my eyes, I saw him.

Alexander Steele.

The billionaire with eyes like ice and a smile that felt like a promise of ruin.

I told myself it didn’t matter. I told myself he’d forget me—that to someone like him, I was nothing but a clumsy accident.

But men like him didn’t forget.

On Friday night, as I dragged myself home from work, I found a sleek black car parked outside my building. The kind of car that didn’t belong in my run-down neighborhood.

The driver stepped out, his suit crisp, his face unreadable. “Miss Carter?”

My heart stuttered. “Who’s asking?”

“Mr. Steele would like a word.”

Cold dread slid down my spine. I should’ve said no. I should’ve walked away. But something in his tone told me there was no walking away from Alexander Steele.

I followed him into the car, and there he was—sitting like a king in his throne. Black suit, tie loosened, one hand lazily resting on the leather seat. His presence filled the space, making it hard to breathe.

“You,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “What do you want?”

His gaze swept over me, slow and deliberate, like he was cataloguing every flaw, every weakness. “I like a woman who comes straight to the point.”

“Then get to yours. Why drag me here?”

He leaned forward, and for the first time, I noticed the faint scar cutting across his jawline—something human beneath the perfection. “Because, sweetheart,” he said smoothly, “I’ve decided you’re going to marry me.”

The words hit harder than a slap. I blinked, sure I’d misheard. “Excuse me?”

“Marry me,” he repeated, as if he were asking me to pass the salt. “For one year. In return, I’ll pay off all your family’s debts. Your mother’s medical bills. Everything.”

I stared at him, my pulse roaring in my ears. “You’re insane.”

“Possibly.” His lips curved into that infuriating smirk. “But I’m also a man who gets what he wants.”

“And what—you want me? Why? You don’t even know me!”

His eyes darkened. “Oh, I know enough. You’re stubborn. Proud. And you think you can survive in a world that was never built for people like you.” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “But with me? You’ll never have to struggle again.”

I shoved him back, my hands trembling. “This is ridiculous. Marriage isn’t a business transaction.”

“Everything is a business transaction.” His voice hardened, steel beneath velvet. “Love is a lie people tell themselves. But contracts… contracts are binding.”

I shook my head, anger mixing with panic. “And if I say no?”

He smiled, slow and dangerous. “Then I’ll find another way to make you mine.”

The car was silent, the city lights flashing outside the tinted windows. My throat was dry, my chest tight.

This was madness. No sane woman would agree to this.

But deep down, beneath the fear and fury, a part of me already knew:

This man wouldn’t stop until I said yes.