FORCED TO MARRY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE IN 9 DAYS

###CHAPTER2:THE WIFE INTERVIEW

Marcus thought his boss had finally lost his mind.

In eight years of working for Caspian Sterling, he had arranged many things. Board meetings that ruined rivals. Private jets at 3 a.m. Women escorted out before breakfast with a check and a non-disclosure agreement.

He had never arranged a wife.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Marcus asked, standing stiffly in the study doorway. "A wife is not... not like hiring a new head of marketing."

Caspian didn't look up from his laptop. He was in the same black shirt from that morning, his eyes dark from lack of sleep. The crushed photograph was still on his desk.

"I need a wife who can fool Rowen Sterling for thirty minutes. She needs to be educated, presentable, and smart enough to not fall in love with me. Find her."

Marcus swallowed. "I have three candidates. They all agreed to the... terms. One million dollars for one year of marriage. No intimacy required unless she agrees. Divorce after the heir clause is secured."

"Send them in."

The first woman entered like she owned the room. Blonde, tall, a socialite from his usual circle.

"Caspian, darling, Marcus said you finally came to your senses," she purred, sliding onto the arm of his chair. "A marriage would look so good on us."

Caspian stared at her hand on his shoulder like it was a stain.

"What's your name?"

"Vanessa. You said it so many times last-"

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get. Out." His voice was ice. "You can't even pretend for five minutes without trying to get into my pants. My father would see through you in two seconds."

She left, heels clicking angrily.

The second was a law graduate. Perfect resume. Perfect posture. She answered every question correctly.

"Why do you want to marry me?" Caspian asked her.

"For the financial security, Mr. Sterling. And the prestige of the Sterling name. It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement."

She sounded like a press release.

"Too perfect," Caspian muttered. "Rowen hates perfect. He'll think I bought you. Which I did. Next."

Marcus looked nervous. "Sir, the third one... she's not what you asked for. But she was the only one who didn't hang up when I mentioned your name."

"Send her in."

The door opened, and she walked in.

And the entire study changed.

She wasn't wearing a designer dress. She wore a faded blue dress with a small tear at the hem, white sneakers that had seen better days, and she held a worn-out tote bag like a shield. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun. No makeup.

But her eyes — dark, furious, exhausted eyes — locked onto his and didn't look away.

"You," she said.

Caspian frowned. "Do I know you?"

"You don't remember me, do you? Of course you don't." She let out a sharp laugh. "Three months ago. The Sterling Foundation gala. You spilled red wine on my uniform and told me I was invisible anyway. I was serving canapés to pay for my mother's hospital bills."

Marcus went pale. "Ms. Elena, please-"

"Elena Reyes," she said, ignoring Marcus, staring straight at Caspian. "I'm twenty-four. I graduated top of my class in Literature but I clean tables because degrees don't pay for chemo. And I am only here because your man said one million dollars. So let's not waste time. What do you want from me?"

Caspian stood up slowly.

For the first time in years, a woman wasn't looking at him like he was a wallet or a god. She was looking at him like he was trash.

It was... refreshing.

"I need a wife for nine days. Well, a wife for a year on paper, but I need to fool my father in nine days. You will live here, attend one dinner, and pretend to be madly in love with me. In return, you get one million dollars."

Elena stared at him. "You want me to pretend to be in love with you?"

"Yes."

"For a million dollars?"

"Yes."

She stepped closer, right up to his desk, and slammed her tote bag down.

"Double it."

Marcus choked. "What?!"

"Two million," Elena said, her voice shaking but firm. "My mother needs surgery in two weeks. One million covers it, but I want to be able to never see a man like you again after this. So two million. And a contract that says you can't touch me unless I say so. And I get my own room with a lock."

The study was silent.

Caspian had been negotiating billion-dollar deals since he was twenty-two. No one had ever countered him like this. Especially not a girl in white sneakers.

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. The same smile that made board members tremble.

But this time, it was different. It was amused.

"You have a lot of nerve for someone in a torn dress, Miss Reyes."

"And you have a lot of nerve thinking you can buy a wife like you buy a car, Mr. Sterling."

He walked around the desk until he was standing right in front of her. He was a foot taller than her. He expected her to step back.

She didn't.

"You'll do," he said quietly. "You'll do perfectly. My father will hate you. Which means he'll believe I actually chose you for myself."

"Is that a yes to two million?"

"That's a yes to two million."

Elena blinked, surprised he agreed so fast. "Oh. Okay. So... when do we start?"

Caspian looked down at her sneakers, then back at her furious eyes.

"Right now. Marcus, call Rowen. Tell him to come for dinner tomorrow. Tell him I'm bringing his future daughter-in-law."

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping.

"Welcome to the fortress, Mrs. Sterling."