The Billionaire's Surprise Bride

004

Chapter Four

~ Emma’s POV ~

The moment I stepped out of my car and walked toward the parking lot, something felt off.

I shrugged it off, trying to push away the unease gnawing at the pit of my stomach.

Maybe it was the weight of the dinner I had to attend with my father tonight… Those dinners never felt like family moments, always more like meetings with a cold and calculating businessman. But this one? It felt different. It felt like more was at stake.

As I approached my car, I heard footsteps behind me, too close, too deliberate. I turned just in time to see two men… large, imposing figures… step into my path, blocking my way to the car.

“Excuse me,” I started, trying to maintain composure. “I need to get going.”

“Miss Lawson,” he said, his voice low and deep. “Your father’s waiting for you.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, instinctively taking a step back. “I’m just going to dinner. I don’t need any help.”

“Your father’s already made arrangements. You’ll be going with us.” The other man, taller, his face partially hidden by a dark cap, stepped closer.

Before I could protest, one of them grabbed my arm, a firm grip that sent a shiver of panic down my spine. I tried to yank it away, but the grip only tightened.

“Let go of me!” I snapped, panic starting to claw at my throat.

“Sorry, Miss Lawson. No can do,” the first man said. “You’re coming with us.”

The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. My breath quickened as my heart thudded against my ribcage. They weren’t going to hurt me, not physically. But the cold certainty in their eyes told me this wasn’t some simple misunderstanding. I had no choice.

They didn’t speak as they led me through the parking lot, past the row of parked cars, and into a sleek black van. I wanted to scream, wanted to fight back, but my mind was racing. Where was my father? Why would he send men to pick me up like this?

Inside the van, I glanced at the men, their faces stern and unreadable. My pulse thrummed in my ears.

I tried to ask them questions… Where were we going? What was happening? but they ignored me, offering no answers.

Minutes later, the van came to a stop outside an unfamiliar building. It was a closed-down restaurant, its large windows dark and empty.

The type of place you wouldn’t expect to find on any normal evening. The men led me through the back entrance, and the cold chill of the dimly lit space only added to the sense of unease that was wrapping itself around me.

As I stepped into the private room, I froze. And there, sitting at the far end of the table, was my father. His dark suit made him blend into the shadows of the room, his eyes sharp and piercing.

“Sit,” he commanded, and his voice, though quiet, held an authority that made my knees tremble.

I swallowed, my hands clenching into fists at my sides as I obeyed, sliding into the chair opposite him. I didn’t say anything at first, trying to keep my composure, but the panic in my chest continued to build.

“What is this?” I finally demanded, my voice shaky but firm. “Why did you have men pick me up? Where’s the dinner?”

My father’s eyes never left mine, and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of something… something I couldn’t place…. behind his gaze. He didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he waved his hand to one of the men, who promptly walked over and set a single plate of food in front of me.

“It’s dinner,” he said, his voice void of warmth. “But I think we need to have a conversation first.”

I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite. My stomach churned as I waited for him to speak.

“You’ve been avoiding the inevitable, Emma,” my father said slowly, his voice low, almost soothing. “This charade you’ve got going with Liam Chen … And it’s time you stop pretending. I’ve arranged for you to make things official.”

“Official?” I asked, my heart thumping harder against my chest. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” he replied coolly. “You’ve been pretending that this is some innocent fling, but I know better. I know what your game is. You’re getting too close to Liam Chen, and that’s exactly what I want. You’re going to marry him, Emma.”

I stared at him, my mind spinning. “What?” I whispered, unable to believe my ears.

“Don’t pretend you don’t understand,” he continued, his gaze never wavering. “You’ll use him, like I said. Get close to him. Marry him if you have to. And when the time comes, we’ll have all the power we need.”

I shook my head, disbelief flooding through me. “No. I’m not doing that,” I said firmly, my voice shaking with anger. “You can’t control my life like that. I won’t be your puppet.”

My father’s lips curled into a thin smile, but it wasn’t a smile that reassured me. It was the kind of smile a predator might give just before closing in for the kill.

“You will, Emma,” he said, his tone softening, almost as if he was speaking to a child. “And you’ll thank me when it’s all done. This is how the world works. You’ll understand soon enough.”

I opened my mouth to argue, to fight back, but the words wouldn’t come. There was no point. He wouldn’t listen. He never did. This wasn’t a negotiation. This was a command.

---

The dinner with my father ended without any real warmth. It never felt like a family moment; it was always business with him, wrapped in the pretense of a meal. As usual, he didn’t ask how my day was or even offer a word of support. Instead, our conversation revolved around the one thing that had been bothering me for weeks: the plan.

“Don’t forget what we talked about,” he’d said, his voice low and cold as he finished his wine. “The deal with Liam Chen is just the beginning. If you can, infiltrate the company further. Use whatever means necessary to get close to him. And if you can marry him, do it.”

His words echoed in my mind as I stood up from the table.

I hated how he made me feel like a pawn, how he expected me to manipulate a man for his benefit. But what was worse? The fact that I knew I would likely do it. I had to.

“I’ll keep it in mind, Dad,” I said, my voice tight, though I could feel the dread coiling in my stomach.

As I left the restaurant, I felt suffocated. The heavy weight of my father’s words hung over me like a dark cloud. I had tried to ignore them, pretend they weren’t there, but they were always in the back of my mind, pressing me toward a future I didn’t want.

I didn’t want to manipulate anyone. I didn’t want to marry someone just for the sake of a business arrangement. But what other choice did I have? My family had been pushing me into this life for so long, and I couldn’t fight them anymore.

***

By the time I arrived at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Liam, my mind was already scattered. I had no idea how I was going to handle this. The idea of marrying him for real seemed so absurd, but the idea of marrying him for the wrong reasons, like my father wanted, made me want to scream.

I found Liam already seated at a corner table when I walked in. His presence was always commanding, but tonight, I couldn’t help but notice the quiet intensity in his eyes as he looked up from his phone.

“Emma,” he greeted me, his voice smooth, almost soothing. “You look… different tonight.”

I smiled faintly and took my seat, the weight of my earlier conversation with my father still heavy on my mind. “I’m fine, just… a little tired,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. But the truth was, I wasn’t fine at all. I felt like I was drowning in decisions I didn’t want to make, in obligations that weren’t mine.

We ordered dinner in silence, the clinking of silverware and murmured conversations around us creating an odd backdrop to the tension I could feel settling between us. After the waiter left, Liam finally spoke.

“Something’s on your mind, Emma,” he said, his eyes studying me carefully. “You don’t look like yourself.”

I couldn’t tell him the truth… not about my father, not about the plans I had been forced into. I couldn’t tell him that everything I did seemed to be for someone else. Instead, I just shrugged and forced a smile.

“It’s nothing,” I lied, but Liam didn’t buy it. He leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing.” His voice was calm, but there was an underlying edge to it. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”

I appreciated his offer, but how could I explain the tangled mess of my emotions? How could I tell him that I was trapped? That the weight of my family’s expectations was pushing me to make decisions I didn’t want?

Before I could respond, Liam reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper… something that looked like a contract. My stomach flipped, and for a moment, I thought I was imagining things.

He slid the contract across the table toward me, his eyes locked on mine. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, his voice steady. “I know our situation isn’t normal. And we’ve been living in this strange middle ground. So, I’d like to make it official.”

I stared at the contract for a moment before looking up at him, confusion written all over my face. “What do you mean, ‘official’?”

Liam’s expression softened, and I could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I’m proposing that we marry. For real. But here’s the catch… It'll be a contract marriage. Two years. And we’ll have… other benefits.” His words hung in the air, and for a second, I felt like the room had spun around me.

A contract marriage?

What kind of crazy idea was this?

“I can’t,” I said quickly, my hands instinctively pushing the paper away from me. “I’m not interested in a contract marriage. Marriage is sacred to me. I won’t do it for some deal or business arrangement.”

I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, but Liam didn’t push. He just sat there, silent for a moment, as if he was waiting for me to change my mind.

But I couldn’t. I had already promised myself I wouldn’t marry for anything less than love, not like this, not for a contract.

My father’s words echoed in my mind again. This was what he wanted… he wanted me to use Liam to further his plans, to infiltrate his life and take control of it for our family’s gain. I wasn’t going to do that. I couldn’t be the person my father wanted me to be.

But just as I was about to stand up, needing to get away from this, the door to the restaurant opened with a jarring sound. I looked up, and my blood ran cold.

Mark. And Rachel.

They walked in, holding hands like some happy couple, laughing softly at something Rachel had just said.

The sight of them made my stomach twist in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I felt a flare of jealousy and anger surge through me.

They didn’t even look at me. They didn’t even acknowledge me, as if I were nothing more than an afterthought.

The worst part?

I had no right to be angry. I wasn’t the one they needed to worry about. But in that moment, seeing them together, I couldn’t stop the bitter feeling that welled up inside me.

I turned back to Liam, my heart pounding in my chest, my hands shaking as I stared at the contract.

I wasn’t sure what I was doing anymore, but everything inside me screamed to take control of my life, to make my own decisions.

“Emma?” Liam’s voice broke through my haze of anger, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Instead, I grabbed the contract in a sudden rush of fury and signed my name at the bottom, before I could think about it any longer.

Liam looked at me in surprise, but I didn’t care. The sight of Mark and Rachel, so smug and perfect in their own world, pushed me to make the choice. It wasn’t about love, it wasn’t about anything other than regaining my power.

“I’ll do it,” I muttered, not looking at him. “I’ll marry you. But this is a business deal. Don’t forget that.”

Liam didn’t say anything at first, but when he looked at me, I saw something flicker in his eyes… a mixture of triumph and concern. "We'll take it one step at a time," he said softly, but there was something in the way he said it that made me feel like I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.

But it was done. The contract was signed.

And I couldn’t take it back now.