One Night with my Devil-Husband

Final Notice. st. Mercy Hospital. $50,000 due in 48 hours or treatment stops. the envelope in Cynthia Moore's hand was shaking. Her mother, Linda, lay on the small hospital bed, thin, oxygen in her nose, the cancer was eating her alive, and Cynthia had nothing left. her bag was empty. her account was $12.36. "mom, don't worry. I will get it," Cynthia whispered. forcing a smile. Linda touched her face weakly. "Cynthia, baby, don't do anything stupid. God will provide." But God wasn't providing fast enough. Cynthia walked out of the hospital and into the rain, her old shoes were soaked. she had been fired that morning from Anthony Corp- her intern Job, her only Hope. the CEO himself, Frederick Anthony, had looked at her spilled coffee on his $20,000 suit and said, "you are fired. get out you are useless." Now she was useless and desperate. her phone rang. Maya, her best friend. "Cynthia! where are you? I found something! there's an agent -madame Rose . she finds... dates for rich men. one Night, Cynthia! one Night for $50,000! I gave her your number!" "I can't do that, Maya! I'm not..." "your mother will die, Cynthia it's just one night, masked. no one will know!" Cynthia stood in the rain, crying. $50,000. exactly what she needed. At 8pm, she found herself in front of the Black Diamond Hotel, wearing a cheap red dress maya lent her , hair wet, her lips trembling. madam Rose, a woman with red lipstick looked her up and down. "you're pretty. innocent type. rich men love that. room 9009. he is masked. he doesn't want to know your name. you don't ask his. one Night. you leave before morning. $50,000 cash on the table." Cynthia's leg wanted to run. but she thought of her mother. she took the keycard. room 9009 was dark, only one dim lamp. the bed was huge. roses . and standing by the window, a man in a black mask, tall, broad shoulders, in a black suit. he held a whiskey glass. he smelled like expensive cologne and power. "you are late," he said. his voice was deep. cold. familiar somehow. "I'm... I'm sorry," Cynthia whispered, clutching her bag. "come here." she walked, shaking. he turned. even with a mask, she could see his eyes - grey. cold, like a storm. and his lips firm. "how old are you?" he asked. "22" "have you done this before?" "No," she said quickly, tears in her eyes. "I... my mother is sick. I need money. I never..." he stared at her for a long time. then he put his whiskey down. "I don't like liars," he said. "and I don't like crying women. but you... you look honest." he stepped closer. he was so tall. Cynthia had to look up. "what is your name?" he asked. softly. "you said not to ask.." "changed my mind. tell me! "Cynthia." "Cynthia," he repeated. like tasting it, "Cynthia, for $50,000. you are mine tonight. do you understand?" she nodded crying. "don't cry. I don't like it when my things cry." he gently wiped her tears with his thumb. his touch was surprisingly warm. "one Night, Cynthia. just one night." he pulled her to him. his kiss was not gentle at first. it was demanding, like he owned her. but when she gasped, he slowed down. "you are so soft," he whispered against her lips. that night, Cynthia Moore gave her innocence to a masked devil for $50,000 she cried when it hurt. and he was surprisingly tender, whispering"shhh, it's okay, I've got you in her ear, kissing her tears away. in the morning, she woke up alone. on the table, $50,000 cash, and a note: you were not what I expected, Cynthia. she grabbed the money and ran , her body sore, her heart racing. shw paid the hospital bill, saved her mother and thought she would never see the masked devil again. until Monday morning. she walked into Anthony Corp to beg for her intern job back, and the secretary said, "Mr. Anthony will see you." she walked into the giant CEO office. and behind the desk, without a mask, in a perfect black suit, was him. Frederick Anthony. her boss . her one night devil. he looked up from his papers, his grey eyes cold. Good morning, Cynthia," he said, with a devil smile. "we need to talk about last night. and about you becoming my wife." Cynthia's bag dropped to the floor. Cynthia Moore thought it was a bad dream. she stood in the giant office of Anthony Corp, 50th floor, glass walls , Lagos skyline behind her. and in front of her, behind a black marble desk, sat her one-night devil. without a mask. Frederick Anthony looked even more dangerous without it. sharp jawline, grey eyes like cold winter, black suit perfectly fitted to his broad shoulders. he looked like a God who never smiled. he stared at her as if she was a ghost. "you," Cynthia whispered, her bag dropping. "me," he said calmly. he stood up and walked around the desk. slowly. like a lion. Cynthia stepped back until her back hit the door. "you.... you are my boss. you fired me," she said voice shaking. "I fired you because you poured coffee on my $20,000 Armani suit," he said, now standing too close. he smelled the same expensive, dark, the same cologne from that night. "but you made up for it that night, Cynthia," her face turned red . "you ... you knew it was me ? in the hotel?" "I knew the moment you said your name. Cynthia. I never forget a name. especially from a girl who cried the whole night." Cynthia wanted to disappear. "that was a mistake! I needed money for my mother! I thought I'd never see you again! please, forget it!" "forget it?" he laughed, but it was cold. "I paid $50,000 for one night, and you turned out to be my clumsy intern who I fired in the morning and slept with at night night. Do you know how crazy that is?" he leaned down, his lips near her ear. "you owe me an explanation. Cynthia." "I owe you nothing! you got what you paid for!" His eyes darkened. "No. I didn't. because you ran away before morning. you broke the rule. you leave after I leave. not before." Cynthia tried to open the door. he slammed his hand on it. locking her in. "what do you want from me?" she cried, tears coming. Frederick went back to his desk. he picked up a thick file and threw it on the desk. "grandfather died last month. his will says if I don't get married in 3 weeks, I lose everything. my company, my houses, my inheritance. all goes to my cousin Vanessa's family." "you," he said. pointing at her. you are going to be my wife." the world stopped. "What?!" "my wife. for six months. A contract marriage. you live in my house, act like my loving wife in public, attend event with me. in private, you don't exist. after six months, we divorce quietly. you get $500,000. enough to cure your mother and go to school." Cynthia laughed in shock. "are you crazy? marry you? you are a devil! you are rude, you are cold, you fired me!"