MY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND: A SIX MONTH CONTRACT

The rain was falling heavily on the streets of New York, and Elena Morris stood outside St. Jude Hospital with tears in her eyes. She held a white paper in her shaking hands. It was the hospital bill for her mother. Fifty thousand dollars. The doctor said they needed to do the surgery in two weeks, or her mother would not make it. "Fifty thousand dollars," she whispered. "Where will I get fifty thousand dollars from?" Elena was just a student. She worked part-time as a waitress at a small restaurant near her school. Her salary was barely enough to pay their house rent and buy food. Since her father died three years ago, life had been very difficult for her and her mother. She sat on the cold bench outside the hospital and cried. People were passing by with umbrellas, but nobody stopped to ask her what was wrong. Her phone rang. It was her boss at the restaurant. "Elena, where are you? You are late for your shift. If you don't come in the next thirty minutes, don't bother coming again," the woman shouted and ended the call. Elena quickly wiped her tears. She could not lose that job. That job was their only source of income. She stood up and started running towards the bus stop. The rain soaked her old dress, but she did not care. When she got to La Belle Restaurant, her boss, Mrs. Smith, was standing at the door with an angry face. "I am sorry, ma. The hospital... my mother..." Elena tried to explain, breathing heavily. "I don't want any excuses. Go inside and start serving table five and six. And if you break any plate again today, I will deduct it from your salary," Mrs. Smith said coldly. Elena nodded and rushed inside. She worked for four hours without stopping. Her legs were paining her, but she continued. At around 8 PM, a group of rich people entered the restaurant. There were four men in expensive black suits. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at them. They looked very powerful. Elena was told to serve their table. She carried the tray of expensive wine to their table. Her hands were shaking because she was tired and hungry. She had not eaten since morning. As she tried to place the wine on the table, her hand slipped. The red wine poured directly onto the expensive suit of the man sitting in the middle. There was a loud silence in the restaurant. Elena's heart stopped beating. "Oh my God! I am so sorry! I am so sorry, sir!" she shouted, using a napkin to try to clean his suit. The man stood up slowly. He was very tall, with broad shoulders. He had dark hair, sharp blue eyes, and a face that looked like it was carved by the gods. But his expression was as cold as ice. "Do you know how much this suit costs?" he asked in a deep, cold voice. "I... I... I am sorry, sir. It was a mistake," Elena stammered. His friend, Ryan, laughed. "Adrian, relax. It is just a suit. The girl did not mean it." Adrian Knight did not laugh. He stared at Elena with anger. "You clumsy waitresses are all the same. You should be fired." At that moment, Mrs. Smith came running. "Mr. Knight, I am very sorry. Please forgive us. She is new," Mrs. Smith begged. Elena felt shame and tears filled her eyes again. Today was just the worst day of her life. Adrian looked at Elena one more time, from her wet hair to her old shoes. Then he took out his handkerchief and threw it on the floor. "Clean it," he ordered. Elena bent down and picked it up. Ryan Cole, his friend, felt pity for her. He brought out a business card and gave it to her. "Come to this address tomorrow morning by 9 AM. I have a job proposition for you. A job that can pay you fifty thousand dollars." Elena's eyes widened. Fifty thousand dollars. The exact amount she needed. She looked at the card. It said: KNIGHT HOLDINGS, CEO ADRIAN KNIGHT. She looked up, but the men were already walking out of the restaurant. The next morning, Elena wore her only good dress and went to the address on the card. It was the biggest company she had ever seen in New York. Fifty floors of glass and steel. She was taken to the top floor. The office was huge and beautiful. Adrian Knight was sitting behind a large desk, looking at his laptop. He was wearing another expensive suit, as if nothing happened yesterday. "You came," he said without looking up. "Yes, sir. Your friend said... you have a job that pays fifty thousand dollars?" Elena asked nervously. Adrian finally looked up. "Sit." Elena sat down. "I need a wife," he said directly. Elena thought she did not hear well. "What?" "I need a wife for six months. My grandfather died and left a will. I can only get his company and all his properties if I get married before my 33rd birthday, which is in one week. And I must stay married for at least six months. If I don't, everything will go to my uncle, who will destroy everything my grandfather built." Elena was shocked. "And... what does that have to do with me?" "You will be my wife. For six months. It is a contract. After six months, we divorce. I will pay you fifty thousand dollars immediately after you sign, and another five hundred thousand dollars after the divorce. You will live in my house, attend events with me, and act like my loving wife in front of my family. In private, we are nothing." Elena could not believe it. "Why me? You can get any woman in New York. Models, actresses..." "Because those women want my money and my heart. I don't want drama. I want someone simple, someone who needs money and will follow the rules and leave quietly after six months. You look like someone who will not fall in love with me." His words hurt, but Elena thought about her mother in the hospital. Six months. Just six months to save her mother's life. "What are the rules?" she asked quietly. Adrian brought out a thick document. It was the contract. "Rule one: No falling in love. Rule two: No physical intimacy, unless necessary in public. Rule three: You must not tell anyone this is a contract. Rule four: You must live in my mansion and obey my house rules. Rule five: After six months, you sign the divorce papers and disappear from my life forever." Elena looked at the paper. Her hand was shaking. If she signed, her mother would live. If she did not, her mother would die. She picked up the pen. "Where do I sign?" she asked. Adrian smiled for the first time, but it was a cold smile. "Welcome to my life, Mrs. Knight."