Married to the cold-hearted Billionaire

Ava Mendez stared at the glossy contract in front of her like it was a venomous snake. Her fingers trembled as they hovered above the expensive pen lying next to the neatly printed documents. The leather chair beneath her felt too stiff, too cold—much like the man sitting across from her. Leonardo Blake. Billionaire. CEO. Cold-hearted bastard. He was everything she wasn’t—wealthy, powerful, untouchable. His face, chiseled and expressionless, had been plastered across business magazines, stock profiles, and tabloid headlines for years. The youngest CEO in Blake Corporation’s history. A man known for building empires and destroying reputations with the same level of indifference. And now, he was offering her half a million dollars to marry him. “Say something,” Leonardo said, his voice as smooth and cold as the glass of scotch in his hand. “I don’t have all day.” Ava’s throat tightened. “You’re seriously offering me five hundred thousand dollars… to marry you?” He nodded, utterly unbothered. “Legally. For one year. No physical contact. No emotional involvement. Just the ring, the signature, and appearances when necessary.” She wanted to laugh. Or cry. Or maybe both. Instead, she swallowed. “Why me?” Leonardo leaned back in his chair. The Manhattan skyline glowed behind him through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. “Because you’re desperate. And I need a wife—fast.” He wasn’t wrong. Her brother, Mateo, lay in a hospital bed two cities away, waiting for a surgery she couldn’t afford. The doctors had given her three weeks to come up with the money. It had already been two. “And what do you get from this?” she asked, folding her arms. Leonardo’s jaw tightened slightly, the only hint of emotion he’d shown all evening. “My father’s will requires I get married to inherit my shares. If I’m not married in thirty days, my stepmother gets everything.” Ava blinked. “You’re doing this to spite your stepmother?” He gave a half-shrug. “Let’s call it business.” A cold chill ran through her. What kind of man viewed marriage as nothing more than a transaction? But then again… what kind of woman was she to consider agreeing? The kind whose brother was dying. “I’m not a toy you can buy,” she said sharply. “Good,” Leonardo replied without missing a beat. “Toys break. I need a partner who won’t fall apart.” Her heart pounded in her chest. “This is insane.” “Insane?” He arched a brow. “You work two jobs, live in a studio apartment, and can’t even afford your brother’s medication. Tell me what part of your current life makes more sense than this?” Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. He was cruel. Cold. Calculating. But he wasn’t wrong. “What happens after a year?” she whispered. “We divorce. Quietly. You walk away with your money. I walk away with my inheritance.” “And if I say no?” Leonardo stood up, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. “Then I’ll find someone else. But I won’t offer them five hundred thousand dollars.” The air in the room seemed to shift, heavy with silence. Ava stared at the contract again. This wasn’t just a signature—it was a surrender. A trade of dignity for dollars. But dignity didn’t pay hospital bills. Dignity wouldn’t keep Mateo alive. Her hands stopped shaking. Slowly, she picked up the pen. Leonardo’s eyes narrowed slightly, watching her with unreadable intensity. “I want the full amount upfront,” she said. “You’ll get half now,” he replied, "and the rest after one year. If you keep your end of the deal.” Ava hesitated. Then she nodded. Her name scrawled across the bottom of the page, sealing the deal. The moment the ink dried, Leonardo extended his hand. “Congratulations, Mrs. Blake,” he said, his lips curling into the faintest of smiles. “You just married the coldest man in New York.” Her hand met his, and a chill ran down her spine. He wasn’t lying.