The Orphan Bride Of The Town's Richest Man

THE CONTRACT

EPISODE 2

The black car stopped at the Murang'a stage exactly 30 minutes later.

I was barefoot. My dirty torn brown skirt had dust on it.

I held my black bag to my chest like it was armor.

The driver didn’t speak. He just opened the door.

Leather seats. Cold air. I had never been in a car this expensive.

"Where are we going?" I whispered.

"Nairobi. Carter Towers," he said.

My heart was beating so fast I thought it would break.

Damian Carter. The man who owned half of Murang'a and all of Nairobi’s skyline.

I kept thinking... why me?

FLASHBACK

---

Three years ago.

"Mum, please eat," I begged. I was 19.

She was lying on the hospital bed in Murang'a Level 5. Cancer.

She smiled, weak. "Freya, my girl. Promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don’t ever let them break you. You’re a Destiny. We are fighters."

Dad died in a matatu accident 6 months later.

After the funeral, the relatives took the house.

Said "orphans have no claim."

That’s how I ended up in the orphanage. At 20 years old.

END OF FLASHBACK

---

The car pulled into Carter Towers. Glass. 40 floors.

Men in suits walked like they owned the world.

The assistant met me in the lobby. Cold eyes.

"Mr. Carter will see you now."

His office was on the top floor. Bigger than the whole orphanage.

And there he was.

Damian Carter.

Tall. Black suit. Eyes like ice. He didn’t look up from his laptop.

"Sit," he said.

I sat. My bare feet looked stupid on his expensive carpet.

He finally looked at me. Up and down.

"You worked in this office. Cleaning. 500 shillings."

My face burned. "Yes, sir."

"You have no family. No money. No home. The orphanage kicked you out today."

How did he know?

"I have a problem," he said. "My grandfather died.

His last wish is me to marry a proper wife and give him a grandchild to inherit the company.

That was the requirement.

He slid a paper across the desk.

I picked it up. My hands were shaking.

MARRIAGE CONTRACT

Party A: Damian Carter

Party B: Freya Destiny

Terms: 1 Year Marriage. 5,000,000 KES.

Party B will act as wife in public. No love. No touching.

After 1 year, divorce and Party B walks away rich.

5 million shillings.

That was more money than I had ever seen in my life.

That was a house. That was school fees. That was never being hungry again.

FLASHBACK

---

"Mum used to braid my hair under the Murang'a sun," I remembered.

"Dad used to say 'Freya, one day you’ll be somebody.'"

I was nobody now. In a torn skirt. With 87 shillings to my name.

END OF FLASHBACK

I looked up at him. "Why me?"

Damian’s jaw tightened. "Because you have nothing to lose.

And you won’t fall in love with me."

The pen was on the table. Gold.

"Sign it," he said. "Or go back to the street."

Outside, the Nairobi lights were starting to come on.

Beautiful and cold, just like him.

My hand hovered over the paper.

Do I sign... or do I walk away?