A soul on fire

CHAPTER 2 - The Missing Piece

Clara spent the rest of her shift in a daze, the heavy silver cufflink burning a hole in her apron pocket.

By 6:00 PM, the rain had turned into a torrential downpour. Just as she stepped off the curb, the sleek black town car from this morning glided to a halt right in front of her. The rear window rolled down.

"Get in," he commanded.

"I—I'm fine, really," Clara stuttered. "I can take the bus."

"I don't like repeating myself," the man said. "You have something of mine. And we have something to discuss."

She climbed into the plush leather interior. The scent of expensive cologne and cedarwood filled the car.

"My name is Vincent Vance," he stated.

Clara gasped. The Vance Group. The city's most ruthless billionaire real estate mogul. The very man whose corporation had just bought out her apartment building.

"You're the one evicting my neighborhood," she said.

"Business is business. However, you need money to save your family's home. And I need a temporary wife to satisfy a clause in my grandfather's will."

He slid a stack of papers toward her.

"Marry me for one year, Clara. I will secure your apartment building, clear your debts, and pay you five million dollars. In exchange, you play the perfect corporate bride."