The CEO signed a contract marriage to save my dad part 2
1428 Words
The CEO Signed a Contract Marriage to Save My Dad
Episode 2 — The Contract Bride
Lina stared at the contract in her trembling hands while the rain hit the car windows endlessly.
Marry him?
It sounded insane.
No—worse than insane.
This was the kind of thing that only happened in movies and dramas, not in real life.
Yet Adrian Kingsley sat calmly beside her as though proposing fake marriages to strangers was completely normal.
“You’re serious?” Lina finally asked quietly.
“I don’t joke about business.”
Business.
That single word made her chest tighten.
To him, marriage was nothing more than a transaction.
Lina looked down at the contract again. The pages were filled with conditions, signatures, legal terms, and confidentiality agreements.
One year of marriage.
Public appearances together.
Live in the same house.
No romantic expectations.
No interference in personal affairs.
At the end of the contract, both parties walk away freely.
It looked cold.
Emotionless.
Just like him.
“You investigated me before offering this?” Lina asked carefully.
Adrian crossed one leg over the other. “I needed to know whether you were suitable.”
“Suitable to pretend to love you?”
“To become Mrs. Kingsley.”
The way he said it sounded more like a corporate title than a relationship.
Lina swallowed hard.
“Why me?”
“You’re desperate.”
Her expression darkened instantly.
“That’s cruel.”
“It’s true.”
Lina looked away toward the rain-covered window, trying to stop the tears building in her eyes.
She hated that he was right.
Right now, she had nothing left.
No savings.
No connections.
No miracle coming to save her father.
Only this impossible offer.
Adrian’s voice softened slightly for the first time.
“You love your father enough to sacrifice everything for him.”
Lina slowly looked back at him.
“And you think that makes me easy to control?”
“No,” Adrian replied calmly. “I think it makes you trustworthy.”
Silence filled the car again.
Then Lina asked the question that had been bothering her from the beginning.
“Why do you even need a wife?”
For the first time, Adrian’s expression changed slightly.
Coldness returned to his eyes.
“My grandfather is retiring as chairman next month,” he explained. “The board believes I lack stability. They want the image of a proper family man before handing over full control of the company.”
“So this is about your company.”
“Everything is about the company.”
Lina suddenly felt sad for him.
A man with unlimited money… but no warmth in his life.
“No offense,” she muttered, “but couldn’t you just date someone normally?”
Adrian almost smirked.
“I don’t have time for love.”
His answer came too quickly.
Too automatically.
As if he had repeated those words to himself for years.
Before Lina could respond, her phone rang again.
The hospital.
Her heartbeat immediately accelerated.
She answered shakily.
“Hello?”
“Miss Moore,” the doctor said seriously, “your father’s condition is worsening. We cannot delay the surgery anymore.”
Lina’s eyes filled instantly with tears.
“How long does he have?”
“We are doing our best.”
Those words terrified her more than anything.
We are doing our best.
It usually meant hope was disappearing.
After the call ended, Lina lowered her head silently.
Her hands shook uncontrollably.
Adrian watched her carefully before speaking.
“If you sign now, the hospital will receive payment within ten minutes.”
Lina closed her eyes.
This wasn’t really a choice anymore.
It was her father’s life against her freedom.
Slowly, she picked up the pen.
“You promise the surgery happens tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“You clear all his debts too?”
“Yes.”
“And after one year… we divorce peacefully?”
Adrian nodded once.
“No tricks.”
“I don’t break contracts.”
Lina stared at the paper one final time.
Then—
She signed her name.
Lina Moore.
The moment the ink touched the paper, her entire future changed.
Adrian calmly signed beside her.
Adrian Kingsley.
He closed the file smoothly before handing it to his assistant in the front seat.
“Transfer the payment immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lina sat there silently, almost unable to believe what she had just done.
She had just married a billionaire she barely knew.
---
Thirty minutes later, the car arrived at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Before Lina could step out, Adrian spoke again.
“There are conditions you must follow starting today.”
She looked tired already. “Of course there are.”
“You’ll move into my mansion tomorrow.”
“What?!”
“We must appear convincing publicly.”
Lina rubbed her forehead in frustration.
“This feels unreal.”
“It’s reality now.”
She glared at him. “Do you always sound like a robot?”
To her surprise, Adrian looked slightly amused.
“Do you always talk this much?”
She opened the car door angrily.
“Yes.”
Then she stormed toward the hospital entrance.
For a brief moment, Adrian watched her disappear inside.
And for the first time in years…
Something unfamiliar stirred in his chest.
---
Lina rushed into her father’s hospital room.
Her father, Daniel Moore, looked pale and weak beneath the white blankets, but he smiled gently when he saw her.
“There’s my brave girl.”
Lina immediately hugged him carefully.
“Dad…”
“You’ve been crying again.”
She forced a smile. “I’m okay.”
But she wasn’t okay.
Not even close.
Daniel noticed the fear in her eyes.
“The surgery is expensive, isn’t it?”
Lina hesitated.
Then she nodded slowly.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered painfully. “I became a burden.”
“You’re not a burden!” Lina said quickly, tears falling again. “Don’t say that.”
Her father smiled weakly.
“You’re just like your mother. Too kind for this world.”
The mention of her late mother made Lina emotional again.
Daniel gently held her hand.
“Promise me something.”
“What?”
“No matter how hard life becomes… don’t sacrifice your happiness for me.”
Lina’s heart ached sharply.
Because she already had.
---
The next morning, Lina returned to her apartment to pack her belongings.
The tiny apartment suddenly felt smaller than ever.
She folded her clothes slowly while staring around the room she had lived in for years.
Everything was changing too fast.
Suddenly, loud knocking came from outside.
“Open the door!”
Lina froze.
Debt collectors.
Fear rushed through her body.
“Miss Moore!” a man shouted angrily. “We know you’re inside!”
Panic filled her chest.
But before she could react, another voice interrupted coldly from the hallway.
“She no longer owes you anything.”
Silence followed.
Lina carefully opened the door.
Adrian stood there wearing a black suit, his expression calm and intimidating.
Behind him, the debt collectors looked terrified.
“The debts were paid this morning,” Adrian said flatly. “Leave.”
The men quickly disappeared without another word.
Lina stared at Adrian speechlessly.
“You came here yourself?”
“I was nearby.”
That was obviously a lie.
Men like Adrian Kingsley were never “nearby.”
His eyes scanned her apartment briefly.
Small kitchen.
Old furniture.
Leaking ceiling.
A deep frown appeared on his face.
“You lived here?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s barely livable.”
Lina crossed her arms defensively. “Not everyone grows up rich.”
Adrian looked at her quietly for a moment.
Then he noticed a framed family photo on the shelf.
Young Lina.
Her parents.
A warm happy family.
Something unreadable flashed across his face before disappearing instantly.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Lina looked around the apartment one final time.
This tiny place held her memories, struggles, and dreams.
But now she was leaving it behind for a marriage built on lies.
She picked up her suitcase slowly.
“Yes.”
Adrian took the suitcase from her effortlessly.
Lina blinked in surprise.
“You carry luggage?”
“I’m not disabled.”
Despite herself, she almost laughed.
Almost.
As they walked toward the luxury car waiting outside, Lina suddenly realized something terrifying.
From today onward…
She was no longer just Lina Moore.
She was becoming Mrs. Kingsley.
- Writer
