The Billionaire Contract Bride

"I can't marry you." For a second, I thought I had heard Daniel wrong. The surrounding restaurant was quiet. Soft music played in the background while people laughed over dinner. The candle between us burned gently, making everything feel warm. Everything except my heart. I forced a smile. "What did you say?" Daniel sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I said, I can't marry you anymore, Lydia." The words hit me so hard that I forgot how to breathe. My fingers tightened around the small gift box I had been hiding under the table. Inside it was the watch I had spent three months saving for. I wanted to give it to him after telling him the good news. That my small interior design business had finally landed a big project. That maybe our lives were finally about to get better. Instead, my whole world was falling apart. "Is this a joke?" I asked quietly. He looked away. "I've met someone else." I stared at him. "No." "It wasn't planned." "No." "Lydia..." "No." I shook my head again and again. "We've been together for five years." "I know." "We were supposed to get married in two months." "I know." "I've already paid for part of the wedding." "I know." Every answer sounded colder than the one before. I felt tears filling my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Who is she?" Daniel stayed silent. My stomach twisted. "Who is she?" He finally looked at me. "Her name is Vanessa." I had never heard the name before. "She comes from a wealthy family." Of course, she did. "My parents like her." There it was. The real reason. His parents had never liked me. To them, I was a girl with no rich family, no connections, and too many responsibilities. I was just Lydia Brooks. The woman who worked day and night. The woman is raising her younger brother after losing both parents. The woman who never had enough money. "I love her," Daniel said. Those four words hurt more than everything else. "What about me?" His silence answered. I slowly placed the gift box on the table. "I bought this for you." He looked at it but didn't touch it. "I'm sorry." I laughed. The sound didn't even sound like mine. "Sorry?" Another laugh escaped me. "You think sorry is enough after five years?" People at nearby tables had started looking at us. I didn't care. "I stood beside you when you lost your job." "You did." "I paid your rent." "You did." "I skipped meals so we could save for our wedding." His face dropped. "You don't have to say that." "But it's true." The tears finally escaped. "I believed every promise you made." He stood up. "I think it's better if I leave." I looked at him in disbelief. "You have already destroyed me. Now you're running away too?" "Lydia..." "I hope she's worth it." Without waiting for another word, I grabbed my bag and walked out. The cold evening air slapped my face. Only then did I let myself cry. I walked without knowing where I was going. Five years. Gone. Just like that. My phone rang. I wiped my face before answering. "Ethan?" "Lydia." My sixteen-year-old brother sounded worried. "Are you okay?" I swallowed hard. "I'm fine." "You don't sound fine." "I've had a long day." "You forgot." I frowned. "Forgot what?" "My doctor's appointment." My heart dropped. I looked at the time. I had completely forgotten. "Oh my God." "It's okay," he said quickly. "Mrs. Carter brought me home." Guilt hit me like a truck. "I'm so sorry." "You don't have to keep apologizing." "I promised I'd be there." "I know." His voice was gentle. Too gentle. "You've been working so hard." I closed my eyes. "I'll make it up to you." "You always do." After hanging up, I stood on the sidewalk trying to breathe. I had failed him. Again. The hospital bills were getting bigger every month. My business has finally won a chance to redesign the lobby of Hale Global Holdings. If I did well, everything could change. I could pay for Ethan's treatment. I could keep our apartment. I could finally stop living from one bill to another. I couldn't afford to fall apart. Not tonight. Not ever. The next morning, I walked into Hale Global carrying my design samples. The building was taller than anything in the neighborhood where I lived. People in expensive suits moved around with purpose. I suddenly felt very small. "Miss Brooks?" A young assistant smiled. "The board is already waiting." I nodded. "Thank you." As the elevator climbed higher, I stared at my reflection. My eyes were still swollen from crying. I had tried to cover them with makeup. It hadn't worked very well. The elevator doors opened. The assistant led me toward a large conference room. My hands were shaking. This project could save my future. Don't mess this up, Lydia. I pushed the door open. More than twenty people were seated around a long table. Some looked bored. Others barely noticed me. Then my eyes landed on the man standing by the window. He turned. Every conversation in the room seemed to disappear. He was tall. Calm. His dark suit fit him perfectly. His sharp gray eyes settled on me without the slightest smile. He looked like the kind of man who never lost control. Someone leaned toward me and whispered. "That's Mr. Adrian Hale." The billionaire. The youngest CEO in the company's history. The man every business magazine loved to write about. He looked nothing like the pictures online. In person, he was colder. Harder. Almost impossible to read. He walked toward me. Each step was slow and steady. "You are Lydia Brooks?" His voice was deep and calm. "Yes." He looked at my presentation folder. "You have five minutes." No greeting. No handshake. Just five minutes. I nodded. "I won't waste your time." As I reached into my bag for my flash drive, my phone vibrated. Ethan. I hesitated. He would never call during school unless something was wrong. My heart started racing. I answered in a whisper. "Ethan?" But it wasn't him. It was his doctor. "Miss Brooks, your brother collapsed this morning." Everything around me went silent. "He has been taken to the emergency room." The folder slipped from my hands. Design papers were scattered across the polished floor. The room fell completely still. I looked up. Adrian Hale was already watching me. His cold eyes narrowed as he studied my face. And for the first time since walking into the room, something changed in his expression. No pity. Curiosity.