The billionaire Contract Wife

Sarah I thought I could have it all. It’s been three years of quiet peace, the smell of coffee and cookies replacing that of gunpowder. Rome was supposed to be my fresh start, and at first, it was. Nobody knew my last name. Nobody knew the kind of family I came from. I wasn’t feared. I had a normal life, lived in a beautiful apartment with an amazing view of the city, where sunsets were always magical. For the first time in my life, I had an actual job—doing what I loved. I was an art curator at one of the biggest galleries in town, the Faltails Gallery. And I was getting married in six months to the man of my dreams. He had walked into the gallery one sunny Tuesday. He asked about a painting he was about to purchase. When I talked, he listened. He wasn’t bored. He paid perfect attention. And from then on, every Tuesday, he sent me flowers. Just the thought of it made me smile. “Good morning, princess.” Danielle’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Aren’t you late for work?” he said. I realized I had been sitting in front of my dresser for the past thirty minutes. “Oh my God,” I said quickly, getting up, getting dressed, and rushing straight for the door. “Sarah,” he called. “You didn’t kiss me.” I paused, then smiled at him. He walked over, placing a quick kiss on my lips and another on my forehead before I left. Today was going to be a very long day. When I got into the gallery, everything was already being arranged with careful precision. More paintings had arrived, and for a moment I just stood there, taking it all in. The paintings were breathtaking—beautiful, rare, and ridiculously expensive. “You do realize you are late, right?” a voice came from behind me. Lilian. “I know,” I said, turning slightly to face her. “And I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry, management doesn’t know,” she replied quickly, lowering her voice. “But you’ll have to make it up to me.” “How?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. She hesitated for a second, then spoke. “I need you to cover for me.” I blinked. “Lilian, you know that isn’t possible.” “You’ve done it before, Sarah. Please.” I let out a slow breath. “Why? Where are you going?” She smiled in that annoying, excited way of hers. “I have a date with Grayson. And I don’t want to miss it.” Her eyes practically glinted. “I think he’s going to propose.” I stared at her for a moment, then shook my head. “Fine,” I sighed. “But you owe me big time.” “I know,” she said, already backing away like she couldn’t get out fast enough. It was 7 p.m. when the guests started arriving one after the other. I moved between them, making sure everyone had drinks, answering questions, fixing small issues before they became big ones, and making sure no one knew Lilian wasn’t around. Everything had to be perfect tonight. Managing the gallery while covering for Lilian was exhausting. My feet were killing me, my head was pounding so loud it felt like it would fall off, and I hadn’t even had a proper break. But she was my friend. And somehow, I always ended up helping. I exhaled slowly, forcing another polite smile as I stepped back into the crowd. The auction started, and I stood behind watching as people bid, spending millions of dollars. And I was grateful because by 10 p.m., everyone had left, and I was finally going home. Just the thought of getting into the hot tub, letting the warm water move through my body, made me want to go home even quicker. And Daniel—he had texted me earlier that he would be making pasta. I couldn’t wait to eat and be in his arms. I passed through the alley I always used. Even though it was dark, I wasn’t afraid because I had used this place over a hundred times, and it felt too familiar. But before I could make it through the other side, I heard a voice—a deep voice. My body reacted before my mind knew what was going on. Immediately, my back rested against the sticky wall. From the small lights that shone in that direction, I could see two men and one other person. He stood completely still. And one of the men—the taller one—pointed a gun at his head and shot him. That sound… so familiar. I couldn’t move for a moment. I just stood still. Everything was quiet. And before I knew what was happening, I was running. Immediately, the men followed behind me. Before the men could catch up to me, I quickly flagged down a taxi and got in. “Drive!” I yelled before even telling the driver my address. I looked out the window. I couldn’t see them anymore. My breathing was heavy, my heart racing so fast. “You are safe. You are going home, and you will forget any of this ever happened,” I whispered under my breath. When I got to my apartment building, I quickly paid the taxi driver and made my way straight inside. When I opened the door, everywhere smelled of pasta and my favorite sauce. The apartment was quiet, which meant Daniel was asleep. I took off my shoes quickly and made my way to the bathroom. I had been trying to avoid anything that would take me back to my old life—and now those men had seen my face. When I was done with my bath, I went back to the room and lay down beside Daniel. He mumbled something in his sleep before stretching his arm to pull me closer. I allowed myself to melt into his embrace. I was tired, and I needed rest. Whatever had happened tonight, I would figure it out tomorrow morning. When I opened my eyes again, morning had come quicker than I expected. Sunlight streamed in through the curtains. I reached for Daniel on the other side of the bed, but he wasn’t there. Immediately, I got up and made my way to the living room. There he was. He was watching the news, coffee in hand as he listened. I stood behind the couch. Daniel didn’t notice me immediately. “Early this morning, authorities discovered the body of Senator Donny Clifford near Via Lenore District,” the news anchor said. My blood ran cold. Oh no. It was already on the news. The senator—the one they had shot. And I had witnessed it. Just when I thought I had a chance at a normal life, everything came crashing down so fast.