The Woman He Chose
1639 Words
The number sounded impossible.
“Ten million dollars?”
“Yes.”
I laughed. Not because it was funny. Because when your life falls apart in a single day, your mind stops recognizing the difference between reality and insanity.
“There has to be a mistake.”
“There isn’t, Miss Reyes.”
I looked around the nearly empty bus stop as if someone would suddenly jump out with a camera and tell me it was all a prank.
“I work in a bakery.”
“You worked in a bakery,” the attorney corrected gently.
The words stung because they were true.
“I don’t know your client.”
“You don’t have to.”
“What exactly does he want?”
There was a brief pause.
“My client would prefer to explain that himself.”
Two hours later, I stood outside Ashford International. The building didn’t even look real.
The glass tower stretched into the clouds, reflecting the afternoon sun like a giant mirror.
Luxury cars lined the entrance while sharply dressed employees walked in and out without slowing down.
I checked the address on my phone three times. It matched. I looked down at myself.
My sweater was still damp from the rain. My shoes had begun separating from their soles.
My heart skipped a beat.I almost turned around. This place wasn’t meant for people like me.
“Miss Reyes?”
A woman wearing a navy suit approached me with a polite smile.
“Yes?”
“I’m Evelyn, Mr. Ashford’s executive assistant.”
She didn’t stare at my clothes. She didn’t wrinkle her nose. She simply held the door open.
“Please come with me,” she said calmly.
I hesitated.
“You’re sure he asked for me?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation. No doubt. That somehow made me even more nervous.
The elevator stopped on the top floor. Everything here was quiet. People spoke in low voices. Phones barely rang.No one wasted a second.
Evelyn led me into a waiting room where five women were already seated.
Every one of them looked elegant. Designer handbags. Perfect makeup. Confident smiles.
One woman glanced at me before whispering loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Did they start interviewing charity cases now?”
The others laughed. My heart slammed against my ribs. Heat rushed into my face. I lowered my eyes.
Another woman crossed her legs.
“Sweetheart, are you lost?”
“No.”
“You’re applying too?”
I nodded.
She looked me up and down.
“For housekeeping?”
The room erupted with laughter again. I forced myself to stay quiet because if I walked away now, I’d lose the only chance I had left.
My stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning.
Behind the one-way glass, Damien Ashford watched every candidate carefully.
“They’re all wrong.”
Attorney Graham sighed.
“You’ve rejected twenty-seven women.”
“They’re actresses.”
“The next?”
“Gold diggers.”
“The next?”
“She asked about shopping allowances before asking my name.”
Graham rubbed his forehead with his palm.
“You’re interviewing women for a fake marriage.”
“Exactly.”
“So?”
“I need someone who understands its fake.”
“You think the wealthy candidates won’t?”
“No.”
Damien’s voice remained calm.
“They’re already planning how to make it real.”
Graham couldn’t argue. Several candidates had quietly hinted they hoped the arrangement would become permanent.
Damien wanted none of that. Marriage was a contract. Nothing more.
Then the monitor switched to the waiting room. His eyes landed on me.
The woman is sitting quietly in the corner. The only one not pretending to impress anyone.
“Who is she?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Marisol Reyes.”
“The bakery employee?”
“Yes.”
“The woman from yesterday.”
Damien watched as another candidate deliberately bumped my shoulder while walking past.
My purse fell on the floor. Everything spilled out. Forty-three dollars. A cracked phone. Lip balm and a faded photograph.
The women laughed. My chest tightened. I quietly knelt and gathered everything myself.
“Interesting.”
I ran a hand through my hair. Suddenly i became fascinated with the floor. I wanted the floor to swallow me.
One of the women bent down, picked up the photograph, and smiled.
“Your mother?”
“Yes.”
“She looks poor too.”
She dropped the picture back on the floor. My heart pounded in my chest. Something inside me cracked
I quickly picked it up and wiped the corner with my sleeve. The frame had broken again.
“Miss Reyes?”
Evelyn stood by the door.
“Mr. Ashford will see you now.”
Every head turned toward me. Someone scoffed.
“She’ll be out in thirty seconds.”
I honestly believed the same thing.
The office was larger than my entire apartment or what used to be my apartment.
A man stood beside the window with his back to me. He was very tall. His black suit was perfectly tailored.
One hand tucked casually into his pocket. Without turning around, he spoke.
“Sit.”
I obeyed immediately. Silence stretched between us. Then he turned.
For a second I forgot how to breathe. My heart beat faster. Not because he was handsome. Although he was.
It was the way he carried himself. Like someone who had never once questioned whether the world belonged to him. His eyes met mine. Cold. Sharp. Unreadable.
“You’re nervous.”
“Yes.”
“At least you’re honest.”
He sat opposite me.
“No introductions?”
“I know who you are.”
“And?”
“I don’t understand why I’m here.”
His lips almost formed a smile.
Almost.
“Good.”
That confused me.
“You don’t know who I am beyond the headlines.”
“No.”
“You’ve never tried contacting me?”
“No.”
“You’re not secretly in love with me?”
I blinked.
“What?”
He looked at me steadily.
“You’d be surprised how often that happens.”
For reasons, I couldn’t explain, I laughed. A real laugh. It escaped before I could stop it.
“You think that’s funny?”
“No.”
I covered my mouth with my hands.
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re the first person who’s laughed in this office.”
“I wasn’t laughing at you.”
“At what then?”
“At the idea.”
“What idea?”
“That someone like me would ever imagine marrying someone like you.”
Silence.
I realized what I’d said.
“OH MY GOD!!!” I screamed, crossing my arms over my chest. “I didn’t mean… I wasn’t saying you’re impossible. I mean we’re from different worlds.”
I buried my face in my hands.
“I should just leave.”
For the first time that day, Damien smiled. Very slightly. He slid a folder toward me.
“Read it.”
I opened it.
The first page made my eyes widen.
Marriage Agreement.
Compensation: Ten million dollars.
Duration: One year.
I looked up.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
“You need money.”
I nodded slowly.
“You need a wife.”
“Yes.”
“There must be thousands of women who’d agree.”
“There are.”
“Then why me?”
He leaned back.
“Because everyone else wants to become Mrs. Damien Ashford.”
“And I don’t?”
“You looked terrified just entering the building.”
That was true.
“You didn’t flirt.”
“I was trying not to faint.”
“You didn’t ask about my fortune.”
“I thought it was rude.”
“You didn’t pretend to be someone you’re not.”
“I don’t know how.”
Damien leaned back in his chair with his hands folded together. He looked every bit the billionaire who controlled half the city.
“I value honesty.”
My eyes dropped to the contract again. Ten million dollars. Enough to start over. Enough to pay every debt. Enough to never sleep at another bus stop. But…
“I’ve never lied to anyone.”
“You won’t.”
“But this marriage…”
“Is legal.”
“Yes.”
“Temporary.”
“Yes.”
“But still a lie.”
His expression hardened.
“Sometimes survival demands uncomfortable choices.”
I didn’t have an answer because I knew he was right.
Before I could speak again, Evelyn hurried into the office. Her breathing became uneven.
“Sir.”
She looked unusually pale.
“There has been… an incident.”
Damien stood.
“What happened?”
She handed him a tablet. His expression darkened immediately. Someone had leaked confidential information about the merger.
The board meeting had been moved forward. Instead of one week, he had forty-eight hours to present his wife. Forty-eight hours. Damien slowly looked back at me.
“You wanted to know why you?”
I nodded.
He closed the folder.
“Because after watching thirty candidates today…”
He swallowed hard. His gaze locked on mine.
“You’re the only one I trust.”
Before I could respond, my phone suddenly rang. I glanced at the screen, it was Victor.
I rejected the call. It rang again. Then, within a few seconds, a message appeared.
If you don’t come back tonight, I’ll make sure you never find another job in this city. I already have.
I felt something crack inside my chest. My chest hurts painfully. My blood ran cold.
Damien noticed the color drain from my face. His voice turned dangerously quiet.
“Who just threatened you?”
- Writer
