HIS TEMPORARY WIFE

Chapter Three

Emma's Pov

I stood outside Hale Industries at 8:45 AM, staring up at the glass tower that seemed to pierce the sky itself. My reflection in the polished entrance looked exactly like what I was: a broke nurse in a wrinkled dress, completely out of her depth.

Nina's voice echoed in my head from this morning. "You don't have to do this. We'll find another way."

But there was no other way. I'd spent the last forty-eight hours searching for alternatives that didn't exist. Every door led back to the same impossible truth: without money, my mother would die.

I walked through the revolving doors before I could change my mind.

The lobby was all marble and chrome, filled with people in expensive suits moving with purpose. I approached the reception desk, where a woman with perfect makeup looked at me like I'd tracked mud across her floor.

"I have an appointment with Mr. Hale. Emma Chen."

Her expression shifted slightly, surprise, maybe, or judgment. "Top floor. The elevator on the right."

The ride up felt endless. I watched the numbers climb, each one taking me further from the life I knew and closer to whatever this was. My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

The doors opened directly into a reception area that screamed wealth and power. Another assistant, this one male and equally polished, stood as I approached.

"Miss Chen. Mr. Hale is expecting you." He gestured toward massive double doors. "Go right in."

Alexander's office was bigger than my entire apartment. Wall-to-wall windows offered a view of the city that made me dizzy. He stood behind his desk, phone to his ear, and held up one finger indicating I should wait.

I used the time to study him in daylight. The exhaustion I'd seen in the parking garage was hidden now behind a perfectly tailored suit and an expression that gave away nothing. He could have been discussing the weather for all the emotion in his voice.

"I don't care what the projections say. Make it work." He ended the call and finally looked at me. "Miss Chen. Please, sit."

I sat in one of the leather chairs facing his desk, gripping my purse to keep my hands steady. "I have questions."

"I'd be concerned if you didn't." He settled into his own chair with the ease of someone completely in control. "Ask."

"Why me? Surely there are agencies, professionals who do this sort of thing…."

"Agencies keep records. They ask questions. They involve lawyers who talk." His tone was matter-of-fact. "I need discretion. You need money. We can help each other."

"You mean you need someone desperate enough to agree to this."

"Yes." He didn't even pretend otherwise. "Does honesty offend you?"

It should have. Instead, I found it almost refreshing after days of doctors and social workers offering false hope wrapped in gentle lies.

"Walk me through it," I said. "The actual arrangement."

Alexander opened a folder on his desk, sliding it across to me. "Two-year contract marriage. You'll live in my penthouse for the duration. The artificial insemination process will begin immediately using donor sperm and donor egg, I want no biological complications later. Once pregnant, you'll receive the best medical care available. After the birth, we divorce. You receive three million dollars total: one million upfront, two million upon successful completion."

I stared at the contract, the words blurring together. "And during these two years?"

"You'll maintain the appearance of being my wife in public when required. In private, we'll live separate lives. I have a home office and travel frequently. We'll barely see each other."

"What about my mother?"

"The upfront payment covers her treatment immediately. She can move into a private facility with round-the-clock care if needed. You'll have time to visit her regularly."

It sounded too good to be true, which meant it probably was. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just terms." He leaned back, fingers steepled. "Complete confidentiality, you tell no one the real nature of our arrangement. Total cooperation with the pregnancy and medical procedures. And after the divorce, you sign away all parental rights to the child."

That last part hit me like a fist to the stomach. "You want me to carry a baby for nine months and then just walk away?"

"That's the arrangement, yes."

"That's not……" I stopped, swallowing the protest. What did I expect? This wasn't about creating a family. This was a business transaction. "What if I can't? What if I get attached?"

"The contract accounts for that. You'll sign legal documents waiving all custody claims before we begin. The child will be mine alone."

I thought about my mother, about the folder Dr. Patterson had given me, about the six weeks she had left without treatment. I thought about holding a baby I'd carried and then handing it over to a stranger.

"I need guarantees," I heard myself say. "About my mother's care. If something goes wrong with the pregnancy, if I can't carry to term, she still gets treated. That has to be in writing."

Alexander's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. Respect, maybe. "Agreed. Anything else?"

"I want to be able to work. At least part-time. I'm not sitting in your penthouse for two years doing nothing."

"That could complicate….."

"That's my term." I surprised myself with the firmness in my voice. "I need to maintain some piece of my own life."

He considered this. "Part-time only. Nothing that would risk the pregnancy. And you'll need to resign before you start showing to avoid questions."

"Fine."

"Then we have an agreement?"

I looked down at the contract, at the number with so many zeros it didn't seem real. Three million dollars. My mother's life. Two years of mine.

"I need a lawyer to review this."

"I expected that." He slid another card across the desk. "This is my attorney. She can explain anything that's unclear and negotiate on your behalf. She's already been briefed on the arrangement."

"Your attorney? That's a conflict of interest."

"Then hire your own. I'll cover the fees." He stood, walking to the window. "Miss Chen, I'm offering you a solution to an impossible problem. I'm not trying to trap you. I'm trying to give us both what we need."

I studied his back, the rigid set of his shoulders. "What do you need? Really? You could have any woman you want."

"I don't want a woman. I want an heir. There's a difference."

"Why not just get married for real? Find someone suitable?"

He turned, and for just a moment, his mask slipped. I saw something raw underneath, something that looked like pain. "Because marriage requires things I'm not capable of giving. This is cleaner."

The moment passed. The mask returned.

"Take the contract home," he said. "Read it thoroughly. Have it reviewed. You have until Monday to decide."

"That's only three days."

"I know." He walked back to his desk, already shifting his attention to his computer screen. "I'll need an answer by Monday at 5 PM. After that, the offer expires."

I stood, clutching the folder to my chest. "And if I say no?"

"Then I find someone else, and you find another way to save your mother." He looked up, his gaze steady. "But we both know you won't say no, Miss Chen. You can't afford to."

The truth of it stung, mostly because he was right.

I made it to the elevator before my legs started shaking. Made it to the lobby before the tears threatened. Made it to my car before I let myself feel the full weight of what I was about to do.

My phone rang. Nina.

"How did it go?"

I looked down at the contract in my lap, at Alexander Hale's signature already on the last page, waiting for mine to join it.

"He's offering me three million dollars to have his baby and then disappear."

Nina was silent for a long moment. "And you're considering it."

"Mom has six weeks, Nina. Six weeks."

"Oh, honey." Her voice cracked. "What are you going to do?"

I started my car, already knowing the answer even if I couldn't say it out loud yet.

"I'm going to save her," I whispered. "Whatever it costs.”