A Contract Marriage For The CEO’s Daughter

Chapter 3

Lucas Black sat alone in his office, the quiet hum of the city below barely seeping through the double-paned glass. The sleek black-and-chrome room reflected his personality. Clean, controlled, and determined. Behind him, the logo of his company — Asters Technologies — glowed faintly on the wall.

He held a brown folder in his hands. For the third time that night, Lucas opened it, flipping through the pages that documented Emily Carter’s life.

A kindergarten teacher. Twenty eight years old. No living children. Two lost pregnancies — injuries consistent with domestic violence, although she covered this up when she was questioned by the authorities. A failing marriage to Jack Carter. Joint accounts drained by the husband. A home mortgaged to the hilt, in Jack’s name but Emily’s credit ruined.

And now, she stood at a cliff— alone, powerless, and still fighting to keep her dignity.

Lucas exhaled roughly, his jaw tightening.

He’d long since stopped caring about his wife’s infidelity. Sophie had been Jack’s childhood sweetheart before she’d been forced into marriage with Lucas, and clearly, she’d never really let go of that fantasy. Lucas didn’t begrudge her affairs.

What he did care about was Lily. Their daughter. His daughter.He had made sure to confirm that the child belonged to him after all.

Lily deserved love, affection — a mother who wouldn’t neglect her, berate her, or leave her to cry herself to sleep in a mansion that felt more like a museum, than a home. He would fault himself for being so dedicated to his work, but even he made out time for his child, how much more a mother who had no job?

And Lily clearly adored her teacher. She came home every day chirping about “Miss Emily”. About how she smelled like flowers, how she always smiled at Lily when nobody else noticed her, how she spoke to her with kindness and called her sweet nicknames.

Lucas closed the file. He’d made his decision.

He pressed a button on his desk.

“Yes, Mr. Black?” his secretary’s voice came crisply over the intercom.

“Call Emily Carter,” Lucas said with a tone of finality. “Request a meeting. Tomorrow morning, first thing. Tell her it concerns Lily.”

“Yes, sir. At Asters headquarters?”

“At my office. Make it happen.”

He let go of the button and leaned back in his chair, crossing his fingers. For the first time in years, he felt… hopeful.

Emily almost dropped her phone when she saw the text the next morning:

‘Miss Carter, Mr. Lucas Black would like to meet with you this morning at Asters Technologies HQ. Regarding Lily Black. Please confirm availability.’

She reread it three times before replying with a simple Yes. I can be there at 10.

It didn’t surprise her that Lily’s parents wanted to speak to her — not after seeing what she’d seen at their house, not after noticing all the signs of neglect in Lily. Not after the many notes that have been sent and left without reply. But she couldn’t imagine why he, of all people, would summon her to his headquarters.

By the time she arrived, she was nervous, clutching her purse as she was led through pristine white hallways to the top floor. She was just thankful that whatever bruises had been inflicted in her about a week ago from Jack’s assault, was mostly healed and coverable. Thank the heavens for the invention of makeup.

The receptionist ushered her through a tall set of transparent doors into an expansive corner office.

Lucas Black stood as she entered.

He was taller than she expected, dressed in an impeccable navy suit, dark hair perfectly in place, his pale blue eyes sharp but not unkind.

“Miss Carter,” he said, his voice low and smooth. “Thank you for coming.”

Emily forced a polite smile. “Mr. Black. Thank you for… inviting me?”

He gestured to the chair across from his desk, a small smirk playing on the corners of his lips. “Please. Sit.”

She sat, clutching her hands in her lap.

He returned to his seat but didn’t lean back. Instead, he folded his hands on the desk and studied her for a moment before speaking again.

“I’ll go straight to the point,” he began.

Emily blinked. “All right.”

“I’m aware of your current situation,” he said. “Your… marriage. The abuse you’ve suffered. The two pregnancies you’ve lost because of it.”

Her breath caught, and she felt her cheeks go scarlet and pale at the same time. “How—”

“I know,” he interrupted gently. “I also know about the affair. Between my wife and your husband. And,” he added, his tone hardening, “I know that despite your desire for divorce, you stand to lose everything to him because of the way your finances are tied to his.”

Emily sat very still, her eyes wide, her chest tightening. What was happening? Wasn’t this supposed to be about his daughter? Did he see her as a negative influence or a threat to his daughter? Was this his way of telling her to quit her job?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered finally. “I didn’t… I didn’t know you knew about—”

“I’ve known for a long time,” he said. “But my marriage was never about love. It was arranged. Sophie has always loved Jack.”

Emily looked down at her hands, ashamed. She knew Jack always spoke about his childhood friend Sophie, but it wasn’t until recently she realised that the Sophie that was married to Lucas Black, was the same Sophie her husband spoke so fondly of.

“I don’t care about Sophie,” he continued. “But I care about Lily.”

At the mention of his daughter’s name, Emily’s eyes darted up.She could see it coming. ‘You’re not fit to look after my daughter. Quit or I will ruin you.’

“She deserves a mother who actually sees her,” Lucas stared at her, his voice softening like he knew what she was thinking.“Someone she can look up to. Someone who notices her. And she already thinks the world of you, Miss Carter. She talks about you constantly.”

Emily swallowed hard.

“I can’t give her that kind of love. I’m too committed to my work to shower her with the love and care she requires.” He admitted. “And Sophie never will.”

Then he leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking on hers.

“So here is my proposal,” he said calmly. “I will help you divorce Jack. Completely. You’ll come out of it clean, with your own accounts, your own future, and nothing tying you to him again.”

Emily stared at him, her heart hammering. “And… what would you want in return?”

Lucas didn’t hesitate.

“I want you to marry me,” he said simply.

Emily’s breath caught.

He continued, his tone measured, almost business-like, practiced.

“Lily already adores you. I believe you would care for her the way she deserves. You would live here, in my home, as my wife. Not in name only — this would not just be a facade. You would have access to everything you need, and I would expect only that you love and guide Lily. And…” He hesitated just slightly. “She would be your foremost priority. I do not expect anything else from you.”

Emily blinked rapidly, her mind spinning. “You… you can’t be serious,” she whispered.

“I am,” he replied evenly. “Completely.”

She stood up suddenly, taking a step back. “You barely even know me. This is—this is insane. Marriage isn’t some kind of transaction! Your daughter is not some kind of toy to be passed around—”

“This marriage is whatever we make it,” Lucas interrupted, his voice calm but firm. “And you and I both know the alternatives. If you leave Jack on your own, you lose your home, your savings, and any chance at rebuilding your life. You’ll be lucky to keep your job. Do you really want to drag yourself through years of fighting just to maybe break even? Meanwhile, Lily continues to suffer at the hands of Sophie? You’ve lost children, I’m sure if you had the chance you'd love them unconditionally. Right now my daughter needs that, and she can only get that love from you. I don’t want to lose her, Miss Carter.”

Emily sank back into the chair, her hands trembling.

“I can fix this,” Lucas said softly. “For both of you. But you have to say yes.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Finally, Emily found her voice. Swallowing thickly and licking her lips to rid it of it’s dryness.

“And if I say no?” she asked quietly.

“Then you go back to your life,” he said. “You fight your battles alone. And I keep searching for another way to protect Lily, hoping that I’m not too late every single time.”

Emily closed her eyes.

Images flashed through her mind — the cold plate of pasta, Jack’s fists, Lily swinging alone on the playground, the bruises on her own body, the empty nursery where she’d once dreamed of being a mother.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Lily’s smile, her shy little laugh. She could feel the dead foetus she had to birth, after being hit by her husband. The blood, the cries of her first baby, born prematurely before being taken from her, never to be seen again. Emily straightened in her chair, lifting her chin.

“Do I have time to think?” she asked finally.

Lucas’s lips curved in the faintest smile. “Of course,” he said. “But not too long. Lily needs you.”

Emily nodded slowly, her hands finally unclenching in her lap.“All right,” she said softly. “I’ll think about it.”

Lucas stood and extended his hand across the desk. “I’ll be waiting,” he said.

She took it, feeling the warmth and strength of his grip.

As soon as Emily got home, she heaved a heavy sigh from deep within as she closed the door behind her, leaning back against it as the silence of the house wrapped around her.

Jack still wasn’t home.

He hadn’t been back since the morning after he’d left her bruised and broken on the bedroom floor. A neighbour had come pounding on the door after hearing her cries that night, and Jack had stormed out in a fury, shouting that she’d regret everything.

That had been almost a week ago.

The house felt empty as usual — but not in a bad way.

Emily set her purse down on the table, kicking off her heels. She moved into the kitchen, where the plate of untouched pasta and nuggets still sat in the sink, long since hardened. Slowly, she dumped it into the trash and started a fresh pot of tea.

As the kettle hissed and whistled, she let her mind wander.

Lucas Black’s words replayed over and over.

“I can fix this. For both of you. But you have to say yes.”

She sat at the table with her steaming mug, staring at the faint bruises still visible on her forearm.

How had her life come to this?

Emily sighed, rubbing her temples. “I just… wanted to be happy,” she murmured aloud to herself.

The empty house didn’t answer. She thought of Lily — her bright little eyes, her shy smile when she swung alone on the playground. Lily deserved better than what she had now. And so, Emily realized… so did she.

She took a slow sip of tea, letting the warmth steady her nerves.For the first time in years, she felt a strange, fragile hope blooming in her chest.

Whatever choice she made next, it would finally be hers.