Wrong Vow: A Contract Marriage Romance

Sophia Carter stood by the café's floor-to-ceiling windows, clutching the crumpled medical report in her hands. Endometriosis. Not terminal, but the doctor's words were blunt—natural conception would be difficult. Sunlight streamed through the glass, almost painfully bright. She thought of Victor Harrington on his knee three years ago, the way he said "Sophia, I'll take care of you forever," the entire Blake Family celebrating when the Harringtons came to propose. It had all been a meticulously staged play. "Miss Carter." Victor Harrington's voice came from behind her. Sophia turned to find him standing beside another woman—one she recognized. Helena Blake, her nominal sister, the fake heiress in truth. "Victor, Helena." She managed a smile. "What can I do for you?" Her voice was steady, steadier than she expected. Three days ago, when she learned she wasn't the Blake Family's biological daughter, she'd thought she'd break. But she hadn't. She only thought coldly: if I'm not blood, then what was all those twenty-plus years of comfort worth? Victor's brow furrowed, clearly displeased by her composure. "I thought you'd cry." "Cry for whom?" Sophia folded the report into her bag. "Say what you came to say, Young Master Victor." "Fine." Victor coldly laughed. "Let me be direct then. The engagement is off." She'd seen it coming. The moment her test results came out, Helena had "casually" leaked the news to Victor. Sophia didn't know how she'd found out, but she no longer cared. "Why?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "Why?" Victor scoffed. "Sophia, do you really think you're some precious princess? I only married you for the 'Blake Family's Eldest Daughter' title. Now that Helena's the real Blake bloodline, you're just an adopted daughter hogging a spot. Does that make sense?" Adopted daughter. The words cut like a dull blade, hacking at Sophia's heart. She'd always known the weight of those words, yet hearing them still made her chest tighten. "So?" Sophia raised her eyes, gaze calm. "Did Young Master Victor come to notify me of the broken engagement?" "Notify?" A flash of displeasure crossed Victor's eyes. "Sophia, I'm giving you a way out. Do you really think, with your current status, you can latch onto any good family?" "Victor, don't speak to Sister that way." Helena looped her arm through Victor's, smile sweet enough to induce nausea. "Sister just has health issues. It's not her fault." Sophia watched their performance and suddenly found it amusing. Three years engaged to Victor, and he'd never looked at Helena the way he looked at her now—like she was a priceless treasure. "Helena's right." Victor showed no remorse. "The Blake Family raised you for over twenty years. Now it's time for you to repay the favor." "Repay?" Sophia laughed, the sound edged with irony. "With my engagement?" "Yours?" Victor coldly laughed. "Sophia, do you really think you're some precious princess? I only married you for the 'Blake Family's Eldest Daughter' title. Now that Helena's the real Blake bloodline, you're just an adopted daughter hogging a spot. Does that make sense?" Something in Sophia's heart clenched painfully. She stared at Victor's once-gentle face, suddenly finding him a stranger. This was the man she was supposed to marry. Three years of youth, three years of anticipation—reduced to a joke. "I understand." She lowered her head, voice soft as a feather. "Since Young Master Victor has a better choice, I'll give you my blessing." Victor froze. He hadn't expected her to be so straightforward. "Is there anything else?" Sophia raised her head, smile gracious yet distant. "If not, I'll take my leave." "Wait." Just then, the café door swung open. A man in a black trench coat walked in, followed by two assistants in suits. His appearance was like a stone dropped into a still lake—everyone fell silent, gazes involuntarily drawn to him. Sophia recognized him. Lucas Sterling. The youngest leader of Sterling Corporation, one of the most powerful men in all of City A. They said he took over the family business at twenty-five and tripled Sterling Corporation's market value within three years. Business circles whispered he was cold-blooded and ruthless, looking down on everyone—a true "stranger danger." Someone like him, why would appear in a place like this? Lucas's gaze swept across the room before landing on Sophia. That gaze was very faint, showing no emotion whatsoever. But Sophia felt like she'd been scanned by X-ray, seen through from head to toe. "Sophia Carter?" His voice was deep, like the lingering notes of a cello. "That Blake Family one?" "...That's me." Sophia didn't know why he knew her, but she nodded anyway. Lucas didn't say more. He took a document from his assistant and placed it on the table before her. "Take a look." Sophia lowered her head. It was a contract. The words on the cover made her pupils contract sharply— **Marriage Contract** "Young Master Sterling, what does this mean?" She raised her eyes, meeting his gaze directly. "Exactly what it says." Lucas's voice had no emotion. "Marry me. One year term." Sounds of sharp inhaling rippled through the café. Victor's face had gone pale: "Young Master Sterling, surely there's been a mistake? Sophia—" "Young Master Victor." Lucas didn't even glance at him. "I'm speaking with Miss Carter. It's not your place to interrupt." Victor's face cycled through green and white, but he didn't dare retort. In all of City A, no one dared offend Lucas Sterling. Sophia ignored Victor's embarrassment. She stared at the contract terms, her heart racing. One-year marriage. Secret marriage. Three percent shares. These conditions seemed like a dream falling from the sky. "Why me?" she asked. "Young Master Sterling, you can have any woman you want. Any of City A's noble daughters would be worth more than me." "Because you're clever enough." A slight smile touched Lucas's lips. "And you're 'clean' enough." Clean? Sophia's heart lurched. Was he referring to her status? "You don't need to know why." Lucas seemed to read her thoughts. "You only need to know—this is your best option right now." Best option? Publicly abandoned by her fiancé. Trampled underfoot by the fake heiress. Turned into a laughingstock by the entire social circle—this was her situation now. And this man, offering her a marriage contract at this moment. "What if I refuse?" she asked. "Then pretend I never came." Lucas turned to leave. "But I can remind you, Miss Carter—that 'sister' of yours has been waiting for this day for a long time." Sophia followed his gaze to Helena Blake. The woman's face had changed—that was a greedy, determined look. She suddenly understood. Lucas hadn't come to "save" her. He'd come to "take" her. For reasons unknown to her, he needed a "Blake Family's eldest daughter" to marry him. And Helena clearly wanted this match too. If she refused now, tomorrow Helena would become Lucas Sterling's Contract Wife as "Blake Family's eldest daughter." And she would be trampled into the dirt. "Wait." Sophia spoke. Lucas stopped. She picked up the pen on the table, flipped to the last page, and wrote her name in the signature line. "Young Master Sterling," she raised her head, eyes blazing with determination, "I'll take your contract."