I Signed A Marriage Contract With My Captain Boss To Survive

Chapter Four

Nora's POV

I agreed.

I was getting married.

I had thought it was a dream as I stretched out on my bed to sleep.

Nathan had been called for an emergency meeting, and since I was fired, I wasn't allowed to join him. The ease with which he moved on from situations made me feel unsettled. We had planned to meet early in the morning to review the contract details, and I had my own reasons for agreeing to this.

My i********: account had grown to about seven hundred thousand followers, which I mostly used to promote my mom's products and share little snippets of what it was like working as his secretary. The downside to this was that I was constantly being offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to reveal any sort of dirt I might have on the Rothwells.

It got overwhelming, so I stopped posting.

For almost two years, my page just sat there. Dormant, and the engagement slowly died down. When I started thinking about resigning, I figured maybe I could finally take content creation seriously while I searched for another job. At least it would keep me busy, and I wouldn’t have to worry about money.

I was sure my parents would more than disapprove. An MBA degree holder becoming an influencer? How much lower could I sink?

That was around the time I met Reese. He said he would be my agent if I wanted to step fully into that world. He had scrolled through my page just once and didn’t mince his words.

“Girl, your page is dead.” He said bluntly. “You probably only got this following because of the people you work for.”

I had eyed him warily.

“Here's some real advice,” He continued regardless, his voice candid. “The influencer space is currently saturated. People want fantasy. If you really want to grow in our current setting, you need a relationship. Something aspirational. Something people can obsess over, and will want to look at your page. And if you hit a million followers, brand sponsorships would roll in like a red carpet.”

I haven't spoken with him after that. My love life was like a dry piece of cloth struggling in the wind.

And to make it worse, my heart already belonged to someone that I couldn't have, so it was hopeless. Unless I had to fake- date someone else. Still faking a relationship just for i********: felt like a new kind of desperation for me, but I also knew I couldn't work for Nathan any longer.

So when Nathan proposed the contract, it felt like divine timing and a miracle. I said yes almost immediately. And if he possibly fell in love with me…..

I quickly shook my head.

We had scratched the itch. He didn’t even admit that he liked me.

The bright morning sun found me seated in a private room in a luxurious cafe of his choice, sipping on an orange juice. We were way past formalities to pretend that I loved morning tea, something I always did when I visited my parents. I had worn a clean pair of jeans and a large grey T-shirt with the word ‘breathe’ printed across my chest. I chuckled as a joke formed inside my head.

I was sitting on a sofa beside my now former boss, who was casually dressed in a dark blue tank top which traced the hard and luscious lines of his muscles, and a pair of black trousers. Aware that I had been watching him, he raised a skeptical eyebrow at me.

“For a marriage like ours, you seem oddly excited,”

“I'm fascinated by the idea,” I told him, taking another sip of my juice.

“That, I permit,” he replied with a smirk, pulling out a stack of documents from a large black envelope. “I drafted a list of terms we’ll both have to agree to, with an undertaking,” he continued, then he handed me a copy.

“Hmm,” I skimmed through the first page and began reading the first sentence aloud. “Termination of the contract requires mutual consent.” Then I laughed softly. “You are already starting with the end?”

“Of course,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching. I continued reading. “Arguments are permitted, but must end in reconciliation before midnight,”

He cleared his throat, but I still pressed on, barely holding back my laughter. I came across one that shocked and excited me at the same time. “We must schedule our intimacy, and physical contact is permitted only on pre-approved dates.” I looked up at him and laughed. “This is hilarious,”

“We are a couple for a year,” he said calmly, “and if we choose to be faithful to each other, this rule stays.”

I heard my heart pump faster, the memories of that night pulling me in. “I thought we had already dealt with that,” I murmured softly. “Scratched the itch.”

His eyes darkened into something I couldn't fathom. “What itch?”

I dropped my gaze to the page, my finger tapping over the next rule. “No heirs are to be produced, at any cost.” I raised my eyes to him slowly. “You hate children,”

“Yes.”

“They are adorable?”

“Yes.” The aura surrounding him became tense, then his tone changed into something hard. “But I do not want to have them.”

I nodded my head and sipped my juice. The list seemed endless, and I noted things like him being in charge of my wardrobe, no personal pets, mandatory PDA in public, sleeping in separate bedrooms, and all the rest of it. We argued over nearly every point, especially about the intimacy rules. By the time I had signed the documents, I began to wonder if it was worth it. Initially, I wanted to run away from Nathan, so it did not make sense to be around him like this. Every touch, and every kiss was all for the contract. As if sensing my growing discomfort and sense of wariness, Nathan took my hand in his. It felt large and reassuring as it enveloped mine, and for a moment, the morning chaos in my brain subsided.

“Do you really think this will work?” I asked him, not expecting a direct answer.

He tilted his head, studying me intently with those striking dark grey eyes. “It’s all about perspective, Nora. This is a business arrangement, yes,” Then he smirked. “but there’s room for growth and unexpected developments.”

I couldn't help but laugh softly. “You mean developing feelings?”

“Yeah,” he replied, and the glint in his eyes suggested to me he meant more than just playful banter. “These boundaries are set to protect ourselves. And we won't do anything that you don't want to do.”

I nodded, still feeling conflicted. While the idea of exploring a relationship with Nathan excited me, the weight of those rules hung over me like a rock. What if I wanted more than what our contract allowed?

“So... could we maybe throw in some unplanned moments?”

He brushed a hand softly against my cheek, gently tucking away the strands of my hair behind my ear. Then he pressed a kiss to my forehead, easing the tension that lingered between us.

“I suppose that could be negotiated,” he chuckled.

I smiled genuinely for the first time, delighted at the thought of bending the rules if only a little. At that moment, I felt a flicker of hope that this arrangement wouldn't be so bad after all.

Then he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him. I buried my head on his chest, his scent and cologne filling my senses. I took a deep breath, feeling the warmth radiating from his body. Closing my eyes, I snuggled in.

As if on cue, I heard a faint click of a camera. I knew it was paparazzi.

“It's begun,” He murmured, his voice vibrating through his chest. I didn’t need to look up to know he was smiling.