ABANDONED AT THE ALTAR,MARRIED TO A BILLIONAIRE

04: Contract marriage

The car moved through the quiet streets, leaving all the reporters behind.

Jade remained curled up in the backseat, her knees pressed against her chest as she stared blankly through the window; she squeezed her eyes shut.

She could still hear the reporter's voice, taunting her.

Miss Monroe!

What are the secrets you kept from him?

She pressed her knees tightly, her body trembling. "Stop," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Her heart sank as she pulled her hoodie tighter around herself, trying to block everything.

The Wedding, Max, the interview.

She winced at the overlapping memories that replayed, her chest tightening as she reminisced about her impulsive acts. The consequences for her career and her personal life.

At that moment, the only thing lingering in her mind was: where did she go wrong?

She wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her hoodie and shifted, her whole body weak

She was tired, f*****g tired; her head dropped against the seat as she watched the lights outside blur together, and slowly, her eyes became heavier, and her fingers gently loosened around her hoodie, and slowly, her body gave in to the exhaustion.

After what seemed like an hour, the car screeched to a halt in front of the large black gates, which opened almost immediately, and Dante drove inside.

He parked the car in front of the heavily secured private villa, its huge windows reflecting the lights that surrounded the compound. He switched off the engine.

Dante looked into the rearview mirror again, his sharp glare on Jade, whose breathing was now steady, with the nose mask still covering half of her face.

He stepped out of the car, walked around to the backseat, and opened the door.

" Miss?" Dante sighed. He ran his hands through his hair as he stared at the unknown woman in his view.

The day couldn't get any weirder; he had no idea why he drove her out of that place or what was wrong with her.

He slowly reached in and touched her shoulder "Wake up."

Jade stirred, her eyes still tightly closed.

" Hey," He called again, tapping her slowly.

Her eyes opened slightly; the banging headache hit her temple, making her wince and furrow her brow.

She tried to move away, but the sharp pain struck her again. Dante reached for her arm, puzzled.

Suddenly, she grabbed his suit, her grip holding it hard even with her trembling fingers.

" Please", her voice cracked, completely exhausted, her fingers tightened around his shoulder as her eyes fluttered shut again.

Dante exhaled and stared at her for a while,

He carefully lifted her out of the car, and her head fell against his chest almost immediately.

He carried her through the entrance, into the villa. He was halfway up the stairs when her nose mask slipped slightly.

Adjusting his grip, he reached up to remove it; her hoodie fell back instantly, and he saw her face.

He stood still and stared at her for some seconds; he knew that face. He had seen it everywhere. On almost every social media, news channels, even on Coffee De commercials.

His eyes darkened; he looked down at the unconscious woman against his chest.

" Jade Monroe." He muttered; it was as if she heard him.

She stirred, her fingers curled up as her chest beat rapidly. Her body shivered as she pressed against him tightly

" Don't let them get me ", she murmured, tightening her fingers around his shoulder.

" They won't ", He stated, his body softening as he leaned towards a door, which opened freely.

★★★★★★

Dante sat behind a large desk in the library, his laptop in his sight with Jade Monroe typed out in the search box.

On the screen, different headlines filled the page.

RELATIONSHIP CONSULTANT ABANDONED AT HER OWN WEDDING.

MAX REVEALS SHOCKING DETAILS ABOUT FAILED RELATIONSHIP

JADE MONROE CAPTURED ON CAMERA AFTER BREAKING INTO HER EX-FIANCE'S HOME

Dante's eyes remained fixed on the screen; his fingers tightened slightly around the mouse as he scrolled slowly. He clicked on different articles, reading through the comments beneath them.

Most of them were cruel; a lot of them called her a liar who built her legacy to scam people. Others created theories about what she had supposedly done to deserve the abandonment; and a few others started a petition to strip her of all brand deals.

Dante's expression remained blank; he had seen enough of the Internet to know how quickly people turn without the full truth. The library door slowly creaked up, and a man in a fitted, tailored black suit stepped in,

Dante shifted his gaze from the screen and stared at the door. He leaned back slowly and looked back at the screen.

“ I knew I would meet you here” The man smiled as he strode closer to Dante

“Why are you here?” He muffled,

“ You have to heed my advice. You can't keep ignoring this "

" I already told you I'm not interested." Dante glanced at the man who dropped a file on the desk.

" I'm your lawyer, and I definitely want the best for you," His lawyer said.

" Maybe not this one"

" Definitely this one. The rumours are getting worse; we can't even pay reporters to delete them anymore, " His lawyer said.

Dante's jaw clenched as he closed the laptop; he knew exactly what rumours his lawyer was referring to.

The media obsession with his personal life, talking about how he has never dated publicly, attended events with women or even said anything about marriage in his interviews.

Some blogs called him an avoidant, then arrogant; others called him impotent and even gay.

" You need to change the narrative. " His lawyer stated and folded his arms.

" And how exactly do you suggest I do that?"

" The same solution I've been hammering on since marriage."

Dante chuckled, " I don’t need a wife."

" You need a wife, or maybe an appearance of a wife "

His lawyer pushed the file closer, his gaze not leaving the file.

" A contract marriage, six months, a year or even two years. Whatever you decide. You both get what you need, and after you've shut down the rumours and everything is over, you walk away."

Dante leaned forward, his gaze dropped to the file, and he sighed.

" This is nonsense ", He muttered, loud enough.

" It might sound stupid, but this is the best solution; we will find someone suitable and reliable "

Dante was about to respond when his eyes shifted toward the door; his eyes darkened as he caught sight of Jade.

Her hair was messy and scattered, and her face pale and swollen, laced with dried tears.

His lawyer turned also; his eyes widened at the confused lady standing by the door.

" I'm sorry. I honestly didn't mean to interrupt anything." She muttered, her eyes moving between the two men, her steps receding.

" Wait." He stated, his eyes briefly moved to his lawyer and back to her.

" Come in"

Jade hesitated a bit before walking inside. Slowly, she looked around the library. The room was enormous.

Dark wooden shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, packed with books arranged in obvious alphabetical order.

Everything was clean and polished: the deep brown shelves, the leather chairs, the massive desk sitting at the centre of the room

" Where am I?" She murmured.

" My house, obviously Her steps halted as she stared at him, realizing hitting.

The car, the voice, and everything- her eyes widened, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

" I broke into your car." She stated, her hands covering her face.

" I know "

" I'm sorry" Jade lowered her hands, her gaze fixed on the hard floor.

" I was desperate ", she added, her face flushed with embarrassment as she looked at him.

" Sit" Dante gestured toward a chair, and slowly, Jade walked toward it and sat.

His lawyer remained standing, his eyes steady on Dante, who pushed the file towards Jade, whose chest rose rapidly.

" What's this?" Jade inquired, pulling the file closer.

" I saw the news, and I'm offering you a solution."

Her throat dried up, her fingers rimming the edge of the file, her chest tightened as she opened it.

Her eyes moved down the first page, back to the heading, which she read again. Her eyebrows pulled together, and she looked up slowly.

" What is this?" Her nose scrunched up in irritation; she looked back at the document, then at the lawyer and back at him.

" Contract marriage agreement. " She blinked and laughed, trying to process the absurdity in her sight.

" You can't be real."

" I'm-"

She stared at him, the laughs slowly fading as her face flattened.

" Why the f**k would I want to sign a contract marriage with you?”