THE CONTRACT RULES
532 Words
Chapter 3
Sophia could barely breathe as she stared at the contract resting on Damian Blackwood’s desk.
The bold words at the bottom haunted her mind.
NO LOVE.
NO REAL RELATIONSHIP.
NO CHILDREN.
Her fingers tightened around the papers while silence filled the luxurious office.
“This can’t be real,” she whispered.
Damian remained calm as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.
“It’s very real.”
Sophia lifted her eyes toward him angrily.
“You expect me to marry you like this? Like some business transaction?”
“For me, marriage is a business transaction.”
His cold response irritated her even more.
“How can you say that so easily?”
Damian took a slow sip of his drink before answering.
“Emotions make people weak.”
Sophia stared at him carefully for the first time.
Behind his handsome face and expensive suit was a man completely empty of warmth. A man who clearly stopped believing in love long ago.
But why?
Damian walked back toward the desk and pointed at the contract.
“You will live with me for one year. In public, we act like a perfect couple. In private, we stay out of each other’s lives.”
Sophia frowned.
“And after one year?”
“We divorce quietly.”
The simplicity in his voice made her chest ache.
“You really planned all this already?”
“I plan everything.”
Sophia looked back at the contract. Her father’s exhausted face immediately appeared inside her mind. The debt collectors. The threats. Her mother crying herself to sleep every night.
She had no choice.
Still, one question bothered her.
“What if I refuse?”
Damian stepped closer slowly, his sharp grey eyes locking onto hers.
“Then your father loses everything by tomorrow morning.”
Sophia’s heartbeat stopped instantly.
The tension between them became painfully heavy.
“You’re cruel,” she whispered.
Damian’s expression darkened slightly.
“I’ve been called worse.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Damian suddenly reached for a pen and placed it directly in front of her.
“Sign it.”
Sophia stared at the pen like it would destroy her entire future.
Maybe it would.
Her hands trembled as she slowly signed her name at the bottom of the page.
The moment she finished, Damian immediately collected the contract.
“It’s done then.”
Sophia forced herself to stand, but her legs felt weak.
“When is the wedding?”
“Tomorrow.”
Her eyes widened instantly.
“Tomorrow?!”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible!”
Damian looked completely unbothered.
“My assistant will prepare everything.”
Sophia shook her head in disbelief.
“You really control everything, don’t you?”
Damian stepped closer until only a small distance separated them.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Sophia quickly looked away from his intense gaze.
But before she could move, Damian suddenly spoke again.
“One more rule.”
She looked back at him nervously.
“You are forbidden from falling in love with me.”
Sophia almost laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.
But deep inside her heart…
Something dangerous had already begun.
- Writer
