His beautiful lie

"Find me a wife." The room went silent. The men standing around the long black table exchanged confused glances. Their employer sat calmly behind his desk, one hand resting against his temple as though he had just asked for a cup of coffee instead of a wife. "Excuse me, sir?" He lifted his eyes. "I said, find me a wife." One of the men swallowed. "Are you looking for someone specific?" "No." His answer came immediately. "Then it doesn't matter who she is." He leaned back in his chair. "My parents want me married. They have spent the last six months introducing me to women I have no interest in meeting." A faint look of irritation crossed his face. "I am tired of it." His men remained silent. "Go outside," he ordered. "Find the first young woman you see." They stared at him. "The first one?" "Yes." "And bring her here?" His expression didn't change. "Bring her to my house." No one dared ask another question. "Yes, sir." --- She was walking home when the black vehicle stopped beside her. She barely had time to turn before two men approached. "Wait, what are you doing?" She stepped backward. "Let go of me!" Her voice disappeared beneath the sound of the vehicle door opening. She struggled, terrified and confused, but the men were stronger. Within moments, she was inside. The door slammed shut. "What is happening?!" No one answered. A blindfold was placed over her eyes. Her heart hammered against her chest. She had no idea where they were taking her. She only knew that she wanted to go home. --- When the blindfold was finally removed, bright light filled her vision. She blinked several times. Then she looked around. A large room. Expensive furniture. Dark walls. A long window overlooking an enormous garden. And a man sitting across from her. He looked completely calm. As if bringing a terrified stranger into his house was an ordinary Tuesday. She immediately tried to stand. The chair wouldn't move. "Where am I?" He didn't answer. "Who are you?" Still nothing. Her fear quickly turned into anger. "Why did you bring me here?" He studied her for several seconds. Then he said, "I want you to marry me." She stared at him. "What?" "You heard me." She actually laughed once, partly from disbelief. "You kidn*pped me to ask me to marry you?" "It wasn't exactly how I planned to introduce myself." "You think?" He ignored the sarcasm. "I need a wife." "Then find one!" "I don't have time." "That is not my problem." For the first time, something resembling amusement appeared in his eyes. "You're right." He reached for a folder lying on the table beside him. "Which is why I'm going to give you a reason to make it your problem." He opened the folder. Inside was a contract. She looked at it suspiciously. "What is that?" "A marriage contract." She shook her head. "No." "You haven't even read it." "I don't need to." "You will receive a large payment." She hesitated. He noticed. "It will be a one-year contract." She looked at him again. "One year?" "You will live here. You will accompany me when necessary. You will convince my parents that our marriage is genuine." "And after one year?" "We separate." She laughed bitterly. "This is insane." He calmly turned the contract toward her. "Read it." She didn't touch it. "I said no." He opened another folder. Then he placed a photograph on the table. Her expression changed. It was a photograph of her mother. Her eyes widened. "How do you know her?" "I know that your mother is ill." Her anger disappeared for a moment. He continued quietly. "I also know that you need money for her treatment." She stared at him. "How much?" He named the amount. Her breathing stopped. It was more money than she had ever imagined having. "You'll receive it when you sign." She looked down at the contract. "And you said your parents will believe we're married?" "Yes." "And if they do?" "I'll double the payment." She looked at him for a long moment. "You're serious." "Completely." She hated the fact that she was considering it. But her mother's face appeared in her mind. The hospital bills. The fear. The helplessness. She slowly reached for the contract. "I'm only doing this for my mother." "I know." "And after one year, we're done." "Yes." "No changing the agreement." "Agreed." "No pretending this is a real marriage when we're alone." His eyes remained fixed on hers. "Agreed." She picked up the pen. For several seconds, she simply stared at it. Then she signed. The man across from her watched silently. She didn't notice the faint change in his expression. She didn't know that this contract would eventually become the biggest lie of his life.