The Billionaire's Debt Bride

"Sign it, Evelyn. My patience is wearing thin." The voice was as cold as a Siberian winter. Evelyn Taylor looked up, her vision blurred with tears. Standing before her was Ethan Blackwood, the man known in the business world as the "Heartless Emperor." He was tall, dangerously handsome, and could destroy her family with a single phone call. On the mahogany desk lay a thick document: a marriage contract. "If I sign this… will you really save my father?" Evelyn whispered, her hands trembling. Her father was in the ICU, and the hospital was threatening to pull the plug if the bills weren't paid by midnight. Ethan leaned forward, surrounding her with the scent of expensive cologne and danger. He trapped her between the desk and his powerful frame. "I don't just pay bills, Evelyn. I own what I pay for. For the next 365 days, you will belong to me. You will live in my house, play the part of the perfect Mrs. Blackwood, and never—ever—fall in love with me." Evelyn felt a shiver run down her spine. She had no choice. She was a lamb walking into a lion's den. "Why me?" she asked, her voice barely audible. "There are a thousand women in this city who would kill to be in your bed." Ethan's eyes darkened for a split second, a flash of something unreadable passing through them. "Because you are the only one who hates me," he sneered, handing her a gold-plated pen. "And I like to watch my enemies break." With a shaky breath, Evelyn pressed the pen to the paper. She wasn't just signing a contract. She was selling her soul to the devil himself.