The Contract He Never Meant to Break

The first time Adrian Wolfe realized he was in love with her... She was already walking away. No tears. No scene. Just silence and the sound of her heels against marble floors. He could have stopped her. He didn't. Becase the contract was clear. No feelings. No attachments. No exceptions. And he had been the one who wrote it. CHAPTER ONE I should've walked away the moment he said the number. One hundred thousand dollars for three months of pretending. But desperation has a way of making bad decisions look like survivial. I tightened my grip on my bag, trying not to show how badly i needed this. "Say it again," i said, keeping my voice steady. The man sitting across from me didn't repeat himself immediately. He just watched me, calm, unreadable, like he already knew what I was going to do. Adrian Wolfe I had googled him before coming here. CEO. Bilionaire. Untouchable. Dangerous, in a way money often is. "You heard me," he finally said. "One hundred thousand. Three months. You play my girlfriend." My stomach twisted. "This is insane." "Is it?" he asked, leaning back slightly. "You applied for a job you're overqualified for. Your rent is overdue. Your sister's school fees haven't been paid in two months." My heart stopped. "How do you-" "I don't make offers without research." Of course he didn't. I swallowed hard. "Why me?" That was the part that didn't make sense. He could have anyone. Models. Influencers. Women who actually belonged in his world. "Because you don't," he sad simply. "Don't what?" "Fit." I frowned. "You're not impressed by money," he continued. "You're not trying to get something out of me beyond what you need. That makes you believable." Believable. Like this was all just a preformance. "Let me guess," i said slowly. "Family pressure? Business image? You need a 'stable relationship' to clean up your reputation?" A flicker of something passwd through his eyes. "Something like that." I let out a quiet breath, leaning back. This was crazy. Completely crazy. And yet... One hundred thousand dollars. Three months. No more worrying about bills. No more watching my sister pretend she wasn't hungry. "What's the catch?" I asked "There are rules." Of course there were. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a thin folder, sliding it across the table toward me. "A contract," he said. I didn't touch it "Read them." I hesitated...then opened it. The words blurred slightly at first, but I forced myself to focus. Public appearances required. Travel when necessary. No disclosure. And then, My eyes stopped. Rule #7: No emotional attachment. My lips parted slightly. "If you develop feelings," Adrian said calmly, "the agreement ends immediately. You walk away with nothing." I looked up at him. "You're serious." "Completely." "That's your rule?" "It's the only one that matters." Something about the way he said it felt...off. Too controlled. Too careful. Like it wasn't just a rule. Like it was a warning. I closed the folder slowly. "You really think you can control something like that?" "Yes." Confident. Certain. Arrogant. I should have laughed. I should have stood up and walked out. Instead, I asked: "And you?" His gaze didn't move. "I don't fall in love." The answear came too quickly. Too easily. And for some reason... I didn't believe him. Silence streched between us. The moment where I either chose safety... or stepped into something that could ruin me. I thought about my sister. About the overdue bills. About the life i was barely holding together. Then I picked up the pen. "Three months," I said quietly. Adrian Wolfe watched me sign my name like he had already won. "Three months," he agreed. And just like that, everything changed.