Married to a stranger billionaire

“I need you to marry me.” For a moment, I thought I had heard wrong. I blinked, staring at the man seated across from me, my fingers tightening around the edge of the table. The café was quiet, soft music playing in the background, but his words echoed loudly in my head. “Excuse me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t look like he was joking. The man leaned forward slightly, his sharp, unreadable eyes locking onto mine as if he could see straight through me. There was something intimidating about him—something cold. “A contract marriage,” he repeated calmly. “One year. You get paid.” My heart began to pound. This had to be a joke. A bad one. I let out a nervous laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t even know you.” “You don’t need to,” he replied without hesitation. “All you need to do is say yes.” The way he said it made it sound so simple. Too simple. But nothing about this situation was simple. I studied him carefully now. Expensive suit. Perfect posture. Confidence that screamed power and control. He wasn’t an ordinary man—that much was obvious. “Why me?” I asked, my voice steadier this time, though my chest still felt tight. Of all the women in the world… why me? His lips curved slightly into a faint smirk. “Because you need this,” he said. The words hit harder than I expected. I opened my mouth to deny it—but the truth stopped me. My rent was overdue. My phone had been ringing nonstop from my landlord. My younger brother’s school fees were still unpaid. And I had just lost my job two weeks ago. I looked away, embarrassed. “You don’t know anything about me,” I muttered. “I know enough,” he said quietly. That made me look back at him. “What does that mean?” I asked. “It means,” he continued, his voice calm but firm, “you’re running out of options.” My stomach tightened. He wasn’t wrong. And that was the worst part. Silence fell between us for a moment. Heavy. Uncomfortable. “Who are you?” I finally asked. He leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed, like he had all the time in the world. “Adrian Knight.” The name sounded important. Dangerous. Like it carried weight I didn’t yet understand. “And you just go around asking random women to marry you?” I said, raising a brow. “Not random,” he corrected. “Selected.” That didn’t make it any better. I crossed my arms. “This is insane.” “It’s an opportunity,” he replied. I let out a slow breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. “Why do you need a wife?” I asked carefully. For the first time, something shifted in his expression. Something darker. “Because I require one,” he said simply. “And you require money.” There it was again. Straight to the point. No emotion. No explanation. Just facts. I should have stood up. I should have walked away. Any normal person would. But I didn’t. Because deep down… I knew he was right. I had nothing. And this… no matter how crazy it sounded… Was something. “Let’s say I agree,” I said slowly. “What’s the catch?” His eyes held mine. “There are rules.” Of course there were. “There’s always a catch,” I muttered. His gaze didn’t waver. “No falling in love,” he said. My heart skipped—then I almost laughed. “That won’t be a problem,” I replied quickly. Something about him didn’t exactly scream romantic. “No questions about my personal life,” he continued. That one bothered me more. “And the last rule?” I asked. He leaned forward again, his voice dropping slightly. “You do exactly as I say in public.” A chill ran down my spine. I stared at him. This wasn’t just a marriage. It was control. Power. A contract I might not be able to escape. I should say no. I should walk away right now. But instead… I asked the one question that changed everything. “How much are we talking about?”