Chapter 2: A Deal With the Devil
832 Words
I barely slept that night.
Not because of guilt—though there was plenty of that—but because of him.
Wú Zǐhán.
CEO. My boss. And the man I slept with after my heart was shattered like glass.
I kept telling myself it didn’t mean anything. It was just a mistake. A coping mechanism. But no matter how hard I tried to forget, the memory of his lips on mine, his voice in my ear, his hands gripping my waist—they haunted me.
And the worst part?
He wasn’t avoiding me.
He wasn’t pretending it didn’t happen.
He was acting like he already knew what would happen next.
⸻
“Miss Zhōu,” came a voice at my desk the next morning. It was his secretary—graceful, sharp-eyed, and terrifying in heels. “Mr. Wú wants to see you. Now.”
Of course he did.
My heart was already pounding before I reached the elevator. This man was going to ruin me.
His office door was already open when I arrived, like he was expecting me. He stood behind his desk, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a slim folder.
“Come in.”
I closed the door behind me and crossed my arms. “What now? Another HR nightmare you’d like to discuss?”
His lips twitched slightly. “Relax. This isn’t about that.”
“Oh? Then what is this about?”
He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit.”
I hesitated. But then I sat, back straight, palms sweating.
He opened the folder, took out a document, and slid it across the table.
A contract.
My eyes scanned the title and stopped cold.
Marriage Agreement.
“What the hell is this?” I asked, heart thudding in my chest.
“A business deal,” he said smoothly. “A fake marriage. You and me.”
I laughed. Loud and short. “You’re joking.”
“I don’t joke.”
I pushed the paper back. “No. Absolutely not. This is insane.”
He didn’t flinch. “You want to save your job, don’t you?”
I froze. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s an opportunity,” he said. “You’re smart. You know how things work. My family is pressuring me to settle down—specifically with someone they like. Lin Yùnméi.”
The name alone made my stomach twist. Heiress. Spoiled. Gorgeous. The kind of woman who wore designer heels to breakfast and looked like she belonged on magazine covers. Of course his family wanted her.
“You don’t want her,” I said carefully.
“I don’t want a marriage built on business and manipulation,” he said. “But I need to get them off my back. If I show them I’m already engaged, already committed to someone else, they’ll back off.”
“And you want me to be that someone else?”
He nodded.
“You’re crazy,” I muttered.
“Maybe,” he said, folding his arms. “But you need this too.”
“I do not.”
“You want to prove something to your ex, don’t you? That you’ve moved on. That you’re not some abandoned, heartbroken girl. You want to hurt him the way he hurt you.”
I stood up. “You don’t know me.”
“I know enough,” he said. “You don’t want to be pitied. You want control. This gives you that.”
My jaw clenched. “So what, we play pretend? Lie to everyone?”
“Just long enough,” he said. “Three months. We fake the engagement. We sign the documents. Public appearances. A few events. I’ll compensate you handsomely.”
“How handsomely?”
He named a number.
I nearly choked.
That money could wipe out my student debt. Pay for my sister’s school fees. Maybe even help my parents’ business, which had been struggling for years.
I hated him for knowing I’d even consider it.
“I don’t trust you,” I said finally.
“You don’t have to,” he replied. “Just trust the contract.”
My fingers trembled as I picked it up.
“Three months,” I whispered.
“No strings. No real marriage. Just a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
I looked up at him. His eyes were cold, steady, unreadable.
But something flickered there. Something soft. Hidden.
I hated that I noticed.
⸻
That night, I stared at the contract in my tiny apartment, wondering what kind of person signs away their freedom for money and pride.
Apparently, me.
I signed it with shaking hands.
Because if I had to play pretend to survive this city, then so be it.
I’d fake the love.
I’d fake the smiles.
But I’d protect my heart.
Because if Wú Zǐhán thought he could control me like everyone else in his perfect little world…
He had no idea what kind of woman he just married.
- Writer
