Chapter2
1278 Words
Sienna’s fingers trembled so much that the papers in her hand fell to the ground.
Her breath caught in her throat.
“This is crazy!”
Sienna couldn’t believe the terms of the contract she had just read.
A marriage… contract? All for the sake of producing an heir.
Once the child was born, Sienna would receive one million dollars—more than she needed.
They would live as a couple in public.
But once the contract ended, they were free to go their separate ways.
**
All night long, Sienna couldn’t sleep. The cold hospital air made her even more uncomfortable. She spent her days at the hospital. Sienna couldn’t remember the last time she’d been home.
She kept the contract safely tucked away in her backpack, which lay on the hospital table.
It seemed like a simple agreement. But for Sienna, that contract was like a door to a new life—one she wasn’t sure she could navigate.
Sienna opened the photo gallery on her phone. A photo of herself and Amelia, both smiling brightly. There was no trace of worry in that picture. She missed the cheerful Amelia of the past so much.
The woman who, for the past twenty-six years, had always been Sienna’s reason to keep going.
Her thoughts returned to the contract offered by the CEO.
Becoming the contract wife of a man who doesn’t even love her. Then giving birth to his child. Leaving once it’s all over.
Just imagining all that made Sienna feel like she’d be a very cruel mother.
Sienna covered her face with both hands.
“Why does it have to be like this?”
She never imagined her life would reach a point where she’d have to sacrifice her future for money.
But every time she remembered her mother’s face in the hospital bed, her resolve weakened again.
The next morning, Sienna looked at her mother, who was still asleep.
Sienna sat beside the bed, gazing at the face of the woman who had raised her.
“Mom…”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“If I do something—whether it’s right or wrong… will you be angry?”
She paused.
Tears fell from her eyes.
“But it’s to save you—am I wrong?”
There was no answer.
Only the soft hum of the medical machines could be heard.
**
That afternoon, Sienna met with Alex again.
This time, it wasn’t at the Harrington Hotel.
They met at Harrington Holding’s headquarters.
The skyscraper made Sienna realize just how different her world was from Alex’s.
On the top floor, a secretary greeted her.
“Miss Sienna, Mr. Alex has been waiting.”
The door to the CEO’s office closed softly behind Sienna.
The room was so quiet that the sound of her own footsteps echoed clearly on the marble floor.
Alex Harrington stood with his back to her, gazing out at the expanse of skyscrapers through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.
“I thought you weren’t coming.” Alex spoke without turning to face her.
Sienna swallowed hard when, a few seconds later, Alex turned around and their gazes met.
There was no smile on the man’s face. Only a sharp, intimidating glare.
Sienna took a deep breath before pulling a black folder out of her bag.
“I’ve reviewed the contents of this contract.”
Alex gestured for Sienna to sit on the sofa.
Sienna shook her head, choosing to remain standing.
“I’m more comfortable this way.”
Alex didn’t care.
“Fine,” he said curtly. “So?”
“I came to confirm something.”
Sienna lifted the folder slightly.
“I want some changes.”
Silence filled the room.
Alex walked over with steady steps until he stopped in front of her desk.
“What do you want to change?”
Sienna opened one of the pages.
“First.”
Alex glanced at it briefly.
“That’s about the penalty.”
“I know.” Sienna’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.
“I’m willing to marry you.”
She paused for a moment, trying to muster all her courage.
“I’m also willing to have a child, just as you wish.”
Her tone remained calm, but her fingers gripped the folder so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“I want this penalty clause removed.”
Alex’s jaw tightened.
“Do you know who you’re talking to?”
“Of course.”
Sienna looked him straight in the eye.
“I’d think twice before breaking the contract. I’m a responsible person. So once I’ve made a big decision, I won’t back out halfway through.”
The room fell silent again.
Alex took the contract from Sienna’s hand.
He read the relevant page carefully.
A few seconds later, he closed the folder.
“What’s the guarantee?”
Sienna’s courage faltered slightly.
Sienna shook her head.
“I may not be able to convince you to believe me. But I know all too well the consequences of crossing those in power. If I were to betray you one day, you could find me as easily as snapping your thumb—even at the ends of the earth.”
Alex raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll take that at face value. Anything else?”
“Yes.”
“Go on.”
This time, Sienna’s voice was softer.
She lowered her gaze for a moment before looking back at Alex.
“I don’t want that child to know the reason he was born. I’d feel incredibly cruel and guilty for the rest of my life.”
Alex remained silent.
“I don’t want him to hate the person who brought him into this world.”
Sienna’s breath trembled.
“What do you want?”
She closed her eyes for a moment.
“… Let him believe his mother died giving birth to him.”
Alex’s expression changed. He hadn’t expected Sienna to think that far ahead.
Sienna smiled bitterly.
“That way, maybe I can feel at peace and have no regrets for the rest of my life.”
Alex twirled the pen in his hand. The gesture made Sienna tense up.
“What if I don’t want to?”
Sienna swallowed hard. Then, mustering her courage, she replied, “Find another woman.”
Silence.
Alex stared at her for a long time. Sienna wasn’t that naive. She could be a threat, too. But that actually made her even more appealing in Alex’s eyes.
“The change is approved.”
He initiated next to the note.
“Your turn.”
Alex handed the pen to Sienna.
“Once you sign that letter…”
“Your life will never be the same again,” Alex warned.
With trembling hands, she took the pen. Her heart and her logic were in conflict.
Then… It was done. Sienna’s signature was now on the sheet of paper.
**
The world was shocked by the breaking news:
‘Harrington Holding CEO Reportedly Set to Marry.’
No name for his fiancée.
No photo.
But the news was enough to surprise many people.
Including a woman sitting in a luxurious makeup room.
Elara Prameswari stared at her phone screen.
The news kept popping up.
Alex Harrington.
The man who had always adored her. The man who had always waited for her. Was he getting married?
Her manager walked in.
“El, have you heard?”
Elara didn’t answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen.
“Who is that woman?”
No one knew.
But fo
r Elara, that question didn’t matter. Because she was certain of one thing: in Alex’s heart, there was only Elara Prameswari.
- Writer
