chapter 2
1319 Words
Chapter 2: The Billionaire’s Conditions
Bonny’s POV
The man stared at me as if I had lost my mind.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I stood in front of him in my wrinkled white dress, mascara ruined by tears, bouquet missing, dignity completely shattered. My chest still ached from Seth’s betrayal, but somehow I had found the courage to offer myself to a stranger.
Maybe heartbreak had made me reckless.
Maybe humiliation had made me desperate.
Or maybe I simply had nothing left to lose.
His dark eyes moved slowly over me, cold and unreadable. He was tall—much taller than Seth—and carried himself with the kind of confidence that came from knowing no one dared challenge him. His black tailored suit fit him perfectly, every detail expensive and precise. Even his watch probably cost more than everything I owned.
When he finally spoke, his voice was deep and sharp.
“You’re serious?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
He glanced at the magistrate’s building behind me, then back at my dress.
“You were supposed to get married today.”
It was not a question.
“Yes.”
“And your groom ran away.”
My face burned with embarrassment.
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened slightly, though whether in annoyance or amusement, I could not tell.
“So your solution is to marry a complete stranger?”
My fingers curled into fists. “Do you need a wife or not?”
One of his eyebrows lifted.
That was the first sign that I had surprised him.
Before he could answer, the phone in his hand rang again. He looked at the screen with irritation and answered immediately.
“What now?”
A frantic male voice came through.
“Sir, we are still searching. We contacted her family and—”
“I don’t care,” he interrupted coldly. “She is no longer relevant.”
“Sir?”
“I said she is no longer relevant.”
He disconnected and slid the phone into his pocket.
Then he looked at me again.
“What is your name?”
“Bonny.”
“Full name.”
“Bonny Hart.”
He nodded once, as if filing the information away.
“I am Adrian Knight.”
The name hit me instantly.
Even I knew who Adrian Knight was.
Everyone did.
CEO of Knight Holdings.
Hotels, property developments, investments, technology. His company name was on buildings across the city. Business magazines called him ruthless. Financial blogs called him brilliant. Rumors called him heartless.
And I had just offered to marry him.
My knees nearly gave out for the second time that day.
“You’re… Adrian Knight?”
“Yes.”
I suddenly felt very underdressed.
He studied my expression. “Do you still want to marry me?”
This was insane.
But so was returning home to my adopted parents after being publicly abandoned.
So was spending the night crying over Seth.
So was pretending my life had not just collapsed.
I lifted my chin. “Yes.”
He stepped closer.
The expensive scent of cedarwood and something darker surrounded him.
“Then listen carefully, Bonny Hart, because I will only explain this once.”
I forced myself not to retreat.
“This marriage will be legal,” he said. “But it will not be romantic.”
That stung more than it should have.
“It is an arrangement. Nothing more.”
I nodded slowly.
“You will live in my house.”
My eyes widened.
“You will accompany me to family functions.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
“You will not interfere in my business.”
I frowned.
“You will not ask personal questions.”
That one irritated me.
“And most importantly,” he said, his voice turning even colder, “you will not mistake kindness for affection.”
I crossed my arms.
“You really know how to make a proposal sound romantic.”
To my shock, the corner of his mouth twitched.
A near smile.
It disappeared so quickly I wondered if I imagined it.
“You’re free to refuse,” he said.
I thought of Seth.
Of Amelia’s laughter.
Of Kristy.
Of my adopted parents demanding money I never had.
Then I thought of standing here tomorrow with nothing but shame.
“What do I get out of this?” I asked.
His eyes sharpened.
“Good. You can think.”
I glared at him.
“You will be financially secure,” he continued. “You will have your own room, your own privacy, and access to anything you reasonably need.”
Reasonably.
How generous.
“And if I want to leave?”
“You may leave after one year.”
“One year?” I nearly choked.
His expression did not change.
“I require stability.”
“For one year?”
“Yes.”
I laughed bitterly. “You ask for a lot from a stranger.”
“And yet you offered.”
That shut me up.
He was right.
I had stepped into this madness myself.
Still…
“One year is too long.”
“It is non-negotiable.”
“Then maybe find someone else.”
I turned as if to leave.
“Two million.”
I froze.
Slowly, I turned back.
“What?”
“At the end of one successful year, I will pay you two million.”
My heart pounded.
Two million.
Enough to escape my adopted parents forever.
Enough to start over.
Enough to rebuild a life.
He watched me carefully.
“You’re trying to buy me.”
“I am offering compensation for your time.”
“You say awful things so calmly.”
“It saves time.”
I should have hated him.
Maybe I did a little.
But I also respected the brutal honesty.
No fake promises.
No sweet lies.
No pretending.
Unlike Seth.
“What do you need this marriage for?” I asked quietly.
His face became unreadable again.
“That is personal.”
“You said legal marriage, public appearances, one year. This clearly matters.”
He stared at me for several seconds.
Then he said, “My grandfather is ill.”
Something softened inside me.
“He wishes to see me settled.”
“And the woman who was supposed to marry you?”
“She failed to appear.”
The irony almost made me laugh.
“So we were both abandoned.”
His gaze met mine.
“Yes.”
For the first time, silence between us did not feel hostile.
It felt strangely human.
He checked his watch.
“We are wasting time.”
Typical.
He pulled out a sleek pen and handed it to me along with a folded document his assistant must have prepared earlier.
I blinked. “You carry marriage contracts with you?”
“I carry solutions.”
Of course he did.
I skimmed the pages, though the legal language made my head spin.
“You really expected someone to sign this?”
“I expected competence.”
I signed out of spite.
Then handed it back.
He scanned my signature, nodded once, and signed beneath it.
Just like that.
My life changed again.
He tucked the papers away.
“Come.”
“Where?”
“To get married, Bonny.”
My pulse raced.
This was real.
I followed him toward the magistrate’s entrance on shaky legs.
Just before we stepped inside, I stopped.
He turned impatiently.
“What now?”
I looked up at the man who was about to become my husband.
“One more condition.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You don’t get to control everything.”
Something flashed in his expression.
Interest.
“Noted,” he said. “Now move.”
And for reasons I could not explain, I smiled for the first time since my heart had been broken.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD