A CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE

"You're getting married today, Seraphina" Selene declared with a tone of finality as she ate the last chunk of meat on her plate with the fork in her grasp. The young lady sitting on the other side of the dinning table froze in shock, her spoon hanging in midair a she tried to find the right word to speak. She inhaled sharply, placed her fork on her plate and looked at the woman who acted like the words that came out of her mouth were nothing beyond the norms. "Mom, enough with the joke cracking" Seraphina said with a nervous chuckle. "You've been on this joke for a week now. Just stop." Selene wiped her mouth with a tissue and sighed. "That's because it's not a joke. Mrs. Blackwood wants you to marry her son." "That's impossible!" Seraphina snapped. "Of course not. She's our benefactor" Selene retorted, her tone rigid. "I already accepted the marriage proposal on your behalf. There's no going back." Seraphina laughing wryly. "You accepted to push your own daughter into a loveless marriage without her consent? Can't I make my own decision on this?" "Like you made the ones in your life?" Selene shot back, her words dripping with sarcasm. "I had to, my darling. With your level of craziness, I doubt you'll find a husband in the next 50 years." "What?!" Seraphina spat. "That's not funny at all." "Yeah, because it's the truth" Selene snorted in laughter, her face morphing gradually into a frown. "Now, listen to me, Seraphina. Your younger brother is in the hospital battling for his life and we can't sort out the medical bills. The blackwood family can help us." "Did they promise you that?" Seraphina questioned with a suspicious gaze. "They have to. You're not marrying her grandson for nothing" Selene replied nonchalantly. "Think about your brother, and go get your marriage certificate. We have to survive." "Marriage certificate?" Seraphina exclaimed, and stood up abruptly. "Where?" "The marriage clerk's office on the next street" Selene replied absentmindedly, and watched her rebellious daughter storm out of the house. "Be quick and don't do anything crazy." Seraphina, on the other hand, took a cab straight to the clerk's office, but she had a different agenda in mind - to reject the marriage proposal. Arriving at office, she paid the cab driver and hastened her steps into the small building before her. She saw a table with the name "Clerk* inscribed on a slab, but that wasn't what drew her attention. It was the charismatic and angelic face of a man standing next to the clerk. The young man was dressed in a black suit well tailored to fit his slender physique. His piercing blue eyes and chiseled features made him look like a greed god. Despite the approachable features, his look was cold and unreadable, and his demeanor was intimidating, which made Seraphina calm down a bit, her breath hitched. She swallowed hard and placed her trembling hands on the Clerk's table, trying to avoid the man's piercing gaze. "Mr. Clerk, I came to tell that I won't be marrying Mr. Blackwood. Please, annul the marriage" She said, her voice barely audible. The Clerk sighed deeply and shook his head. "You can discuss that with Mr. Blackwood yourself." "I don't know him" Seraphina scoffed. "He's standing right next to you" The Clerk hinted, and Seraphina almost lost her balance, thanks to the table she held on to for support. Her face was red with embarrassment as she couldn't look at him. "Seraphina Hale, right?" The alluring but cold voice questioned, making Seraphina shudder in fear. "You're late." Hearing those words, the crazy part of Seraphina awakened. "Late?" Her head snapped to him. "I didn't consent to this in the first place. It's your business, not mine." "Me neither" Magnus shot back curtly. "I have no interest in this marriage. You're not my type, but I don't have a choice, so I have a proposal for you." "Huh...." Seraphina pouted in shock. He didn't even give her time to refute his words. "A proposal?" She asked curiously. "Yes, I'm not interested in marriage, but my grandma is dying and I have to fulfill her wish" Magnus affirmed. "I want a contract marriage instead. Five years and I'll pay you $10 billion." "What?!" Seraphina spat, and shuddered. "I don't understand." "What part do you not understand?" Magnus snorted in disgust. "We stay married for only five years. When the time is up, we get a divorce and you leave with $10 billion as compensation." "Compensation" that word rang in Seraphina's ears like a bell. Rage surged through her body, and she yelled. "Do I look like a begger to you?" "I didn't call you one, but if you see it that way, it's your problem" Magnus fired back with a cold smirk. "I'm sure you need money, right?" Seraphina's eyes widened as the cost of her brother's surgery popped up in her head. Yes, she needed the money desperately. The money was the sole reason her mother pushed her into this, but her pride mattered a lot to her. "No, I refuse" She replied with a tone of finality, turning to leave. Suddenly, her phone rang out. She dug it out from her bag and checked the screen. Seeing her mom's name displayed on the screen fueled her irritation. At first, she wanted to ignore the call, but immediately decided against me. She slid the answer button and placed the phone against her ear, her eyes fixed on Magnus, who didn't care one bit about her problems. "Hello, mom" "Seraphina... Arhhhhh" Selene cried out. "Your brother's doctor called. He needs to be operated in two days or he won't survive. Please, you have to do something. I can't lose my precious child." "Mom, are you sure?" Seraphina queried, her voice hoarse with horror, but she didn't get a reply. Tired of hearing her mother's cries, she ended the call. Then, Magnus's words popped into her head. She needed to think. A lot was at stake. She was sacrificing her freedom, but for someone she loved dearly with all her heart. Besides, it was just five years. In five years time, she gets a divorce and moves on with her life. But will her mother accept such? She could think about that later. She bit her lips, and frowned deeply as she thought of what next to say. "When do I get the money?" She finally asked with a meek voice, avoiding the Magnus's lingering gaze. "You get the money now" He replied, placing a paper on the table. "As long as you sign this now, I'll give you a cheque." "$10 billion" she screamed inwardly, knowing how impossible it was for her and her generations to come to touch that kind of money in decades, even if they were to work their bones out. But with the money, she could invest for those same generations. With a deep breath, she made up her mind.