Lucian.

8:26 AM.

Swinging from left to right in my luxurious leather chair, I glared at my watch for the umpteenth time. The lady from the other night was late. I don't tolerate tardiness, and yet, here I was, waiting for her. I wondered if she would show up, not after the embarrassment she caused me the other night. I already had Maximus; my right-hand man run some background checks on her. I was sure she would take my offer.

My phone buzzed and I knew better than to check. It was my grandmother. Her incessant nagging about settling down after my messy divorce had driven me to desperate measures.

“You stood her up,” I remembered her scolding me on the phone the previous day after I didn’t show up for the blind date she set up for me.

“Grandma, I already told you. I’ll find my lady myself. My type and in my time.”

“But Emilia needs a mother figure in her life.” She had complained. She always used the fact that my little daughter needed a mother. She was right but I don’t mess with just any lady.

I needed an escape, and that accident with the strange lady from the other night had presented an unexpected opportunity in my favor.

She was one of the most beautiful women I’ve met in a long while. The way her body swayed gently when she walked carried an aura I loved my lady to have. I found her perfect for this task. Just that, now she was beginning to piss me off.

Maximus already told me her mother was hospitalized the other night. I was going to build on this, I knew she needed money badly.

Switching on the TV in my office, I decided to keep myself busy till she got here. The first image I saw on the TV was a gorgeous picture of the same lady I was waiting for.

Nina Barners has been accused of siphoning funds to Jake Correl who doubles as her boyfriend and crime partner, the…

I switched the TV off.

Nina Barners. What the hell! Was this the woman I wanted to get involved with?

I was still deep in thought when a knock sounded on my door.

“Come in.”

Nina rushed in, almost out of breath. "I'm so sorry I'm late," she apologized. She didn’t look so happy.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're 30 minutes late, Nina. Not exactly the best start for someone who has offended me already."

She winced, her cheeks flushing. "I know. I had an emergency at the hospital."

I waved her over, gesturing to the chair opposite my desk. "Sit. We need to talk."

She hesitated, her eyes scanning the room briefly before finally sitting, her hands clasped together in her lap.

“Did you do it?” I asked.

"Do what?” She questioned.

I leaned back in my chair. “I guess you’ve not seen the news,” I replied. I took my iPad and showed her an article about her trending on one of the blogs. Her jaw dropped, tears forming at the back of her eyes.

“So this was why…” her voice trailed off.

"I have a proposal for you, Nina. One that could benefit us both."

Her eyes narrowed, a hint of wariness creeping into her worried expression. "What kind of proposal?"

I smiled, a calculated glint in my eye. "A contract marriage. Pretend to be my girlfriend, and I'll make sure your mother's medical bills are taken care of and also take care of this mess.” I proposed, waving my iPad slightly above my shoulder.

Nina's face turned pale, suspicion written clearly on her face. "And why would you do that?"

I shrugged. "Let's just say we need each others’ help.”

Her gaze dropped, her voice low. "But I have a boyfriend..."

Nina.

I didn’t give Lucian an answer. His offer was so enticing but I couldn’t just jump on it. I didn’t commit the forgery I’m being dragged in the mud about. Secondly, what was I going to tell Jake? That I’m leaving him for another man just for money?

The last time we communicated was when I texted him about my mom’s accident. He didn’t reply to my text or call me. It was so strange.

I stood outside Jake's apartment, my heart racing with every passing second. The headline on the news didn’t add up one bit, the only reason I was at Jake’s was to ask him why he hadn’t called even after seeing the allegations pressed on us.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The sound of laughter and music drifted from inside, Jake was the quiet type and he never had the time to blast music.

The door swung open, and Jake's smile faltered when he saw me. "Nina, hey..."

"Hey?" I repeated, my voice trembling. He hardly called me by my name. "After ignoring me for days, all you can say is 'hey'?"

Jake's eyes darted behind me, and I shifted to see a blonde-haired lady with a pink towel wrapped around her chest. That was my spare towel!

She had a guilty expression on her face, hastily gathering her clothes.

My world crumbled around me. "You are cheating on me," I said, stating the obvious.

Jake's face turned red, but he didn't deny it. "Nina, I..."

I raised my hand, silencing him. "Never mind.” I was here for an important reason.

I dumped my phone in his palm. “What does this mean?”

“Oh. This! I thought you were smart to cover this up.” Jake answered but I was lost for a moment.

“Cover this… what are you talking about Jake?!” I yelled.

“The loan from your boss, I told you how badly I needed that money.” Jake’s voice floated in the air, almost driving me crazy.

Panic set in, causing my fingers to shake. “You forged my signature and d… did thi..s?” I stuttered.

“Glad you’ve figured it out, you don’t have any proof against me. The whole world will believe that you did this. Get lost! And never come back here.” He ordered before slamming the door in my face. I stood there, speechless. What did I get myself into?

I turned and walked a step further, leaving Jake and his lover behind. Tears streamed down my face.

My phone rang, shrill in the silence. Melinda's name flashed on the screen.

“What’s that rubbish on the news?”

"Jake cheated on me and framed me up for that." I blurted.

Melinda's gasp was audible. "I'm so sorry, Nina."

I took a deep breath, I finally figured out what to do. "I'm done with him. And I've made my decision."

"What is it?" Melinda asked attentively.

"I'm going to marry Lucian Ryder."

The silence between us lasted for a few seconds before Melinda spoke up. "Nina, are you sure? We still need to figure out how to pay mom's hospital bills..."

"I know," I said firmly. "This is the only way I can get out of this mess. Lucian also offered to take care of the bills if I marry him. I have no choice.”

Melinda sighed. "Okay, girl. If you're sure..."

"I am," I said resolutely.

As I hung up the phone, I took out the business card Lucian gave me the other night. I dialed the number on it and within a few seconds, I heard his baritone charming voice on the other line.

“I will be your pretend wife.”

Nina.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed I would ever meet the most feared man in this city. His curly hair was neatly combed just as I had seen it earlier this morning.

Beside him stood a well-built man. The way he glanced at me repeatedly made me shift uncomfortably in the chair.

I fiddled with my phone, and just then I received a text from Melinda. “How’s it going? Are you still doing it?”

“Yes.” I texted back and dropped my phone in my bag.

“Max, you can leave now,” Lucian said to the man and he nodded. “Okay, boss.”

Lucian cleared his throat facing me as the huge-looking man left us alone.

"I'm glad you agreed to our little arrangement, Nina," he said, leaning back in his chair. The way he called my name with some kind of smirk on his lips formed some kind of wetness in my undies.

"What exactly is this arrangement about?" I asked, my voice cautious.

"You'll be moving in with me, immediately after your mother recovers," he informed me.

I paused before speaking up. "And what about my boyfriend? I mean the allegations...?"

"I'll take care of it," he assured me. His voice sounded convincing enough and I knew he had the power to escape allegations that were worse than mine; that information wasn’t new.

"But let's focus on our arrangement. You'll be my wife in name only, and your main duty is to protect my daughter, Emilia, like she's yours."

My voice was laced with surprise. "You have a daughter?"

"Of course," he replied. "And she's the reason I need you to pretend to be my wife. My grandmother has been on my neck, demanding I settle down. Once she's convinced I'm married, she'll hand over my trust fund."

I nodded my head slowly, finally realizing what this was about.

“This information is between you and me, no one knows about it. Not even my right-hand man.” His voice thundered, causing my heart to race in fear. “I’ll have your head if anyone else knows of this. Do you understand?” He asked.

“Yes,” I muttered.

“Good.”

"How long do I have to keep up this charade?" I asked.

"Six months should be enough," he replied. "After that, we can go our separate ways, no strings attached."

I hesitated before responding. "Okay, deal."

Lucian smiled, satisfied. "Excellent. Sign there." He handed a document to me, pointing to a set of pens neatly arranged by the edge of the table.

My phone buzzed with an incoming text from Jake.

"Hey, Nina. I'm ready to correct my wrongs. Meet me at our usual spot. We need to talk."

My eyes narrowed. What did Jake want now?

“Change of plans?” Lucian’s voice interrupted my thought, causing me to jerk.

“No, not at all.” I dragged the document to my front and signed it at the end of the paper without going through it.

Lucian gave me a satisfactory smile and stretched his hand toward me. It was a check. My eyes widened in shock and I looked up to see him laughing.

That was the first time I genuinely saw him laugh, he was always so cold.

I smiled hesitantly, pointing to the paper I was holding.

“This is more than what I need for my mom’s surgery. It’s twice the amount.” I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“I know. It’s all yours.” He replied. “My driver will drop you off.”

“Thank you,” I said, standing to my feet.

I pushed the chair forward before walking to the door.

“Nina,” Lucian called me. I turned to look at him but he was no longer smiling. “If you fail to keep to the end of your bargain, I’ll have your head.”

I knew better than to think that was a threat. It was a promise.

I gulped. “I won’t fail you.”