Cassandra POV.

The disinfectants and smell of pills teased my nostrils as I regained consciousness.

I slowly opened my eyes but I quickly snapped them shut because the room was too bright.

My head was hurting so much and a familiar metallic taste lingered in my mouth, the taste of blood.

I tried to assess my surroundings based on what I heard and from the beeping machine beside me, I figured out I was in a hospital.

“Doctor, she's awake,” I heard a tiny voice say beside me.

I gave another shot at opening my eyes and this time I was able to open them because the light hanging atop my face was off.

My vision was blurry at first before it became clear, “How are you feeling?” A man clad in a white coat asked with a concerned look on his face.

If I was being honest, I was surprised I survived this. I'd expected to be dead. Why did I survive this? I didn't have anything to live for. But of course, I wouldn't tell the doctor that.

I parted my lips to speak, “My-my head. It hurts.”

The doctor nodded while the nurse standing by the ECG machine penned my reply down in a small note.

He pulled his stethoscope from his neck, placing it on my chest to hear my heartbeat.

Deep down, I wished he'd sense my inner turmoil but I knew how this device worked.

The doctor examined me for a few minutes before leaving the room with the petite nurse tagging along. My eyes were fixed on the door and they pushed open, letting a stranger walk into the room.

He was a handsome young man, 6ft tall with neatly trimmed brown hair. He was wearing a navy blue suit that made him look so elegant.

But why was he coming to see me?

The man took a seat by my bed and all I could perceive was a strong scent of minty freshness.

“Hi. I'm Harrison John. I was the one driving the car that hit you. I'm so sorry about the accident, how are you feeling?” His deep voice dripped with sincerity and concern.

His black eyes stared at me with remorse, “I feel better. Thank you for getting me treated,” I appreciated even though I wish he had just left me to die.

He smiled warmly, “It's the least I could do. What's your name?”

The sound of liquid dropping into the drip bag followed his voice.

“Cassandra. Cassandra James,” I stated, licking my dry lips.

“Mind if I ask a question?” His brows suddenly arched, connoting seriousness.

I nodded subtly while lowering my gaze as I anticipated his question.

“What were you doing in the middle of the road at such an odd hour?”

A lump formed in my throat as pain shot through my left hand. I only felt how deep the drip injection was now.

What should I say? Do I tell him how I lost my parents or how I turned out to be the other woman in my supposed marriage? Or how I was now stranded with nowhere to go? I let out a soft sigh as I decided what I'd say.

“I was looking for a job.”

This was the only sensible reason I could think of. Harrison might have saved me but he was a total stranger. I don't think he should know that much about me anyway.

Harrison's face split with worry, “At that hour? Why don't you have a job?”

I paused, pressing my lips together before responding, “I was also looking for a place to stay. I haven't found a job but I've been searching.”

“Well, do you mind if I provide you with a job and a place to stay?”

I stared at him in astonishment. Did he just ask me that? Of course I'd be happy to take on any job he provided at the moment as long as it kept me off the streets.

“I wouldn't mind at all, in fact, I'd be grateful for it but why are you assisting me?” I questioned because I couldn't shake off the feeling that he might just be another Mike in a sheep's clothing.

“See it as compensation for hitting you. I'm not the direct employer. My boss is the one who needs you to work for him and it's a marriage contract. If he accepts you you'd pretend to be his wife and he’ll pay you three hundred thousand dollars. Would you be able to do it?”

This was a good opportunity for me to get off the streets but pretending to be someone's wife for money when I just got out of an actual pretense of a marriage was rather ironic.

Considering my circumstances, I didn't have any other options. All I can do is hope that Harrison's boss accepts me.

“Yes, I can.”

Harrison smiled, “Alright. I'd go sign your discharge papers and then we'd go meet him.”

That was all Harrison said before he left the room.

In a couple of hours, we arrived in front of a huge mansion.

The mansion was surprisingly the only magnificent building in the area.

As I stepped down from the white SUV that drove me down here, I straightened the sleeveless orange dress I was wearing.

I lost my bag in the accident but Harrison was kind enough to get me clothes before we got here.

My hair was nearly packed into a bun and my face was plastered with little makeup, I was wearing a silver necklace that matched the silver flats on my feet. If not for the plaster at the side of my temple, one would not be able to tell i was involved in an accident.

We soon arrived inside the mansion and the moment we stepped in, a figure strided towards us. His shoes clicked on the floor so hard that it seemed he was coming to attack.

I trembled beside Harrison but he stood firm, “Don't be scared, it's my boss.”

As the figure got closer, the next thing I heard was,

“Get that lady out of my house!”

Nathaniel POV.

Harrison always had a way of going against my orders. I had given him the job to find a lady to take up a marriage contract with me because I couldn't stand women.

I hated that the clause in my newest business deal with Mr Chang, a Chinese investor, stated that I should be married as it symbolized a sense of responsibility.

I still don't know how the fuck that relates but I can't afford to lose this contract so I opted for a marriage contract. Harrison was supposed to find the lady and send her details to me so I'd decide if she was fit for the job or not.

But this silly butler of mine brought some random lady to my home!

I scowled, my brows knitting together when I realized that Harrison wasn't making any efforts to follow my instructions.

“I said throw that lady out of my house this instant!” My thundering voice echoed through my living room.

Harrison stepped forward, his gaze lowered with clasped hands behind his back, “Sir, please hear me out.”

Irritation surged through me but I knew how Harrison was. If he wasn't carrying out an instruction, there was an explanation.

“Speak!” I pocketed my hands into my gray pants, while maintaining a glaring gaze at the slender frame behind Harrison. Her brown eyes reminded me of my mother, the woman I despised the most.

After my father's death, she suddenly disappeared with no traces of her whereabouts. Her promiscuous lifestyle made her abandon me at seven. My grandfather looked after me until I was old enough to manage my dad's business. He eventually passed away from old age sickness. Stella Wills is the reason for my hatred for women. If my mother could cheat on my father, then no woman could be trusted!

Harrison's words snapped me out of my thoughts, “Sir, I know I should have gone through the agreed process but I personally brought her here for you to consider her sir.”

Harrison's words only fueled my irritation as I wondered where he must have met the lady in question.

“Now that you brought her here, I won't be considering her at all. Get her out of here!” I retorted before swiveling my heels backwards.

“Sir, she got hit by my car. She's currently stranded and doesn't have where to go so I offered her the marriage contract. Please consider her sir,” Harrison implored.

I glanced over my shoulders with a cold expression as my mind drifted back to the contract I needed to sign. It needed to be signed in seventy two hours and I was forty eight hours gone.

Losing the contract is the last thing I'd want and I didn't have that much time to find someone else so I might as well just hire her.

I spun around with a straight face, “Give her the contract to sign and ensure she knows her way around. Unfortunately, she's hired.”

****************

Cassandra and I walked into the room, hand in hand but apart at heart. Crazy how it's been a month since I hired this lady and I was only signing the deal now.

The hall was glittering with blue, red and white lights. Mr Chang was engrossed in his conversation with a few men on the left and on the right were tables and chairs dressed in butter and gold clothing.

The center of the hall is an open space with a chandelier hanging at the center and the moment Cassandra and I got there, we parted ways on opposite sides.

She glared at me from her seat but I remained indifferent, I returned my gaze to the business men i was talking to. If Mr Chang's email invitation didn't state that I came along with my wife, I'd never have brought her with me. Plus, I needed her signature alongside mine to seal the seal according to Mr Chang.

Mr Chang was my biggest investor and I'd do anything to satisfy him, even if it meant getting my mother's look alike involved in my business.

“So Mr Wills, where is she?” Mr Chang asked excitedly.

“She's the lady putting on a red dress over there,” I pointed towards the area where the guests were seated.

Cassandra was sitting at the center of the table, it made her easy to spot.

“Wow, I must say she's a beautiful woman,” Mr Chang complimented.

I could only feign a smile in response because what I saw in Cassandra was far from beauty.

Cassandra was a subtle reminder of how I was abandoned when I was seven, she could only be ugly in my sight and nothing else.

My eyes darted towards her table and I suddenly couldn't find her there.

Where did she go? I scanned the right side of the room but I couldn't find her anywhere.

My heart missed a beat, ‘What if she ran away?’ I discarded the thought.

Cassandra was stranded and depended on me. She wouldn't run away.

I walked towards the right side of the room, my mind racing with so many thoughts as I approached the tables.

On getting there, I realized there was a bar on the inner side of the room which wasn't visible because it was dimly lit.

I soon spotted a lady in a red dress sitted at the bar, taking drinks with some strange man.

My fists clenched, what the hell was she doing? Her silly actions were going to ruin my deal!

The bar was quite a distance from where I stood. I hastened my steps towards the bar when I saw Cassandra falling into his arms.

Before I could get to her, Cassandra was dragged away by the man.

My breath caught in my throat, ‘Who was this man and where was he taking Cassandra?’