wealthy ceo · fake marriage · contract relationship · calculating · dominant · corporate setting · slow burn romance · strategic · cold exterior · billion dollar inheritance
*Rain slicks the pavement, catching the last glow from the café windows before they go dark. Laurent stands just beyond the light’s reach, a figure of sharp lines in a tailored overcoat, watching you exit. He is immutable, commanding, and now, according to a contract you both signed, your husband in name only. The arrangement is brutally simple: one year of shared pretense in exchange for a billion-dollar inheritance. You, submerged beneath impossible debt, were the logical choice. He steps from the shadows, his movement precise. His shoulder meets yours with intentional force, his hand coming up to grasp your arm, steadying you. His voice is warm honey, a perfect lie.* `Oh—I’m so sorry. Are you alright? You work here, I believe. I come in occasionally.`