CHAPTER 2

The room was so quiet that Ava could hear the ticking of the antique clock mounted on the wall.

Her gaze remained fixed on the contract lying on Damien Blackwood's desk.

One signature.

That was all it would take to change the course of her life forever.

She swallowed hard.

"You really don't believe in asking nicely, do you?"

Damien leaned against his desk, his expression unreadable.

"If asking nicely worked, you wouldn't be standing here."

"I'd rather work three jobs than marry a man who threatens sick women."

His eyes remained calm.

"I threatened no one. I'm simply giving you two choices."

"One of those choices destroys my life."

"The other saves your mother's."

Ava clenched her fists.

She hated that he was right.

No matter how much she despised him, the reality remained the same.

Without the surgery...

Her mother wouldn't survive.

"You planned this."

"I did."

"You investigated me."

"Yes."

"Why me?"

For the first time since she'd entered the office, Damien hesitated.

"Because you meet every requirement."

"Requirement for what?"

"My wife."

Ava blinked.

"That doesn't answer anything."

"It answers enough."

She stared at him in disbelief.

Was this man always this impossible?

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the contract.

"I'm reading every word."

"You should."

She flipped through the pages.

One year.

They would live together.

Appear in public as husband and wife.

Attend family and business events together.

Neither party could reveal the true nature of the marriage.

At the end of twelve months, they would divorce quietly.

Her eyes stopped on another clause.

"No romantic relationship?"

Damien nodded.

"This marriage is business. Nothing more."

She continued reading.

Each month, she would receive a generous allowance.

Her mother's medical expenses would be fully covered.

A luxury apartment.

A personal driver.

A wardrobe prepared by professional stylists.

Everything she could possibly need.

Everything except freedom.

She frowned.

"There has to be a catch."

"There is."

"I knew it."

"My family wants me married."

"So you're using me to fool them?"

"Yes."

She laughed bitterly.

"You're unbelievably honest."

"Lying wastes time."

Ava closed the folder.

"I still don't understand why you chose me."

"You have no criminal record."

"So?"

"You've never sold private information."

"..."

"You've cared for your mother alone for years."

Her heart skipped.

"You've rejected money that came with illegal conditions."

She stared.

"You even returned a wallet containing twenty thousand dollars to its owner instead of keeping it."

She had almost forgotten about that incident.

"You know too much about me."

"I make it my business to know the people I work with."

"I'm not applying for a job."

"No."

His gray eyes settled on hers.

"You'd be accepting one."

An hour later...

Ava walked out onto the balcony overlooking the glittering city.

She needed air.

Needed space.

Needed to think.

How had her life turned upside down in a single evening?

The balcony door slid open.

Damien stepped outside.

He stood several feet away, leaving enough distance between them.

"You don't like me."

She scoffed.

"Is that supposed to be a question?"

"It wasn't."

"You've known me for less than an hour, and you've already manipulated me."

"You'll find I don't care whether people like me."

"I noticed."

The wind carried strands of her damp hair across her face.

She brushed them away.

"What happened to you?"

Damien looked at her.

"What?"

"No one becomes this cold for no reason."

His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"That's not your concern."

"I figured."

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

The city lights sparkled below.

Finally, Ava broke the silence.

"If I agree..."

"...my mother gets the surgery tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"No tricks?"

"No."

"You'll never hurt her?"

"I don't involve innocent people in my personal affairs."

She searched his face for any sign of deception.

She found none.

Cold.

Arrogant.

Calculating.

But strangely...

Honest.

"I have one condition."

Damien folded his arms.

"Go on."

"You never use my mother against me again."

He considered her request.

"Agreed."

"And you don't control my personal life outside the contract."

"As long as it doesn't affect our public image."

She nodded slowly.

"I want that in writing."

"It already is."

He opened the contract and pointed to the clause.

Sure enough...

There it was.

Ava exhaled.

"I hate how prepared you are."

"I planned this for months."

Her eyes widened.

"Months?"

"I don't make important decisions overnight."

The next morning...

St. Mary's Hospital buzzed with activity.

Ava sat beside her mother's bed, unable to stop smiling.

"The doctors said everything's ready," her mother said happily.

"I told you everything would work out."

"You did."

Guilt twisted inside Ava's chest.

Her mother had no idea what it had cost.

A knock came at the door.

The same suited man from yesterday entered.

"Miss Hart."

She immediately stood.

"What is it?"

"The car is waiting."

She glanced at her mother.

"I'll be back soon."

Her mother smiled.

"Don't worry about me."

Outside the room, the suited man handed Ava a garment bag.

"Mr. Blackwood asked that you wear this."

She unzipped it.

Inside was an elegant ivory dress.

Simple.

Beautiful.

Far more expensive than anything she had ever owned.

"There must be some mistake."

"There isn't."

"I'm not wearing this."

"You'll be meeting Mr. Blackwood's family today."

Her stomach dropped.

"Today?"

"Yes."

"I haven't even signed yet!"

"You will."

His confidence irritated her.

Less than an hour later...

Ava stepped out of the limousine in front of an enormous mansion surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens.

Blackwood Estate.

She had only seen it in magazines.

Damien stood at the entrance in another impeccably tailored black suit.

He looked as composed as ever.

His gaze swept over her.

"You clean up well."

She rolled her eyes.

"That's the closest thing to a compliment I've heard from you."

"It's an observation."

He extended his arm.

She ignored it.

"I'm still deciding whether this marriage is the biggest mistake of my life."

"It probably is."

She stared at him.

"You actually admitted that?"

"I don't deal in false expectations."

A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

For one brief second...

He almost looked human.

Almost.

The mansion doors opened.

An elegant older woman stepped into the foyer.

Her sharp eyes landed on Ava before narrowing with obvious disapproval.

"So..."

She looked Ava up and down.

"This is the woman you've decided to marry?"

The room fell silent.

Ava could already tell...

Winning over the Blackwood family was going to be far more difficult than surviving Damien himself.

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