Amelia Carter sat nervously in the small café on the corner of 5th Avenue. Her hands gripped the edge of the table as she stared at the untouched cup of coffee in front of her. Her life had turned upside down in just a matter of days, and now she was about to meet the one man who could either save her family or destroy it.
The sound of the café door opening drew her attention. A tall, impeccably dressed man stepped inside, his presence commanding attention from everyone around him. Lucas Blackwood, the billionaire she had heard so much about, carried an air of confidence that made people instinctively move out of his way. His sharp grey suit, perfectly combed dark hair, and piercing blue eyes gave him an aura of power. Amelia swallowed hard as he walked toward her.
"Miss Carter," he said in a low, smooth voice as he slid into the chair across from her. "Thank you for meeting me."
Amelia nodded, her throat dry. "I didn't think I had much of a choice."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "True. You don't."
She bristled at his bluntness but reminded herself why she was here. Her father, her only family, was lying in a hospital bed, and the mounting medical bills were more than she could handle. The family business, a small but once-thriving art gallery, was drowning in debt. Lucas Blackwood had bought the debt, making him the one person who could decide their fate.
"I don't understand," Amelia began, her voice trembling. "Why would someone like you even care about a failing art gallery?"
Lucas leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze fixed on her. "I don't care about the gallery," he admitted, his tone cold. "What I care about is appearances. I'm in need of a wife—temporarily, of course—and you fit the bill."
Amelia blinked, sure she had misheard him. "Excuse me?"
"A wife," Lucas repeated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "For the next year, I need someone to play the role. Someone who can smile at charity events, attend business dinners, and most importantly convince the board that I'm stable and trustworthy. My recent disputes with certain investors have made them question my commitment."
Amelia stared at him, dumbfounded. "And you think I'm the right person for this?"
"You're perfect," Lucas said matter of factly. "You're intelligent, presentable, and most importantly you have no ties to anyone who could exploit this arrangement. In exchange, I'll take care of all your father's medical expenses and pay off the gallery's debt."
Amelia's head spun. Was this some kind of joke? Marry a stranger? A billionaire, no less? It sounded like something out of a bad romance novel. But the seriousness in Lucas's eyes told her he wasn't joking.
"This is insane," she whispered. "You're asking me to give up my life for a year just to be some…trophy wife?"
Lucas's expression hardened. "I'm offering you a solution to your problems, Miss Carter. Do you really think you have any other options? Your father needs immediate care, and from what I've seen, you're already three months behind on rent for the gallery."
Her cheeks flushed with anger and shame. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough," Lucas said coolly. "This isn't about emotions or personal attachments. It's a business deal. You play your part, and I'll play mine. At the end of the year, we'll go our separate ways, and you'll walk away with enough money to start over."
Amelia's mind raced. The idea of being tied to someone like Lucas Blackwood for a year was both terrifying and infuriating. He was arrogant, controlling, and clearly used to getting whatever he wanted. But at the same time, he was offering her a way out of the mess she was in a chance to save her father and the gallery.
"What happens if I say no?" she asked quietly.
Lucas's expression didn't change. "Then I call in your family's debts. The gallery will be auctioned off within weeks, and your father's hospital bills will remain unpaid."
The cold finality in his tone sent a shiver down her spine. This wasn't just a deal it was blackmail. But what choice did she have? She couldn't let her father suffer because of her pride.
Amelia looked down at her hands, struggling to hold back tears. "Why me?" she asked softly. "Out of all the women in the world, why would you choose someone like me?"
Lucas's eyes softened ever so slightly. "Because you're not like the others. You're not interested in my money or my power. That makes you trustworthy, which is exactly what I need right now."
His words caught her off guard. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of vulnerability in his expression, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
"I'll need time to think about it," she said, her voice shaking.
Lucas shook his head. "I'm afraid there's no time, Miss Carter. I need an answer now."
Amelia's heart pounded. This was too much, too fast. But as she thought about her father lying in the hospital, hooked up to machines, she realized she didn't have the luxury of hesitation. If she walked away now, she would lose everything.
Taking a deep breath, she met Lucas's gaze. "Fine," she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "I'll do it."
A satisfied smile crossed Lucas's face. "Good. I'll have the contract drawn up by tomorrow. Once you sign it, the arrangements will begin immediately."
He stood and reached for his coat, signaling the end of their conversation. Amelia watched him, a mix of anger and resignation bubbling in her chest.
As he turned to leave, Lucas paused and looked back at her. "You've made the right choice, Miss Carter. Trust me."
With that, he walked out of the café, leaving Amelia alone with her thoughts. She stared at the empty seat across from her, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. A deal with the billionaire sounded simple enough on paper, but deep down, she knew nothing about this was going to be simple.
And as much as she hated to admit it, Lucas Blackwood scared her not because of his power or his money, but because of the way he made her feel like she was stepping into a world she would never escape from.
The coffee in front of her had gone cold, much like the feeling in her heart. Amelia Carter had just signed away her freedom, and there was no turning back.
Amelia sat in stunned silence, her mind racing with a mix of disbelief and fear. She had just agreed to marry a man she barely knew, a man whose cold, calculated demeanor sent chills down her spine. The reality of her decision began to sink in. What had she done? She had chosen the one option that seemed to offer the most immediate relief, but at what cost?
The café around her seemed distant, as if the noise of the bustling world no longer mattered. Her hands trembled as she pushed the now-cold coffee aside.
She had always prided herself on her independence, her ability to solve problems on her own. But today, she had been forced into a corner, and now she was trapped in an arrangement that seemed more like a prison than a solution. Amelia couldn't help but wonder what her life would be like now. What was this marriage going to do to her? How would she survive living in Lucas's world, a world that felt foreign and overwhelming?
A part of her wanted to run, to escape and refuse the deal she had just signed. But she couldn't. Her father's health was at stake. The gallery's survival was at stake.
Taking a deep breath, Amelia stood up, her decision final. There was no turning back now. The next chapter of her life had just begun, and she was walking into it with no idea what awaited her. All she knew for sure was that Lucas Blackwood was not the kind of man you could easily escape from. He was dangerous in ways she couldn't even comprehend.