Selena barely remembered the ride home. The city lights blurred outside the cab window as her mind replayed Adrian Wolfe's words over and over.
A fiancée. Six months. A deal.
It was madness. And yet, the logical part of her—the desperate part—kept whispering that she had no choice.
Her father's company was drowning. The debts were piling up, investors were pulling out, and in a few weeks, Carter & Co. would be nothing more than a memory.
Adrian Wolfe had offered her a way out. But was it worth selling her soul?
She sighed as she entered her tiny apartment, the space feeling even smaller than usual. Bills stacked on the counter. A half-empty bottle of wine from a night she had tried to forget. The weight of reality pressed down on her chest.
Then her phone buzzed.
Adrian Wolfe.
Her fingers hesitated before answering.
"Have you made a decision?" His voice was as smooth as ever, but there was an edge of expectation in it.
Selena closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then, against every warning in her mind, she whispered, "Yes."
A pause. Then, "Smart choice."
Her stomach twisted. "Do I even want to know what happens next?"
"You'll be moving into my penthouse tomorrow," Adrian said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
She nearly dropped her phone. "Excuse me?"
"Our engagement needs to look real, Miss Carter. That means sharing a home, being seen together. I assume you don't have any objections?"
Objections? Of course, she did. But what could she say? Sorry, Mr. Billionaire, I'm not used to playing house with someone who looks like he stepped out of a magazine cover and has enough power to crush me like an insect?
Instead, she swallowed her pride. "Fine. But I have conditions."
She heard the smirk in his voice. "Do you?"
"Yes. My personal life is mine. No controlling what I do outside of public events. And no… expectations."
Silence stretched for a beat before Adrian finally spoke. "Done."
That was too easy.
Before she could dwell on it, he continued, "I'll send a car in the morning. Be ready."
And just like that, the call ended.
Selena exhaled shakily, staring at the phone in her hand. What had she just agreed to?
One thing was clear—there was no turning back now.