The shrill sound of Aeisha’s phone ringing broke the silence, dragging her out of the light daze she had fallen into. She glanced at the screen: Zeus. Her chest tightened as his name glared back at her. Not long after, another call came through—this time from her parents.
Why now? Why were they looking for her when they had made it clear time and time again that their precious Daisy was their priority?
Aeisha sighed, letting the phone fall silent as her mind replayed their voices. Daisy’s soft manipulations, Zeus’s betrayal, and her parents’ cold distance swirled together in her thoughts, a relentless storm she couldn’t escape.
“You look gloomy for such an early morning.”
The voice startled her, pulling her out of her spiraling thoughts. She turned to see Elliot standing in the doorway of his penthouse living room. He looked better than he had the night before—pale but steady, with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Are you okay now?” Aeisha asked, ignoring his comment.
He chuckled softly as he moved toward the couch. “I’m fine, thanks to you.” He sat down, leaning back with an air of ease that contradicted the events of the night before. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me.”
She shook her head, brushing off his gratitude. “There’s no need to thank me. Anyone would’ve done the same.”
His smirk widened, amusement flickering in his gray eyes. “You’re wrong. Not everyone would have stopped for a bleeding man in a dark alley. I was lucky you were there.”
Aeisha didn’t know how to respond, so she stayed silent, her fingers fiddling with the wrinkled hem of her dress—a reminder of the chaos from the day before.
“I should go,” she said finally, rising from her chair.
Before she could take another step, his voice stopped her. “Wait.”
She turned back to him, finding his intense gaze fixed on her.
“I still haven’t paid you back,” he said.
Aeisha frowned, shaking her head again. “I told you, I don’t need anything. I just did what anyone would have.”
Elliot’s expression didn’t change, and for a moment, he seemed to be weighing his next words carefully. Then, his face shifted, showing a mixture of seriousness and hesitation.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
She hesitated, but finally nodded.
“Were you supposed to get married yesterday?”
The question caught her off guard, the weight of everything she had tried to forget rushing back. Her chest tightened, but she answered quietly, “Yes.”
Elliot’s brow furrowed slightly as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I need a favor,” he said, his voice steady but low.
Aeisha blinked, unsure of what he was leading to. “A favor?”
He nodded, his cold features softening just enough to reveal a hint of vulnerability. “Marry me.”
Her heart stopped. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said, his tone calm yet firm. “I need to get married—and stay married—for a year. I’m willing to pay you five hundred thousand a month. After the year is up, I’ll give you five hundred million in alimony.”
Aeisha stared at him, the words barely registering. “Marriage isn’t a game, Mr. Cane. It’s not something you just... do for convenience.”
“I know that, but a lot of people do marry for convenience,” Elliot countered, his gaze unwavering. “I need your help, and you’re in a situation where you could use mine too.”
She wanted to argue, to call the proposition ridiculous. But the way he looked at her—desperate despite his composed demeanor—made her pause.
“Why?” she asked finally. “Why me?”
“Because I trust you,” he said simply. “You saved my life last night when you didn’t have to. That tells me all I need to know about your character.”
His words left her speechless. She wanted to believe this was a cruel joke, but the intensity in his eyes told her otherwise.
“I don’t have anywhere to go,” she murmured, the weight of her reality sinking in. Zeus, Daisy, her parents—they had all turned their backs on her. She was utterly alone.
“Then let me help you,” Elliot said, his voice softer now. “You’ll have a home, financial stability, and safety. In return, you’ll help me by being my wife—for a year. After that, you’ll be free.”
The offer sounded too good to be true, and yet, the sincerity in his tone made it hard to dismiss. Aeisha searched his face for any sign of deceit but saw only a man who seemed as lost as she felt.
“Why do you need to get married?” she asked, her voice still hesitant.
He exhaled sharply, as though the question was one he had been dreading. “It’s… complicated. But I promise I’ll explain everything in time. For now, all I can say is that I need you.”
His words hung heavy in the air, full of unspoken meaning.
Marriage. It was not something Aeisha had ever considered lightly. But her world had already fallen apart. Here was someone offering her a chance—not at love, but at stability and a fresh start.
Against every instinct urging her to walk away, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Elliot’s lips curved into a faint smile, relief softening his features. “Thank you,” he said, his voice low and sincere.
In that moment, Aeisha couldn’t tell who needed saving more—Elliot or herself.
