"Relax, Adrian can't really do anything to me," Anika whispered to Tessa as they stood outside the door.
"If he tries anything, just give him a piece of your mind. Don't let him get away with it," Tessa murmured back, then slipped away fast, pulling the door shut behind her.
Anika was alone with Adrian Murphy, seated in his wheelchair. She had a damn good idea why he wanted to talk; it had to be about what went down the night before. She decided to take the lead and steer this thing.
"About last night, yeah, I made the first move, but you didn't exactly stop me either. We're both adults, not the type to overthink crap. How about we just move on and never talk about it again?" Anika said, her voice smooth as silk.
Adrian's eyes glinted with something unreadable. Was she seriously trying to dodge this?
"So, what you're saying is, you have no intention of taking responsibility?" Adrian asked, his tone calm but cutting.
Responsibility? For *him*? How would that even work? He was Evan's uncle, and Anika had zero plans to turn into her ex's aunt. Besides, the alcohol had messed with her judgment last night.
Meanwhile, outside the room, Tessa hadn't really left. She had her ear flat against the door, stressing that Adrian might be giving Anika a hard time. But it was way too quiet in there.
What the hell was Adrian playing at?
Not about to leave Anika hanging, Tessa bolted downstairs and dragged her brother Evan up to the second floor.
"Evan, you gotta help Anika. She's in there with Adrian and hasn't come out yet. I know you two broke up, but you can't just leave her to fend for herself!" Tessa rushed out in one breath.
Evan's brows knitted up with worry. Was Anika deliberately going after Adrian to get back at him? Trying to climb the social ladder and turn into his aunt out of spite? If that's her game, she's playing with fire; Adrian had zero interest in women, especially after his accident.
Pushing the doubts aside, Evan yanked the door open.
Inside, Adrian sat calm as ever in his wheelchair, and Anika was standing in front of him, looking completely unfazed. Evan rushed over and grabbed her hand. "Adrian isn't someone you should mess with. If you've got a problem with me, bring it to me straight. Now let's go."
Anika blinked. Had Evan lost his damn mind? How had she never noticed his self-centered side before?
She shook off his grip. "I don't need you butting into my business."
"It's not like I want to. If Tessa hadn't dragged me up here, I wouldn't have bothered. Leave the Murphy estate. Adrian's not interested in someone like you. Let's go!" Evan reached out again, trying to steer her away.
Anika couldn't help but laugh. *Someone like me?* So this was how he talked about an ex-girlfriend, trash-talking her after the breakup? She was so done with him. Turning toward Adrian, she made a snap decision.
"Didn't you say I should take responsibility? Fine. Let's get married," Anika declared, her resolve locking into place.
She hadn't planned on saying yes at first, but now her mind was made up. If she stayed, she'd become Evan's aunt—a thought that cracked her up. Plus, she needed protection from her family's control, and the man in the wheelchair seemed to need a wife for his own reasons.
Evan sneered, his gaze flicking toward Adrian with poorly concealed condescension. "Anika, have you completely lost your mind? Asking Adrian to marry you? Look at him! With his physical condition, he can't even give you a real, functional marriage. Don't humiliate yourself just to spite me."
Adrian remained motionless in his wheelchair, but the temperature in the study plummeted to absolute zero. A slow, lethal smirk touched his lips.
"My 'condition'?" Adrian’s voice was smooth as velvet, dripping with chilling authority. He raised his dark, commanding eyes to Evan. "Whether I can satisfy my wife behind closed doors is something only Anika has the privilege to know. And believe me, nephew—she has zero complaints."
Anika nearly choked on her own breath, heat rushing furiously up her neck as memories of the hotel bed flashed behind her eyes.
"Agreed," Adrian continued, looking directly at Anika. "We'll get married."
Evan froze as if struck by lightning. "Are you serious?! She's only twenty, and you're nearing thirty!"
Anika quickly composed herself, stepping behind Adrian's wheelchair and resting her hand possessively on his broad shoulder. "That's right, Evan. You’d better get used to addressing me with respect. Shouldn't we give him a little Thanksgiving allowance, darling?"
Adrian calmly handed her his matte-black wallet. Anika pulled out several crisp hundred-dollar bills and shoved them into Evan's frozen hand. "From Adrian and me. Treat yourself."
Evan stared at the crumpled bills, trembling with humiliation. "Anika, you—"
"Show your aunt some respect," Adrian cut in, his voice dropping like an iron gavel.
Evan clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, then spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Back in the room, Anika and Adrian signed a marriage agreement. To make it legal, she'd need to swing by her place to grab a few documents, but that could wait.
"I'm worried about how your family might react. Let's keep this between us for now and drop the news when the time's right," Anika suggested.
"That's fine," Adrian agreed without missing a beat. He had no problem making sure Tessa and Evan kept their mouths shut.
"So why do you want to marry me?" Anika ventured to ask. Her gut said this wasn't just about taking responsibility. "I've heard things about you before. You probably just need a wife for show, right?"
Adrian stayed silent. Couldn't it be that he genuinely liked her?
"I think I get it," Anika read the subtle look in Adrian's eyes. "We've got different goals but the same ending. Sounds perfect to me. Here's to a kick-ass partnership, Mr. Murphy." She extended her hand, her smile brighter than she'd ever felt.
After the meal, Tessa yanked Anika into the garden.
"You're not joking, are you? You're really gonna be with Adrian?" Tessa was still struggling to wrap her head around it.
"We've already signed the marriage agreement. I guess that makes me your aunt. Wanna try calling me that?" Anika teased, lifting Tessa's chin and loving her flustered reaction.
"But why?" Tessa asked, searching her face for answers.
"Last night, at the hotel—it was Adrian," Anika confessed.
*What?*
Tessa's head was spinning.
Her best friend had been with Adrian? No, wait—her friend made the first move? But Adrian wasn't supposed to be able to...
"Are you absolutely sure it was Adrian? Could you have mixed things up?" Tessa pressed, needing clarity.
Anika nodded. "Even drunk, I know who's who. And it was Adrian who suggested I take responsibility."
Tessa stood speechless, her brain short-circuiting over Adrian's intentions.
