One Year As Mr Blackwood's Wife

Chapter 1

The wedding hall looked like something out of a dream, with crystal chandeliers, white roses, and guests dressed in clothes that probably cost more than Nora Hayes made in a year. She wheeled in the five-tier cake with a smile she could barely contain, her heart pounding with pride. Out of dozens of famous bakeries, her tiny shop had somehow been chosen to make the wedding cake for one of the wealthiest families in the city. She had spent three sleepless nights perfecting every flower and every layer, convinced this was the opportunity that would finally put her name on the map.

Then she stepped farther into the hall and realized something was terribly wrong. Decorations were being ripped down, guests whispered in clusters, staff rushed around in panic, and someone cried that the bride had disappeared. Just like that, the happiest day in the room collapsed into complete chaos, taking her biggest opportunity down with it.

Nora swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the cake from one corner of the hall to another, asking anyone she could find where she was supposed to leave it. Nobody answered. Some brushed past her as though she didn't exist while others were too busy shouting into their phones. Feeling more embarrassed by the second, she followed an open doorway and stepped into a quiet room. A tall man stood by the window in an expensive black tuxedo, his broad shoulders stiff, one hand buried in his pocket. He looked every bit like the groom. "I'm... I'm sorry about what happened," she said carefully, tightening her grip on the cake trolley. "Could you please tell me where I should leave the cake? I really need to get back." He didn't even look at her. She asked again, softer this time, until he slowly turned, his cold eyes settling on her. "Didn't you hear me keeping quiet?" he said, his voice sharp enough to make her flinch. "Take the cake anywhere. I don't care."

Heat rushed into Nora's face as she hurried out, wishing the floor would swallow her whole. Before she reached the door, his voice stopped her. "Find me a bride." She froze without meaning to. "I don't care who she is. I need this marriage today. One year, that's all. After that, we divorce. My grandfather's inheritance stays with me, and no one loses face." There was a brief silence before the person on the other end spoke, and the man's reply came immediately. "Offer whatever it takes. A few hundred thousand dollars if necessary." Nora's fingers tightened around the cake box until they hurt. A few hundred thousand dollars. That amount could erase every debt hanging over her family, save her bakery from closing, and keep the bank from taking the only home her late mother had left behind.

Her heart hammered so loudly she could barely hear herself think. Before fear could stop her, she turned around, wheeled the cake back into the room, and walked straight toward him. The man looked up, irritation flashing across his face. "Didn't I tell you to get lost?" he said coldly. Instead of running, Nora set the cake aside, dropped to her knees, and looked him straight in the eye. "I heard your offer," she said, her voice shaking but clear. "If you're really looking for a bride for one year... I'd like to try.”