"Sign it."
Lila Morgan didn't look at the man.
She looked at the contract.
Marriage Agreement.
One year.
Public wife. Private boundaries.
Her fingers tightened around the pen.
"You don't even know me," she said.
Across the glass table sat Ray Eliot.
Billionaire. CEO. Cold. Controlled. The kind of man whose silence made people nervous.
"I know enough," he replied.
She let out a dry laugh. "Which is?"
"You're not dramatic. No scandals. No social media noise. You're educated. You mind your
business."
Her brows lifted. "So you ran a background check."
"I run checks on everything connected to me."
Of course he did.
But the report he got?
Carefully built.
Carefully fake.
The world knew Lila Morgan as a quiet consultant who worked small contracts.
No one knew she secretly owned one of the fastest-growing tech empires in the country.
Especially not Ray Eliot.
And that was exactly how she wanted it.
"You want to marry me," she said slowly, "for image?"
"Yes."
"How romantic." She rolled her eyes
"I don't need romance."
His voice was calm. Flat.
"I don't need love," Ray said.
His eyes held hers.
"I need a wife."
The words landed heavy between them.
She studied him.
No emotion. No softness. Just strategy.
Good.
Because she wasn't here for feelings either.
"What do I get?" she asked.
"My name protects you," he replied. "My legal power backs you. Access. Security. Doors
open."
That part interested her.
Ray Eliot's company had something she needed access to.
A contract. A system. A technology deal she couldn't reach from the outside.
But from the inside?
As his wife?
Very different story.
"You stay out of my personal space," she said.
"No fake affection in private."
"No control over my work."
He nodded once. "Same rules."
Silence stretched.
Two strangers.
Two strategists.
Both pretending this was simple.
She signed.
Ray stood, buttoning his jacket.
"Good," he said. "You move in tonight."
She blinked. "That fast?"
"You're my wife now."
She rolled her eyes, sighs.
He walked toward the door, then paused.
"One more thing," he said.
"I have a son."
She didn't expect that.
"He doesn't like strangers."
Lila exhaled slowly.
That made two of them.
The Eliot mansion was huge.
Quiet.
Cold in a way money couldn't fix.
Lila stepped inside with her suitcase.
A small voice echoed from the stairs.
"Dad?"
She looked up.
A boy stood there. About six. Big eyes. Brown hair.
He saw her.
His expression changed instantly.
Not shy.
Not curious.
Angry.
Ray walked in behind her. "Ethan. Come down."
The boy didn't move. He kept staring at Lila like she was something unwanted in his house.
"Who is she?" he asked.
Ray's voice stayed calm. "She's staying with us."
"For how long?"
"A while."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "I don't want her here."
Lila felt that.
Still, she smiled softly. "Hi, Ethan."
He stepped back like she'd stepped too close.
"You'll leave like the others," he muttered.
And ran upstairs.
Lila looked at Ray. "Well. That went well."
"He doesn't trust people," Ray said.
"Clearly."
"Don't try to be his mother."
"I'm not trying to be anything."
"Good."
He walked away.
Lila stood in the quiet mansion.
Married to a billionaire.
Hated by his son.
Living in enemy territory.
And Ray Eliot?
Just a stepping stone.
Just like she was to him.