Maya sat down hard on her threadbare couch, the contract still in her hands. The words blurred before her eyes, the weight of them suffocating her.
"Marry him?" she whispered, almost laughing at how absurd it sounded. "What kind of man—"
"You don't have to make a decision right now," Elias interrupted, his voice low and calm. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her, his sharp eyes scanning her like he was calculating every move she made. "But I'm offering you a way out. A way to stop struggling."
"I didn't ask for your help." Her words came out sharper than she intended. The last thing she wanted was to owe someone like him anything.
"And yet, you're still here." His voice was smooth, like he knew exactly how this game was played.
She didn't respond. She didn't know how.
The silence stretched between them, thick with unsaid things. Maya ran a hand through her damp hair, trying to make sense of the situation. She had nothing. Not a cent to her name. The debts were suffocating, and every step forward felt like she was drowning. She couldn't even afford to keep the lights on.
She glanced at the contract again. Her eyes traced the elegant writing. It wasn't just money—this was her life, her future, wrapped up in a dangerous, seductive lie. She could see herself in a world where she wasn't struggling every day. A world where she had choices.
But at what cost?
"You don't have to be involved in my life beyond the contract," Elias said, almost like he could read her thoughts. His voice had softened, though there was a darkness to it that made her uneasy. "This is simple. You help me, and I help you. We go our separate ways after one year. No questions. No complications."
"Why me, though?" she asked again, needing the answer to feel even a little less insane. "You could hire anyone."
"I need someone who doesn't know me. Someone who won't ask questions," Elias said, his gaze steady and unwavering. "Someone who will keep this quiet. You're not a threat. You're perfect for this arrangement."
Maya stood up, pacing, her heart pounding in her chest. There had to be a catch. There was always a catch.
"You're asking me to marry you," she said, voice trembling. "To live a lie. Be your wife in front of the world—like everything's normal."
He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. She had to tilt her head to meet his eyes. "You'll never have to pretend. You'll have a life you can't even imagine. All you have to do is sign the paper."
Her fingers brushed the edge of the contract, but she didn't move to pick it up. Instead, she locked eyes with him, trying to read the man standing before her.
"Who are you really?" she asked softly, almost afraid of the answer. "What do you want from me?"
Elias was silent for a long moment, the weight of his secret pressing in on her like a storm about to break.
"I want… freedom," he said, his voice low. "Freedom from the family that betrayed me. From a world that's trying to destroy me. You and I don't need to complicate it. We don't need to fall in love. This is business. Just business."
Maya's stomach twisted. The look in his eyes was cold, calculating—but there was something else. Something buried deep. A hunger. A promise.
And in that moment, Maya realized something that shook her to her core.
She wasn't afraid of Elias Vale.
She was afraid of what she might become if she walked away from this opportunity.