Contractually His

The hallway was silent. Only the soft hum of the elevator and the click of Avery Caldwell's heels echoed against the polished marble floors of The Vantage Hotel.

She double-checked the room number on the message: 706.

This was... strange. She'd applied for a job at SilverStone Realty, one of the most prestigious real estate companies in the city. But instead of a formal interview at their skyscraper office, she'd received a cryptic email with a time, hotel address, and room number.

Sketchy? Definitely. But desperate times made people brave.

Avery exhaled and knocked twice.

The door opened.

And there he was.

Ace Brown.

Tall. Immaculate. Cold. Dark eyes like smoke over ice. His jawline looked carved out of stone, and the expensive watch on his wrist gleamed like a silent warning.

"Miss Caldwell," he said, stepping aside.

She blinked. "Hi... Yes. I'm Avery."

"I know."

He turned, expecting her to follow - like he always got what he wanted.

She stepped in, tense. The suite was modern, but empty. No other people. Just a sleek laptop, a bottle of whiskey, and a file sitting on the glass table.

"Please sit," he said, nodding toward the couch.

"This isn't... how interviews usually work," she said carefully.

"I don't do things the usual way."

That voice - deep, smooth, and dangerously calm. She felt the pull already.

He handed her a sleek folder.

Avery opened it.

Her breath caught.

A contract. A marriage contract.

Ace didn't blink as he watched her read.

His voice was unhurried. "It's not a joke. You sign this, and you're legally my wife. For one year."

"Excuse me?" she said, stunned.

"You'll be well-compensated. A penthouse, $200,000, and a position at SilverStone as my personal secretary."

"I... I applied to be a junior agent. Not someone's wife."

"I don't need a wife. I need a solution."

Avery frowned. "Then why not hire an actress?"

"Because this needs to look real. You're beautiful, educated, and unknown.

His gaze lingered on her a second too long.

She swallowed hard. "Why do you even need this?"

"That's not relevant."

"It is to me."

Ace's eyes darkened. "My father left a clause in his will. If I'm not married by my 29th birthday, I lose control of the company. That's in three months."

Avery blinked, heart thudding. "So I'm your... corporate loophole?"

"Precisely."

She looked at the signature line.

Then up at the man who oozed dominance from every inch of his tailored suit.

"Do I get time to think?"

"You have until tomorrow."