Chapter 1 The deal

Madia Sterling sat in the backseat of her sleek black car, her fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest.

The city lights outside blurred by the speed of the vehicle, her mind a thousand miles away.

The weight of her father's voice echoed in her head: "You must marry. You need an heir. It's time to stop grieving and get on with it."

But how could she? How could she ever marry again after what happened to Daniel? After losing him in that cruel accident? Her heart had been shattered into pieces, and no amount of wealth or power could fix it.

She had everything except peace. Love had betrayed her, and she was done with it.

Her father was relentless. "The business, the future, our name, it's all at risk without a son."

Madia couldn't stand it anymore. The pressure was suffocating. She didn't care about love, and she certainly didn't care about finding a man she could trust. What she needed was a solution.

She needed a child.

But she wasn't going to waste time looking for a man who could never fill the void in her heart. There was another way. She had the power, the money, the control. Why bother with emotions?

Her thoughts spiraled until her eyes fell on a dark alleyway, where a man sat huddled in the shadows.

His clothes were ragged, his posture slumped in defeat, his face a mask of exhaustion. But there was something about him.

The car slowed as it neared him. And for a moment, she caught his eyes. Dark, intense, unyielding. He didn't look at her with pity.

He looked at her as if he could see straight through her, into the depths of her soul. It unsettled her.

She turned to her driver. "Stop here."

The car came to a halt, and the man didn't flinch. He didn't beg for change. He simply watched her, his eyes cold and unreadable.

Madia opened the door, stepping out onto the damp street. The air smelled of rain and grime, but she wasn't bothered by it. She was here for something far more important than comfort.

The man looked at her for a long time, studying her. He had the look of someone who had seen too much of life's cruelty to be surprised by anything.

"You need something?" he asked, his voice hoarse but firm.

Madia's gaze held steady, her expression cold. "I need a husband."

The beggar's brow furrowed. His lips twisted slightly as he seemed to take in her words.

"A husband?" he repeated, his tone filled with disbelief. "You don't look like you need a husband. You look like you have everything."

"I do," she said sharply. "But what I don't have is what matters most."

She paused, letting the weight of her words hang in the air, and then continued, her voice lowering to a cold, calculated tone. "I need someone to marry me. To give me a child. And then, once the child is born, you'll walk away with more money than you've ever seen in your life. It's a simple deal."

The beggar didn't speak. He just stared at her. Was he laughing at her in his head? Did he think she was insane?

Madia didn't wait for him to answer. She already knew what he was. Desperate. Broken. People like him had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. And she had what he needed: an escape.

"Do you want to live like this?" she asked, nodding toward his ragged clothes and the street around him. "I can offer you something more. More than you could ever dream of."

She watched him carefully, her fingers itching to reach for her phone and make the final arrangements. But she needed to see if he was going to take the bait.

The beggar looked at her again, his eyes narrowed, his expression still unreadable. There was a long silence before he spoke.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch," she replied quickly. "You marry me. You give me a child. And then you disappear. That's it. No strings attached."

He shook his head slowly, clearly skeptical. "I'm supposed to believe that?"

"I don't expect you to believe me," Madia said, her voice steady. "But I'm offering you the chance to change your life. You'll never have to worry about money again. You'll be free."

He glanced at her car, at the luxury that surrounded her, before his gaze shifted back to her, his face hardening.

"And what do you get out of this?" he asked.

Madia took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving his. "What I get is what I've always wanted. A future. A family. A legacy."

The man, still silent, considered her words. For a brief moment, Madia felt a flicker of uncertainty. What if he rejected her offer? What if this didn't go according to plan?

But then he spoke again, his voice gruff but resolute. "You're crazy."

"Crazy enough to make you an offer you can't refuse," she replied smoothly. "I don't need love. I don't need a husband for anything other than to have a child. And that's something you can give me."

There was another long pause, and then, to her surprise, he stood up. He brushed the dirt from his clothes and looked at her one last time.

"Fine," he said, his voice cold. "I'll do it. But there's one thing you should know."

Madia raised an eyebrow, curious. "What's that?"

"I don't trust you," he said bluntly. "And I don't care about your money. I'll do what you want, but don't think for one second you can control me."

Madia's lips curled into a slight smile. It wasn't the response she'd been expecting, but it was the one she needed to Control. She could take control of the situation, and once he was in her grasp, nothing would stop her.

"You'll find out soon enough," she said softly. "Come with me. We'll make it official."

As the beggar Lucas climbed into her car, Madia couldn't help but feel a strange thrill. The deal was made. He was hers. And once the child was born, everything would fall into place.

But something in Lucas's eyes, something in the way he held himself left her uneasy. Was he truly as powerless as he seemed?

Madia shook the thought away. She would control him. No one could escape her grasp, not once she had them in her sights.

Madia couldn't help but wonder, though had she made the right choice? Or was Lucas about to turn the tables on her in ways she never expected?.