Chapter 4 💔🔥 Chapter 4: Desperation, Temptation & The Devil's Deal 😈💍💵

POV: Aria Collins

"Your rent is three weeks late, Miss Collins," my landlord snapped the moment I stepped into the building.

I froze halfway up the stairs, groceries in one hand, my pride in the other. "I told you I'd get it to you."

He sneered. "Words don't pay bills."

I clenched my jaw. My hands were trembling. "Please, Mr. Denvers. Just give me two more days."

He looked me over with a disgusting smirk. "Maybe we can work out another arrangement."

I dropped the grocery bag. "What did you just say?"

Before he could answer, a voice echoed through the corridor-calm, cold, and dangerous.

"She said no."

We both turned.

Lucien Cross. 😳💼🔥

Dressed in black. No tie. Just tailored dominance walking down the hall like sin itself.

Mr. Denvers backed off instantly.

Lucien's eyes flicked to me. "You okay?"

No. I wasn't. But I hated that he saw me like this.

"I don't need saving."

"Didn't say you did," he said, voice low. "But it's getting harder to just watch."

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POV: Lucien Cross

She looked like she wanted to scream and cry at the same time.

And I'd never wanted to punch someone more than I wanted to punch that landlord 🥊💢

"I told you I'm not your project," she said once we were alone in the hallway.

I looked her dead in the eye. "You're not. But I'm making you an offer."

She flinched like she expected it. "Let me guess. The money comes with strings."

"Not strings. A contract." I slipped the envelope from my coat. "A legal one."

Aria stared at it like it might explode.

"Two years," I said. "Marry me. Live with me. No sex. No emotional obligations. You'll be taken care of."

"And in return?"

I smirked. "You pretend to be my wife. Publicly. That's all."

Her jaw dropped. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe." I handed her the contract. "But I'm offering you a way out of drowning."

---

POV: Aria Collins

I stared at the contract.

He was serious. Dead serious. 💔💍📄

"Why me?" I whispered.

He hesitated. "Because I trust you not to fall for me."

I blinked. Ouch.

And yet... it was probably the safest way to keep my heart intact 😶‍🌫️

I took the paper and walked away. Not a yes. Not a no.

But I didn't tear it up.

And that scared me more than anything.

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POV: Jade (Best Friend)

I knew she was hiding something.

She came home pale, clutching a folder like it held her soul 😤📁

"Spill."

"It's... complicated," she mumbled.

"Aria."

She turned to me, eyes wide. "What would you do if a billionaire asked you to marry him for two years?"

My jaw hit the floor.

She nodded. "Exactly."

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POV: Lucien Cross

Back at the office, Max eyed me warily. "You're playing with fire."

"I'm offering her a choice."

"You're manipulating her with desperation."

"She can say no."

"But she won't. You know that."

I looked out the window, fingers tightening around my whiskey glass 🥃

"She needs me."

Max sighed. "And what do you need, Lucien?"

I had no answer.

Because maybe I needed her too.

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📝 Author's POV:

The line between desperation and survival is razor thin.

Aria stood on the edge of that blade... heart racing, past crumbling, and future dangling in Lucien Cross's perfectly manicured hands 😮‍💨💔

One signature could change everything.

But was it a rescue - or a trap?

Only time would tell... and the clock was ticking.