Chapter 3 You've Got Three Days

Henry towered over Irene. His height gave him a clear advantage. He had her backed into the corner. She found herself staring straight at his delicate collarbone.

The pressure coming off him was suffocating. She could barely catch her breath. Anxiety crept into her voice. "Please, can we just sit down and talk about this?" she begged.

Henry wasn't backing down. "Give me an answer first," he shot back.

Irene squeezed her eyes shut. She wavered for a second. Then she clenched her jaw and gave a nod.

Caiden had her trapped. Marrying Henry was the only way out.

Henry took a step back the moment she nodded. She finally managed to breathe normally again.

He plopped down on the couch. His chest was bare. He grabbed the towel she had brought over earlier and started drying his hair. He acted as if he owned the place instead of her.

Irene's thoughts drifted backward. Three years had passed since their first encounter.

Caiden had thrown together a business dinner back then. His company, the Smith Group, had its sights set on breaking into aviation. Having made a name for himself as an airline captain, Henry got an invite.

Henry showed up wearing a grayish-blue flight uniform, coming straight from work.

His vibe back then had been cold and standoffish. He had carried himself with restraint, nothing like the half-naked, seductive figure sitting on her couch now.

Caiden hoped Henry would throw some business his way, but he also looked down his nose at Henry. To him, Henry was just some glorified airline captain. His attitude showed it.

Henry didn't give Caiden the time of day. He brushed him off completely. But before the night wrapped up, Henry made his move on Irene. He asked for her contact information.

Irene worried Caiden might get jealous. But her love for him was pathetic and overwhelming that Caiden treated her like a faithful pet. The thought of her falling for someone else never even crossed his mind.

He practically shoved her toward Henry.

Henry's glance at Irene was filled with frustration, as if he was utterly disappointed in her.

They swapped numbers.

Henry reached out later and filled her in on their history. His mother and Irene's mom went way back. They had been childhood friends and arranged a betrothal between Henry and Irene.

Abby Shaw, Henry's mother, had been sick back then. Her health had been failing. She had pressured Henry to hurry up and marry Irene. She wanted to pull Irene away from her toxic family.

But Irene's heart belonged completely to Caiden. She turned Henry down flat.

Looking back now at her past infatuation, Irene felt like a complete idiot.

A few minutes ticked by. Someone rapped on the door.

A man brought Henry's clothes and some paperwork too.

Irene figured it was just a delivery driver. But something seemed off. The man was wearing a full suit.

Henry got dressed without rushing, then he flung the document over to Irene.

Irene snapped out of her daze. It hit her what she was holding-a marriage contract.

The contract laid out the terms. Irene had to act like Henry's real wife after they were married. Abby couldn't find out it was just a business arrangement since her health was still shaky.

Henry was listed as the offeror. He would pay her two hundred grand every month for her trouble.

Irene's eyes widened when she saw the figure.

Airline captains pulled in decent cash. That much was obvious. But even with a solid income, shelling out that kind of money each month had to hurt his wallet.

He was probably trying to save face. After all, Caiden had gotten under his skin back in the day.

Irene had no plans to take that much money from him. She didn't want him drowning in debt just to look good for a hot minute.

She kept her voice steady. "I'm cool with everything else, but you can skip the payment. I'll get a job once we're married."

Henry's face went dark.

Panic crept through Irene.

Was Henry about to pull the same controlling crap Caiden did? Would he ban her from working too?

Henry's voice dropped low. "Whatever you make is yours. It's got nothing to do with what I'm giving you."

Irene shot him a quick look.

She sighed to herself. Men and their egos.

She tried to clear things up. "The main reason I don't want your cash is to keep my self-respect intact. I don't want to feel like... like you're bankrolling me."

Henry's cold stare locked onto hers. "We'll be married. Contract or no contract, you'll be my wife."

She still looked ready to turn him down. He pressed on. "You'll need money. You can't exactly break into the job market without proper work clothes, right?"

Irene glanced down at what she was wearing. A bitter smile crossed her face.

Wavering for a beat, she made up her mind to take the money. She would pay Abby back when she got the chance.

Henry saw her cave, and pushed her to fill out the marriage paperwork right away.

Irene jumped on it.

Everything got wrapped up. Henry stood to head out. She walked him to the door like a good host.

Henry's irritation showed through. "You're not coming with me?"

Irene's jaw dropped. "Right now? I've still got some loose ends to tie up."

Henry's brow furrowed. "You've got three days. Get it all done."

Irene gave in. "Okay, sounds good."

Henry gave her one final look. Then he strode out of the apartment with long steps.

Three days wasn't much time. Irene couldn't afford to mess around. She started boxing up the stuff Caiden had gotten her the very next morning.

She was in the middle of packing when an unexpected visitor arrived.

The woman said her name was Kallie Todd. She worked as Henry's secretary. Henry had sent her over to help with the move.

Irene looked the tall girl up and down. A question popped into her head. Did airline captains normally keep secretaries on staff?

Her introverted trait kept her mouth shut though. She just flashed Kallie a smile instead. "Thank you."

Kallie stepped inside. Her frown deepened as she took in Caiden's cheapskate gifts. "Miss Burton, was your ex some kind of tightwad? Why'd he give you such bargain-basement garbage?"

She latched onto Irene's hand and practically dragged her toward the exit. "Come on, we're getting you some quality stuff! Mr. Shaw would chew me out big time if he saw this trash."

The things Caiden bought weren't exactly designer labels, but they were decent quality for sure.

Still, according to Kallie, Henry would see them as "trash."

But how could an airline captain like Henry throw money around like that? Was he putting on a show again?

Irene had her doubts.

Kallie wouldn't take no for an answer. Irene gave in and followed her out. Before long, they had reached a shopping center. They walked through the entrance. Irene froze in her tracks. Two familiar figures stood close together up ahead. Their backs were turned. It was Caiden. Paulina was right beside him, wearing a wedding dress.