Accidental Marriage: My Gigolo Husband Is Filthy Rich

Feeling as though she was on fire, Sheila Jones ached for some kind of relief. It was as if she'd taken a swan dive right into a pool of molten lava.

A man's firm chest pushed against her, and she arched her back in response, whispering, "Niko, how could you forget me? I miss the days when you still loved me."

Hearing the name "Niko," the man's eyes narrowed just a smidgen, and he pressed against her even more intensely.

"Hmm..."

As the first light of dawn crept through the window, Sheila shifted, and her hand met a searing chest. Blinking her eyes open, she saw a strikingly handsome face.

"Hey! Who are you? Why are you in my bed? What happened?"

Confirming she wasn't stuck in some weird dream, Sheila realized she was naked under the covers and let out a shriek.

Leaning against the headboard, Shane White looked her up and down, taking in the red marks dotting her skin.

"I think the question is, what did you do to me?" said Shane, his voice a sultry growl. "The moment I stepped out of that elevator last night, you were all over me. Anyone would think you were the desperate one there."

Sheila felt a cocktail of shame and rage. Did this arrogant guy just compare her to a sex worker?

She started to lift her hand for a good old-fashioned slap. But as her hand went up, the sheet slid down, leaving her completely exposed.

Pulling up the sheet, Sheila gave him a stern warning. "Look, what happened last night stays in this room. Once we're outside, we're strangers. If you even hint at this to anyone, you're going to wish you hadn't."

Having laid down the law, Sheila gathered her strewn clothes from the floor and dressed.

The idea that she'd lost her virginity to some random guy made her eyes well up.

Swiping away her tears with a quick, angry motion, she refused to let her softer emotions show.

Sensing her struggle, Shane toned down his voice. "Last night wasn't planned, obviously. But if you're open to it, I could make an honest woman out of you."

"You mean to marry you?" Sheila couldn't contain her disbelief and indignation. Eyes blazing, she snapped, "You think one night together makes it okay to keep this going, but just with a ring on my finger?"

The audacity! It was like a twisted comedy sketch.

Shane hadn't seen that coming.

Women had practically lined up for a chance to be with him over the years, but he'd never felt the need to commit. Now that he offered, she didn't want it?

Finishing his own morning dress ritual, Shane reached for a gold-embossed business card from his pocket and set it on the nightstand.

"This has my number. If you change your mind, you know how to reach me."

Once he was gone, Sheila sank into the bathtub, scrubbing away the marks on her skin as if she could wash away the entire episode. The world seemed a little darker than before.

The night before, she'd been at a family party where her half-sister, Rita Jones, had handed her a glass of wine. She didn't remember anything after finishing that drink.

While she knew she wasn't a heavyweight when it came to alcohol, one glass of wine shouldn't have had that kind of effect.

It had to be Rita messing with that wine!

Six months earlier, Niko Evans, the man Sheila had been with for two years, got into an accident. When he came to consciousness, he didn't remember her. Worse still, he'd fallen head over heels for her sister Rita.

Sheila had tried everything to get him to remember their time together, but nothing worked.

Now, she was left with nothing, as Rita seemed to have stolen both her love and her family from her.

That was it. She couldn't let it slide any longer.

After her bath, Sheila caught a cab back to the Jones family's home.

The Jones' household was eerily quiet that early morning.

Just as she was about to walk into the living room, she picked up the sound of her stepmother and half-sister talking.

"Mom, we missed a golden opportunity last night! The guy didn't film Sheila while they were, you know, together. Imagine if he had! We could've shown that video to Niko, and he'd be done with her for sure."

Then another voice, tinged with a sneer, joined the conversation. "Don't sweat it. Video or not, Sheila won't be a problem between you and Niko anymore."

Rita was clearly confused.

Her mother, Paula, snickered quietly. "Remember Timothy, who was at the party last night?"

"Timothy Green? That unsettling older guy? I heard he's gone through six wives, and none of them are alive to tell the tale. Now he's in the market for unlucky number seven."

"Absolutely. Your father mentioned Timothy's interest in Sheila. He plans to come by in a couple of days to talk about linking our families together," Paula said.

"Would Dad really go that far? Give Sheila to Timothy?"

Paula chuckled, eyes glinting like she'd just unlocked the cheat code to life. "Your dad's business is in hot water. Timothy's willing to throw in some cash. To save the company, your father's pretty much backed into a corner."

"Oh wow, that's incredible!"

While Rita was buzzing with excitement, a seed of jealousy sprouted.

How did Sheila do it?

She'd just lost Niko, and now she caught the eye of a loaded older guy like Timothy? Rita wished she could just wipe that alluring smile right off her face!

Hearing all this, Sheila felt as though she'd been struck by lightning.

Her feet gave way, and she staggered back a few steps.

The guy from last night was a sex worker, a pawn in Rita's nasty game?

And her own father was going to trade her in marriage to Timothy, a man as old as the hills?

She'd seen the guy.

At the party, he'd ogled her like she was a piece of meat.

Whispers said he was some sort of sicko, with stories of cruelty towards young women trailing him like a shadow.

Marrying him would be her tragedy. Did her dad even consider her his daughter?

When times were good at the Lothian Group, she'd felt like the odd one out, getting none of the love or attention. Now that the company was hitting the skids, he was ready to throw her under the bus?

No way.

She wouldn't stand for it.

And with that resolve, Sheila made her exit, careful not to tip anyone off.

In the afternoon, Sheila found herself waiting outside the Evans Group building for Niko.

"What are you doing here?"

Niko eyed her like she was a complete stranger. "Haven't I made it clear? I'm in love with Rita now. It's best you don't seek me out like this."

Sheila had come armed with a heartfelt speech, but his icy words froze it right on her tongue.

Just a year back, they were piecing together their dreams for the future.

Fast forward to today, and in his eyes, she was nothing but a clingy stalker, a loony bent on haunting him, and worse, someone trying to steal her own sister's love. He was repelled by her!

Holding back a sob, she muttered, "My dad and my stepmom are forcing me into marriage with a terrible man. I had no one else to turn to but you."

Niko stared back, face as blank as a wall. "How is that my problem?"

That was the punchline. Sheila felt like she was the butt of some cosmic joke.

She knew he didn't remember her, so why did she keep behaving like a lost child, running to him at the first sign of trouble?

"I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll go now."

She spun on her heel and hurried away, doing her best to hold onto a sliver of her self-respect.

Tears flooded her eyes.

She'd given it her best shot. But it seemed like she was up against a wall, with no way through.

If he ever did remember her, she hoped he wouldn't fault her for her lack of insistence.

Watching her scurry away, Niko's forehead creased into a frown. But the moment Rita's call came in, inviting him to dinner, his face smoothed out, and he went back to being his regular self.

Twenty minutes later, a personal ad discreetly popped up on a social networking app.

"I'm a 23-year-old woman, 5'5" and weighing 106 pounds. I'm currently employed at my family's business. I don't have any genetic diseases or bad habits. My family is pretty well-off; my dad runs a small business, and I have my own house and car. I'm searching for a dependable man to be my husband. He should be honest, kind, hardworking, from a stable family, not a mama's boy, and free from alcohol or gambling issues."

Meanwhile...

In the city of Shusea, inside an office perched on the top floor of a high-rise, a man stood by the window, one hand tucked into his pocket, his towering frame casting the silhouette of a sovereign ruler.

"Boss." His assistant, Zayd Wood, walked into the office, maintaining a respectful distance. "We've got some details on the woman you spent last night with. There are some intriguing aspects that I think might catch your interest."

Slowly, Shane pivoted from his perch by the window. The waning afternoon sun painted a soft golden glow on his striking face.

Zayd passed him an iPad. "She's posted a personal ad online."

"A personal ad, you say?"

Shane scanned the details of the ad, his expression unreadable.

"Well, isn't this something?"

Just this morning, she had turned down his marriage proposal, and now here she was, advertising for a husband?

Did she find him that repellent?

Within just half a day, Sheila had conversed with no fewer than fifty men.

Whether her motivation was to spite her family or to dodge Timothy's overtures, she was in a hurry to find a husband.

After weeding out those only interested in casual relationships or financial aid, she set up meetings with a few promising candidates. Yet, to her astonishment, she found herself alone in a café the next day.

Every single man had stood her up.

Left with no alternative, Sheila decided to try her luck on another dating app.

"What a coincidence!"

A rich, velvety voice broke into her thoughts as she was registering her new account.

She looked up to find herself locking eyes with a familiar face. It was the gigolo hired by Rita the other night: Shane. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

"You alone? May I join you?" Shane inquired.

"I'd rather you didn't," Sheila retorted.

Seemingly unfazed by her rejection, Shane gracefully took the seat opposite her. "I hear you're in the market for a husband?"

Sheila eyed him warily. "How did you find out?"

Instead of answering, Shane posed his own question. "Since we've already shared a night together, why not consider me?"

As she stared at his mouth forming the words, her thoughts drifted to all the men who had abandoned her.

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion flooding her gaze. "Did Rita send you?"

Shane arched an eyebrow. "Rita? Who is she?"

"Don't act naïve! I know she hired you to violate me that night! How much is she paying you now to marry me?"

Was there no limit to what people like him would do for money?

Noticing her tone tinged with revulsion, Shane clenched his jaw. "What do you think I am?"

"In any case, you're not someone I'd call good." Sheila shot back, pulling a banknote from her purse and tossing it onto the table. "This should cover whatever you may order. Go tell Rita I fell for her scheme once, but it won't happen again."

With that, she rose to leave. Any further argument with him would be a futile waste of her time.

However, as she tried to walk past him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She lost her balance and toppled backwards.

After a brief moment of disorientation, she realized she had landed in his arms. Now, she was seated on his lap.

His hands held her slender waist, keeping her from moving.

"You despicable person, let go of me!" Sheila shouted, attempting to free herself from his grip.

Shane inhaled a familiar scent from her, just as he had that night. His eyes slowly darkened.

In the past, he had never been particularly interested in women.

However, that night, her scent had ignited something in him. Despite his better judgment, he had chosen to hold her rather than push her away.

"You should feel fortunate it was me you encountered that night," he said.

Sheila was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"At that time, after you were drugged, there was another man lurking in the shadows with a camera. If you hadn't approached me, compromising footage of you could have been all over the media by now."

Sheila felt her mind reel at the revelation. "Are you serious?"

To answer, Shane tossed his phone onto the coffee table.

"Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself."

Reluctantly, Sheila picked up his phone and unlocked it. What she found was a surveillance video from the hotel hallway.

In the footage, she could clearly see a middle-aged man lurking in the shadows, camera in hand, eyeing her as if she were prey ready to be captured.

Just then, Shane exited the elevator, and she found herself in his arms. The man with the camera had only left after they went into a hotel room together.

A shiver ran down Sheila's spine.

Not only had Rita drugged her, but she had also arranged for some creepy guy to be the rapist.

If he had succeeded in capturing her on video...

She didn't even want to think about what could have happened.

"Even if you weren't sent by Rita, how did you end up in that hotel that night? If I remember correctly, Timothy had booked the whole place, and you needed an invitation to get in!"

Shane's eyes shifted slightly. His penthouse was at the top of the hotel, and that was usually where he stayed. Even though Timothy had booked the whole place, it wouldn't include Shane's penthouse. He had gone there to rest that night, and as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, she had been there...

Sheila looked at him for a moment and blurted out, "Were you there to meet some rich woman?"

Shane's forehead tensed, and he laughed. "Wow, you've got quite the imagination!"

Sheila was stunned. Did he just confirm it?

She looked at him again, her teeth clenched. "Fine, whatever you are. Come with me."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Where to?"

"You said you wanted to marry me, right? We're going to City Hall, and we better hurry; they'll be closing soon."