Chapter 2 - The Contract
The music seemed to completely fade into background noise as Daniel stormed toward us.
He looked exactly the same, yet somehow entirely different in an incredibly expensive tuxedo.
"Ellie, what the hell is going on here?" Daniel demanded, ignoring Ryan entirely.
I instinctively took a step back, but Ryan’s arm securely anchored me to his side.
"I believe you are interrupting our dance," Ryan stated, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave.
Daniel scoffed, finally looking up at the billionaire standing in front of him.
"I don't care who you are, Blackwood, she is my ex-fiancée," Daniel snapped angrily.
"Correction," Ryan replied smoothly, pulling me just a fraction closer.
"She is my wife, and you are currently trespassing at a private family event."
Daniel laughed bitterly, shaking his head in complete disbelief.
"Ellie doesn't even have a passport, let alone a billionaire husband," Daniel sneered.
"She is a broke waitress who still owes fifty thousand dollars on her dead father's diner."
The entire room fell completely, terrifyingly silent at his cruel public declaration.
My cheeks burned with intense humiliation, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.
Ryan did not yell, nor did he raise a hand to strike my ex.
He simply snapped his fingers in the air.
Two massive security guards immediately flanked Daniel from both sides.
"Remove this man from the premises, and if he resists, break his legs," Ryan ordered calmly.
Daniel’s arrogant face drained of all color as the guards physically dragged him backward out of the ballroom.
Ryan turned to me, his dark eyes softening instantly.
"Let's get out of here," he whispered gently.
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the back of a luxurious, heavily armored limousine.
The city lights blurred past the tinted windows in absolute silence.
I finally found the courage to look at the man sitting across from me.
"Thank you for what you did, but you can drop me off at the next corner," I said quietly.
Ryan poured a glass of sparkling water and handed it to me.
"I am not dropping you off, Ellie, because our arrangement is just beginning."
He reached into his sleek leather briefcase and pulled out a thick, legal document.
He placed the contract on the seat next to me, alongside a beautiful photograph of my father’s diner.
"I paid off your fifty-thousand-dollar debt twenty minutes ago," Ryan stated flatly.
I choked on my water, staring at him in absolute shock.
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"You don't just need a fake husband for tonight, Ellie."
"You are going to be my fake wife for exactly six months."
