ckage of her Porsche. Ignoring the sharp ache in her r

tdated, heavy flip phone with a cracked plastic screen

closest friend and a top corporate counsel for a major film studio. She demanded an ironcla

ho in the quiet room. "A contract marriage with a stranger you met at a car crash? Do you have any idea w

ebate. "I'm offering him five thousand a month to sign a paper. Make the asset sep

fax machine. It detailed aggressive financial firewalls designed to keep him ent

e paranoid legal clauses, the corner of his mout

rooms. He looked at her, his voice perfectly mimicking a simple,

s. Her heart gave an unexpected, nervou

ing chuckle. He grabbed a

He flipped straight to the back signature page and sign

nt smartphone Cruz had silently left on her nightstand alongside a bottle of water. She wore a si

curb, its engine sputtering loudly before settling i

He placed his massive hand flat against the roof of the cab, prote

rd was wiped completely free of dust, and the passenger seat was lined with a soft,

Alayna stared out the window, her pulse hammering against her

in white silk dresses and tailored suits, vibrating with nervous, joyful energy. Alayna a

to them was arguing loudly over catering costs. Alayna rubbed her

a word. Alayna's stomach plummeted. For a split

paper cup of chamomile tea. He handed it to her, his v

She looked up at his sharp jawline and calm, steady eye

. They walked up to the thick glass partition and slid

looked at Alayna's expensive linen dress and refined posture, then at Cruz's r

rriage of your own free will? Ar

out and wrapped both hands around Cruz's thick bicep, pressing he

erwork with a loud thud, and told

stripping away all the noise and chaos of the crowded r

air around him subtly shifted. A heavy, suffocating aura of absolute, unshakeable power bled in

r ribs. She rushed through her own vows, her voice tr

and slid the stamped certificate acros

, her muscle

ad before his lips pressed gently against her skin. The contact was brief, warm, and

grabbed the certificate a

n sunlight. Alayna stared at the official

he metal frame, a faint smirk playing on his lips, and

wn townhouse in Brooklyn. "The only pr

ife, carrying them to