“Olivia, is there any problem? Did I do something wrong?” I asked nervously.

“No, no, Chloe, you didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t worry,” she said.

“Here’s the thing—I have a friend who has a friend who is looking for a wife.”

“Wife! You mean… wife?” I almost shouted in shock.

“Yes, Chloe, you heard it right. He’s looking for a wife.”

I stared at her, still not believing what I just heard. “But… why is he looking for a wife?”

“It seems his family is forcing him into blind dates and constantly pressuring him to marry. So he’s searching for someone to distract them for the time being,” she explained.

“Ohhh, that makes sense…” I muttered.

But then it hit me—why was Olivia even telling me this? I had a bad feeling, so I asked, “Wait. What does this have to do with me, Olivia?”

“This… actually, when my friend told me about it, I thought you’d be perfect.” She looked at me with a small smile. “You look like the perfect bride.”

“Whattt? What do you mean by that?” I said, my eyes widening.

“No, Chloe, don’t misunderstand. What I mean is—you give off the kind of vibe that every in-law would love,” she said seriously.

“Here’s the deal: you just need to act like his wife for a year, and he’ll pay you. But I don’t know how much. You’ll have to discuss that with him yourself,” she added.

I just sat there, completely blank.

“Are you listening, Chloe?” Olivia asked.

“Yes, I’m all ears,” I quickly replied.

“Then… are you in or not?” she asked directly.

“Yes!” I blurted out without thinking—because I was in desperate need of money.

“Alright then, I’ll call my friend and tell him you agreed.”

“Okay,” I said quietly and sat down on the sofa, playing with my phone while Olivia called her friend.

“Okay, yes, she agreed. But what about your friend? He hasn’t even seen her yet. Ohh, alright, I’ll tell her…” Olivia said, glancing at me as she spoke on the phone.

I couldn’t tell exactly what they were discussing, but it was definitely about me. Then she cut the call and sat beside me.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing much. My friend said his friend wants to meet you in person so that you two can sign a contract,” she explained, avoiding my gaze.

“What does he do?” I asked.

“He… he’s actually a very successful businessman. Famous too, despite his young age.”

“Ohhh, no wonder his parents are rushing him to marry,” I said.

“Hmm, probably,” Olivia replied.

“So when do I have to meet him?” I asked.

“Tomorrow,” she said casually.

“Whattt? Tomorrow?? I don’t even have a proper dress to meet him!” I grabbed my hair dramatically.

“Don’t worry, I’ll arrange that,” she reassured.

“Tomorrow at 6:30 pm is the meeting, so you don’t need to worry. I’ll take you shopping tomorrow.”

“But why at 6:30? Can’t it be a bit earlier?” I asked doubtfully.

“Since he owns a company, he’s only free at that time. The schedule has to follow him,” she explained.

“Companyyy? Owns a company? Did I hear that right? Olivia, tell me I heard wrong!” I said, shaking her arm like crazy.

“You heard right. He owns a company and he’s rich. So just don’t irritate him,” she warned.

“Yes, ma’am! I’ll try my best not to irritate him,” I said, saluting her playfully.

“Don’t forget us when you get rich,” she teased.

“Ohhh, Olivia, what are you saying? Even if I get loads of money, I’ll never forget you. Besides, that money isn’t mine—I’ll only use it to treat my father,” I said, my voice softening.

“Alright, alright, don’t think too much. It’s already late, I’ll drop you tonight,” Olivia said, standing up.

“Okay,” I said, laughing.

She dropped me at the hospital entrance. “Chloe, I’ll come pick you up at 9 am, so be ready, okay?”

“Okay, Olivia. Goodnight,” I said, waving as her car drove off.

Inside the hospital, I suddenly bumped into someone. I quickly said sorry and looked up—straight at a broad chest.

Then I raised my eyes higher and froze. He was extremely handsome, with silver-framed glasses that made him look cold but refined. Realizing I was staring, I quickly said sorry again.

“You don’t need to apologize. I was the one who bumped into you. I was in a rush and didn’t see you,” he said politely.

“Ohhh, it’s fine,” I replied nervously.

He just gave a short “hmm” before hurrying off.

When I entered my father’s room, he was already asleep, the lights still on. He must’ve been waiting for me. I gently covered him with the blanket he had kicked off and sat beside him until I drifted off too.

The next morning, I woke up to my dad caressing my head.

“Good morning,” I said sleepily.

“Good morning. You should’ve gone home—why did you sleep here?” he scolded softly.

“Olivia wanted to drop me off, but since it’s far from her house, I asked her to leave me here instead.”

“Ohhh, my baby,” he said, though I could tell there was more he wanted to say.

After breakfast, Olivia called saying she was waiting. I told Dad to rest and went down to meet her.

At the gate, I saw her smoking. The moment she noticed me, she quickly threw away the cigarette and got inside the car.

“Hey,” I said, climbing in.

“Hey. Ready?” she asked.

“Yes,” I replied with a smile.

She drove me to the mall, where I tried on dress after dress, but none were good enough. Finally, after what felt like forever, she found one she liked—and honestly, I liked it too. A simple yet elegant navy-blue evening dress.

Next, she took me to a salon. My hair was styled in soft waves, my makeup done lightly. By the time we finished, it was already 6:20. Olivia rushed us to the restaurant.

“Don’t be nervous. Tell him what you want in the contract, okay? Don’t just say yes to everything. Got it?” she said firmly.

“Yes,” I nodded.

“Fighting!” she cheered, raising her fist.

“Fighting!” I copied with a grin.

Inside, a waitress asked if I needed a table.

“I have an appointment here,” I said.

She asked for the name. “Lucas Sinclair.”

Her expression changed, and she led me respectfully to a private dining room.

I sat nervously until the door opened. When I saw who walked in, my jaw dropped.

“You!!” I gasped.

He looked just as shocked, but quickly composed himself.

“Hmm,” he said, cool and calm.

For a moment, my mind went blank. The same man I bumped into last night—the one with the cold, unreadable eyes—was now sitting across from me.

Was this fate… or the start of a dangerous deal?