Rain hammered the city like the sky itself was falling apart. Ivy Cruise stood beneath the flickering light at the bus stop, hugging her thin jacket tight against the cold. Her backpack — what was left of her life — hung heavy on her shoulders. The hospital smell still clung to her clothes, wrapped around her like a punishment she couldn't escape.
Three months.
Three months since her mother died.
Three months since her father vanished into grief and debt collectors.
Three months since Ivy lost everything — the home, the safety, the peace.
Now she had nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat, and no one to call.
Her phone vibrated — the hospital's number again.
She hesitated… then pressed decline.
She'd already heard it:
"If you can't pay the remaining balance, we'll have to pursue legal action."
Her future was a wall closing in.
Thunder cracked. The wind stole her breath. Her stomach twisted with hunger.
That was when a black Rolls-Royce Ghost pulled to a stop in front of her — a gleaming predator in a world of collapse. The door opened, and a man stepped out.
Tall.
Broad shoulders beneath a flawlessly tailored charcoal suit.
Presence like a warning.
His eyes — cold silver with a storm inside — locked onto her.
Sebastian Holt.
Everyone in the country knew that name.
The Holt Empire's ruthless king.
He controlled real estate, tech, finance — the world bent before him.
Not a man who stopped for anyone.
Yet… he stopped for her.
"I believe you're Ivy Cruise." His voice was smooth… and dangerous.
She stared, confused. "Do… do I know you?"
"No," he said calmly. "But I know enough."
His gaze dipped to the hospital bracelet still on her wrist. Shame burned her cheeks, and she instinctively tried to hide it.
"You've been avoiding calls from the debt office."
It wasn't a question.
Her heart stumbled.
"How do you—"
He cut her off. "I don't ask questions I don't already know the answers to."
His confidence wrapped around her like steel. She wanted to run… yet couldn't move.
"What do you want from me?" she whispered.
He studied her — not like a man studying a woman — but like a businessman assessing value, intent hidden in shadows.
"There's a situation," he said.
"And you're going to solve it for me."
Her pulse kicked. "I'm not involved in—"
"You will be."
He took a single step closer.
Rain soaked into his hair and suit, yet he looked carved from power itself.
"I need a wife."
She choked on air. "E—excuse me?"
"A temporary one."
He lifted a brow.
"Someone… convincing."
The streetlight buzzed louder, her heart even louder.
"I— I don't understand."
"You don't have to. All you need to know is this: I will pay off every penny you owe. I will provide housing, security, and anything else you require."
Her world paused.
That was the kind of offer people sold their souls for.
"And in return?" Her voice shook.
His eyes dragged slowly over her — not sexual, but claiming.
"You will marry me," he said simply. "And act like you're madly in love with me."
Her lips parted. "Why me?"
He could have any woman.
Any socialite.
Any beauty dripping in diamonds.
Instead… he chose a girl shivering on a sidewalk.
His jaw clenched once.
"Because you're innocent."
Heat flooded her cheeks — as if he could see the truth still untouched inside her.
"And," he added, voice dropping lower,
"You're the exact opposite of the woman who thinks she still owns me."
Vanessa Delacroix.
A name whispered throughout elite halls.
The perfect heiress. The woman groomed to be his queen.
Ivy swallowed hard.
"So… this is to make someone jealous?"
His silence said enough.
"You'll be paid generously," he continued.
"And when the contract ends, you disappear. Debt-free. Life restored."
She should have screamed no.
She should have run.
She should have done anything else.
But fate had already made its choice for her.
"I don't know you," she whispered.
"You don't need to." His eyes softened just barely — dangerous lightning flickering. "You just need to obey the terms."
A bodyguard appeared beside them suddenly, holding a black umbrella over Ivy. She flinched.
Sebastian's voice gentled — only a fraction:
"You're freezing."
He removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders before she could protest.
Warmth. Safety. A scent that stole her breath — cedar, wealth, and sin.
He leaned in — too close — and Ivy felt the heat of him even through the rain.
"Come with me, Ivy," he murmured.
"And let me save you."
His words tasted like temptation wrapped in salvation.
Her heart hammered.
Her mind screamed no.
Her life begged yes.
She whispered, "Okay."
His eyes darkened — triumph and something else flickering through them like forbidden desire.
Sebastian held out his hand.
She placed hers inside, and electricity shot through her arm — a spark that stole air from both of them.
His grip tightened — possessive.
Unmistakable.
"Good girl," he breathed.
Her knees nearly buckled.
He guided her into the car.
The door shut behind her like fate sealing her in.
As the city blurred past the tinted glass, Ivy realized she had just made a deal with the devil.
But the devil… had looked at her like she was his.
And she wasn't sure she wanted him to stop.