The moment they stepped into Alexander's climate-controlled sedan—a silent, black fortress against the chaos—the world ended, and a new one began.
Alexander did not look at Noah. He spent the entire 30-minute drive to his penthouse on a cold, rapid-fire conference call, his instructions clipped, precise, and entirely about damage control and stock prices.
"No, not a scandal. It's a consolidation of interests. Yes, the wedding was unconventional. Frame it as the Anderson tenacity: seizing an opportunity.
Send a formal statement to all major outlets by 1700 hours: 'Mr. and Mr. Anderson are committed partners, both personally and in strengthening the future of Anderson Industries.'
Noah sat beside him, the physical proximity overwhelming. Alexander smelled of power and ozone, a heady, intoxicating combination.
Noah felt like a hitchhiker who had just been picked up by a speeding bullet train. He was still wearing the white wedding suit, now a stained, symbolic relic of a life he had shed only an hour ago.
The news was already a wildfire. By the time they reached the towering, monolithic Anderson Penthouse, the entire city was ablaze with the headline: Jilted Heir Marries Alexander Anderson in Shock BL Billionaire Coup.
Noah watched the news coverage on the enormous wall-mounted screen as Alexander finally hung up and tossed his phone onto a leather chair.
"...unprecedented. The same-sex billionaire wedding has sent shockwaves through the market, simultaneously stabilizing Anderson stocks and sending the Li family's reputation plummeting.
Noah Li, the jilted heir, now becomes the billionaire's spouse, an apparent revenge move against his former fiancé, Kelvin Li, and stepsister, Ella Li, who reportedly betrayed him moments before his own ceremony."
Kelvin and Ella were facing an instant public backlash. Their sudden, rushed wedding, once intended as a triumphant grab for status and money, now looked desperate and cruel.
The media portrayed Kelvin as a greedy, cowardly manipulator, and Ella as the calculating usurper. Noah, the victim turned phoenix, was now the "jilted heir turned billionaire's spouse."
"Satisfied?" Alexander asked, his voice cutting through the smug news anchor's reporting. He finally looked at Noah, his dark eyes clinical.
"It's not about satisfaction," Noah said, shucking off his jacket. The heat of the penthouse felt suffocating. "It's about survival. You got your merger stabilization; I got my dignity back."
Alexander gave a small, humorless nod. "A fair exchange."
A minute later, the screen of Noah's abandoned phone lit up with furious calls. It was his father. Noah silenced it without hesitation. He wouldn't bow this time. He was done being a puppet.
"Do you know what to expect?" Alexander asked, moving toward a hidden bar, pouring himself a glass of amber liquid.
"A contract. A cold house. A few public events," Noah listed, trying to sound detached. "I know the script, Mr. Anderson."
"It's Alexander, or 'Husband' in public,"
Alexander corrected, not offering Noah a drink. "And it's more than a cold house. It's two bedrooms. The staff have been briefed. We are to appear married when necessary. Otherwise, you will confine yourself to your wing and your business. I assume you have an occupation?"
"I lecture at the university. Economics and mathematics," Noah replied, bristling at the implied insult that he was merely a gold digger.
"Good. Keep busy. This marriage won't interfere with my work, and it won't interfere with yours. The terms are simple: no emotional attachment, no physical demands, and absolute loyalty to the façade we've built." He walked over to a table and produced a sleek, bound contract—not the stamped certificate, but the real terms of their agreement.
Noah's eyes ran over the clauses: non-disclosure agreements, public appearances schedule, confidentiality clauses, and, finally, a staggering financial settlement upon the contract's termination.
It solidified everything: Alexander was purchasing a temporary role, not a person.
"Understood," Noah said, signing the detailed document where indicated, the ink feeling cold and official this time.
"And one more thing," Alexander said, his eyes drilling into him. "I protected you today. I stood by you publicly. I will continue to do so. But understand this, Noah.
The world believes you married me for my inheritance—that is, the very thing Kelvin mocked you for. If you give me any reason to believe that perception is true, the contract means nothing. You'll be on the street, and your career will follow."
Noah fired back, the heartbreak fueling his resolve. "I think we are perfectly matched, Alexander. Because you married a stranger to save a merger. You accuse me of using this marriage to humiliate Kelvin, but you're using me to save your empire. You are no different than I am—we both bought survival."
The tension thickened, a dangerous, hostile chemistry that was almost palpable. They stood toe-to-toe, two proud, damaged men who had just signed away their immediate futures to a fragile truce.
Alexander looked surprised, then a hint of dangerous admiration flashed in his eyes. "Perhaps you're right, Professor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a board meeting to attend. Your room is the eastern wing.
Do not disturb me."
He turned and strode out, leaving Noah alone in the echoing silence of the gigantic penthouse. The cold atmosphere was immediate: two strangers, two bedrooms, one contract.
Noah walked to the window, watching the city lights blur below. He was a billionaire's husband. He had won the war, but he was profoundly alone.
He felt a sudden, heavy pressure on his chest, a wave of despair that made him clutch the glass.
Was this safety? Or just a different, more gilded cage?
He sank onto a nearby sofa, burying his face in his hands, allowing himself one, single minute of quiet grief for the life he had lost.
But the silence was interrupted by a low, casual voice coming from the adjacent library, which was separated by a glass wall. Alexander must have thought the wall insulated the sound.
Noah froze, listening to Alexander on the phone, his tone now softer, almost intimate—a tone Noah had never heard before.
"Yes, Marcus, it went through. I'm married now. The merger is secure. Relax." There was a pause, a low sigh.
Then came the words that cut deeper than Kelvin's betrayal, because they were the cold, hard truth of his current reality:
"This marriage won't last a month."