The CEO's Baby
One Contract. One Year. One Heir.
I stared at the contract before me, then at the pen resting on the mahogany table. I had two choices: Either sign this paper and give the man across from me a child within a year, or lose everything I owned.
My hand trembled as I reached for the pen.
"Once you sign, there is no turning back," he warned, his voice deep and resonant.
I looked up at him, my eyes silently screaming, I know. Then, I gripped the pen and signed my name.
He stood up, took the file, and glanced at it before looking down at me coldly. "In one year, you are free."
I didn't answer. He didn't expect me to. He simply dropped the file onto his desk and sat back in his leather chair.
"Your business here is done," he said, his tone dismissing me. "Go home and start preparations. We will have a simple wedding. No delays."
I couldn't help but wonder... Why does this man want a child? He didn't look like the type to love children. He didn't look like he had a heart at all.
"Stop staring at me," he snapped.
I shook my head quickly. "I... I was just lost in thought."
He looked at me with disbelief but didn't say another word. I stood up, my legs feeling heavy. As I walked toward the door, his voice stopped me.
"You only have one week. We will be married by this time next week."
"Why?" I asked—a stupid question, I knew. It was too late for questions.
"None of your business," he replied, turning his attention back to his computer screen. "Just do as I say."
His voice brooked no argument. I accepted my fate, whispered a quiet "Okay," and walked out of the room.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind me, I couldn't stop the single tear rolling down my cheek. I tried to convince myself, over and over again:
"It's just one year... Everything will be beautiful again in one year."