CONTRACT MARRIAGE
+25 BONUS
CONTRACT MARRIAGE
Scarlett
“Nothing important. If that’s all,’ll be leaving now.”
Exiting his office, I didn’t head straight to the date. Instead, I walked into a luxury boutique and used a fraction of Ethan’s ten- million-dollar check to purchase a sharp, sophisticated ensemble: a silk draped top, high-waisted flared pants, and polished oxfords.
Petty? Maybe. But something about using Ethan’s money to prepare to meet another man was deeply satisfying, especially if that man was powerful enough to make him kneel.
When I arrived at the restaurant, it was already dark outside.
A waiter guided me towards a private table by the window. “Your reservation has been prepared, Mrs. Scarlett.”
“Thank you.”
I sat down, smoothing the fabric of my pants. My fingers trembled slightly-not out of nervousness, but out of a sudden, sharp realization. It had been years since I’d lived for myself, let alone dressed for a man who wasn’t Ethan.
But as the minutes ticked by, my initial intrigue soured into sharp irritation. Even if Adrian Hartley was the king of the industry, he was at least supposed to be a gentleman.
Right then, my phone buzzed, but it wasn’t Adrian. It was Leonard.
“Mrs. Scarlett, have you arrived at the restaurant?” he asked.
“I’ve been here for over an hour,” I replied, unable to hide my irritation. “Did something happen?”
A pause followed.
“Mr. Adrian declined the meeting,” Leonard admitted.
He declined? “On what grounds?”
“He… he discovered you are Alistair Gance’s illegitimate daughter. He doesn’t believe a social alliance would be ‘prudent’ for his reputation.”
That’s it? I wasn’t hurt because Adrian rejected me. The insult barely scratching the surface of my skin. Adrian Hartley was just another man obsessed with status, just like Ethan.
Rather, I was upset that I had wasted over an hour waiting for a narrow-minded stranger like him.
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“I understand,” I said calmly. “I only agreed to this to honor my father’s wishes. If he’s that narrow-minded, he’s not worth the table space.”
“Mrs. Scarlett-”
“This reservation shouldn’t go to waste,” I cut him off, a sharp glint in my eyes. “Find someone else. Someone with just as much influence, but with more… vision.”
Leonard sounded stunned. “A replacement?”
“Exactly. If Adrian thinks I’m discardable, I’ll simply show him that he’s entirely replaceable.”
Some time later, Leonard’s so-called replacement date finally arrived. I barely even remembered his face afterwards, as my thoughts kept on drifting back towards the way Adrian had insulted me.
By the end of dinner, I signaled toward the waiter, ready to get the day over and done with. “I’ll take the bill.”
CONTRACT MARRIAGE
+25 BONUS
She blinked. “Oh. There’s no need for that, Miss.”
I frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
The waiter nervously pulled out a receipt folder. “This restaurant now belongs to you.
I stared at him in disbelief. “Excuse me?”
“It was purchased just now and transferred under your name as an apology gift.”
I looked at the receipt. The zeros were dizzying.
“Who made the purchase?” I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
The waiter swallowed hard. “The heir of Hartley Global Holdings, Adrian Hartley.”
The receipt to the restaurant was still in my hand when I stepped out of the restaurant. My gaze dropped to the number printed across it.
It still felt unreal. A Michelin-star restaurant had been transferred under my name just because a man failed to show up for a
blind date.
Not flowers, jewellery, or some pathetic apology sent at two in the morning through my father’s secretary, but a restaurant.
A soft laugh slipped past my lips. If Adrian Hartley thinks this was going to make up for insulting me earlier, then he was dead
wrong.
Still, I was curious to know what kind of man he was because this restaurant wasn’t given out of generosity.
A sleek black car rolled to a stop in front of me. The rear door opened and a young man stepped out, dressed sharply in a fitted
black suit.
“Good evening, Mrs. Scarlett,” he greeted.
My shoulders stiffened. The familiarity in the way he said my name told me this man hadn’t approached me by mistake.
“And you are?”
He handed me a business card with both hands. “Daniel Brooks, Mr. Hartley’s secretary.”
I scanned the card briefly before handing it back. Only then did my tension loosen by a fraction.
“Is there a reason you’re here, Daniel?”
“Mr. Hartley would like to speak with you privately,” he said smoothly, opening the car door. “Please, get in.”
I crossed my arms. “If your boss thinks a fancy restaurant and a shiny car are enough to make up for standing me up tonight, then he’s severely mistaken.”
“Mr. Hartley instructed me not to return without you,” he replied calmly. “Please, allow me to explain on the way.”
His tone wasn’t forceful. After a brief pause, I stepped into the car. The door shut softly behind me as Daniel settled into the seat opposite mine.
“Mr. Hartley was unaware you had arrived at the restaurant,” he explained.
My eyes narrowed slightly. What a convenient excuse.
“That’s impossible. The time and location for the blind date were confirmed from both sides.”
“They were,” Daniel admitted. “However, the arrangement was handled by Mrs. Marianne Hartley, his stepmother. She was the one who had rejected you on his behalf. Mr. Hartley had no knowledge you were waiting there. He hopes you will forgive the
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CONTRACT MARRIAGE
+25 BONUS
misunderstanding.”
I leaned back slowly against the feather seat, His explanation sounded authentic. Not fabricated at all, but still, I wasn’t moved.
“Does your boss always give out restaurants as an apology gift?” I asked.
“It depends on the person involved.”
I looked out the tinted window. “Well, buying my forgiveness won’t work. If he truly wanted to apologize, I’m going to have to hear actual words.”
Daniel nodded. “And that is why we’re taking you to him.”
At least the man had some sense.
“May I ask you something, Mrs. Scarlett?”
I spared him a glance. “Go on.”
“Would you be willing to continue the blind date with Mr. Hartley?”
That question caught me off guard. I turned my gaze back towards the window before answering. “I’ll decide after I meet him.”
Pulling out my phone, I typed Adrian Hartley’s name into the search engine. The result showed up immediately but didn’t mention anything I wasn’t already aware of.
The deeper I scrolled, the more I realized that there wasn’t a single photo of this man. It was strange. Men at Adrian’s level were usually everywhere.
Interviews, charity galas, magazine covers, but not Adrian.
He existed like a ghost. Present in every industry, yet visible nowhere.
The car slowed to a stop outside a luxurious private club. Daniel stepped out first and opened the car door for me.
“This way, Mrs. Scarlett.”
I followed him inside. Low music filled the air. At every corner, people drowned themselves in alcohol, lust, or both. We stopped outside a private room tucked inside the back of the club.
Daniel opened the door. “Mr. Hartley is waiting.”
My fingers brushed the handle as I stepped inside, and then I saw him.
Adrian stood near the floor-to-ceiling window, one hand tucked casually into his trouser pocket. He was tall, with broad shoulders that commanded the entire room. The low lighting softened the stark sharpness of his jawline, but not enough to make him look approachable. Dark brown hair fell loosely over his forehead, almost grazing a pair of unreadable, piercing hazel
eyes.
When our gazes locked, a sharp thrill ran down my spine. So this was Adrian Hartley, the man powerful enough to make the
board fear his name. My secret weapon.
“Thank you for coming, Scarlett,” He said, voice low.
I stepped further inside the room, quietly closing the door behind me. “You gave me no choice when you told your secretary not
to return without me.”
A faint trace of amusement flickered through his unreadable eyes. “I assume Daniel explained the situation?”
“He did.”
“And yet you came.”
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Because I wanted to see you for myself, I thought.
“I prefer hearing apologies directly,” I voiced.
His gaze held mine for a beat longer before he gave a slow, measured nod. “Then I owe you one. I apologize for what happened earlier tonight.”
I hadn’t expected a direct apology from Adrian. At least, I thought he would show some arrogance or try give a random excuse,
but he had done neither.
Strangely enough, that made the apology feel more genuine than the restaurant itself.
“You”re forgiven. Though, I must admit that gifting someone a Michelin-star restaurant for missing a blind date is a bit excessive.”
“It’s nothing.”
To a man like him, an asset was just a tool to erase a mistake.
“Does that mean we’re on good terms now?” He asked.
“I think so.”
Adrian didn’t answer right away. He just stood there, his dark eyes locked onto mine, studying me with the quiet, heavy intensity of a predator sizing up its prey. There was no awkwardness in his silence, only the absolute confidence of a man who was used to controlling every room he walked into.
Finally, he spoke, his voice dropping an octave. “There’s another reason I wanted to meet you tonight.”
My pulse quickened, but I kept my face perfectly still. “Which is?”
“I want you to enter a contract marriage with me.”
ILL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT
