Rain drizzled over the city skyline like a silk veil, muting the rush of life below. Inside a dimly lit café tucked between high-rises, the smell of fresh espresso clung to the air.
Nancy Carter moved swiftly behind the counter, her apron soaked at the edges and hands slightly trembling from the cold. It was her third shift this week, and her only break was a ten-minute window she used to review notes for her midterm.
Her phone buzzed with a message from her mother:
"Dad's medicine is getting low again. Can you check prices after work?"
She sighed, pocketed the phone, and forced a smile as the next customer walked in.
He wore power like a second skin. Black tailored suit. Cold gray eyes. Jaw like stone. He didn't glance at anyone, didn't need to. The world bent for Adrian Blackwood.
Nancy recognized him instantly—not just from Forbes covers or business columns. He was that Adrian. CEO of Blackwood Enterprises. The man who could buy this entire block and never blink.
"Americano. Black. Fast," he said without looking at her.
She raised an eyebrow. "We say 'please' in here."
His eyes finally flicked up to meet hers, and something in the way he stared made her feel like he was peeling away layers she didn't know she had.
"I don't do 'please.' Just coffee."
She turned without a word, grinding the beans a little harder than necessary. Arrogant jerk. Probably never lifted a finger in his life.
He stood in silence, checking his watch impatiently, then his phone. Nancy glanced at the screen. A photo of a beautiful woman—model-like—smiling in front of an airport gate. Her name lit up the screen: Lily.
Figures, she thought. Guys like him always have a Lily.
When she handed him the cup, their fingers brushed. He flinched like he'd been burned. She noticed his expression shift—just slightly. For a second, he looked… tired. Lonely.
But the mask came back just as quickly. "Try not to mess it up next time."
"Try not to be a pompous ass next time," she shot back, and walked away.
---
Two Days Later
Nancy's world turned upside down.
She was summoned to a private estate outside the city. Her mother had been contacted by someone important, claiming it was about a scholarship. But when Nancy arrived, she found herself face to face with the Blackwood family matriarch—an old, sharp-eyed woman who looked like she'd lived three lives and lost no wars.
"I like you," the old woman said after a long, uncomfortable silence. "You've got fire. My grandson needs that. He thinks he's a god. He needs a reality check."
"I—I'm sorry? What is this about?"
The woman smiled. "You're going to marry Adrian Blackwood."
Nancy nearly choked. "Excuse me?!"
"It's a contract. One year. You'll be paid well. Your father's treatment, your studies—everything taken care of."
"No," Nancy said immediately. "Absolutely not."
But then the woman handed her a folder. Inside: medical bills she hadn't shown anyone, debt notices, her father's declining condition… and a check with more zeroes than she'd ever seen.
"Sometimes," the old woman whispered, "we don't get to choose our battles. But we can choose to survive them."
And with that, the deal was set.