"I need a husband, and I’m willing to pay one hundred thousand dollars for one year of your life."
I sat across from him in the greasy booth of his empty restaurant, watching his jaw drop. Shawn Williams. Broke, desperate, and looking at me like I was insane. He was perfect. He was a nobody, which meant he could disappear when I was done with him.
"You're joking," he scoffed, wiping his hands on a stained apron. "You're Noah West. You could have anyone."
"I don't want anyone. I want a business partner." I slid the contract across the table. "Fake marriage. Public appearances. Shared residence. No questions asked about my... health. And absolutely no touching behind closed doors."
He hesitated. I saw the hunger in his eyes—not for me, but for the money. He needed it. I needed a cover-up for the seizure that almost ruined my empire yesterday. I needed the world to stop talking about my weakness and start talking about my sudden, scandalous gay marriage.
He picked up the pen, his hand trembling slightly. "If I sign this, I own half your image for a year."
"You own a role, Shawn. Don't confuse it with reality."
He signed. The moment the ink hit the paper, I knew I had made a mistake. Not because he was a bad choice. But because when he looked up at me with those defiant brown eyes, I felt a spark that wasn't in the contract.
To cover up a sudden health crisis that threatens his empire, business tycoon Noah proposes a deal—$100,000 for one year of marriage to a broke restaurant owner, Shawn. A fake relationship, shared living, and public appearances, all bound by strict rules—especially no falling in love. But as they grow closer, the lines begin to blur, and what started as a business arrangement spirals into something far more dangerous: real feelings neither of them can control.
