Chapter 2 The Contract

I woke up to sunlight and silence.

For a second, I didn't know where I was.

White sheets. Soft pillows. A room bigger than my entire apartment. The smell of expensive cologne still on the pillow beside me.

And then the memory hit me like a slap.

The masquerade. The dance. The terrace. The proposition.

One night. Five million.

"Oh God," I whispered, sitting up and pulling the sheet to my chest. "What did I do?"

I was alone.

He was gone.

On the pillow beside me was a single black card with gold letters:

ALEJANDRO DE LA VEGA DE LA VEGA GROUP

And underneath, in his handwriting, just one line:

Be ready at 6 PM. A car will come for you. Don't be late.

No "good morning." No "thank you." No "are you okay?"

Just an order.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to run. I wanted to pretend last night never happened.

But then my phone buzzed.

It was the hospital.

"Miss Ramirez, your mother's surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow morning. Payment of five million has been received in full."

My hands started to shake.

He had already paid it.

Before I even woke up. Before I even asked. He had kept his promise.

My mother was going to live.

I covered my mouth and sobbed - not because I regretted it. But because for the first time in months, I could breathe.

He had saved her.

And I had sold myself to a stranger to do it.

---

I spent the whole day at the hospital, holding my mother's hand.

She looked so small in that white bed. Her eyes were tired, but she still smiled when she saw me.

"Sofia, mi amor, why are you crying?" she whispered. "The doctor said the surgery is paid. Someone... someone paid it. Who?"

I forced a smile. I couldn't tell her the truth. How could I tell my mother that her daughter had sold one night to save her life?

"A friend," I said. "A very kind friend from work. Don't worry, Mama. Just focus on getting better."

She squeezed my hand. "You look different. Did something happen last night?"

I almost broke. "Something good happened," I said. "Something that will change everything for us."

She didn't know how true that was.

When I left the hospital, my phone was already buzzing with messages from Lucia.

Lucia: SOFIA!! Have you seen the news?! Lucia: You are EVERYWHERE. Lucia: Call me NOW.

My stomach dropped. I opened the news link with trembling fingers.

And there we were.

Me and Alejandro on the terrace. His hand on my waist. My face tilted up to his.

"BILLIONAIRE ALEJANDRO DE LA VEGA SPOTTED WITH MYSTERY WOMAN - SECRET ROMANCE?"

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no."

That photo was supposed to be private. That night was supposed to be forgotten.

Now the whole of Spain had seen it.

---

At 6 PM sharp, a black car stopped in front of my building.

The driver didn't smile. He just opened the door and said, "Miss Ramirez. Mr. De la Vega is waiting."

My neighbors stared as I got in, wearing the only decent dress I owned. I felt like Cinderella - except in my story, the prince didn't want love. He wanted a deal.

The car drove for forty minutes, up into the hills of Madrid, until we stopped in front of a mansion so large it looked like a palace.

Glass. Marble. A fountain. Guards at the gate.

This was where Alejandro De la Vega lived.

A maid led me inside without a word. We walked through a long hallway, past paintings worth more than my entire life, until we stopped in front of a huge wooden door.

"He is inside," she said. "Go in."

I pushed the door open.

Alejandro was standing by the window, in a black suit, no mask this time. Without the mask, he was even more handsome. And even more terrifying.

Sharp jaw. Dark eyes. A face that looked like it had never known softness.

He didn't smile when he saw me.

"Sit," he said, pointing to the chair across from his desk.

I sat. My legs were shaking.

He slid a thick folder across the desk toward me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"The contract," he said calmly.

My stomach dropped. "Contract? You said one night. You said after that night, I walk away."

"Plans changed," he said, his voice cold as ice.

My heart stopped. "What do you mean, plans changed?"

He turned his laptop toward me. The photo was there again, bigger this time. My face was clear. Anyone could recognize me.

"Last night changed things, Sofia. There were photos. Someone at the ball took photos of us together. By this morning, they were on every gossip page in Spain."

"My board is furious. My investors are threatening to pull out. If I don't fix this, I lose everything my family built."

He leaned forward, his eyes locking on mine.

"I need a wife, Sofia. Not a girlfriend. A wife. A respectable, perfect wife, to make this scandal go away."

I stared at him. "And you want me to be... that wife?"

"Yes."

I laughed - a short, panicked laugh. "You're crazy. I'm nobody. I'm a waitress. I live in a tiny apartment with my mother. I can't be a billionaire's wife."

"You can," he said. "Because I will teach you. And because you have no choice."

He opened the folder and pushed the first page toward me.

I read it with trembling hands:

CONTRACT OF MARRIAGE PARTIES: Alejandro De la Vega & Sofia Ramirez DURATION: ONE YEAR

1. Sofia Ramirez agrees to marry Alejandro De la Vega and act as his wife in public for one year. 2. She will live in his mansion. Attend all events. Smile for cameras. 3. No love. No questions about his business. No touching without permission. 4. At the end of one year, divorce will be granted quietly. Sofia will receive an additional five million. 5. If Sofia breaks the contract, she must return ALL money. Including the five million already paid for her mother's surgery.

My blood went cold.

"Ten million total?" I whispered.

"Yes," he said. "Five for last night. Five for the year. All yours if you obey."

"And if I say no?"

"Then the hospital will send your mother home," he said without blinking. "And you will owe me five million you can never pay back."

He was trapping me. I knew it. He knew it.

But what choice did I have?

My mother was already scheduled for surgery tomorrow. If I refused, she would die.

I looked at the last page. There was a line for my signature.

My hand shook as I picked up the pen.

"This isn't fair," I whispered.

"No," Alejandro said. "It isn't. Life isn't fair, Sofia. You should know that by now."

He stood up and walked around the desk. He stood so close I could feel his breath. His eyes were dark, unreadable.

"Sign it," he said. "Or walk out that door and explain to your mother why her surgery was cancelled."

Cruel. Cold. Perfect Alejandro De la Vega.

I closed my eyes.

And I signed.

Sofia Ramirez.

The pen felt heavy in my hand, like I had just signed my life away.

Because I had.

When I opened my eyes, Alejandro was staring at my signature like it was a business deal he had just won.

"From today," he said, "you are Mrs. De la Vega."

He took my hand and slid a huge diamond ring onto my finger. It sparkled so bright it hurt my eyes. It felt cold. Heavy. Like a chain.

"Tomorrow, we get married," he said. "In front of the whole world."

"Tomorrow?" I gasped. "That's too fast! I haven't even told my mother!"

"You will tell her tonight," he said. "Tell her you fell in love. Tell her you're happy. Tell her anything - but do not tell her about the contract."

He leaned down, his face inches from mine. His voice was a warning.

"Because if anyone finds out this marriage is fake, Sofia... you lose everything. And so do I."

He straightened up and walked to the door.

"Oh, and Sofia," he said without turning around. "Rule number six. The most important one."

"What is it?"

He looked back at me, his eyes dark and dangerous.

"Do not fall in love with me."

My heart pounded.

He walked out, leaving me alone in his cold office, with a diamond on my finger and a contract that had just stolen my future.

I looked down at the ring and whispered to myself:

"Too late..."