Chapter 2

The whole matchmaking dinner broke up on a sour note.

I pretty much dragged Edward out of there, leaving Chloe and Jack looking like they'd been hit by a truck, while my mom shouted after us, beside herself with rage.

I just tuned it all out.

Once we were in the back seat of Edward's Maybach, a thick, suffocating silence started closing in.

The driver sat up front, stiff as a board, barely daring to breathe.

"Ms. Lane," Edward finally spoke, pulling his arm away and putting a little more distance between us. His cold gaze behind those gold-rimmed glasses was both curious and distant. "You know about my health. Picking me isn't exactly a win for you."

He probably thought I only chose him because Chloe stole my man and I was just trying to get back at them.

I turned to him, my expression serious. "Mr. Sterling, let's make a deal."

He raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely intrigued. "Oh? What kind of deal?"

"Let's get married and make it official. Right now," I said, dropping the bombshell.

The driver's hands shook on the steering wheel.

Edward's expression barely shifted, but his lips curled into an even colder smile. "Ms. Lane, we barely know each other. If you're after money, just say how much."

He pegged me as an obvious gold-digger.

And fair enough. What sane person walked in and dragged someone straight to the city hall on the first date?

"You can't give me what I want," I said, shaking my head. Leaning in, I lowered my voice. "Unless you're ready to give me everything you own."

He laughed, with a mocking edge. "Ms. Lane, your appetite is bigger than I thought."

"Because what I need to buy is insanely expensive," I said, locking eyes with him, making sure every word hit. "Edward, in just three days, the apocalypse is coming."

The air inside the car felt frozen.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, clearly thinking I was crazy.

Edward's smile faded away. He stared at me in silence, his gaze sharp and cold, as if he was weighing every word I said.

"Zombies, people being devoured, water and power gone, society in total chaos. All that money you take pride in? It'll turn into nothing but worthless paper.

"And you," I paused, my eyes lingering on his pale lips, "will die in agony from lack of medicine, just like what happened to you in my previous life."

"Previous life?" He picked up on the word instantly.

"That's right, before," I replied, laying it all out. I didn't have time for slow trust or games. I needed him to believe me, and I needed everything he had.

I pulled a bottle of water out of my bag and, right in front of him, covered it with my hand.

The next second, the bottle vanished into thin air.

Edward's eyes went wide in disbelief.

I spread my hand open, and the bottle reappeared.

"This is my ace in the hole," I said, looking him straight in the eye, calm as ever. "A personal storage space. In my previous life, I handed it over to someone else, and that ended up killing both you and me. This time, I need your help.

"I need your money, your resources, and your logistics network. In three days, I want my storage space packed with supplies, and your villa fortified. I'll make sure you come out safe and sound after the apocalypse.

"We're partners. When the apocalypse hits, you'll see I'm not lying."

The car fell into a long, heavy silence.

Edward kept his head down, tapping absentmindedly on his knee, deep in thought, weighing everything.

Edward was a businessman to his core, a true shark, always calculating profit and weighing risks.

A wild doomsday prediction, and a space power straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Should he take the gamble, or play it safe?

After a long pause, he finally looked up, his gaze behind those glasses so deep it was almost intimidating.

"Interesting," he repeated, but this time his tone was completely different. "Why should I trust you won't just run off with all my assets when the apocalypse comes?"

"Because I need an ally who's smart and level-headed, not some musclehead who only knows brute force," I replied, meeting his gaze without backing down.

"Besides, you're out of options. If you don't trust me, you're dead. If you do, you've got a shot at survival. This is a bet where you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."

He suddenly laughed.

"Evelyn," he said, calling me by my name for the first time, his voice deep and smooth. "You're quite interesting."

He picked up his phone and made a call.

"Simon, bring all the documents we need for the marriage registration and wait for me at city hall," he said.

After hanging up, he turned to the driver. "Take us to the city hall."

Then he turned to me, a playful smirk curling his lips. "Alright. I'll give you a black card with no limit. Let's see if your so-called apocalypse is really worth every dollar."

Half an hour later, Edward and I walked out of city hall, each holding a marriage certificate.

I was now officially his wife.

And behind us, the doomsday clock was already ticking.