Chapter 2

I choked on my own spit and started coughing like crazy.

Daisy, who was in my arms, woke up and rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

"I'm not—" I quickly tried to calm her down, then shot Charles a glare. "Mr. Sterling, are you serious right now?"

Charles tapped his fingers on the table. "I'm dead serious. First, Daisy's been craving a mother's love, and she's surprisingly attached to you.

"Second, I'm under pressure from the board right now. If word gets out that I'm a single dad, it'll shake investor confidence. But if I have a real family, my image will be way better.

"Third, and this is the most important part."

He locked eyes with me. "We need a three-year contract marriage. On paper, you'll be Daisy's mom and my wife. After three years, you can walk away and ask for a divorce, no questions asked.

"The deal? Ten times your current annual salary, plus a spacious apartment downtown. And honestly, I'm asking you this as a personal favor."

I gotta hand it to Charles; he was a real capitalist. The bait he threw out hit me right where it hurt.

Three years, and I'd be rolling in cash, money I couldn't make in thirty years of grinding.

But come on, I was a college-educated, independent woman. Was I really about to sell myself short and play stepmom for a fat paycheck?

"Mr. Sterling, this is insane," I said, forcing myself to stay firm. "I'm your secretary, nothing else. There's no way I can say yes to this."

I started to hand Daisy back to him. "I've delivered the documents. If there's nothing else, I'll get going."

But before I could move, Daisy's cries shook the whole room. "No! I don't want Mommy to go."

Daisy sobbed, clinging to my neck as her life depended on it. Her tears fell like rain, and she was crying so hard she could barely breathe. "All the other kids have a mommy, but I don't... Mommy, please don't abandon me."

Her cries were so full of pain and terror, it was like a rusty blade twisting in my chest.

Instinctively, I hugged her tight and gently patted her back. "Don't cry, honey. I'm not leaving."

"No, Mommy!" Daisy corrected me stubbornly. She kept sniffling, pressing her tear-stained, messy little face against my shoulder. "Mommy, please stay. I promise I'll be good, I'll take the bitter medicine, I won't eat candy anymore."

I completely broke down.

I grew up in an orphanage myself, so I knew that hopeless longing for family that always slipped through one's fingers.

Staring into those big, red eyes, the words wouldn't come out. I couldn't bring myself to say no.

I glared daggers at Charles.

The culprit himself sat there quietly, watching us, and for once, that cold, stoic expression seemed to thaw a bit.

"What are you looking at?" I snapped. "Where's the pen?"

That night, I signed that ridiculous contract.

And like that, I sold myself to two cunning foxes, one big, one small.

The whole process of getting our marriage certificate was so smooth that it felt like a dream.

The staff at the city hall barely glanced at us before stamping our marriage certificates.

Standing next to Charles's Maybach, clutching my brand-new marriage certificate, I felt like I was walking on air, as none of this could possibly be real.

Wait, was I really the legal wife of a billionaire CEO now?

"The movers are already at your place, packing up your things," Charles said as he opened the car door. "You're moving into Golden Bay from now on."

"Wait, hold on!" I instantly went on guard. "The contract says we only need to put on a show as a couple in front of Daisy or outsiders.

"Otherwise, we don't interfere in each other's private lives. So, no sharing a bed; we're sleeping in separate rooms."

Charles shot me a look like I was an idiot. "Golden Bay's got twelve guest rooms. Feel free to pick a new one every night if you want."

Well, that made things more awkward.

On my very first day in the house, I got a taste of how chaotic life with a kid could be.

It was 6:30 AM.

"Mommy, time to get up!" Daisy launched herself onto my bed like a tiny cannonball, then started rubbing her face all over mine.

With my hair a mess and zero will to live, I nodded. "Morning, my little tyrant."

From that moment on, my reign as a ruthless office queen was officially over.

By day, I was Charles's secretary, the office scapegoat who could handle any crisis, block drinks, haggle prices, and basically take the fall for everything.

But by night, I was a rookie mom, completely dominated by a pint-sized tyrant who had me dancing to her tune.

At first, I thought it'd be tough to adjust to this whole new routine.

But Daisy was a little pro at giving emotional support.

"Mommy, your dress today makes you look ike a fairy!"

"Mommy, I drew a picture for you! That's you, that's me, and that's Daddy."

On the paper, three stick figures were holding hands, and there was a big red flower on my head.

When I came home late from work, she'd wobble over with a cup of milk, holding it out to me. "Mommy, you must be tired. Here, have some milk."

Day after day, Daisy bombarded me with her sugar bombs, and before I knew it, my heart had completely turned to mush.

And even my opinion of Charles started to change in subtle, unexpected ways.

To me, Charles was always that cold CEO type, crunching numbers, signing deals, and firing people.

But I kept catching him doing things I never expected.

Late at night, I'd see this billionaire CEO awkwardly messing with a needle and thread, trying to fix Daisy's teddy bear after she'd chewed its ear right off.

On weekends, he'd tie on a pastel blue apron and spend hours in the kitchen, baking cookies for Daisy and me. Even though most of the time, they came out totally burnt.

One night, I got up in the middle of the night for some water and walked past the first-floor terrace.

I caught the sound of someone speaking quietly.

Turned out, it was Charles, talking to his therapist on the phone.

"Yeah, I've been sleeping way better lately. Ever since she came, the place feels warmer, not so empty."

"Daisy's super attached to her. As for me? I'm holding back a bit. I don't want to come on too strong and scare her off."

I hid behind the door, my heart skipping a beat.

Scared her off?

Was he talking about me?

What was Charles holding back?

I shook my head and slapped my cheeks, telling myself, "Serena, pull yourself together.

"You're hired help, here for the cash. Don't start falling for your boss; the rich are way too complicated, and you don't wanna get tangled up in their mess."

But some things were beyond my control, no matter how hard I tried.