Chapter 1
I slammed the wedding invitation down in front of Franklin Harvey, my eyes rimmed with tears and my voice shaking.
"Franklin, you're really marrying someone else?" I demanded.
He looked up, his signature charming eyes usually carrying a hint of a smile were now calm and unreadable.
"It's a business marriage," he replied.
"I won't allow it," I shouted.
All around us, there was silence.
I took a deep breath, gritting out the words I'd been rehearsing the whole way here.
I said, "Marry me.
"I win, you lose."
He was stunned.
I expected him to laugh at me, reject me, or pull one of his usual tricks to make me furious.
But instead, he just stared at me quietly for a few seconds, then broke into a smile.
"Okay," he said.
"I lose."
*****
I was in thought, reflecting on his words.
My mind just went blank for a few seconds.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
In my head, Franklin would give me that deadpan look and say, "Leila, are you losing it again?"
Then I’d unleash my full arsenal of humiliation plans, A through E, right in his face, reminding him that the Harvey family was on the brink and that marrying me was his only option.
I wanted him to know that the days of him always having the upper hand over me were finally over.
It was me, Leila Reed, who was in control.
But with just those words, "I lose," all my carefully prepared comebacks died on my lips.
It was like punching a pillow, only for it to spring right back at me.
"W-What do you mean?" I stammered.
Franklin stood up, his six-foot-two frame exuding an overwhelming presence as he walked toward me.
He was wearing a simple white shirt, the top two buttons undone, revealing his sharp collarbones.
I thought I might be losing my mind for staring at his collarbones. I reminded myself to snap out of it. I was here to put him in his place.
He stopped right in front of me, leaning down slightly.
His fresh cedar scent filled the air, catching me off guard.
"What I mean is," Franklin said, his voice deep and pleasant, "I admit defeat. Let's get married."
He even reached behind him, grabbed his ID from the bookshelf without missing a beat, and handed it to me.
"Want to go now?" he asked.
I stared at that ID, my mind went completely blank.
I couldn't believe everything just went this smoothly.
My eight bodyguards in black suits were lined up at the door like eight useless pillars, totally pointless now.
All those threats I'd cooked up about trashing his place if he refused to marry me never even got a chance to be used.
"Let's go," Franklin said, raising an eyebrow as he reached out and grabbed my wrist. "What, is the winner backing out now?"
His fingertips were warm, and the touch sent a jolt through me.
I yanked my hand back, chin held high.
"Who's backing out? Let's go," I shot back.
No way I was letting him see me flinch.
I betted he was definitely up to something, acting all obedient just to make me let my guard down.
Franklin was manipulative. There was no way I was falling for his tricks.
Head held high, I strutted out of his house like a peacock showing off its feathers.
My bodyguards exchanged glances, then quietly followed behind me.
At the marriage registration office, the clerk's hands were trembling as she stared at the row of bodyguards in black suits behind us.
"A-Are you two doing this voluntarily?" she stammered.
I cleared my throat, ready to unleash my full queen-bee energy.
But before I could, Franklin had already grabbed my hand, locking our fingers together.
He shot the clerk a smile so bright it could light up the whole room.
Franklin replied, "Yes, I'm doing this willingly.
"I've been trying to win her over for years, and today she finally agreed to marry me."
The clerk was instantly melted by his smile, shooting me a look full of motherly affection and understanding.
I was left speechless.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was the one forcing him. I was the bad guy winning here.
Holding the brand-new marriage certificate, I was still kind of out of it.
I couldn't believe we actually married.
Did I really win?
I glanced at Franklin, who was smiling like he had a secret, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Something about this just didn't sit right.
That night, Franklin showed up at my place with a suitcase, moving in like it was the most natural thing in the world.
He claimed he was just "doing his husbandly duty."
I blocked him at the guest room door, clutching the stack of "Post-Wedding Rules" I'd printed out in the middle of the night.
"Franklin, you'd better remember." I smacked the papers onto his chest. "We're married now, but you're still the one who lost to me.
"Rule number one: No entering my bedroom.
"Rule number two: You're on housework duty for everything.
"Rule number three: No speaking to any women unless I say so, especially that pianist chick.
"Rule number four..."
Before I could finish, Franklin snatched the papers right out of my hands.
He glanced down at them, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
"That's it?" he asked.