Chapter 1
Jamie White, the café's biggest gossip, had been lurking in the corner for half an hour.
He'd seen plenty—coffee thrown, checks waved around—but nothing as weird as this.
The woman in the designer suit, with a vibe that filled the whole café, had stared at the man across from her for five solid minutes.
No shyness. No hesitation.
Her eyes were sharp, checking him out like she was picking out pork at the market.
Jamie swallowed hard, his hand trembling as he clutched the rag.
The woman raised her hand, made a slicing gesture, and pointed at City Hall by the entrance.
The man, who looked all gentle and harmless, slowly gave a smile that made Jamie's skin crawl.
Little did Jamie know, this wasn't some blind date.
It was a suicide attack, with the hunter willingly leaping into the trap.
*****
Jessica Lane glanced at her Rolex.
She had three hours and forty-five minutes left. Her mom's deadline was closing in: get married, or cut ties for good.
This was a life-or-death countdown.
She had to put a living person's name down as her spouse before sunset.
Her gaze drifted over the steaming coffee and landed on the man sitting across from her.
It was Xavier Quinn.
He was twenty-six, a part-time researcher at some no-name institute, making six thousand a month with standard benefits. No bad habits to speak of.
Most importantly, he was her childhood neighbor, a pushover who'd let her steal his candy and just sniffle, never daring to cry.
He was a perfect pawn for her plan.
"Skip the reminiscing," Jessica said, her fingers tapping on the table with a sharp rhythm. "I need a husband; you need a wife. Let's team up and make it work."
Xavier sat across from her, so upright he looked like he was facing an interrogation.
He kept his eyes lowered, long lashes casting shadows that hid the storm brewing in his gaze.
He gripped his cup of water so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Are you serious?" Xavier's voice came out rough, like an old radio crackling to life, that gritty tone oddly pleasant.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Jessica pulled her ID card from her bag and slapped it onto the table with a sharp smack.
The sound startled the guy at the next table feeding cake to his girlfriend. His hand jerked, smearing cream all over her face.
"Did you bring yours?" Jessica fixed Xavier with a gaze as sharp as a blade.
Xavier slowly reached into his well-worn canvas bag.
After fumbling around for a bit, he pulled out his ID card.
Jessica's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
'Perfect. He didn't even put up a fight,' she thought.
"Let's go." She stood up, grabbed Xavier's wrist, and pulled him outside.
His wrist was burning, his pulse thumping under her fingers like a live grenade ready to blow.
Jessica frowned, "Are you running a fever?"
Xavier stumbled, then fell into step beside her, a barely-there smile flickering at the corner of his mouth.
"Nope. I'm a bit nervous," he said.
'Nervous?' Jessica scoffed silently. 'He's still a wimp. It's getting married, not walking to the gallows, okay?'
She had no clue that the "wimp" behind her was eyeing the back of her head with a hungry look, like a starving wolf spotting its prey.
'At last, she's in the net,' Xavier thought.
*****
The City Hall's efficiency was off the charts.
When the official seal came down with a loud thud, Jessica felt the shock all the way to her bones.
For just 80 bucks, including the prepaid marriage certificate fee, she'd basically bought out a man's entire future.
This deal was such a steal, it almost made her feel guilty.
As they walked out the door, the sunset stretched their shadows long across the pavement.
Jessica gripped the marriage license and turned to Xavier.
He kept his head down, gently running his fingers over his own, like it was something sacred.
'Well, he's got some serious acting skills,' Jessica thought, mentally handing him an Oscar.
"Alright, enough gawking. It's not going to magically sprout flowers," she joked.
She pulled out her car keys and pressed the button.
The red Porsche by the curb flashed its lights and let out a beastly growl.
"Get in. We're going to my place," she said.
Xavier slid into the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and placed both hands neatly on his knees, eyes straight ahead.
The air in the car felt stifling.
Jessica gripped the wheel with one hand, the other tugging irritably at her collar.
Her "partner" was so quiet, it almost made her feel like she was abducting some upstanding guy off the street.
"Uh..." Xavier spoke up, his voice quiet but somehow echoing like a bomb inside the tight space of the car.
"What?" Jessica slammed the gas, weaving through rush-hour traffic like she was playing a real-life game of Snake.
Xavier turned to her. "What's my duty as your husband?"
Those sparkling, almost flirtatious eyes locked on her, with a touch of innocent curiosity shining through.
Jessica's hand slipped on the wheel, and she almost swerved right into the bushes.
'Duty? Why does that word sound so shady?' she thought.
Jessica cleared her throat, trying to reclaim her CEO aura.
"Your duties are simple. One, handle my mom. Two, cook. Three, zip it," she said.
Xavier nodded, looking like a straight-A student. "And what about my rights?"
"All meals and a place to stay, 6 grand a month, and bonuses if you perform well," Jessica replied, thinking she was being more than fair.