Deal?

Astrid 

I returned to the party, my muscles coiled with tension. It’s not every day you meet an ex who was once your entire world.

“What did he say?” my assistant asked. I shrugged, gripping the hem of my dress a little too tightly.

“We’re sending the guests away. I’ll make a quick announcement, and then you’ll handle the rest,” I muttered, already moving toward the front of the room.

“What? What about the bride?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion. I glanced at her over my shoulder, my expression dry and enough to pass a message.

“Just do as you’re told, Nora.” My voice was clipped, and she stopped in her tracks, watching as I climbed onto the podium—the very spot where the groom should have introduced his bride.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” I began, gripping the microphone as every head turned toward me. Murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd, I could taste their curiosities in my mouth. Bitter and sour. 

“Thank you all for gracing this occasion. I trust you’re having a wonderful time?” I asked, forcing a polite smile. A few half-hearted “yeses” came from the audience.

“Well, there’s been a slight change of plans—”

“Where’s the bride and groom?” someone called out, cutting me off. My throat tightened, but I swallowed and pressed on.

Oh, it was just a matter of time before they knew the bride was missing and the groom? He was a dickhead.

“The groom is here somewhere, and the bride is…”

“Her.”

The voice stopped me cold. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it belonged to. But I did anyway, blinking in shock as my eyes met Adrian’s.

He walked toward me, each step deliberate, his gaze locking onto mine as if we were the only two people in the room.

“Ms. Astrid Blythe is my fiancée,” he declared as he reached the podium, his voice calm but commanding. Gasps echoed around the hall like the sharp intake of a collective breath.

Adrian smiled at me, the same smile that used to make my heart stutter. For a brief moment, I felt it again—a ghost of something I didn’t want to name. I quickly looked away, forcing a tight smile as I turned off the microphone with a slight tremble in my fingers.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hissed under my breath, glaring at him.

Adrian didn’t miss a beat. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he pulled me closer, his lips brushing my ear as he spoke in a low, husky voice that sent an involuntary shudder through me.

“Just play along, Sunshine. I’ll explain everything later.”

Before I could snap back, he pressed a kiss to my cheek, lingering just long enough to make it seem genuine. Fury flared in my chest, but I couldn’t risk a scene.

“My fiancée, Ms. Astrid Blythe, planned this entire evening,” he announced turning the microphone on, his voice smooth as silk. “She prefers to take matters into her own hands.”

His words hung in the air, and for a split second, I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes—softness, maybe, or Sadness. It was gone before I could decide.

Across the room, I saw Nora. She was staring at me, her brows raised in confusion, mirroring the crowd’s bewilderment.

“We’ll be tying the knot before the end of the week,” Adrian added, his tone so casual it might as well have been a comment about the weather.

My jaw clenched as I forced myself to smile. I couldn’t believe it. I was covering for him—saving him—after everything he’d done to me.

This better be worth it, I thought bitterly.

“Thank you all for coming,” I said quickly, plastering on the brightest smile I could muster before stepping off the stage, dragging Adrian along with me. Or maybe he followed willingly—it didn’t matter.

“What the hell are you playing at?” I snapped the moment we were out of earshot, yanking my arm free from his grip.

Adrian arched a brow, unbothered by my outburst.

“Salvaging my career, Sunshine,” he replied, his tone maddeningly calm.

“Don’t. Call. Me. That.” My voice shook with anger. “There were over a hundred people in that room, and you just told them I’m your fiancée. What were you thinking?”

“I need a wife, Astrid,” he said flatly, as if the matter were already settled. “The woman I was supposed to marry walked out on me. I needed a replacement, and fast.”

I folded my arms across my chest, trying to create even the smallest barrier between us. Was he being serious, right now? 

“No. Absolutely not. I’m not doing this with you.”

He took a step closer, his presence looming until I could feel his breath on my face.

“What would it take to change your mind?” he asked, his voice low and deliberate.

“Nothing,” I spat, holding his gaze.

“A million dollars,” he offered, like he was negotiating  over a car instead of asking for a wife.

I opened my mouth to refuse, but he cut me off before I could speak.

“Fine. Two million.” His expression remained steady, unflinching.

My stomach twisted, but I held firm.

“No amount of money will—”

“Five million. Final offer.” His voice was like steel, and for a moment, I could only stare at him, stunned.

My thoughts spiraled. Five million dollars. I could finally open the office I’d been dreaming of in Seattle. I could secure my future. And beyond all of that, there was the truth—the darker, more vengeful part of me that whispered this could be my chance.

Revenge. For that night. For everything he’d taken from me.

I took a deep breath, meeting his gaze head-on.

“Fine,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll be your wife.”

For better, for worse—and to make him pay.