A complete stranger ordered me to pretend to be his wife at my sister's wedding—right in front of the ex-husband who abandoned me while pregnant.

The terrace was empty, overlooking the sprawling private gardens of the estate. The cold night wind bit at my bare shoulders, making me shiver violently. Before I could fold my arms, Giovanni slipped off his heavy cashmere tuxedo jacket and draped it over me.

It was warm, smelling of clean linen and raw power.

"You called me your wife," I whispered, gripping the lapels of his jacket. "Twice. Giovanni, this was supposed to be a dance. A distraction."

"Plans evolve," he replied, leaning his forearms against the stone balustrade. He pulled a silver cigarette case from his pocket, opened it, and offered me one. When I shook my head, he snapped it shut without lighting one for himself.

"My aunt, Beatrice Fierro, has arranged a union between me and Victoria Vance," he said quietly.

I blinked. "Vance? As in Tyler's family?"

"Tyler is Victoria's second cousin. A branch of the family that survives entirely on social climbing and trust funds. If Beatrice forces this alliance, the Vance faction gains control over our southern shipping corridor. I cannot allow that."

"So you drag me into your corporate war?" I demanded, anger finally cutting through my shock. "I'm a nurse, Giovanni! I live paycheck to paycheck. I have a five-year-old daughter who depends on me for everything! I can't afford to be a pawn in some billionaire family drama!"

"You wouldn't be a pawn," Giovanni countered, turning to face me. "You would be my partner. And your daughter would never want for anything for the rest of her life."

The garden below swayed in the breeze, the distant fountain bubbling quietly.

"What are you proposing?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"A contractual marriage for one year," he stated with the cold precision of an attorney delivering a settlement. "Five million dollars deposited into a blind trust in your name tomorrow morning. Full medical coverage, private schooling for Lily, a secure penthouse in the city, and twenty-four-hour security. When the year concludes, we separate quietly under irreconcilable differences. You walk away wealthy and untouchable."

My mind spun. Five million dollars. Lily's asthma treatments. A house with a yard instead of our damp basement flat where the heating failed every November.

"And what do I have to do in return?"

"Live with me," Giovanni said, stepping closer until only inches separated us. "Attend public functions. Play the woman who stole the ruthless Giovanni Fierro’s heart. And convince my family that our marriage is real."

"And... behind closed doors?" I asked, my throat tight.

His gaze locked onto mine, dark and intensely serious. "Behind closed doors, you have my absolute respect. I do not touch women who do not ask to be touched, Jessica. You have my word on that."

I looked out over the terrace, back toward the ballroom where Tyler and Vanessa were undoubtedly spinning webs of lies. I thought of Lily's worn-out sneakers and the unpaid utility bills stacked on my kitchen counter.

"I have conditions," I said.