Chapter 1: The Cruel Bargain

The air in the Quinn family mansion smelled of lilies and old money, a sharp contrast to the antiseptic scent of the dialysis center Natalie had just come from. She stood before her father, George, and her stepmother, Lauren, clutching her purse until her knuckles turned white.

“Dad, please,” Natalie pleaded, her voice trembling. “I just need to borrow $50,000. Mom needs a kidney transplant. Her dialysis isn’t enough anymore. We really don’t have the money.”

George didn’t even look up from his newspaper. It was Lauren who answered, her lip curling in disdain. “How shameless of you to come here and beg like a beggar. You think we’re a bank?”

“I’ll pay you back. I promise,” Natalie insisted.

“Lauren,” George muttered weakly. “Maybe we can let her borrow it. It is her mother…”

“You’re still thinking about your ex-wife?” Lauren snapped. “Need I remind you that we are your family now? Without me, you’d have nothing.”

From the couch, Natalie’s stepsister, Cassie, laughed while scrolling on her phone. “It’s pathetic. My loser sister begging for cash.”

Then, Lauren’s eyes lit up with a malicious idea. “Wait. We’ll give you the money. But on one condition.”

Natalie held her breath. “Anything.”

“You marry Sebastian Klein in Cassie’s place.”

Natalie’s blood ran cold. Everyone in the city knew the name Sebastian Klein. He was the illegitimate son of the powerful Klein family—a dirtbag, a jailbird, a man who hung out with thugs and couldn’t hold down a job. He was the pariah of high society.

“The good-for-nothing loser?” Natalie whispered.

“Exactly,” Lauren sneered. “The Kleins want a union with the Quinn family. Cassie is too good for him. But you? You’re also a daughter. You can take the bullet.”

“Do you want the money for your mother or not?” George asked, his voice devoid of paternal love.

Natalie closed her eyes. She pictured her mother hooked up to machines, fading away. She opened her eyes, steeling herself.

“Fine. I’ll marry Sebastian Klein.”

Chapter 2: The Groom

In a dim holding cell, a man with a sharp jawline and eyes that held too much intelligence to be a common criminal sat on a bench.

“Klein! Get up. It’s time to go,” the officer barked, unlocking the cell. “Don’t drive recklessly again.”

Sebastian Klein walked out, straightening his jacket. Waiting for him outside was a black luxury sedan. His assistant, Daniel, opened the door.

“Everything going according to plan, Boss?” Daniel asked.

“Yes,” Sebastian said, his voice changing from a rough growl to a smooth baritone. “Me being in jail was the perfect alibi. My father doesn’t suspect a thing about my business dealings.”

“And the Quinn family?”

“They kept their end of the bargain,” Daniel confirmed. “But they swapped the sisters. You’re marrying the older one, Natalie.”

Sebastian smirked. “Interesting. Let the wedding begin.”

Chapter 3: The Black Sheep Alliance

The wedding venue was sparse. The groom’s side was empty; the Klein family hadn’t bothered to show up for their bastard son. The guests whispered loudly, mocking the groom’s tardiness and reputation.

“I heard he’s ugly as sin,” one guest whispered.

“He’s late for his own wedding. Classic loser,” said another.

Just then, the doors opened. Sebastian strode in. He wasn’t ugly—far from it—but he wore a demeanor of practiced apathy. He stood next to Natalie at the altar.

“I wasn’t aware the Quinn family had two daughters,” Sebastian murmured to her. “I thought I was marrying Cassie.”

“I’m the older one,” Natalie whispered back, staring straight ahead. “My dad divorced my mom when I was three.”

“So, you’re just like me,” Sebastian noted, a flicker of genuine interest in his eyes. “The black sheep of the family.”

“Are you disappointed you aren’t marrying the heiress?” she asked.

“Can’t say that I am. Are you disappointed you have to marry a loser?”

Natalie looked at him then. He didn’t look like a loser. He looked like a man wearing a mask. “Can’t say that I am. And you shouldn’t talk down on yourself like that.”

Sebastian paused, surprised by her defense. For the first time, he looked at her not as a pawn, but as a person.

They exchanged vows. Two outcasts binding themselves together for survival.

Chapter 4: The Contract

After the wedding, Sebastian took Natalie to a small, run-down house on the edge of town.

“This is our home,” he said, watching her reaction closely. He could have taken her to his penthouse, but he needed to maintain his cover. “It’s not much.”

“It’s cozy,” Natalie said politely, though she looked exhausted. “Which room is mine?”

“There’s only one bedroom,” Sebastian teased. “We’re married, aren’t we?”

Natalie flinched. “I… I barely know you. I’m not ready.”

Sebastian laughed, raising his hands. “Relax. I’m messing with you. Look, neither of us wants to be here. Let’s make a deal. We play the happy couple in public. You stay out of my affairs, I stay out of yours. Once my trust fund is released, we divorce. Deal?”

“Deal,” Natalie exhaled. “I’ll take the couch.”

“No,” Sebastian said, throwing a pillow onto the sofa. “I’ll take the couch. You take the room.”

The next day, Natalie went to return her rental wedding shoes to a boutique, only to be told they were damaged and she owed $500. The clerk sneered at her poverty.

“Don’t get married if you have no money,” the clerk spat.

Suddenly, a hand slammed a credit card on the counter. Sebastian appeared.

“Those shoes are too ugly for my wife anyway,” he said coolly. He pointed to a pair of limited-edition red-bottom heels on display. “We’ll take those. They’re $7,000.”

“Sebastian, no!” Natalie hissed. “That’s insane.”

“It’s my wedding gift to you,” he said firmly, forcing the clerk to serve them. As he knelt to help Natalie put the shoe on, he whispered, “I know your size. I’m your husband.”

Chapter 5: Broken Promises

With the wedding done, Natalie returned to her father’s house to collect the $50,000 check.

“Where’s the money?” Natalie asked Lauren and Cassie. “The hospital bill is overdue.”

Lauren scoffed, examining her nails. “I said I’d give it to you. I never said when.”

“My mother is dying!” Natalie screamed.

“Not our problem,” Cassie smirked, showing off a new handbag. “Daddy just bought me this. It was $20,000.”

“You spent $20,000 on a bag while my mom waits for dialysis?” Natalie turned to find her father, but Lauren stood up and slapped her hard across the face.

“Get out of my house, you ungrateful leech!” Lauren shrieked.

Natalie stumbled out, humiliated and empty-handed. When she returned home, she tried to hide her face, but Sebastian noticed the bruise immediately.

“Who hit you?” he demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave.

“I ran into a door,” she lied, rushing to the shower.

Sebastian pulled out his phone. “Daniel. The Quinns hit her. Put pressure on her father’s business. I want to teach him a lesson.”

Chapter 6: The Sabotage

Desperate for money, Natalie relied on her friend Sarah, who secured her an interview at BM Enterprises.

“You’re a shoo-in,” Sarah said. “Just one problem. Kyle and Serena work there.”

Kyle was the ex who wouldn’t take no for an answer; Serena was the mean girl from college. Now, they were engaged and working in HR.

When Natalie walked into the interview, Serena smirked.

“Natalie Quinn. Applied for an entry-level job? With no experience?”

“I have a 4.0 GPA,” Natalie argued.

“Nobody cares,” Serena laughed. “I can tell just by looking at you that you aren’t qualified. Leave.”

Natalie left the building, tears stinging her eyes. She had no job, no money from her father, and medical bills piling up. She looked down at the box in her hands—the $7,000 shoes Sebastian had bought her.

“I have to do it,” she whispered.

Chapter 7: The Pawn Shop

Natalie walked into a seedy pawn shop. “How much for these? They’re brand new, limited edition.”

The sleazy owner looked them over. “Two grand.”

“They cost seven!”

“Take it or leave it.”

Natalie hesitated. They were a gift. Sebastian had been so kind. “Actually… I changed my mind. I don’t want to sell them.”

She reached for the box, but the owner grabbed her wrist. “Don’t waste my time. Sell them now.”

“Let go of me!” Natalie screamed.

Two thugs emerged from the back room. “The boss says take the shoes and have some fun with the girl.”

They cornered her. Natalie backed up, terrified. “Help! Somebody help me!”

The door crashed open.

“Get your hands off my wife,” a voice thundered.

Sebastian stood in the doorway, radiating a terrifying aura. He didn’t look like a loser; he looked like a predator.

“Listen buddy,” the thug laughed. “Get out of here before—”

Sebastian moved in a blur. He incapacitated the first thug with a single strike and twisted the arm of the second until the man screamed.

“Which hand did you touch her with?” Sebastian asked calmly, tightening his grip.

“I’m sorry! We were following orders! Nick Volkov from the Russian mob told us to!”

Sebastian threw the man to the ground. He turned to Natalie, who was shaking, clutching the shoe box.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I shouldn’t have tried to pawn your gift.”

“Is that why you think I’m mad?” Sebastian stepped closer, his expression softening. “I’m mad because you didn’t come to me. I’m your husband, Natalie. Why didn’t you ask for help?”

“Because it’s a fake marriage!” Natalie cried, the stress finally breaking her. “My dad stiffed me, I failed my interview, and I’m drowning in debt. I didn’t want to burden you because you said we’d just divorce!”

Sebastian sighed, realizing how much weight she was carrying alone. He pulled her into a hug.

“Forget what I said earlier,” Sebastian murmured into her hair. “You can rely on me.”

“But we have no money,” she wept. “We can’t stay in that shack.”

“We won’t,” Sebastian said, making a decision. He was done hiding in the shadows while his wife suffered. “My… friend is out of town. He wants me to watch his place in the city. It’s a penthouse. We’re moving there tomorrow.”

Natalie looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “Really?”

“Really,” Sebastian promised. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”

THE END.