The rain had been falling for hours.
It wasn't the romantic kind. It was cold, heavy, and merciless—like the life Elowin had grown used to.
She stood at the bus stop, holding an old umbrella, her old shoes soaked in water from the rain. With a little shaking hand, she held a job application file — it was her fifth rejection.
Why is it so hard to live with a little dignity… she whispered to herself.
But dignity was all she had. Even if the world slapped her, she'd bow to no one. Not even when the world was crumbling around her.
As she reached her small rented room, she paused. The door was open.
Her breath caught.
She entered slowly. Feeling tired of getting rejected, no matter how hard she tried, but she ended up failing again and again.
There was a man in her room standing stiff like a statue. He wore a black suit, a black Rolex watch on his wrist, and his face was cold, mysterious, looking like a cold, handsome CEO from a drama.
Who are you? she asked, her voice full of shock and fear.
The man turned with unreadable eyes, not showing any emotion.
His eyes were deep black, sharp and unreadable.
"This is my apartment," he said calmly, as if stating a fact no one could argue with.
Her brows shot up. "What nonsense? I pay the rent here—"
"I bought the building. Two hours ago."
Her heart dropped. "What?"
He stepped closer, his presence swallowing the room.
"Elowin Seraphelle," he said, her full name falling perfectly off his lips. "You'll be evicted by tomorrow unless… you marry me."
Silence. Her world tilted.
"Excuse me?"
He slid a paper onto her table. A contract.
Marriage Contract.
Her name. His name. A 1 year arrangement.
He didn't blink. She didn't breathe.
"Why me?"
He looked into her eyes, and for a fraction of a second, the cold mask cracked.
But he only said: "Because I don't like wasting time."
---
Meanwhile...
In a darkened luxury room across the city, a second man leaned against a window, watching the rain
A photo lay on his desk—of the same girl.
He smirked.
"Found you," he whispered.