To Suffer With

Madia Sterling sat in the backseat of her sleek black car, her fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest.

The city lights outside blurred by the speed of the vehicle, her mind a thousand miles away.

The weight of her father's voice echoed in her head: "You must marry. You need an heir. It's time to stop grieving and get on with it."

But how could she? How could she ever marry again after what happened to Daniel? After losing him in that cruel accident? Her heart had been shattered into pieces, and no amount of wealth or power could fix it.

She had everything except peace. Love had betrayed her, and she was done with it.

Her father was relentless. "The business, the future, our name, it's all at risk without a son."

Madia couldn't stand it anymore. The pressure was suffocating. She didn't care about love, and she certainly didn't care about finding a man she could trust. What she needed was a solution.

She needed a child.

But she wasn't going to waste time looking for a man who could never fill the void in her heart. There was another way. She had the power, the money, the control. Why bother with emotions?

Her thoughts spiraled until her eyes fell on a dark alleyway, where a man sat huddled in the shadows.

His clothes were ragged, his posture slumped in defeat, his face a mask of exhaustion. But there was something about him.

The car slowed as it neared him. And for a moment, she caught his eyes. Dark, intense, unyielding. He didn't look at her with pity.

He looked at her as if he could see straight through her, into the depths of her soul. It unsettled her.

She turned to her driver. "Stop here."

The car came to a halt, and the man didn't flinch. He didn't beg for change. He simply watched her, his eyes cold and unreadable.

Madia opened the door, stepping out onto the damp street. The air smelled of rain and grime, but she wasn't bothered by it. She was here for something far more important than comfort.

The man looked at her for a long time, studying her. He had the look of someone who had seen too much of life's cruelty to be surprised by anything.

"You need something?" he asked, his voice hoarse but firm.

Madia's gaze held steady, her expression cold. "I need a husband."

The beggar's brow furrowed. His lips twisted slightly as he seemed to take in her words.

"A husband?" he repeated, his tone filled with disbelief. "You don't look like you need a husband. You look like you have everything."

"I do," she said sharply. "But what I don't have is what matters most."

She paused, letting the weight of her words hang in the air, and then continued, her voice lowering to a cold, calculated tone. "I need someone to marry me. To give me a child. And then, once the child is born, you'll walk away with more money than you've ever seen in your life. It's a simple deal."

The beggar didn't speak. He just stared at her. Was he laughing at her in his head? Did he think she was insane?