Bride for sale

mic tick of an antique clock that Cassie had found at a flea market in Brooklyn. It was supposed to be a good-luck charm - a reminder of the early days whe

ayed in bright, colorful arrangements, now seemed like ghosts of a dream she was no longer sure she believed in. She'd built this place from scratch, pouring in every dollar sh

man stepped inside, shaking raindrops from his dark, tailored coat. His presence was commanding, as if the very air in the room shifted to accommodate him. H

oice was even, professional,

stubble, as though he'd been too busy conquering the world to bother shaving that morning. She couldn't place his age - early thirties, perhaps. He was hands

y," he said, his voice smo

ly masked her surprise with a raised eyebrow

e glanced down at the name embossed in gold: Dominic Blackwell. The name struck a distant chord, some

said, more a state

decipher what he wanted from her

roblem," Dominic replied, the corner of his mou

in her own space, especially by a man who looked at her like she

nd dollars. Your landlord has given you notice to vacate unless you come up with the back rent in the next thi

structed mask cracking just a bit. How did

aid, her voice colder now. "But th

sleeve of his coat. "I have a proposition for you

ep her expression neutral. "I'm not i

d to fill the entire room. "I'm not selling a

life?" She hated how defensive she sounded, but the walls

if they were sharing a secret. "The kind tha

him, expecting a punchline that never came. He wasn'

ly managed, the word c

the weather. "A marriage of convenience. In exchange, I'll clear your debts, pay of

arp and humorless. "Y

ou should be too. You're drowning,

snapped back. "Why would I ever agree to s

in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "On the contrary, Ms. Monroe, I know more about you than you think. I've watched yo

lt wrong, like she was a

y woman standing beside me. I want someone who won't break under pr

of the situation sinking in like a

get what we need. You get financial freedom. I

she hated it, he was right about one thing: she was drowning. The bills were pil

leave. "Think about it, Cassie. And when you realize you

ng alone in the silence of her empty bouti

woman's life and offers marr

of woman would

r beloved shop, the one she'd built with her own two hands