He threw money on the bed after our one-night stand.
I threw it back in his face at his own inauguration.
By sundown, we were engaged. By the week's end — married.
Franklin Flemington needed a wife to secure his empire. I needed a miracle to save my family. For two years, we played our parts flawlessly — the golden couple the whole city envied.
Behind closed doors, I was invisible to him.
When the two years were up, I handed him divorce papers without blinking.
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "I've given you everything a husband should. What more do you want from me, Octavia?"
I smiled, signed my name, and walked out.
I thought that was the end. I thought I'd finally won.
I forgot one thing — Franklin Flemington has never lost anything in his life. And he has no intention of starting with me.
Game on.

I looked from the black binder to Franklin, still struggling to reconcile this reality with the man I'd met days ago. It felt like a waking nightmare.


As I stared at the leather-bound trap, a bitter realization settled in: Franklin's "romantic" voice on the phone had been nothing but a lure. It was a weaponized tool, a calculated performance designed to keep me compliant until he got my signature.


Franklin wasn't the stranger I'd shared a vulnerable, electric night with; he was a CEO protecting his throne. To him, I was a placeholder — a temporary fixture while he waited for his true preference, the woman he spoke to back at the hotel we had the one night stand at. She stole his heart. It was obvious that he loved her, and he belonged to her.


I was a pawn in a game I didn't even know I was playing.


"Well?" Franklin asked, his voice tight with impatience. "What is your answer?"


Chapter 7 - ~ 7