The Contract He Never Meant to End
After six years together and on the verge of marriage, Anna Alden's boyfriend broke up with her with a single sentence: "My father will never accept you in our family because of your family social status."
Anna Alden scoffed inwardly. She knew Evan Hayes's old flame was back, and it was time for her to step aside.
In her moment of despair, the true head of the Hayes Group and Aethelburg's most eligible bachelor, Declan Hayes, presented her with a marriage contract.
"Marry me, and you'll get everything you want. You can even get revenge on him."
Good news: A monthly allowance of ten million, abundant resources and support, a husband who was supposedly away on business year-round, a life of non-interference, and the ability to crush her ex-boyfriend with her new seniority in the family.
Bad news: The "husband away on business year-round" was a lie, and so was the "non-interference." On the very night they registered their marriage, he pinned her to the bed, kissing her breathless. He came home every night, exceptionally enthusiastic about their marital life.
Later, when Evan Hayes knelt in public begging her to come back, Declan Hayes wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "Evan Hayes, say one more foolish word, and you'll be kicked out of the Hayes Family."
In the dead of night, Declan Hayes would bury his head in the crook of Anna Alden's neck: "Anna Alden, forget about everyone else and just love me, okay?"
"Anna Alden, who are you thinking about?"
"Anna Alden, you can only think of me."
"Anna Alden, shall we have a baby?"
...
Anna Alden had always believed her relationship with Declan Hayes was merely a transaction for mutual benefit, and she hesitated to give him her heart.
It wasn't until the truth was revealed that she learned this marriage, which had saved her from her dire situation, was the result of his meticulous planning—a scheme six years in the making.