3 Husband? No, he was her sugar daddy!

'Hello, sweetheart.'

Ziana's mouth dropped to the ground. What did he just call her? His low, sultry voice echoed in her ears, and she couldn't tear her shameless eyes away from his taut chest. It was embarrassing but enthralling at the same time.

Zayden followed her gaze and realized what was distracting her. With a smug smile, he started buttoning his shirt bringing her out of her excited thoughts. Ziana quickly looked away, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Damn! She was literally drooling over this man!

"I am Zayden, a Grim Reaper from the Transferral Chambers," he introduced himself, loosening his sleeves. "We've already met in the afterlife palace." He added with a teasing smile.

"Ahh," Ziana nodded, recognizing him. "That's why you look familiar."

"Come and take a seat," she said, gesturing towards the couch area, but reality soon hit her dumbfounded brain.

Wait! Hadn't she agreed to some stupid deal? Gosh! Was she really intending to marry a grim reaper? Ziana felt a lightning bolt strike her body.

Suddenly, she no longer found this man attractive, and instead, a sense of aversion hit her nerves. He was a grim reaper, someone who worked in hell, and that didn't sit well with her.

"Shall we discuss the deal first?" Zayden questioned, bringing Ziana out of her thoughts.

Nodding, she walked towards the couch. As they sat across from each other, her eyes landed on the man lying dead at the entrance.

Why was he chasing after her? And why did this reaper kill him? Was she in danger because of this rebirth, or were they just trying to scare her out? She had plenty of questions running through her mind but sat silently.

"Don't worry, my team will take care of it," Zayden reassured her.

"Oh, okay," Ziana nodded at his words. "Can they also fix my door?" she nervously asked, looking at the broken door. Her mother might break her leg if she noticed even a scratch on it.

"I will tell them to fix it," Zayden replied with a smile.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Ziana asked, "Why did you kill him?"

"I agreed to save you and not everyone else involved in this accident," Zayden replied, turning towards the dead man. He wasn't a human but a demon who wanted to kill her, and he decided to hide it from her for now.

They had altered the events in such a way that Ziana could escape the accident this time. However, when the guy chased after her cab instead of taking a turn as per the predestined records, Zayden grew suspicious.

When he chased after their cars and strangled him earlier, his eyes turned black and were devoid of any form of life confirming his real identity. Even his team was confused by this unexpected change in events, and they decided to investigate it after his marriage.

"Wait, what about that cab driver then?" Ziana asked after a while, as he had also died in this accident.

"He was accompanying you during your death. We cannot change that pattern, so he will die when you die again," Zayden tried to explain in simple words. Death and rebirth patterns were complicated, and humans would never understand them.

Ziana nodded, although it didn't quite sink inside her head. As long as she was alive, nothing else mattered to her.

"If your doubts are clear, should we discuss the contract?"

Ziana's face stiffened at his words. Was she really going to marry him? He was really handsome but was also not a human. That couldn't be ignored, right?

----

Ziana scrolled through the tablet but her eyes kept sneaking glances at him. She could not digest that out of all creatures, she was getting married to a grim reaper - someone who dealt with dead people!

After a few minutes of internal struggles, she raised her head, "What if I change my mind?" And when Zayden raised his brow, she dared to add, "What if I don't want to marry you anymore?"

She was reborn now and he couldn't just kill her again. Right? She nervously thought while maintaining a straight face.

"You will lay beside that dead body." Zayden declared with a serious expression.

"Oh, I can even turn you into my favorite pet." He added with a smile, so sweet that her face contorted in offense.

"And guess what it is?" And when she raised her brow, wondering if it was a cat or dog, he wickedly smirked.

"A cute little raccoon."

Ziana's face cringed in annoyance. This damn creature! How dare he tease her with that animal?

Taking a deep breath, she focused on the contract. It had strange clauses, some warning her to never ask about his mission, while others demanded to keep this marriage a secret, specifically from her family. She skipped most of the parts as they were complicated for her pea-sized brain.

"How old are you?" Ziana asked after a while of silence.

"Three hundred and a half maybe." Zayden casually replied. Keeping records of sustainability like age didn't matter for immortal beings like him.

Three hundred? Was she about to marry an ancestor? Ziana's mouth widened in shock and her mind rebuked this deal.

Although she didn't like it, she had to sign this contract. Either marry him or die - there was nothing in between. She took another long breath and continued reading the contract.

'Clause 15: It is mandatory to keep this contract a secret from humans.' She skipped a couple of lines and read the most attractive part, 'And, Party B may be in relationships outside this fake marriage.'

"Can I date someone else even after marriage?" Ziana asked in surprise.

"I don't mind." Zayden replied with a small smile.

And as she grinned, happy to go on dates and enjoy her youth, his next sentence faded away from her smile.

"But I also won't hesitate to rip your lover's heart if I don't like him." Crossing his arms, he leaned back and warned, "So choose wisely."

What did he just say? Ziana couldn't believe her ears and his serious expression only made her gulp in fear.

Zayden laughed lightly. "I am just kidding," Seeing her face pale, he added, "We won't be in a romantic relationship, so it's fine."

But why didn't it sound like a joke? Ziana thought and busied herself reading the contract. This man was currently waving all the red flags at her. But she had no other options. Did she?

'Time is ticking, Zay! You need to get your human registration done by tonight,' Lia's voice echoed in Zayden's mind, reminding him the urgency of the situation.

'And don't forget, it's mandatory to validate your contract!' His superior added, leaving Zayden feeling frustrated. They never let him go at his own pace.

"Sign it if you've read everything," He instructed Ziana, who nodded in response. Taking the pen attached to the tablet, she signed it with a heavy heart. A sigh escaped her lips as she stared at her signature in disbelief.

"Please scan your biometrics," the voice inside the tablet commanded, startling Ziana. She followed the instructions and scanned her eyes and fingerprints.

"Let's register under your laws," Zayden said, taking the tablet from her and getting up from his seat.

Confused, Ziana stood up as he headed toward the entrance.

"You mean we're going to the bureau to register our marriage?" she asked, frowning. "Right now?"

"Yes!" Zayden replied firmly, crossing the dead body at the door.

"But it's almost midnight!" Ziana protested. She needed at least a day to accept this sudden marriage proposal.

"I mean, can't we go tomorrow?" she asked again, feeling frustrated. She also couldn't help but glance down at her outfit– ripped jeans and a hoodie. Was she going to get married in this attire?

Her thoughts slipped away as they stopped in front of a black car. A high-end sports car that widened her mouth in shock.

"Is this your car?" She asked as Zayden walked into the driver's seat.

Wait! Her husband was not just a handsome ancient piece... But he was also ridiculously rich?

Oh my god, was she getting herself a sugar daddy? Ziana gazed dreamily at the car and shook her head, embarrassed at the thought.

And when Zayden honked, she came back from her thoughts and swiftly entered the car. Wearing her seatbelt, she looked at its interior and gasped. It was so luxurious and also brand new!

Zayden looked at her and smirked before starting the car. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when she would discover that this car was 'stolen' in typical human words.

It looked good, so he lazily picked it up from across the street.