Win-Win

The man raised his head and locked eyes with Andrea. She stood with a confidence that belied her inner turmoil, her expression calm though her nerves were frayed. His intense gaze bore into her, and she felt a silent pressure weighing her down.

Andrea hesitated, waiting for a response, but he remained silent, his expression unreadable. Worried she might have overstepped, she quickly offered an explanation.

"I was standing by the café door," she began, gesturing vaguely behind her. "I overheard your conversation, and I... well, I'm in a bit of trouble myself. I need to get married quickly. Since you seem to be in a similar situation, I thought maybe you'd be willing to marry me."

As soon as she finished, regret washed over her. What had she done? Surely, he would think she was insane.

She braced herself for a reaction—anger, disbelief, rejection. But instead, the man surprised her.

He ended his call, slipped his phone into his pocket, and responded with a single word: "OK."

Andrea blinked, caught off guard. Had he really just agreed? Before she could fully process it, he turned to her and asked, "Do you have your ID card?"

Still reeling, she nodded. She always carried her ID, just in case.

Without another word, the man opened the door of the sleek Bentley parked nearby and got in. Andrea hesitated for a moment, then, realizing this was actually happening, slid into the front seat beside him.

The ride to the marriage registry passed in a blur. Andrea barely registered the city outside the windows as she tried to steady her nerves. This was a necessary step in her plan, she reminded herself—a means to an end.

In under an hour, it was done. Andrea walked out of the registry building with a marriage certificate in her hand. She was married.

The man's expression remained impassive as he got back into the car. He stared out the window for a moment before turning to her. "Are you coming?" he asked, his tone flat.

Andrea assumed he was offering her a ride, but something tugged at her conscience. If they were to be married, even temporarily, he needed to know about Christine.

As she got into the car, she spoke up, "I need to tell you something."

He glanced at her, his eyes cold and unreadable. "What?"

"I have a daughter," Andrea blurted out, feeling the weight of her words. She couldn't keep this from him, no matter how temporary their arrangement might be.

Silence filled the car, stretching out the seconds.

When the silence became unbearable, Andrea continued, "She's five. Her name's Christine. You don't have to worry; we won't be staying together—"

"Who said so?" His cold voice cut through her words, making her flinch slightly. "Aren't we married?"

He was right. Legally, they were bound. It only made sense they would stay together, though she hadn't expected him to care.

"Only if I can bring my daughter," she stated firmly, meeting his gaze with determination. Christine was her priority, and she wouldn't compromise on that.

The man studied her for a moment, his lips twitching into a brief, almost imperceptible smile. Finally, he nodded. "Suit yourself."

Relief washed over Andrea. They had reached an understanding, and for now, that was enough. This marriage was a temporary alliance, a mutual exchange. He was a crucial piece in her plan, just as she was in his.

For now, it was a win-win situation.

After dropping her off at the hotel, the man gave a black card carrying only his phone number. "Call me when you've packed. I'll send someone to pick you up."

Andrea threw the card behind her phone's pouch and went to pick Christine from the daycare before heading upstairs. The latter had slept off complaining of a headache, the nanny had said.

After placing the child to rest, Andrea freshened up and laid next to her on the bed, staring at the ceiling and lost in thoughts.

Now in possession of a husband and marriage certificate, she had taken the second step into her plans. The first being confronting Harold.  The next thing on her plan was getting onto the good side of the public.

That was going to be hard after everything the Smiths had fed them with. But, she was going to play her cards and hope for the best.

***

J & D Corporations...

Inside the CEO'S office, Nicholas placed the newly acquired marriage certificate in his briefcase before setting himself before his desk.

Edward, his assistant, stood with an iPad in hand. "I can't find any Andrea Pierce," he said, looking serious. "Maybe she recently changed her name, or... Maybe she lied about it."

Nicholas glared at his assistant. The latter quickly looked away with an awkward cough before asking, "Sir, do you want me to disclose this news to your grandmother?"

"Not yet. Keep an eye on her for now. I want to know why she suddenly returned to Primrose city and why she is in such a hurry to get married."

...

Back in the hotel, the evening was going well for Andrea as she busied herself developing her plans. It looked so easy in her mind, but Harold had never been a soft bun. This much, Andrea kept in memory.

Since she had refused the marriage proposal, it was only a matter of time before Harold came up with another method to have her tied to his strings. By then, she would already be prepared.

...

After dinner and getting Christine to sleep, Andrea was about to sleep when her phone rang. It was an unnamed number, but it wasn't unfamiliar.

She took the call and placed it on her ear, eyes closed. "This better be good, or you're dead," she threatened.

A loud but emotionless laughter rang through the phone before abruptly stopping. "I've got news," a deep voice announced forcing Andrea's eyes to open.

"Spill it."

"Someone's been trying to hack into your database. I couldn't find who it was but I was able to block them. Created a bit more firewalls. It would hold, but not for long," the man disclosed as his fingers tapped away on a computer's keyboard.

"Hmm..." Andrea hummed and yawned. "Anything else?"

The man hissed. "No, but—" the beeping sound on the other end of the phone made his swallow the rest of his words. His boss really was heartless.

Back in her hotel room, Andrea removed the black card from the back of her phone and copied the number into her phone. She thought for a second and finally saved the contact as "my husband".

After she had done that, she typed a message and sent it to 'my husband', before tossing the phone and sleeping off almost immediately!