She Rejected Him on a Blind Date—Then Another Woman Said, “Marry Me”
Chapter 1
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work.”
Sophia Bennett said it with a polite smile.
Across the small restaurant table, Ethan Cole nodded.
“I understand.”
Sophia glanced at her watch.
They had been sitting there for twenty-three minutes.
Ethan had ordered coffee.
She hadn’t finished hers.
He was wearing a simple navy shirt and an old leather watch.
Nothing about him suggested wealth.
Nothing about him suggested importance.
And Sophia had already made her decision.
“You’re a nice guy,” she said.
Ethan almost smiled.
“That usually means I’m about to be rejected.”
She laughed awkwardly.
“I just don’t think we’re compatible.”
“Because?”
She hesitated.
“You seem… quiet.”
“I am.”
“And I’m looking for someone more ambitious.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
“I’m ambitious.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“What do you do?”
“I work in logistics.”
Sophia nodded.
“Okay.”
There was something dismissive in the way she said it.
Ethan noticed.
He had been introduced through friends.
A blind date.
No expectations.
No promises.
Still, he had hoped they would at least finish dinner.
Sophia reached for her handbag.
“I hope you don’t take this personally.”
“I won’t.”
She smiled.
“Good.”
Then she stood.
“I’ll pay for my coffee.”
Ethan nodded.
She walked toward the door.
He watched her leave.
Then he leaned back.
Five minutes later, the restaurant’s other entrance opened.
A woman in a cream-colored coat walked in.
She looked around.
Then approached Ethan’s table.
“Excuse me.”
Ethan looked up.
“Yes?”
“Are you Ethan?”
“Yes.”
She took a breath.
“My name is Claire.”
He nodded politely.
“Nice to meet you.”
She pulled out a chair.
“Can I sit?”
Ethan looked confused.
“Do we know each other?”
“No.”
“Then…”
Claire sat anyway.
“I need a favor.”
Ethan blinked.
“What kind?”
She placed a document folder on the table.
“Marry me.”
He stared at her.
“I’m sorry?”
“Marry me.”
Ethan looked toward the door.
Then back at her.
“This is a joke.”
“No.”
Claire’s expression was completely serious.
“I need a husband.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know.”
“You just met me.”
“Yes.”
“Then why would you ask me to marry you?”
Claire leaned closer.
“Because I have three days to stop my family from taking everything I own.”
Ethan said nothing.
She continued.
“My father left me controlling ownership of our family company.”
“How much is it worth?”
“About two billion dollars.”
His eyes widened.
“And?”
“There is a clause in the trust.”
“What clause?”
“I must be legally married before my father’s estate can be finalized.”
Ethan stared at her.
“So you need a husband.”
“Yes.”
“And you chose me?”
Claire nodded.
“Because I watched you get rejected.”
Ethan blinked.
“What?”
“I was sitting behind you.”
She smiled sadly.
“You didn’t get angry.”
“You didn’t insult her.”
“You didn’t try to make her feel guilty.”
“You just accepted it.”
Ethan leaned back.
“And that tells you I should marry you?”
Claire looked him directly in the eyes.
“It tells me you’re probably the only kind of man I can trust.”
He laughed.
“This is insane.”
“I know.”
“What’s the catch?”
Claire pushed the folder toward him.
“One-year legal marriage.”
Separate finances.
No romantic expectations.
No public humiliation.
No interference with each other’s careers.
And a generous payment at the end.
Ethan stared at the contract.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
He looked toward the door Sophia had disappeared through.
Then back at Claire.
Twenty minutes ago, a woman had rejected him because she didn’t think he was enough.
Now another woman was asking him to become her husband.
But Ethan had no idea that Claire’s proposal wasn’t really about money.
Someone in her family wanted her dead.
And the fake husband she chose by chance was about to become the only person standing between her…
and a billion-dollar empire.
