THREE-YEAR CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH THE BILLIONAIRE – Lena. I refilled the champagne glasses carefully, weaving through clusters of glittering guests who looked through me rather than at me. The black dress I wore, the same one I’d worn to every family event for the past three years had a small tear at the hem that no one had noticed. No one ever noticed. “More champagne here,” a woman in diamonds called out, snapping her fingers without bothering to look at my face. I moved to her, my footsteps silent on the marble floor of the Carter mansion’s ballroom. Cassie’s engagement party was in full swing, two hundred guests celebrating my stepsister’s upcoming marriage to Liam Whitley, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune. A string quartet played in the corner. The air smelled of expensive perfume and imported flowers.
I belonged to none of it. “The hors d’oeuvres are running low on the west table.” Bridget’s sharp voice cut through my thoughts. My stepmother appeared at my elbow, her perfectly painted lips pressed into a thin line. “Were you planning to let our guests starve?” “I’ll refill them now,” I said quietly. “You should have done it ten minutes ago.” Her manicured nails dug into my arm. “Must I do everything myself? Go. And try not to look so pathetic. You’re embarrassing us.” I hurried toward the kitBilly, my cheeks burning. Behind me, I heard Bridget’s laugh as she greeted another guest. The transformation was instant, like flipping a switch. In the kitBilly, I loaded canapés onto a silver tray, my hands moving automatically. The catering staff gave me sympathetic looks but said nothing. They knew better than to interfere in family matters. When I returned to the ballroom, Cassie stood at the center of a group of her friends, her engagement ring catching the light with every dramatic gesture.
She looked beautiful in her rose-gold gown, her blonde hair swept into an elegant updo, her laugh musical and confident. Everything I wasn’t. “Lena!” she called out as I passed. “Come here for a second.” I approached carefully, tray balanced in my hands. Her friends watched with barely concealed amusement. “I just wanted to introduce you to everyone,” Cassie said sweetly. “This is my stepsister, Lena. She’s been so helpful tonight, playing servant.” She leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. “She really commits to the role, doesn’t she?” Her friends tittered. I stood frozen, the familiar burn of humiliation spreading through my chest. “Actually, I think she enjoys it,” one of them said. “Some people just know their place.” Cassie reached for a glass of wine from a passing waiter. She turned back to me smiling. “Oh, how clumsy of me!” The red wine hit my dress in a splash of burgundy, soaking through the fabric and staining my skin. The group erupted in laughter.
“I’m so sorry,” Cassie said, her voice dripping with fake concern. “You should really be more careful where you stand.” I set down the tray with shaking hands and left the ballroom, their laughter following me down the hall. In the bathroom, I scrubbed uselessly at the stain with paper towels. The wine had already set, dark and permanent against the black fabric. I didn’t cry. I’d learned years ago that tears only made things worse. Instead, I slipped out the side door into the garden—the one place in this house that still felt like home. My mother had planted these roses herself, back when she was alive, back when this house held warmth and laughter. Bridget had threatened to tear it all out a dozen times, but my father had refused. It was the only request of mine he had ever honored. I knelt beside the roses, now overgrown. The party noise faded to a distant hum. I touched the wilted petals and remembered my mother’s gentle hands, her warm laugh, the way she used to sing while she gardened. Twelve years. It had been twelve years since the accident that killed her.
Twelve years of living with Bridget and Cassie. Twelve years of becoming invisible. “I miss you,” I whispered to the roses. A crash from inside the house shattered the quiet. Then shouting, loud enough to carry through the walls. I stood, brushing dirt from my ruined dress. When I returned to the ballroom, it was chaotic. Cassie stood in the center of the room, her face blotchy with tears, while Liam Whitley faced her with crossed arms. “I’m done,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear. “I can’t marry someone so spoiled, so entitled. My family won’t allow it anyway, your father’s company is hemorrhaging money. This engagement is over.” He pulled the ring from his pocket…Cassie must have thrown it at him and set it on a nearby table. Then he walked out. The silence that followed was deafening. Cassie’s scream pierced the air. She grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it at the wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. “How dare he! How dare he embarrass me like this!” Guests began making hurried exits, murmuring apologies and excuses.
Within minutes, the ballroom had emptied except for family and staff. Bridget’s hand connected with my cheek before I saw it coming. The slap echoed through the nearly empty room. “This is your fault,” she hissed. “Looking like trash in front of our guests, bringing bad luck to this family. You’ve embarrassed us for the last time.” I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek but said nothing. My father stood in the corner, avoiding my eyes. “Get out of my sight,” Bridget said. “And clean up this mess before you go to bed.” I spent the next two hours picking up broken glass and discarded napkins while the caterers packed up around me. My father and Bridget had disappeared into his study. I could hear their voices, through the heavy door. By the time I finished cleaning, it was past midnight. I was heading toward the stairs when my father’s voice stopped me cold. “The company is failing. We’ll be bankrupt within six months.” “Then we need the Blackwood deal,” Bridget said. “You said it yourself. It’s our only option.” “Julian Blackwood wants a marriage alliance. His father insisted on it. In his words, ‘It ensures family commitment,’ he said.” “Then we give them a bride.” My heart started pounding.
I pressed myself against the wall, hidden in shadow. “Cassie’s engagement just ended publicly,” my father said. “The Blackwoods won’t want damaged goods.” “They’ve never met Cassie in person,” Bridget replied, her voice turning calculating. “Only seen photos. We’ll give them Lena instead. She’s a Carter, that’s all that matters for the contract.” “Lena?” My father sounded uncertain. “She’s useless here anyway. At least this way she’ll finally contribute something to this family. And if Blackwood discovers the switch later, what can he do? The merger will be complete and the marriage contract will be signed.” Silence stretched between them. I waited for my father to object, to refuse, at least protect me. “It could work,” he said finally. My legs went numb. I gripped the wall to keep from falling. “Lena!” My father’s sharp voice cut through my shock. I couldn’t move or breathe. “Lena! Get in here. Now.” My feet carried me forward against my will. I pushed open the study door to find my father behind his desk and Bridget standing beside him, looking triumphant. My father’s eyes met mine, and for just a moment, I saw something that might have been regret. Then it was gone. “Sit down,” he said. “We need to discuss your future