Abandoned XXL Wife: My Second Husband Is A Tycoon Chapter 03
chapter3
Through the narrow gap, he saw the warm light spilling across the room.
He saw Charlie asleep in my arms.
And he saw me sitting beside him, quietly telling the rest of the story.
Ethan stood there without moving.
Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth lifted.
He pulled his hand back from the door.
He stayed there for a long moment.
Then he knocked at the door. He motioned toward his study.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Me? Okay.”
I tucked the blanket around Charlie, then slipped out of the room.
The study smelled of cedarwood and old leather.
Ethan opened a drawer and took out a check. He slid it across the desk.
“Your two hundred thousand for this month.”
I picked it up.
The check was thin against my fingertips.
I didn’t push it back.
I didn’t even say, That’s too much.
I simply put it in my bag.
Money in my hand was the one thing in this world I could count on.
Ethan pushed another document toward me.
It was neatly bound. The words on the cover caught my eye.
PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT.
I lifted my head.
“Mr. Foster, can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
His voice was cold and detached, like we were discussing a business deal instead of a marriage.
“Why me? I’m sure you had me thoroughly vetted. I’m a divorcee who just lost a child, and my mother is lying in the ICU.”
I paused.
“Of course, I know I’m not exactly the kind of woman a Foster would marry. So why me?”
Ethan studied me for a long moment.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint, cynical smile.
“I have plenty of money, Ms. Vance. And I’m not looking for a wife for myself. I’m looking for a mother for Charlie.”
I stared at him. “What?”
His expression hardened.
“A therapist believes Charlie’s problems come from severe emotional neglect.”
“He needs a mother figure. Someone who can give him the love and stability he’s missing.”
“So I need you to marry me. Give Charlie a family that looks whole, at least on paper.”
I went still.
It took me a moment to process what he’d just said. Then I finally found my voice. “Mr. Foster, are you asking me to enter a fake marriage?”
Ethan nodded.
“Six months.”
“If Charlie improves within those six months, you’ll receive a ten-million-dollar bonus.”
“After that, we get divorced and go our separate ways.”
I looked down at the prenuptial agreement in front of me.
I’d been married once before. It had ended badly.
Love had burned me once. I wasn’t stupid enough to reach for the fire again.
But a fake marriage with an expiration date? That sounded tempting.
What did I have to lose?
I raised my eyes and met his gaze head-on.
“Mr. Foster, if this is a deal where we both get what we need, then I’m in.”
I placed my hand on the desk. “But let’s be clear.”
“My job is to give Charlie the security and affection he’s missing. You pay me. And you make sure my mother gets the medical care she needs.”
“As for everything else… we stay out of each other’s business.”
Ethan didn’t blink.
His dark eyes searched my face, as if my bluntness had caught him off guard.
Finally, he gave a small nod.
“Deal.”
He pushed the contract toward me.
“Sign it.”
I sat up straighter. I went through the agreement slowly.
I’d signed divorce papers once without reading every line. I wasn’t making that mistake again.
Property. Expenses. Liability. Termination.
I was reading every single word.
Ethan leaned back in his leather chair, one leg crossed over the other. He watched me with quiet interest.
“You read everything.”
“Mr. Foster, marriage already cost me once.”
I kept my eyes on the contract and continued. “I need to protect myself.”
I turned to the last page.
One clause stood out.
Clause 17: The relationship shall remain strictly professional. No romantic involvement of any kind.
If Sophie Vance develops inappropriate feelings for Ethan Foster, he reserves the right to terminate the agreement at any time, with no claim to Foster family assets.
I almost smiled.
Perfect for me, too.
I signed my name. Then I closed the folder and pushed it back to him.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Foster. The easiest thing in the world to lose is love.”
“The safest thing is money.”
I met his eyes.
“I’m more afraid of this contract ending than you are.”
Ethan took the folder.
His fingers brushed over my signature.
“Tomorrow morning, the lawyers will bring over the marriage documents.”
He set the folder aside and leaned back, his eyes fixed on me with quiet scrutiny.
“So tell me. What are you planning to do with Charlie?”