Yoon Ara stood quietly in front of the massive desk, her hands tightly clenched together. The office was too large, too cold, and the man sitting behind it made her feel even smaller.
Han Jae-min didn't look at her as a person.
He looked at her as a problem that needed to be solved.
"So," he said lazily, tapping a pen against the table, "you're the girl my father chose."
Ara lifted her eyes. He was handsome in a way that didn't feel kind. Sharp jaw, dark eyes, perfect suit — everything about him screamed power.
"I… I was told to come here," she replied softly.
"Of course you were." He slid a thin file toward her. "Read it."
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
Marriage Contract.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"M-marriage?" she whispered.
"Yes," Jae-min said coldly.
"You'll become my wife. In return, your family's debt disappears. Simple."
Ara's chest tightened. "But I don't even know you."
"I don't care." His voice was flat.
"This isn't about love. It's business. I just want this over with."
Tears filled her eyes. "There must be another way…"
"There isn't." He leaned forward slightly.
"My father is not a patient man. If you walk out of this room without signing, your family will lose everything."
Her hands shook as she looked down at the paper. Her father's face appeared in her mind. Her mother's tired smile. Their small, struggling home.
She swallowed.
"Why me?" she whispered.
"Because you're convenient," he answered without hesitation.
The words hurt more than she expected.
Jae-min pushed a pen toward her. "Sign it and leave. I have no interest in pretending this is anything more than a deal."
Ara stared at the line where her name should be.
This man didn't want a wife.
He wanted a contract.
And she had no choice but to become both.