The Transaction Bride

Nora’s POV

The door to the Devonte executive suite closed with a quiet click, leaving me alone in the large, empty room.

I sat still in the armchair, staring at the contract on the glass coffee table. I was only in my early twenties, but my whole life was now tied to these pages of legal rules, non-disclosure agreements, and strict marriage clauses.

Across the table sat Michael Devonte. He was dressed in a black suit with every strand of hair combed perfectly into place. He didn't look like a man about to get engaged. He looked like a cold executive finishing a business transaction.

"Everything is laid out clearly, Michael said, his voice completely flat and dry. He didn't even look at me as he signed his name on the final page.

"Your father’s company will receive the funds as soon as you sign. In return, you will attend all public events with me, maintain a clean reputation, and be a dutiful wife.

You will not embarrass me in public, and you will not speak to the press about our marriage or anything that happens between us.

As long as you follow the rules, your father gets what he wants, the Nathan Group won't go bankrupt, and you get to live your life. But if you break the terms of this agreement, the deal ends. I won’t tolerate excuses."

He paused, his cold eyes finally fixing on me. "Are we clear?"

"I understand," I said softly. My voice sounded steady, even though my hands felt cold.

Honestly, I didn't care that he was cold to me. I didn't love Michael. I never had. I wasn't sitting in this chair looking for a fairytale romance or a sweet husband.

I was doing this out of guilt, but more than that, I was doing it because I loved my family. My father’s company was failing badly, and if it went under, our family name would be ruined. He had spent his entire life building that legacy, and I couldn’t sit back and watch everything he had worked for disappear when I had the power to save it—even if it meant giving up my own future.

Marrying into the wealthy Devonte family was the price I had to pay to save mine. If Michael wanted a quiet wife who stayed out of his way, I was more than willing to give him exactly that. His lack of interest in me was actually a relief. The less he cared about me, the easier this marriage would be.

Michael pushed the document across the table toward me and handed me a pen. "Sign at the bottom of the page, Nora. Let’s get this over with."

I took the pen, my fingers shaking slightly against the metal. I turned to the last page and stared at the blank dotted line. Signing this meant giving up my personal freedom to a man who saw me as nothing more than a transaction.

I swallowed hard and signed my name: Nora Nathan. "Done," I murmured, sliding the papers back across the table.

Michael picked up the contract, glanced at my signature, and slipped it into a folder. "My driver will pick you up for dinner at my family's estate tomorrow at seven," Michael said, checking his calendar on his phone.

"My father wants to celebrate the engagement formally. My stepbrother and grandmother will be attending as well."

"Stepbrother?" I asked, looking up in surprise. I had researched the Devonte family online for weeks, but the news articles never mentioned Michael having a brother.

"My father married his mistress three years ago," Michael replied. His jaw tightened sharply, and a flash of annoyance crossed his usually blank face before he quickly hid it.

The subtle anger in Michael’s voice caught me off guard. It was the first time all afternoon I had seen any real emotion from him.

"See you tomorrow at seven, Nora. Don't be late," Michael added coldly, walking toward the exit while looking back down at his phone.

I stayed in the chair for a while after he left, listening to the faint sound of city traffic below. I took a slow, deep breath as the reality of what I had just done settled over me.

I was bound to a cold man who didn't care about me at all, but at least the rules were clear. I knew what was expected of me, and I was ready to play my part.