~A Yes or a Yes~

"Marry me legally and become my contract wife for a year. As soon as you sign the contract, you'll receive half of your pay for playing the role of Nadia Lane, the daughter of a successful business tycoon in the UK."

Russell's eyes didn't stray from hers. He could easily tell she was shocked. Anyone would be, but Nadia was not taking it very well.

Her hands were shaking; she wouldn't look at him or the contract, but all Russell could see, in spite of her breakdown, was her blinding beauty.

Her olive green eyes were one in a billion, and he loved how her short auburn hair gave her a full view of her bare neck.

He wanted to wrap his fingers around it and do things to her, but now was not the time. He'd have his chance.

Nadia Wilde didn't have a choice now that she had entered office. She would sign the contract, whether she liked it or not. He was her prey, her only candidate, and he would make this beautiful woman dance to his tunes with every string he could pull.

"Will that be a yes or yes, Ms. Wilde?"

Nadia reacted whenever she heard his voice, but scoffed upon hearing Russell's words. "You've got to be kidding me." He raised a brow at how bold she was and signaled Lorraine to leave the room for them. She hesitated, but was compelled to listen to her boss. "It's a no, Mr. Lane. I am NOT doing this!"

She stood up to leave, not wanting to be any closer to the father of her children, a man who had changed her life for the worst.

"Don't you need money to take care of your twins? Being a single mother must be hard on you."

Nadia had never stopped so fast. She turned to the young, handsome CEO, pondering what she had just heard and wondered if he had perhaps found out her secret. "You did a background check on me? That's illegal?!"

Russell smirked, finding what she had said funny. "Money makes everything legal. Your father must have taught you that."

His audacity!

"You fucking..." She bit her tongue to restrain her words. Russell was rubbing on her nerves by bringing up her unwanted past, but it was not an option to swear at the CEO. He could destroy her life with the snap of a finger. "Nothing you say will make me change my mind."

She was determined to not stop this time.

"Are you just going to let your grandmother die then?" Stunned, she turned to look at him. "I heard she's in the hospital and needs a lot of money for her cataract surgery."

"What?" Nadia was dumbfounded.

"A hundred thousand dollars will be wired to your account. You'll receive the rest after you complete your role in a year."

Nadia hated this stunning man. She never wanted to see him. She didn't even want to be near him, but she sat so quickly when she heard how much he was paying her.

A hundred thousand dollars would change her life. It would solve all her life problems.

She glared at Russell, who was smirking smugly, and stared down at the contract, unexpectedly remembering something her grandmother had once told her.

'Never accept the first price that comes your way.'

Kaia was helping even when she wasn't here with her.

"I have three conditions," Nadia said as she scanned her eyes through the document, searching for any implicating causes.

"I'm all ears."

"You must never speak to my children, go near them, or even look at them. Once you do, this contract ends." Russell folded his arms, eager to hear what else this charming woman had to say. "Also, I won't settle for anything less than a hundred and fifty dollars. I want to receive the same amount after a year is completed, and lastly, we must live separately."

Russell was enticed by how daring she was. Never had a woman other than Indiana stood up to him, thoughtless of negotiating with him. "All but the last I can fulfill. You have no choice but to live with me. It's non-negotiable."

Nadia wanted to keep on arguing, but the thought of money shut her up. She picked up the pen and signed the contract.

She had a good eye and had not noticed anything implicating in the contract. Everything seemed too good to be true, but she was taking her chances.

And if all this turned out to be real, she would consider it compensation for what Russell had done to her life six years ago and use it to fulfill her dream of acting.

It was a win-win for everyone.

"We'll continue this later. I have somewhere to be."

"Your kids' school." It scared Nadia that Russell, her mystery devil, already knew so much about her. And now she and her twins would have to live in the same mansion with him. She wasn't sure if he could protect them from him. "I'll take you there. We can continue where we left off during the ride. You'll be moving into my mansion today anyway."

"T-today?"

Everything was happening so fast. She couldn't keep up.

Though Russell had nothing but casual clothes on, she couldn't look away. It made her remember why she had fallen so hard and easily for this man six years ago. His gray eyes were just as she had remembered, and his midnight black hair couldn't be any finer.

"Shall we?"

She didn't know why he was taking her himself when Lorraine could handle it and didn't want to overthink his actions or she would be misled again.

When Russell approached her, she stepped back and impulsively rushed to the door, not wanting to be alone with him in the same room for much longer. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

But she stopped just before she reached the door and retreated her steps, taken aback by the figure that walked unannounced into the lavish office.

As soon as Russell realized who it was that had the audacity to step on the priceless carpet he won at an auction, he cleared the distance between Nadia and him and wrapped his hands around her protectively.

Nadia stared, eyes wide, at him as she admired the breathtaking man holding her possessively. She didn't know how to feel about it and could only wonder if this contract marriage she agreed to would be the beginning or end of her.

Russell had his eyes on the intruding woman. She wore an expensive black business suit and had a matching designer handbag strapped around her shoulder.

Her high heels were as shiny as her diamond earrings, and her long chocolate brown hair was everything to write home about. She emitted power, and just like her intimidating perfume, she was menacing.

Her clothes and confidence were a warning sign that screamed, 'Don't mess with me, but only Russell knew just how dangerous this woman could be.

She was his sister, after all.

Just as she had finished looking around the office to set her eyes on the strange woman next to Russell, Lorraine rushed in, breathing heavily as though she had run all the way.

Her eyes darkened when she saw that the person she had been trying to stop was already here.

Nadia remained mesmerized and enchanted by Russell's eyes as the trespasser walked up to Nadia and stretched out her hand to her, her eyes on the fingers that Russell had tightly folded over Nadia's waist. "I hope I'm not interrupting something. I'm Indiana Lane, Russell's sister. It's nice to meet you."