Chapter Four: The Deal of a Lifetime

"Aria, the adoptive daughter of Samuel," Alexander Sinclair said, his voice cold and unwavering as he glanced down at the folder spread open on his desk. "Your adoptive father is a known gambler. He owes a substantial amount of debt, forcing him to borrow money from several dangerous sources. To pay off those loans, you've had to work multiple jobs at once, barely scraping by."

Aria felt a surge of anger rise within her, her hands balling into fists at her sides. She had been through enough—working long hours just to survive—yet here was this man, sitting behind his desk with an air of power, throwing her past in her face as if it were nothing.

"You investigated me," Aria spat, her eyes narrowing with frustration. "You had no right to dig into my life like that."

Alexander met her gaze without flinching, his expression unreadable. "My grandmother likes you," he said, his voice smooth and measured. "She believes you're someone important from my past. Regardless of whether that's true, I want you to be her caregiver."

Aria blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation. "What? I'm not… I'm not good at that," she stammered, scrambling to find an excuse. "There must be someone else—anyone else—who's more qualified for this than I am."

She could feel her heart racing as she edged toward the door, her mind racing with ideas on how to get out of this. But just as her hand reached for the doorknob, Alexander's next words made her freeze.

"The pay is $10,000 a day," he said casually, as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb.

Aria's hand hovered in mid-air, her breath catching in her throat. *$10,000 a day?* She quickly did the math in her head, calculating how much that would add up to in a month—a year. It was more money than she could have ever dreamed of making from her multiple jobs combined. It was enough to pay off her father's debt and more.

But before she could react, Alexander's calm voice interrupted her thoughts. "But I have one condition," he continued, picking up a document and handing it to her. "I hope you'll cooperate with my… fake marriage."

Aria's eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at the paper in her hands, the words blurring together as she tried to make sense of the situation. "Fake marriage?" she repeated, her voice low and incredulous. It seemed too good to be true. A generous pay, a simple role to play, and a way out of her financial nightmare. But still, she couldn't let herself be swayed so easily.

She forced herself to remain composed, keeping her expression as neutral as possible, even though inside, she was tempted beyond belief. She couldn't let him know how desperate she truly was. "And what's in it for you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Alexander noticed the slight flicker of hesitation in her demeanor. "My grandmother has raised me single-handedly," he said quietly, his voice softening just a fraction. "I owe her everything. If this will make her happy, I'll do whatever it takes."

There was a sincerity in his words that made Aria pause. She could sense the weight of his responsibility, his unspoken love for the grandmother who had shaped his life. It was hard to ignore that kind of loyalty, especially when her own life had been filled with chaos and abandonment.

Aria bit her lip, her mind whirling with possibilities. This deal could change everything. "If I agree to this, I need you to move me out of my household register," she said, her tone firm. "My adoptive father has control over it, and if you know as much about me as you claim, you'll know getting that document from him will cost me more than I have."

Alexander leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he regarded her. "For the one year this contract will last," he said, "if you play the role of Mrs. Sinclair well enough to make my grandmother happy, I'll take care of your household register. Consider it part of our deal."

Aria's heart raced with excitement. She tried to mask the relief that flooded her, but it was nearly impossible. This was the break she had been waiting for, and it had come wrapped in the form of a deal with Alexander Sinclair.

With a calm she didn't truly feel, Aria reached for a pen and quickly scrawled her name on the contract. "I'll take care of your grandmother," she promised, handing the document to Alexander for his signature.

He took the paper from her, signing his name with a swift stroke of his pen. Their eyes met for a brief moment, a silent understanding passing between them.

As Aria turned to leave, her mind already spinning with thoughts of how this could change her life, Alexander remained seated, lost in thought. His grandmother had always been sharp, always perceptive. But the way she had looked at Aria—so sure, so convinced that this woman was someone from his past—it unnerved him.

Could his grandmother be right? Could Aria really be linked to his Childhood?

Alexander's brow furrowed, memories from his childhood flickering just out of reach. There were gaps—moments he couldn't fully recall, no matter how hard he tried.

He tried to recall any details from his childhood, but everything was a blur. He had lost his memories of those years in an accident, and no matter how hard he tried, those pieces remained out of reach. And yet, there was something about Aria that stirred a strange familiarity deep within him—something he couldn't quite place.And now, with Aria's unexpected presence, those forgotten memories tugged at the corners of his mind.

"Could she really be the key to the part of my past I've lost?"