CHAPTER 4

I knew well that if Solomon Sleighman's first daughter, Aria, was handed a knife, she would not show any hesitation before stabbing me with it.

But I had my reasons for marrying both sisters. Unconventional, yes. Weird, definitely. But I held all the power here, and they all knew it.

The reception was a very low-key affair. We remained, for appearances' sake, but it was plain that the tension was going to break soon. My trophy wife, Caila, stood quietly beside me, polite but her hands clasped nervously in front of her. I looked at her every now and then; I almost felt sorry for the girl. She was fragile, as if she would shatter under all this.

I couldn't help but feel a bit insulted, though. The way both sisters seemed abhorrent at the idea of marrying me bruised his my. I was Jace Sharpe, for fuck's sake. Women lined up to be with me. And yet here were these two, acting like I was some repulsive creature.

Still, we endured an hour of mingling before I decided enough was enough.

"We're leaving," I said abruptly, my hand on Caila's back, guiding her out.

Aria followed behind for a second before breaking off to leave separately. Not that I minded since this was what we decided would happen. It wasn't as if this was, you know, a regular wedding.

In the car, the silence was suffocating. Caila sat as far from me as possible, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her gaze fixed out the window. She didn't look at me. She didn't speak.

I sighed, running a hand through my dark hair. "Are you planning to ignore me for the rest of our lives, or is this just a first-day thing?" I deadpanned.

Caila didn't bat an eyelash. If she heard me, it didn't faze her.

"Great," I muttered under my breath, leaning back in the leather seat.

It was until we finally came to my estate that the great iron gates creaked open and showed the sprawled mansion beyond them. We pulled up front. I stepped out first, holding the door open for Caila, but she didn't meet my eyes when she exited. She moved ahead of me, stiff and robotic, like a prisoner being led to her cell.

A few minutes later, another car pulled up, and out came Aria, looking stormy, slamming the door shut behind her. She didn't wait for me but stormed inside, letting the door swing shut, like she owned the place.

I snorted, amused. Of course, she'd do that. It was just so. her. Whatever that meant.

I led them back to my office, where Davies, my attorney, was waiting. Davies stood when we entered, a thick sheaf of papers in his hand.

I nodded to Aria and Caila to take the chairs opposite the desk. After a moment, neither one of them moved, and then Caila eased into one. Aria still stood, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Let's get this over with," she said coldly.

"Patience," I said smoothly as I sat behind my desk. "This is important. Davies?"

Davies placed the marriage contract and NDA on the desk, sliding it toward me. Without hesitation, I picked up the pen and signed. Then I slid the papers across to Aria.

She stared at them like they were covered in poison. Her jaw tightened.

"Is this necessary?" she asked, her voice sharp.

"You know it is," I replied-my tone calm but firm, and a touch annoyed. "You don't need me to remind you what's at stake.

Aria's nostrils flared, but she didn't argue. Instead, she glanced at Caila, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. Taking a deep breath, Aria grabbed the pen and scrawled her signature on the line. Then she handed it to Caila, giving her a reassuring nod.

"It's okay," Aria murmured.

Caila's hand trembled as she reached for the pen. Her eyes flickered from the paper to me, her lips quivering. A moment, and I almost thought she was going to refuse-or worse, burst into tears-but then she pressed the pen to the paper and signed.

I took the documents and handed them to Davies, who nodded and left the room without a word.

Aria straightened up immediately, her face stormy. "I guess that's all?" she said, her voice full of disdain.

I cocked my head, a small, almost amused smile playing on my lips. "Not quite."

Aria narrowed her eyes. "What else?"

"First of all," I said, leaning back in my chair, "we need to set some ground rules, of course.

Aria cocked her head. "You know what? I agree there should be ground rules," she said, and to his surprise, she pulled the chair back and sat down, crossing her legs. I was grateful that she was agreeable to a point at least.

I leaned forward, clasping my hands together. "Good. Let's start with something simple. I'm a very busy man, but whenever I'm home, I expect all three of us to have dinner together at night."

Caila's brow furrowed slightly, but she remained silent, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Is that going to be a problem?" I asked, glancing at her.

"Umm...no?" she said softly, though her tone lacked conviction.

"Great," I said, getting on. "Secondly, I want us communicating. No sulking around, passive-aggressive crap or miscommunications. There is a problem, you raise it with me directly. Anything goes wrong, you tell me in a second" I looked between them. "Understood?"

Aria rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine. But I have one rule to add."

I leaned back, folding his arms. "Let's hear it.

"There will be no falling in love," Aria said firmly, her gaze as cutting as steel. "No feelings, no emotional entanglements. This marriage is strictly clinical until the year is up."

I angled my head. "No falling in love?" I smirked. "Why? You're afraid you're going to fall for me?"

Aria scoffed. "Hardly. You plan on falling in love with us?”

I laughed. "Touché." I nodded, letting it go. "All right. No falling in love or feelings attached. Anything else?"

Aria shook her head. "Not from me."

I turned to Caila. "What about you? Any rules?"

Caila hesitated, her fingers twisting in her lap. "I just...I want to continue my art. Uninterrupted. And…I'd like you to fund it."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Fund it?

"Yes," she said in a quiet tone, clear but soft. "It means a lot to me. And since you really want this marriage, you might as well spend on it."

For a moment I looked at her. Then I nodded. "Very well. I'll finance it for as long as the one year duration."

"Thank you," Caila whispered, loosening her shoulders a bit.

"Anything else?" I asked.

Both sisters shook their heads.

"Alright," I said, ringing a bell on my desk. Moments later, an elderly man entered the room. "Clinton, show the ladies to their rooms and help them get settled."

"Yes, sir," Clinton said with a slight bow.

I turned to the sisters. "Get some rest."

Without a word, Aria stood, her movements sharp. Caila followed more hesitantly. They left the office, their footsteps fading down the hallway.

Left to myself, I shook my head and leaned back in my chair. "Two beautiful sisters," I muttered, pulling a stack of paperwork toward me. "What the hell have you gotten myself into, Jace Sharpe?"