Writers 
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET BRIDE
Chapter One — The Marriage Proposal
The rain had been falling since morning.
I stood outside the glass doors of Kingsley Holdings, holding the only handbag I owned and wondering how my life had brought me to this point.
Three months ago, I was just a university graduate trying to find a job.
Today, I was being offered ₦20 million to marry a man I had never met.
It sounded crazy.
It was crazy.
But my mother’s hospital bills were getting higher every day.
“Miss Amara?”
I turned around.
A tall man in a black suit stood behind me.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Kingsley is ready to see you.”
My heart skipped.
“Okay.”
I followed him into the elevator.
As the doors closed, I stared at my reflection.
My simple black gown suddenly looked completely out of place.
When the elevator opened, I stepped into a huge office overlooking Lagos.
A man stood with his back toward me, staring through the window.
“Sit.”
His voice was deep and cold.
I sat down.
He finally turned around.
And for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
He was ridiculously handsome.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Sharp jaw. Expensive watch.
But there was something frightening about his eyes.
“You’re Amara Okafor?”
“Yes.”
“You need money.”
I frowned.
“That isn’t exactly how I would describe it.”
He smiled without humor.
“Your mother’s surgery costs ₦18 million. Your family has already borrowed ₦3 million.”
My eyes widened.
“How do you know all that?”
“I know everything about the people I do business with.”
“But I don’t do business with you.”
“You’re about to.”
He pushed a document across the table.
I looked at it.
MARRIAGE AGREEMENT.
My mouth fell open.
“You want me to marry you?”
“For six months.”
“And then?”
“We get divorced.”
I stared at him.
“Why me?”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Because I need a wife.”
“That doesn’t explain why me.”
His expression suddenly changed.
“Because my grandfather changed his will.”
I waited.
“He says I’ll only inherit the company if I’m married before my thirty-fifth birthday.”
I almost laughed.
“You’re joking.”
“I don’t joke about my company.”
“And you’re willing to pay me ₦20 million just to pretend to be your wife?”
“Not pretend.”
He stood and walked toward me.
“For six months, you will be Mrs. Daniel Kingsley.”
My heart began beating faster.
“And what happens after six months?”
“You walk away with your money.”
I looked down at the contract again.
₦20 million.
My mother’s surgery.
A chance to save her life.
I picked up the pen.
Then I stopped.
“There is one condition.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“No cheating.”
For the first time, he actually laughed.
“Believe me, Amara. I have no interest in falling in love with you.”
I signed the contract.
Neither of us knew that six months later…
he would be the one begging me not to leave.
And there was one more thing I didn’t know.
The man I had just agreed to marry…
was already secretly in love with me.
TO BE CONTINUED …