Agreeing to a Contractual Marriage

Leonardo raised his eyes. His amber eyes were nearly transparent in the sunlight. "Tell me."

Luna's nails dug into her palm. She had come up with a dozen versions of what to say last night, but at this moment, she couldn't recall a single one. Finally, she chose the most straightforward approach. "There are problems in my relationship with Richard, but the engagement is approaching. I'd like you to act as my fiancé." She paused. "I won't take up much of your time. We can call off the engagement in a few months. Name your price."

The reception room fell silent. Leonardo's expression remained unchanged, only his index finger tapping gently on his knee, as if he were pondering an insignificant math problem.

"Do you take me for a gigolo?" he finally said, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

Luna's face instantly flushed. She should have expected this - Leonardo, from a century - old family, with the group's industries covering every aspect of daily life. As the most beloved youngest son, he was already worth billions at the age of twenty - five. Money was just a number to him.

"Sorry, I was being presumptuous." She touched her forehead, and a strand of her well - groomed curls fell down. She must still be drunk from last night to think she could buy Leonardo off with money. Although the Windsor family was prominent, it was just a more decent antelope in the face of the behemoth that was the Black Group.

"Well, forget it then." She stood up, took out a gold - embossed business card from her handbag, and placed it on the coffee table. "I was out of line last night. If you ever need any help in the future, feel free to contact me."

As she turned to leave, she heard the sound of paper rubbing. Leonardo had picked up the business card.

"Giving up so easily?" His voice carried a hint of amusement. "Are you this impatient when asking for help?"

Luna froze in place. She slowly turned around and saw that Leonardo had stood up. He was holding her business card between two fingers, with a half - smile on his face.

"Lower your head." He suddenly said.

"What?"

"You've always been like this," Leonardo took a step forward, and the distance between them suddenly shortened to a dangerous level. "You lower your head whenever you're nervous."

Luna abruptly raised her head and met his deep eyes. A vague memory flashed - the high - school corridor, scattered books, and a hand reaching out to her. But the image was too fleeting to grasp.

"Actually, it's not impossible for me to help you." Leonardo's voice suddenly softened. "You can also do me a favor, and we'll call it even."

Luna held her breath. "What kind of favor?"

"Marry me."

This sentence exploded in the reception room like a bomb. Luna was sure she had misheard. "What did you say?"

Leonardo walked towards the French window, his back to her. The sunlight cast his tall and straight figure onto the carpet, stretching it long.

"Literally." His voice suddenly seemed distant. "I need a wife, and you need a fiancé. Since it's all an act, why not make it real?"

Outside the floor - to - ceiling windows of the top - floor office in the Black Building, the twilight flowed slowly like melted caramel. The last ray of the setting sun penetrated the bullet - proof glass, gilding the well - defined side face of Leonardo Black with a golden edge. At Leonardo Black's words, Luna Windsor suddenly lost her footing, her knees going weak uncontrollably, and she stumbled forward.

Leonardo reacted astonishingly fast. His long and slender arm firmly held her waist. Luna's cheek hit the lapel of his Brioni - tailored suit, and she smelled a refreshing cedar scent mixed with a faint trace of tobacco - not ordinary cigarettes, but the special Cuban Cohiba cigars. His palm burned through her Carolina Herrera silk shirt on her lower back, the temperature scalding.

"Be careful." His voice came from above her head, the vibration of his chest resonating like a cello.

Luna quickly stood up straight, the tips of her ears burning. Leonardo let go of her hand in a timely manner, but still maintained a faint protective stance.

"You should have heard that the Black family is restructuring the trust fund recently." He adjusted his Cartier cufflinks, his tone flat.

Luna pursed her lips. Of course she knew. Logically, with the power of the Black Consortium, Manhattan socialites should have been flocking to him. But this man was like a precisely - operating quantum computer. Not only had Vanity Fair never caught him in the same frame as a woman, but even gossip columnists admitted that they couldn't dig up any scandals. There were even rumors in the Upper East Side salons that he was frigid.

Her eyes uncontrollably landed on Leonardo. His Tom Ford suit pants wrapped around two long legs that could make Victoria's Secret models scream, and his shoulder - to - waist ratio was comparable to that of a Greek sculpture. Luna suddenly remembered that when she was studying at Yale, on the wall of the sorority there was a "To - do list before graduation", and the first item was "Spend a night with Leonardo Black".

Her gaze involuntarily moved up, past his neatly buttoned shirt collar, the sharp arc of his Adam's apple, and finally met those glacier - like blue eyes. Leonardo was quietly looking at her, his irises taking on the color of a blue diamond in the twilight.

"..." Luna quickly picked up the sparkling water. "Doesn't Mr. Black think he's at a disadvantage?"

The corner of Leonardo's lips curled slightly, and he turned to walk towards the French window. The setting sun elongated his shadow, like the tail feathers of a black panther sweeping across the Persian carpet.

"No." His voice was as precise as high - frequency trading. "The Blacks don't need a political marriage." He paused and then added, "Besides, being married can make clients more at ease."

Luna suddenly understood. Recently, The Wall Street Journal had indeed reported that conservative Japanese investors had withdrawn their capital due to the "uncertainty of the CEO's private life". This marriage was indeed a perfect hedging strategy for him.

She nodded, suddenly feeling that this deal was reassuringly reasonable - Leonardo needed a marriage to stabilize the stock price, and she needed a fiancé to save face.

They each got what they needed, clean and straightforward.

But there was still a voice in her heart questioning: There's no free lunch on Wall Street. What kind of marriage couldn't an Alpha male like Leonardo have? Why did he choose her?

As if reading her doubts, Leonardo turned around. His outline was gilded with a golden edge against the light. "My grandmother is getting old, and my getting married is her greatest wish." His tone softened a bit, rarely so. "If you agree, we can sign a prenuptial agreement."

"No need to consider. I agree." She heard her own voice clearly in the enclosed space. "I'll be a qualified wife."

After blurting out these words, Luna herself was stunned for a moment. In the past ten - odd years, her life trajectory seemed to have been set long ago - marry Richard Vanderwoodsen, become his wife, and assist him in securing his position as the heir. She had tutored him, helped him build connections, and even shielded him from the board's open and hidden attacks. And now, it had all become a joke.

She self - deprecatingly curled the corner of her lips and turned to look at the street scene outside the window. "I'll resign from Richard's company as soon as possible."

Leonardo Black didn't respond immediately. Luna could feel his gaze on her profile, like a magnifying glass under the sun, so hot that it almost burned her.

She took a deep breath, turned to him, and held out her hand. "Leonardo Black, a pleasant cooperation."

Leonardo Black's gaze lingered on her outstretched hand for a second, then he slowly raised his own. His movement was as elegant as if he were performing some kind of ritual. His long fingers wrapped around hers inch by inch. The moment their palms touched, Luna felt a thin layer of calluses on his fingertips, completely different from Richard's pampered hands.

Outside, the last ray of the setting sun sank below the horizon, and the city lights came on one by one. Leonardo Black stood at the boundary of light and darkness, half of his face hidden in the shadow, and the other half illuminated by the indoor light, much like the nature of this deal - half real, half fake, illusory and real at the same time.

Leonardo's palm was warm and dry, and the strength with which he held her was just right, neither frivolous nor uncomfortable. But just as she was about to pull her hand back, his thumb suddenly rubbed gently against the back of her hand, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.