Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56365 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
The only hitch? I’m falling for him.
Dario Moretti is everything I’m not—wealthy, refined, and dangerously charming. He belongs to a world of luxury and power, while I’m just trying to stay afloat. I never imagined I’d start caring about him, but the more time we spend together, the harder it is to remember that this is all just a job.
Dario’s gaze lingers a little too long. His touch sends shivers down my spine. And when we kiss, the line between fake and real blurs. But his Family would never accept someone like me. My aunt, the whole reason I took this gig, warns me against getting involved with a criminal.
Then, a rival Mafia family targets us, and I see Dario’s true side—fiercely protective and dangerously loyal. What he does should scare me, but instead, it draws me closer. I never thought I’d fall for a mobster, but Dario is the man I didn’t know I needed.
Now, our fake relationship is feeling all too real. With rival families closing in and the weight of Dario’s dangerous life, can we survive the lies and the danger? Or are we doomed to crash and burn before we even get a chance at something real?
* The Marriage Contract is a steamy age gap romance with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER ONE
ELENA
As the chauffeured car pulls up outside the townhouse in a part of town that I’ve never been to—and have no business in—I wonder if this is all a big mistake. I almost didn’t expect the car to arrive as promised. Or the cash, but I realized I had no choice when both did. I had to go along with the plan—the fake marriage.
The Moretti mob contacted me when I was at rehearsals for the first play I was actually going to get paid for. This wasn’t a volunteer job. This was the real deal, and I felt so fricking happy. I might’ve ignored the offer if it wasn’t for Aunt Rosa and her constant need for cash for medical care. There’s no way I can ignore it. I have to do right by my family.
A man called Allessio Ricci asked to see me after rehearsals. He was tall and covered in tattoos, with a severe look that had me wondering if he worked for some debt collection agency I’d never heard of. He seriously looked ready for violence.
“I have an offer from a powerful man. Pretend to be his wife, and you’ll never have to worry about money again.”
As the chauffeur stops the car at the townhouse gate, I relive the run-in with Allessio, remembering the fear that swarmed over me with his every word. All I’ve ever wanted is to act. Ever since I was a kid, it’s been my dream, but Aunt Rosa comes first. She has to. She’s the only family I’ve got left.
“Pretend to be his wife?” I asked.
“He doesn’t want to get married. However, for social reasons, he has to. The deal is simple: go along with it, fool his family, and, after, you’ll get a ‘divorce’ and both go your separate ways. It’s a deal most people in your situation would kill for.”
I almost snapped at him, asking what he meant by that comment. Most of my clothes are old and faded. Plus, there’s a stink to being poor that many people seem very well-equipped to sniff out. Or maybe it’s how I project my self-consciousness, constantly afraid that somebody will see how ashamed it makes me.
“Who is he?”
Allessio was blunt. “The heir to the Moretti Mafia, Dario Moretti—one of the most powerful men on the East Coast.”
“Why me?”
“We showed the boss a variety of candidates who would suit this task. All of them have fewer than one or two friends. They all have reasons for needing this cash and are actresses.”
So that’s it, then. They showed this Dario Moretti photos of young actresses, and he took his pick. As the tall, metal gates to the townhouse open, I wonder if I should be flattered that he picked me. I can’t because that would mean violating the one rule I gave myself when I accepted this deal: no feelings, just acting.
I have to put my life on hiatus. I had to tell the director to promote the understudy since I would have to drop out suddenly. It broke my heart, but it’s for Aunt Rosa, Aunt Rosa. I say her name like a mantra. I always keep her in the forefront of my mind. The Moretti Family has already given me a large deposit, more money than I make in half a year, allowing me to pay Giulia to stay with Aunt Rosa while I’m away. After the marriage, I’ll get ten times more money.
“All of them are desperate,” I told Allessio. “That’s what you’re saying.”
The big, tatted man shrugged. “You can think of it any way you want. The boss needs his answer soon.”
He was talking as if I had a choice. When fate came knocking with a bag full of cash and the chance to give Aunt Rosa the care she would never get otherwise, there was no way I could say no.
Now, the car pulls into the inner sanctum of the townhouse. The house itself is three stories tall. A garden surrounds the perimeter, staff members moving around, watering plants, and a man in a chef’s uniform briskly walking toward the house. I swallow as nerves try to make me push the car door open and sprint away.
I’ve never committed a crime in my life, and now I’m going to be a fake Mafia queen. It’s absolutely unbelievable.
Before I can open the door, a maternal-looking lady in an apron pulls it open and beams at me. She has soft, curly hair tied back in a bun. She offers me her hand. “You must be Elena. Welcome.”
I do my best to smile. “Hello. Yes. I, uh, what’s your name?”
The hesitation makes me feel like a dork. I look around for my so-called fiancé but can’t see anyone. Ever since Allessio approached me a week ago, I’ve wondered what he looks like. Is he old? Young? Tall? Short? Muscular? It won’t make any difference to me. This is all a sham.