The Contract Wife: A One-Night Stand Billionaire Romance

Zara’s POV.

Together with my friend Antoinette, I settled onto the stool of a dimly lit bar. Lively music pulsed through the air and the clinking of glasses made me realized that I was in a perfect place to relax and unwind.

We ordered our drinks and Antoinette started to talk about men. When the warmth of the alcohol began to seep into my veins, laughter bubbled up easily and I felt my worries melting away like snow in the spring. We had fun with our drinks until I turned around and saw the man who just entered the bar.

It was Lucas Blackwood, my ultimate crush since college. My heart almost skipped a beat as I watched him saunter inside with his brooded eyes scanning the room. He seemed tired and sad! I had never seen him so sad before so I wondered what happened to him.

“Zara, are you alright?” Antoinette's voice was a distant murmur and her words competed with the excited thumping of my heart.

“Y-yeah, I'm fine,” I stammered and my voice betrayed the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Then once again, I turned to check on him. Lucas found a seat at the far end of the bar. When a waiter served his drinks, he was staring at it. For a moment, his drink remained untouched in front of him. Although I never had the chance to win his heart, the thought of him being upset gnawed at me like an itch I couldn’t ignore.

“Zara! Look!”

I was startled when I heard Antoinette’s voice, and then she casually mentioned seeing Lucas in the bar. I just smiled in response because I didn’t want her to know that I had been watching him since he arrived.

“This is your chance, girl. Go and talk with Lucas. He seems to be alone,” Antoinette suggested.

“No way.” I refused because I knew that Lucas had a girlfriend, a model named Giselle, and I didn’t want to flirt with an engaged man. “What about you?” I asked her a few minutes later.

“Don’t worry about me. Have you forgotten that this bar belonged to my cousin? I will not be alone,” she assured me.

For a moment, I was terrified of approaching Lucas. It had been a long time since we saw each other, and I was afraid he would send me away with a simple wave of his finger. He was always like that every time he would dismiss someone in front of him. I believed it would be embarrassing!

“I'll be right back,” I mumbled to Antoinette, and then my legs propelled me forward before I could think twice. The alcohol emboldened me and made me feel invincible at the moment. Then, without further ado, I slid onto the stool next to Lucas.

“Zara Delafontaine? What are you doing?” he asked.

I was surprised when he called me by my full name. So, he remembered me. “Hello, Lucas Blackwood,” I purred while feeling a grin tug at the corners of my lips. Then, his gaze shifted from his drink to me.

“Please leave,” he stated.

“Is everything alright?” I asked and my heart was beating so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

“Not really. Just a rough day, but I’m fine. I just need a drink or more,” he replied.

“Aren’t you lucky tonight? I happen to be an expert at turning bad days around,” I informed him and a chuckle escaped from his lips.

“Are you alone?” he asked after sipping his drink.

“Nope, I am with Antoinette but something came up and she went ahead of me,” I lied so when he scanned the bar, I became nervous. When he narrowed his eyes, I was tempted to check the area where Antoinette and I were sitting earlier. Fortunately, the woman was not there. She probably went to talk to her cousin.