THE CONTRACT WIFE: A ONE NIGHT STAND BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE

ZARA'S POV:

The music inside the bar was loud enough to shake the floor. It was the kind of place people came to forget things.

Or someone.

Antoinette and I sat on high stools, drinks in our hands. I wasn’t the type to hang out in bars, but tonight I needed the noise. I needed the distraction.

Antoinette was talking about men again. She always had a story. I laughed when she laughed, nodded when she nudged me, pretending I wasn’t thinking about anything else.

Then the door opened.

And I saw him.

Lucas Blackwood.

Everything inside me went still.

Of all places. Of all nights.

He walked in like he always did back in college; confident, effortless, unaware of the effect he had on people. He didn’t need to try. He never did.

Actually, Lucas had been my ultimate crush since college. Everyone knew him. Tall. Good-looking. Popular without begging for attention.

But I never had the courage to confess my feelings for him. I was just content admiring him from a distance.

But tonight, something was different.

My heart stumbled like it forgot how to work and everything inside me stopped!

He has a strong jaw, high cheekbones, and eyes like storm clouds just before the rain. His hair was a mess sweep of light bronze that brushed his collar, giving him that rugged and wild charm that made people look at him twice. Not only his appearance, but there was something dangerous about him.

But tonight, he didn’t look invincible.

His shoulders seemed heavier. His face looked tired. Not the “I didn’t sleep” kind of tired. The kind that settles deep in your bones.

He sat at the far end of the bar. A drink was placed in front of him, untouched.

And for reasons I couldn’t explain, that bothered me.

I shouldn’t care about him though.

He has a girlfriend for pete’s sake!

But when his eyes slowly scanned the room, like he was searching for something, my chest tightened. I knew immediately that something was wrong, and he needed someone to talk with.

“Zara?” Antoinette nudges me. “You okay?”

I nodded too fast. “Yeah.”

I was not okay.

Unfortunately, she followed my gaze. Her lips curved into a mischievous grin.

“Well,” she whispered. “There’s your chance.”

“No,” I said immediately. “Absolutely not.”

Lucas had a girlfriend. Giselle. The girl who managed to get what I never even tried to fight for.

“Are you sure?” Antoinette teased. “This might be the last time you see him. Besides, Giselle just stole him from you.”

I inhaled sharply. That was dramatic. I never owned him to begin with.

So, I just took a deep breath because I didn’t want to recall those times but I kept stealing glances at Lucas. Even though it’s impossible to capture his heart now, seeing him upset was impossible to ignore.

“Come on, Zara. Go and talk to him!” Antoinette said.

“I’m not flirting with a taken man,” I said firmly.

“Who said flirting? He looks miserable. Maybe he just needs someone to talk to.”

That made me look again.

He did look miserable.

“And what about you?” I asked.

“This is my cousin’s bar,” Antoinette waved dismissively. “I’ll survive without you.”

I hesitated.

It had been years since we last spoke properly. What if he didn’t even remember me? What if he told me to leave?

That would be humiliating.

But what if this was my only chance?

“I’ll be right back,” I muttered.

Antoinette grinned and practically pushed me off the stool with her stare.

I took a deep breath and walked toward him before I could change my mind but each step felt louder than the music. When I reached him, I slid onto the stool beside him.

He turned slightly, surprised.

His eyes narrowed for a second, like he was searching his memory. “Zara Delafontaine?” he asked.

Who, he remembered me!

I smiled. “Hello, Lucas Blackwood.”

For a brief moment, I thought he might smile back.

Instead, his expression hardened.

“Please leave.”