Married To The Billionaire At First Sight

October in Toronto was supposed to be cool.

Instead, the heat pressed down like a bad mood that refused to leave-only retreating briefly at dawn and after nightfall.

Chloe Bishop woke before sunrise.

She cooked breakfast for three people, picked up toys scattered like landmines across the living room, and mopped the floors until they gleamed. When everything was done, she grabbed two steamed buns, slipped her household registration booklet into her bag, and quietly closed the door behind her.

She left without waking anyone.

Because last night's argument still rang in her ears.

"We're splitting everything fifty-fifty from now on! Living expenses, mortgage, car loan-all of it! And your sister lives here, so she pays half too! Two thousand dollars a month? That's basically freeloading!"

Her brother-in-law's voice had been sharp. Cutting.

Chloe had stood outside the bedroom, frozen, listening.

She understood then-if she stayed, her sister's marriage would crack.

So she had to leave.

But leaving wasn't enough. If she moved out alone, her sister would worry. Feel guilty. Keep trying to help.

There was only one clean solution.

Marriage.

Absurd, maybe. Desperate, definitely.

She didn't even have a boyfriend.

But as Chloe stepped onto the bus heading toward the Civil Affairs Bureau, she remembered Grandma Jones.

And the proposal that had sounded ridiculous at the time.

Marry my eldest grandson.

The bus doors shut with a hiss.

Twenty minutes later, Chloe stepped onto the sidewalk.

The Civil Affairs Bureau stood quietly ahead.

"Chloe!"

She turned.

Grandma Jones waved enthusiastically, standing beside a tall man with a cold, intimidating presence. His posture was straight, his expression sharp, his aura screaming keep your distance.

So this was him.

David Jones.

Chloe blinked.

This... was not what she had imagined.

According to Grandma Jones, her grandson was thirty, hopelessly single, and socially awkward enough to scare women away. An executive with money-but no wife.

Chloe had assumed he was ugly.

Painfully ugly.

Because if a rich man couldn't find a girlfriend, there were usually only two reasons: extreme pickiness... or an unbearable face.

She had bet on the face.

She lost.

David Jones was strikingly handsome-cold eyes, defined features, the kind of man who made people straighten their backs unconsciously. Standing there in silence, he looked untouchable.

And dangerous-for her peace of mind.

A black BMW was parked nearby.

Seeing the familiar, modest logo, Chloe relaxed slightly. At least he wasn't absurdly rich. The gap between them wouldn't be terrifying.

She wasn't poor, either.

Living with her sister wasn't about money-it was about family.

She co-owned a bookstore near Toronto Middle School, a massive institution with nearly ten thousand students. The profits were steady, competitive, and generous. Add her online sales of handmade crafts, and Chloe earned over twenty thousand dollars a month.

More than enough.

Her brother-in-law didn't know that.

He thought her business barely survived.

He didn't know the five thousand dollars she handed over every month more than covered her stay. Or that she secretly asked her