Another fifteen minutes passed.

Matthew didn't come knocking again, and Serena, finally done soaking, stepped out of the tub.

Before the bath, she'd been wearing a full face of heavy bridal makeup-her real features completely hidden.

But now, makeup-free, her bare face was on full display. Her big blink-blink eyes, long lashes, flawless creamy skin, small oval face, sharp nose, and pouty lips-maybe not a classic beauty, but definitely jaw-dropping at first glance.

Matthew got momentarily lost in her face.

Originally, he'd just brought her back to deal with Vivian. But now? Vivian wasn't going to give up until she saw a marriage certificate.

And with no better alternative, this girl seemed smart enough.

"What? You just gonna stare at me?" Serena tugged her robe tighter.

Matthew snapped out of it, going cold in an instant. "Take off my bathrobe."

"No way! Your shirt's too short anyway, I'm not-no."

He took a step closer, leaned down beside her ear, the corners of his lips lifting, and said softly, "You wanna see me come out of the shower naked instead?"

"You-" Her face flushed instantly as she shoved him away and dove under the blanket. Underneath, she wriggled out of the robe and flung it toward him.

Matthew picked it up with one finger and tossed it over his shoulder, smirking all the way to the bathroom.

She was honestly exhausted and fell asleep not long after.

But it felt like barely a few minutes had passed when a low, devilish voice came from beside the bed: "Get up."

She jolted awake, clutching the blanket. "W-What do you want?"

"I told you-we've got business to take care of." His tone was teasing, with a hint of something suggestive.

Serena instinctively scooted back. "Don't even think about it. I'll scream, I'm serious. You don't want Vivian finding out I'm just a last-minute stand-in, do you?"

She reached out trying to stop his approach, but accidentally yanked his robe open, exposing a whole lot of defined chest muscle.

Oh dear god. Absolute temptation on full display.

Good thing her heart was still full of Dylan Wood. Otherwise, she legit wasn't sure if she could resist making very bad decisions.

Seriously though, men with good looks and a hot bod? They could throw a trash bag on and still look expensive.

"You keep staring at me like that, I'm gonna start misbehaving," Matthew said with a smug grin.

Serena turned bright red, slammed her hands over her face, and stayed silent.

First time seeing each other post-shower, and it was as awkward as it gets. She had no idea how to deal.

"Okay, come sit over here."

She hesitated.

He didn't wait and just pulled her over to the bed, grabbed a blow dryer, and started working through her damp hair gently.

Even his voice softened. "Don't know how to use a hairdryer?"

Caught off guard by the sudden tenderness, she fumbled for an answer. "I... I wasn't sure where it was."

Once her hair was dry, Matthew pulled up a chair, paused briefly, then said seriously, "Alright, time to talk business."

"Business?" Serena blinked, her mind flashing back to everything that had happened today. Leaning closer, she kept her voice low. "Wait... you're not actually planning to marry me, are you?"

"Yeah. We're getting a marriage certificate." His tone was flat, not a flicker of emotion.

"No, no way. That's insane."

Serena shook her hands like she was trying to swat the thought away.

"We just met today. All I know is your name's Matthew, you're the CEO of some giant company, super rich, and obvious fact-you're a guy. You only know that I'm Serena, broke, and a runaway bride. Getting married? For real? I mean, I can play along if it's for a show or something, but this? It's way too much."

After she finally cooled down a bit, Matthew calmly said, "I need a marriage certificate."

"I don't, okay? Seriously, Mr. Quinn. Go find someone else-Emily, Jessica, Ashley, whoever. Just not me."

Matthew ignored her string of complaints like they were background noise.

"So what, you brought in a stand-in last minute just to bail on your own wedding, and now you're suddenly talking about marriage certificates?" Serena couldn't hold back anymore.

"Exactly. But since you showed up instead, I figured-why not switch it up." A barely noticeable smile tugged at the edge of Matthew's lips.

"Wait, what?"

Back to serious mode, Matthew replied, "You can name your price."

"You think I'm trying to scam you for money? Sorry, but marriage is supposed to be based on love and trust-it's not something you can just throw money at."

Even she was kinda moved by those words. Dang, did she just make herself tear up?

"And how do you know we don't have love?"

Matthew's eyes locked on her face, like he was trying to read every thought running through her head.

Caught off guard, Serena's eyes widened. "Whoa, don't get it twisted. Yeah, you're good-looking and rich, sure. But your personality? Super intense and icy. There's no way I'd ever fall for someone like you."

"You got a boyfriend?" Matthew raised an eyebrow slightly.

Serena awkwardly adjusted the blanket around her. "N-no."

She'd liked Dylan for six years! But they'd never made it official, so... guess he didn't count?

"This is just business. Given your situation, I'm guessing you'll need my help. Think about it."

Thinking about the debt her dad was drowning in, those thugs with knives at his throat, and that creepy 50-year-old dude... Serena went quiet. "You mean like, a fake marriage?"

"You could put it that way."

It's not like she had a better option. Sure, she ran off from the wedding, but that didn't magically erase the debt back home.

"Alright then. Let's talk conditions. And we're getting it in writing, right? Just verbal agreements won't cut it..."

Matthew reached into a drawer, pulled out a pen and paper, and handed them to her. "Write it down for now. Tomorrow my assistant will email you the official version. Once we both sign, it's binding."

Her brain was mush at this point-negotiating terms sounded like a recipe for disaster.

"I'm beat. Let's pick this up tomorrow," Serena said, giving a weak cough as she started to lie down.

"Tonight."

Matthew's tone left zero room for argument.

Serena gave him a look, half giving in. "Fine. I'll start. First off, we're only married on paper. You're not allowed to try anything funny." She started jotting notes quickly.

Matthew just stared at her face, like totally zoning out.

When she looked up, he immediately wiped the small smile off his face and went back to his usual poker expression. "And what if you're the one with funny ideas?"

"Excuse me?"

She blinked, completely thrown.

Did he just catch her sneaking a peek at his abs earlier? Oh God, was it that obvious?

"Change this part to 'both parties shall not engage in any intimate relations without mutual consent.' The agreement should protect both sides."

Matthew looked dead serious, that handsome but emotionless face of his was honestly unbearable.

Serena sneered, muttering, "You really think highly of yourself, don't you? Mr. Arrogant." But her hand obediently made the edit.

"Second point-hmm... even after we register, I still need to stay on campus for school. So we can't go public," she said, chewing on her pen cap, looking very serious.

"I'm fine with keeping it private, but we have to live together."

Matthew got up and walked over to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out into the dark night. He looked calm, but something about him seemed a bit off.

"Live together? And why, exactly?" Serena shot back, clearly annoyed.

"No reason."

"You... well, in that case, I'll need to think it over a bit more."

Serena turned her face away, frustrated. "Forget it. You seem to have a problem with all my suggestions. You come up with the clauses-I'll add on if needed."

"The agreement lasts for two years. That's all I've got."

Matthew's tone was flat, like he was talking about someone else's life.

"Wait a sec... what about your, uh, massive wealth? Aren't you gonna make a note of that in the contract?" Serena asked cautiously-that was a ridiculous amount of money. Surely he cared, right?

"If you decide to leave after two years, I'll give you a blank check. Write whatever amount you want. Now get some rest."

He didn't wait for her reply. Grabbing a blanket from the wardrobe, he lay down on the couch with his back to her.

After ironing out the terms, Serena couldn't fall asleep at all.

They both lay there, silent, eyes wide open, lost in their own thoughts.

Serena started to piece things together: Matthew, CEO of the Quinn Corporation, needed a marriage certificate to get his hands on 42% of the group's shares so he could sign a major contract. And her? Her dad's gambling debts were a nightmare. She bailed on her own wedding today, and who knew what chaos was going down at home now.

She stared at her phone's black screen, too scared to switch it on.

Why live together for the two years? Was he afraid Vivian would find out? But once he got the shares, would that even matter? Or was there something else he wasn't saying?

Ugh-just thinking about it gave her a headache, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Matthew, on the other hand, couldn't stop thinking about how Serena looked stepping out of the bathroom after her shower. He didn't sleep a wink.

Morning sunlight seeped through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Serena rubbed her sleepy eyes and saw Matthew already dressed, quietly flipping through a magazine on the couch.

"I had someone bring some clothes for you. They're in the dressing room. Finish getting ready and come down. I'll be waiting in the car. We'll have breakfast on the way."

He didn't so much as glance at her while speaking, then headed downstairs.

The car was already running outside, with a security guard holding the door open.

"Bye, ma'am."

Serena rushed downstairs after getting dressed, cheerfully saying goodbye.

Left behind, Vivian's voice echoed faintly, "You're leaving just like that?"

This creepy mansion, that fake mother and son vibe, a sham marriage-yeah, the sooner she left, the better.

From when she got in the car to the last bite of breakfast, Matthew didn't say a word.

Serena was trying to figure out how to bring up the contract again. There was no way she could just blindly marry a stranger like this, right?

"Um... so, Mr. Quinn, about what we discussed yesterday..."