Chapter 3

Back at the house, I pulled out that fake marriage certificate.

Looking closely under the lamp, the seal was indeed slightly blurred and uneven.

I honestly couldn't believe how blind I had been. I suppose I had just trusted Nathan completely.

We had been together for five years, and he had always played the part of the doting, considerate partner.

It wasn't until today that I saw the monster behind the mask.

Right then, the front door clicked open.

Nathan walked in with a scowl, tossing his suit jacket onto the sofa and glaring at me.

"Nina, you really embarrassed me at the restaurant tonight."

"Mia is my business partner. Who were you rolling your eyes at?"

I sat quietly on the couch, watching him perform.

"I gave you attitude? Or were your demands completely out of line?"

Nathan snorted, dropping into the armchair across from me.

"It's just a ten-million guarantee! Is that really so hard for you?"

"That house is just sitting there empty anyway. What's wrong with using it to help us out?"

I looked at him, feeling like I was staring at a total stranger.

"Nathan, do you really believe that my entire life, along with everything I own, should unconditionally serve your first love?"

Nathan ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Stop bringing Mia into everything!"

"I'm doing this for the company! For our home!"

Seeing his hysterical act, I wanted to laugh. But instead, I squeezed out a few tears, putting on a heartbroken expression.

"Nathan... are you truly doing this for our future, and not for Mia?"

Seeing me cry, a flicker of triumph crossed his face.

He stepped forward, reaching out to wrap an arm around my shoulders.

"Nina, how could you doubt my feelings for you?"

"Mia is strictly business. Everything I do is so we can live a better life together."

The words rolled off his tongue so smoothly, his face painted with pure sincerity.

Suppressing my disgust, I leaned back just enough to slip out of his touch.

"But... that house is the only thing my parents left behind for me."

"If Mia's studio fails, how are we supposed to repay a ten-million-dollar bank loan?"

Hearing my hesitant tone, Nathan's eyes lit up with sheer greed.

"How could it fail? Her startup is super hot right now!"

"Besides, we're legally married. Once my company explodes, you'll be the boss's wife!"

Hearing him say 'legally married' with such conviction almost made me lose it.

Legally married?

You forged a fake certificate to trick me, and now you have the nerve to bring up legal marriage?

Since you want to play dirty, I'll play right along.

"Okay. I'll trust you this once."

I lowered my head, playing the submissive, persuaded wife.

Nathan let out a long breath, instantly puffing up with pride.

"That's my girl. I knew you were reasonable."

"Wait, Nathan, I just thought of a problem," I said, looking up with genuine concern.

"What is it?" he asked quickly.

"Bank loans have crazy interest rates right now, and the approval process takes weeks. Mia might not make payroll in time."

"When my brother invested that fifty million into your company, he actually signed a secret side letter with me."

Nathan's expression flickered. "A side letter? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because it was his backup plan for us. As long as our company secures bridge financing on its own, he promised to unconditionally match it with another fifty million."

"Really? How much would he match?"

Nathan's breathing turned ragged. His eyes burned with raw hunger.

"If you can secure a thirty-million-dollar bridge loan to prove the company's borrowing power, my brother will wire an extra fifty million immediately. No collateral required."

"When that happens, not only will Mia's studio survive, but you'll be worth over a hundred million overnight."

I dangled the bait and watched his face closely.

*Worth over a hundred million.* For someone as vain and insecure as Nathan, that was a fatal lure.

"A thirty-million bridge loan... where do we get that kind of cash fast?" Nathan muttered, a faint trace of hesitation creeping in.

"A private credit firm," I suggested casually. "We only need to float it for two weeks. The second my brother's fifty million hits the account, we pay off the high-interest bridge loan immediately."

"And what if something goes wrong? How do we pay off the high-interest loan?" Nathan still had a scrap of sanity left.

"What are you afraid of? We're married. Any debt we take on is shared equally," I said softly, taking his hand.

"Worst case, we can list my parents' house in the co-borrower agreement as secondary collateral. Just in case."

At that, the last trace of doubt vanished from Nathan's face.

In his mind, with my debt-free house as a backstop, he couldn't possibly lose.

More importantly, he truly believed we were "husband and wife"—that I would go down with the ship right beside him.

What he didn't know was that I would never put my real signature on any loan document.

"Deal! We do it your way!"

Nathan slapped his knee, his face flushed with excitement.

"I'll call the private lending firm first thing tomorrow and lock down the thirty million!"

Watching him scurry off to make plans, I smiled coldly.

I pulled out my phone and shot Carter a text:

*The fish took the bait. Time to reel it in.*

Carter replied with a voice memo a second later:

*Done. The owner of that private fund is an old friend of mine. I'll make sure Nathan gets our 'vip treatment.'*

That night, Nathan treated me like a queen, fetching tea and massaging my shoulders.

Watching him grovel with that pathetic, servile grin made my skin crawl.

I endured it, because the real show was set to open tomorrow.