Mary Johnson: The Paid Bride

I stretched lazily across the bed like a satisfied cat before finally opening my eyes.
The first thing I saw was a face hovering far too close to mine. Sharp features. A clean jawline. Sun-kissed golden eyes that looked almost unreal.
The kind of face people whispered about, the kind sculptors prayed to capture.
My sleepy brain offered a ridiculous explanation. Ah... Clara finally brought home a decent, well-groomed man.

Then reality hit. Why was he in my room?
Wait? Was this even my room....

Shit. My mind froze.
****
Growing up as the eldest child on a small farm outside Chicago was no picnic for Mary Johnson. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Becky Johnson, were hardworking, salt-of-the-earth people who survived on grit, faith, and calloused hands. They raised their children on discipline, dignity, and strong Christian values. Mary loved her family fiercely, but love didn't pay the bills. She had always dreamed bigger than dusty fields and endless sacrifices. Still, when responsibility called, Mary answered. Her family needed her, and she never turned away. Then fate threw her a curveball. An opportunity in the United States opened up, and Mary took it without hesitation. Soon after, she crossed paths with the Blacks-New York's powerful elite, drowning in wealth and influence. They offered her an unthinkable deal. Six months as the paid bride to their heir. In return, enough money to save her family. It sounded simple. But nothing about the Blacks was simple. With a sick father, a struggling mother, and siblings depending on her, Mary must make the biggest decision of her life. Walk away and lose everything, or accept the deal that might save her family... while destroying her peace. But as secrets within the Black family begin to surface, Mary realizes something terrifying. The contract was never the most dangerous part. Falling in love might be.