A Contract Marriage with My Professor

"Whether you like it or not, I'm going to marry you, Jillian," Sir Zach told me. His face was dead serious, as if he had already made up his mind. "What do you mean, marry me? Hey! Just because you're rich doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! There is no reason for me to marry someone like you!" I snapped at him. It felt like he was trying to dictate every single thing I did, even though he wasn't even my boyfriend. "I have a reason to marry you, Jillian. Something happened between us, don't you remember? You were actually the one who kissed me that night you were completely wasted," he reminded me, a smirk playing on his lips. I swallowed hard at his words. Right. Something did happen between us. But it wasn't intentional. Someone had drugged my drink, which was why I acted that way the night he pulled me away from the "friends" I thought were genuine. "So, there's no reason to say 'no,' my future wife," he said with a wink. It looks like there's no way out for me. I'm actually going to be the wife of Sir Zach-my professor and the one person I'm always at odds with.

Chapters

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4:

ZACH GARDON'S POV

"Mom, didn't I tell you not to go out alone without me?" I asked seriously while we were at our own restaurant.

We weren't supposed to eat here, but she had been very stubborn. I had no choice but to follow her and pick her up. I still had so much work to do; I was busy preparing for enrollment at Gardon University. As the owner of the University and a professor, I needed to be there. But my mother didn't seem to understand my job; she just wanted us to be together. She was always reminding me of things, which only added to my stress.

"I just went to get groceries, Zach. And I also looked at some baby clothes at the mall," she explained.

She never ran out of explanations. It was hard as my parents got older; even when they were wrong, they still wanted to be right.

"That's the point, Mom. You went out at a time when I was fast asleep. You didn't even ask the driver to go with you. You even took a taxi," I said, feeling annoyed.

I didn't want to lecture her, but sometimes she went too far. It was like she was turning back into a child. I knew this was part of growing old, but with my career, I couldn't handle taking care of her and being a professor at the same time.

"Son, I'm sorry. I just wanted to have some fun. I'm bored at home. That's why I've been asking you to get married. That way, you can give me a grandchild," she said, slipping in her long-time request.

She made it sound like finding a wife was easy. She didn't realize how hard it was to enter a relationship. I was already struggling to find a decent woman, yet she wanted me to get married right away. I had high standards when it came to finding someone to share a home with.

"I don't want to get married yet, Mom. I've told you many times that I'm not ready for that life. I'm too lazy to even look for a girlfriend, now you want me to look for a wife," I told her.

It was the truth. I didn't want a relationship yet. I could barely handle taking care of her; I didn't want to deal with another woman. I wasn't an expert on women, but I knew how they acted. Just dealing with my mother's stubbornness made me feel like I was losing my hair.

"But son, you're in your 30's now. And I'm already a senior citizen. When do you plan to give me a grandchild? When I'm dead? You know I have health problems. Don't you want me to be happy?" she asked softly, sounding hurt.

I was Zach Gardon. I was a Math professor and a businessman. We owned the university where I taught. I loved teaching and I really loved my job. I focused entirely on my work and growing the business, so I didn't have time for a love life. I felt like women were just a headache.

Take earlier, for example-the girl I had bumped into was so talkative. I admitted it was my fault for entering through the exit, but I didn't understand why she had to attack me so fiercely. That was why I didn't want a relationship; I was a serious person and I couldn't handle talking to people like that.

The girl I bumped into was small, so I saw her face clearly. I was sure she was the same girl I had given a thousand dollars to because I thought she was a pregnant beggar. It was a small world. Fate must have been playing with me because that was the second time I had seen her.

"Oh? Why are you staring into space, son? Did you find a girl you like?" Mom asked, pinching my side.

My attention snapped back to her, and the girl disappeared from my mind.

"You're imagining things again, Mom. Can we just eat? I'll take you home after this," I said.

"Whenever I talk about a wife or grandkids, you change the subject. Don't tell me you're gay, son?" Mom asked, judging me.

"Mom, please. I'm not gay. I just don't want to get married yet. And if I do get married, I'll choose a woman who doesn't talk too much so I won't be stressed," I said, taking a drink.

It seemed like no matter what I said, she wouldn't listen. I decided to focus on my food so we could finish and go home. But I suddenly choked when my mother spoke again.

"I met a girl earlier today, son. She dressed and acted very simply, also she's beautiful. And she was very concerned about me, just like you. It's a shame I didn't ask for her name. You two would have been perfect together," she said.

"I'm going to the office, Mom. My head is starting to hurt from all this talk," I said quickly.

I stood up without finishing my meal.

"I'll just call the driver; wait for him here. Okay? Bye, Mom," I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

This was my usual excuse whenever she tried to set me up with someone. I didn't have time to listen to her stories. I walked out of the restaurant and headed to my car. I was going to Gardon University. I had an office there, and it was my escape whenever I felt pressured to get married.

I didn't mean to brag, but many women liked me. Many chased me and many waited for me. Sometimes I laughed because even though I was the man, they were the ones trying to court me. But honestly, I didn't like clingy girls. I would rather love a woman who didn't care about me at all.

I started driving. I listened to music to reduce my stress; it always helped to hear my favorite songs. But suddenly, I slammed on the brakes because I almost hit a puppy. It was a tiny white dog.

"WHITEY!!!" a girl screamed, chasing after the dog.

When she picked it up, I recognized her.

"Oh my god, Whitey! I just bought you, and you already want to leave me," I heard her say, almost crying.

The puppy looked traumatized as it hid against her chest. I wanted to apologize for what happened, but the girl suddenly banged on the hood of my car.

"HEY! WHOEVER YOU ARE, GET OUT! HOW DARE YOU?! DO YOU HAVE ANY MANNERS?!" she screamed.

Here we go again. Our paths had crossed for the third time.

"What?! Are you a coward? Get out here so I can teach you a lesson! Do you think I'll let this go? I'm ready to file a case against you for traumatizing my pet!" she shouted again.

I took a deep breath before facing her.

"It's not my fault if you were careless with your dog. So please, Miss, don't blame me for your own mistakes," I told her.

She raised an eyebrow, clearly hating what I had said.

"You actually have the nerve to talk to me like that?!" she said, her face red with anger.

I secretly smiled at her reaction.

"You know, Miss, you're in the city now. It's a crowded place. You shouldn't bring a dog if you can't watch it properly," I said.

I took out my wallet, grabbed five thousand dollars, and handed it to her.

"Here. If your dog is traumatized, take it to a vet. Now we're even, and this doesn't have to become a bigger problem," I said, hoping she would stop talking.

"You're trying to bribe me? What do you think of me? That you can buy my dignity? Hey-" I didn't let her finish. I turned my back on her.

"Hey! You're so rude! I'm still talking to you!" she screamed after me.

But I didn't look back. I got into my car and drove away. As I passed her, I left the five thousand dollars with her.

"Hey, rude man! I don't need your money!!!" she yelled loudly.

She was like an "angry bird" - always mad.

Continue to next part

On our anniversary, I was basting the roast when my husband’s encrypted laptop lit up on the kitchen counter. Alex Bradley, the ruthless Underboss of New York, never made mistakes. But tonight, he left a chat room open. The notification shattered my world: "Is the idiot eating the dog food yet?" It was from his mistress, Charlotte. They were betting on whether I would eat the red velvet cake she had spiked with her Rottweiler’s excrement. I realized then that my marriage was a long-con. I was just a "placeholder" wife to secure his promotion to Don. To survive, I had to play the part. Alex sat on the bed, feeding me the tainted cake with a loving smile. "Eat up, Jillian," he purred. "It’s to die for." I swallowed every bite of the filth, forcing myself not to vomit until he left the room. The humiliation didn't stop there. I found out our marriage license was void. He publicly bought me a twenty-million-dollar necklace at a gala, then abandoned me to face the debt, forcing me to hand over my grandmother’s earrings as collateral. He even watched calmly as his family beat me for a prank Charlotte orchestrated. But the final blow came when I overheard him planning our "romantic" getaway. "The blizzard hits Friday," he told Charlotte. "It’ll look like a tragic accident. Hypothermia." He thought he was taking a lamb to the slaughter. He didn’t know I had been counting down the days. When we arrived at the cabin and he went to prepare my "accident," I didn't cry. I tossed one of my boots over the cliff edge to stage my death. Then I climbed into the black extraction van waiting in the snow. Alex Bradley thought he had killed his wife. He had no idea he had just set her free.

Mafia Modern Romance

7.1

Bound by the Mafia Lord's Gilded Chains

7.1

One look was all it took for the Golden Wolf to mark his prey. To the glittering elite of Milan, Dante Moretti is a god among men, a billionaire mogul whose Midas touch turns every gold future into an empire. But beneath the bespoke Italian suits and the cold, amber eyes lies a monster. Sworn in as the new Capo of the Moretti Syndicate over his father's open casket, Dante is a man who rules with an iron grip and a heart of stone. He doesn't ask for what he wants. He takes it. Then he saw Bianca. Bianca Rossi is a creature of light, an innocent art student who finds beauty in the shadows of Milan's back alleys. She lives for her canvas and her dreams, unaware that a chance encounter in a midnight storm has placed her in the sights of the city's most dangerous predator. Dante doesn't just want her. He is obsessed. Using his billions like a silken web, Dante orchestrates a "gilded cage" for Bianca. From anonymous scholarships to lavish "chance" encounters, he draws her into a world of blood-stained gold and lethal power plays. But Bianca is no porcelain doll. Behind her soft beauty lies a fierce, indomitable spirit that refuses to be bought-or broken. As a brutal war with the Ricci family threatens to burn Milan to the ground, Bianca must choose: flee the man who stalks her dreams, or stand beside the Wolf and become his Queen. In a world where loyalty is paid in blood and love is a lethal weakness, will Dante's possessiveness be their salvation... or their ultimate destruction?

Mafia Modern Romance

7.2

His Brother's Obsession, Her Mafia Throne

7.2

Elena stood flawless in her bridal gown. Five years of molding herself for Dante Moretti and a powerful mafia treaty culminated now. This dress was her only solace. Then her phone buzzed. A text from Dante: "Wedding canceled." Two cold words, no explanation. Her world shattered, heart a sledgehammer blow. Dante answered her call from a hospital, commanding her to leave, no apology. Her father and 500 mafia guests outside whispered of "humiliation." Marco then cleared Dante's things, revealing he was moving his long-comatose 'white swan,' Sofia, into their intended home. Her father's ultimatum: win Dante back in thirty days, or be married to a sadistic Russian boss. Discarded, betrayed, and trapped, Elena felt absolute humiliation. She despised five years wasted, facing a fate worse than death. But as tears blurred her vision, a dangerous thought ignited: Dante wasn't the only Moretti. She wouldn't cry or beg. Instead, she'd choose the most terrifying Moretti of all, and make Dante pay for his arrogance.

Mafia Modern Romance

7.7

Reborn: The Mafia Heiress They Abandoned

7.7

In my past life, the bullet chambered in the gun on the desk was less lethal than the indifference of the two men standing beside me. Dante and Matteo were supposed to be the future kings of Chicago, and I was their queen. But they threw it all away for Sofia—a liar with a pretty face and a fake sob story about a gambling father. They forced me into a gilded cage, making me serve Sofia like a maid while they played her saviors. They let me rot in isolation until I swallowed a bottle of pills just to escape the coldness of their neglect. They didn't even mourn me; they were too busy comforting the girl who would eventually destroy them. I died realizing that my loyalty was my fatal flaw. I had worshipped men who saw me as nothing more than an accessory, while they sacrificed their empire for a woman who played them for fools. But the universe has a sick sense of humor. It sent me back. Back to the day that sealed my fate. The Consigliere pushed the assignment papers toward us—the path to becoming Bosses. "We are not going," Dante said, looking at me with cold eyes. "Sofia needs us. She is fragile." In my past life, I begged them to stay. This time, I stepped forward and picked up the pen. "I will go," I said, signing my name in sharp black ink. "I don't need your protection anymore."

Billionaire Mafia Modern

9.2

Rising From Ash: The Mafia Queen Returns

9.2

To my husband, I was just a political bridge, a treaty with a heartbeat. While I sat alone in our cold estate, hiding the child growing inside me, Dante spent his days comforting his late brother's wife, Vanessa. He treated her like porcelain and me like furniture. The breaking point came the night I went into labor. Dante didn't hold my hand. He ran out of the clinic to comfort Vanessa over a fake emergency, leaving me and his unborn heir alone in the cold sterile room. So, I decided to give him exactly what he deserved: a ghost. I staged my death in the storm, leaving behind nothing but signed divorce papers and a tiny, mud-stained onesie. When Dante returned, he was told I died screaming his name. He spent months digging through the wreckage of the lighthouse with his bare hands, sobbing into the mud, finally realizing he had sacrificed his diamond for a stone. He discovered too late that I wasn't just a submissive wife—I was the secret daughter of Don Stefano, the most dangerous man in Europe. It took him three years to find me again. He fell to his knees at my feet, covered in grime, begging to meet his son. "I will fix this," he wept. "I will give you everything." I looked down at him from the steps of my private jet, flanked by my own army. "You can't fix what you broke, Dante," I said coldly. "If you ever come near my son again, I won't send a lawyer. I will send a war."

Mafia Modern Romance

8.2

Scars Of Love: The Boss's Misunderstood Ex

8.2

These are the last thirty days of my life. Four years ago, I secretly donated my kidney to save Falco, the mafia soldier I loved deeply. To ensure he accepted the surgery, I lied and said I betrayed him for money, selling myself to a rival family. Now, he is the ruthless mob boss of this city, and he has finally found me. He thinks my terminal illness is just another trick. "The sight of you makes me sick," he sneered. I bore his humiliation, quietly bought my own grave, and waited to pass away in peace. But when the underground doctor uploaded my surgical records to the mafia network, Falco completely broke down.

Mafia Modern Romance

A Contract Marriage with My Professor

Chapter 4

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