PROLOGUE

I'd love to! Here's a dramatic, W*****d-style prologue that sets up the mystery surrounding Natalie's unusual profession and her reunion with Luca.

PROLOGUE

The bride smiled.

The groom didn't.

Flash after flash illuminated the grand ballroom of the Valencia Grand Hotel as cameras captured another union between two members of high society.

"Congratulations!"

"What a beautiful couple!"

"Smile, Mr. Villareal!"

Natalie Ariana De Dios wore a breathtaking white gown that flowed gracefully around her feet. Her long crimson-red hair rested over one shoulder, perfectly styled, while the diamond ring on her finger sparkled beneath the chandeliers.

She looked every bit the woman hopelessly in love.

Only she wasn't.

Across from her stood Damian Villareal, heir to one of the country's oldest business families.

He wasn't in love either.

They exchanged a brief glance before facing the priest.

"Do you, Damian Villareal, take Natalie Ariana De Dios to be your lawful wife?"

"I do."

"And do you, Natalie Ariana De Dios, take Damian Villareal to be your lawful husband?"

"I do."

The applause that followed echoed throughout the ballroom.

To the guests, it was another fairy tale.

To Natalie...

It was another contract.

—

Six months later.

The same woman walked out of the courthouse wearing a black pantsuit instead of a wedding gown.

No tears.

No arguments.

No scandal.

Just two signatures.

Damian extended his hand.

"Thank you."

Natalie accepted the handshake with a soft smile.

"Congratulations."

He chuckled.

"My grandfather would've never released my inheritance if I hadn't gotten married."

"I know."

"And now..."

He pulled a small envelope from his coat.

"My fiancé lands tomorrow."

Natalie smiled wider.

"Finally."

He exhaled in relief.

"I can finally tell the world who I really am."

Natalie nodded.

"You deserve that."

Damian looked at her with genuine gratitude.

"I'll never forget what you did for me."

"You paid for a service."

"No." He shook his head. "You gave me time. You gave me freedom."

Natalie's smile softened.

"Go be happy."

Without another word, Damian left the courthouse.

A black luxury sedan waited for him outside.

Inside sat a man wearing a navy suit.

The moment Damian opened the door, the man reached for his hand.

Their fingers intertwined naturally.

Natalie watched them drive away.

Only after the car disappeared did she allow herself to breathe.

Another successful contract.

Another marriage.

Another divorce.

Another secret buried.

Her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

She answered.

"Natalie speaking."

"Congratulations on completing Contract Number Nine."

She recognized the voice immediately.

Her manager.

"The payment has been transferred."

"I'll check later."

"Take a week off."

She laughed softly.

"You've been saying that after every client."

"And you've never listened."

Natalie stepped into the waiting taxi.

"I like staying busy."

Her manager sighed.

"I have another offer."

"I said I'm taking a break."

"This one's different."

"So?"

"The client specifically requested someone with your record."

She leaned her head against the window.

"I'm retired."

"He offered triple your usual rate."

"No."

"Five times."

"No."

"He isn't asking because he wants a wife."

Natalie's brows furrowed.

"Then?"

"He just wants someone he can trust."

Silence filled the line.

"What family?"

"The Hernaez family."

Natalie's heartbeat stopped.

"...What?"

"Hernaez Holdings."

She slowly sat upright.

"No."

"The grandfather's will states the next chairman must be legally married before gaining complete control of the company."

"No."

"The client already agreed."

"I don't care."

"You haven't even heard his name."

"I don't need to."

"You do."

Natalie's grip around her phone tightened.

"His name is..."

A pause.

"...Luca Elios Hernaez."

Everything around her became muffled.

The passing cars.

The city lights.

The driver's radio.

Everything.

Only one memory remained.

A young boy sitting beneath the old acacia tree.

"You'll always be my best friend, Nat."

A little girl with messy red hair laughed as she linked her pinky with his.

"And when we grow up?"

"We'll still be best friends."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The memory shattered as the taxi stopped at a red light.

Natalie closed her eyes.

Seven years.

Seven years without seeing him.

Seven years without hearing his voice.

Seven years pretending he was only a childhood memory.

Her manager spoke again.

"So..."

"Will you take the job?"

Natalie stared at the city skyline.

The answer should've been easy.

She had rejected clients before.

She could reject this one too.

But fate had always been cruel.

Because out of all the billionaires in the country...

Out of all the men who needed a wife...

The tenth contract had to be him.

The boy she once called home.

The only man she had never truly forgotten.

The line remained silent.

Natalie stared through the taxi window, watching the blurred city lights pass by. Her reflection looked back at her—calm, composed, unreadable.

"...Will you take the job?" Sasha asked again.

Natalie closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"No."

Sasha blinked.

"...What?"

"I said no."

There was a long pause on the other end of the call.

"You didn't even let me finish."

"I don't need to."

"Natalie—"

"I've completed nine contracts, Sasha. Nine." Her voice remained steady, but firm. "I told you the ninth would be my last."

"And I thought you were joking."

"I never joke about retirement."

Sasha sighed loudly.

"You do realize how much he's offering, right?"

"I don't care."

"It's enough for you to disappear for the next ten years without working."

"I said no."

"The Hernaez family doubled the amount before I even negotiated."

"No."

"They're willing to pay whatever price you ask."

Natalie let out a small laugh.

"Then they're looking for the wrong woman."

"You've never rejected a client."

"I am now."

"Natalie."

"No."

"You haven't even heard the full contract."

"I don't want to."

"You don't even know why he needs a wife."

"I don't need to know."

Sasha pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You're being emotional."

Natalie smiled bitterly.

"No."

"I'm being smart."

Silence.

Then Sasha spoke more gently.

"Is it because it's Luca?"

Natalie's fingers tightened around her phone.

"No."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"You've turned down presidents, politicians, old-money heirs, celebrities... but the moment I mention Luca Hernaez, you shut the conversation down."

Natalie looked out the window again.

"I retired."

"You retired after hearing his name."

Another silence.

Finally, Natalie whispered,

"Exactly."

Sasha leaned back in her office chair.

"So you still love him."

Natalie laughed.

A quiet, almost empty laugh.

"No."

"You hesitated."

"I remembered."

"There's a difference."

Natalie's smile slowly disappeared.

"There isn't."

She looked at the tiny silver bracelet wrapped around her wrist.

It was old.

Worn.

The charm hanging from it had faded after years of use.

A friendship bracelet.

The only thing she had never thrown away.

"He was my best friend, Sasha."

"I know."

"And that's exactly why I won't marry him."

"You'd only be pretending."

"That's the problem."

Her voice cracked ever so slightly.

"I don't think I can."

Sasha remained quiet.

For years, she had watched Natalie marry strangers without a single mistake.

She memorized birthdays.

She remembered favorite foods.

She learned family histories.

She played the role of the perfect wife so flawlessly that even private investigators failed to uncover the truth.

Yet...

The only man capable of making Natalie lose her composure...

...was the one she had loved before she ever became the Contract Bride.

"I'm sorry," Natalie said softly.

"I can't accept this client."

Sasha looked at the file on her desk.

CLIENT #10

LUCA ELIOS HERNAEZ

She closed it with a sigh.

"I'll decline the offer."

"Thank you."

"But don't blame me if fate has other plans."

Natalie smiled faintly.

"Fate has never been on my side."

She ended the call.

The taxi continued down the highway, carrying her farther away from the Hernaez name.

Or so she believed.

Because neither Natalie nor Sasha knew...

Luca Elios Hernaez had never asked an agency to find him a wife.

He had only given one condition.

"I don't care who she is."

"As long as she isn't Natalie Ariana De Dios."

Little did he know...

The only woman determined not to marry him...

...was the very woman destiny had already chosen.

Sasha didn't answer right away.

She simply leaned back in her chair, staring at the city skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of her office.

She had known Natalie Ariana De Dios for nearly fifteen years.

Long before the contracts.

Long before the money.

Long before the tabloids branded Natalie as The Serial Bride.

Back when they were just two university girls surviving exams, instant noodles, and broken dreams.

Back when Natalie still believed in love.

Back when there was only one name she would write absentmindedly in the corners of her notebooks.

Luca Elios Hernaez.

Sasha knew everything.

She knew about the childhood promises.

The summers they spent together.

The friendship bracelet Natalie still kept hidden in her jewelry box.

She knew about the tears Natalie shed the day Luca suddenly left for Switzerland to study business without even saying goodbye.

She knew Natalie had waited.

For months.

Then years.

Until waiting became embarrassing.

Until loving someone who wasn't there became exhausting.

When Natalie finally moved on...

She didn't fall in love with someone else.

She simply stopped believing love was worth waiting for.

That was when the contracts began.

One marriage.

Then another.

Then another.

Nine husbands.

Nine divorces.

Not once had Natalie crossed the line.

Not once had she broken her own rules.

Because despite what the world believed...

Natalie Ariana De Dios had only ever loved one man.

And that was exactly why Sasha couldn't force this.

She smiled sadly.

"...You're still keeping the bracelet, aren't you?"

On the other end of the line, Natalie instinctively touched the silver bracelet around her wrist.

"...I forgot to throw it away."

Sasha scoffed.

"Liar."

"It's old."

"You have a walk-in vault filled with jewelry worth millions."

"..."

"You threw away every wedding ring your clients ever gave you."

"..."

"You donated every designer bag."

"..."

"You even sold that limited-edition watch worth eight million pesos because you said it collected dust."

Natalie remained silent.

"But somehow..." Sasha continued softly, "...a cheap friendship bracelet made by a twelve-year-old boy survived all these years."

Natalie laughed weakly.

"It isn't because of him."

"No?"

"No."

"Then why is it still on your wrist?"

Natalie looked down.

The braided bracelet was faded.

The tiny silver charm had scratches.

The thread had been replaced twice because it had begun to unravel.

She answered honestly.

"...I don't know."

Sasha smiled to herself.

She did.

Because if there was one person in the world who knew Natalie Ariana De Dios better than Natalie knew herself...

It was Sahara Shanel So.

Not because she was her manager.

Not because she handled her contracts.

But because she was her best friend.

The one who stayed when everyone else left.

The one who watched Natalie build walls around her heart brick by brick.

The one who helped create the agency that handled Natalie's unusual profession—not to exploit her, but to ensure every contract was legal, safe, and protected.

Sasha had witnessed every wedding.

Every divorce.

Every goodbye.

She had seen Natalie smile in bridal gowns...

And cry alone after coming home.

Not because she loved her clients.

But because every fake marriage reminded her of the only real one she would never have.

Sasha closed the file on her desk.

"Okay."

Natalie blinked.

"...Okay?"

"I'll reject the offer."

Relief washed over Natalie's face.

"Thank you."

"But..." Sasha added with a knowing smile, "...I've learned one thing after being your best friend for fifteen years."

"And what's that?"

"When life wants to put Luca Hernaez back into your story... It never asks for your permission."

Natalie rolled her eyes despite herself.

"You've been reading too many romance novels."

"No." Sasha chuckled. "I've just been watching yours."

Natalie smiled—a real one this time.

"I love you, Sha."

"I know."

"And thank you."

"Always."

They ended the call.

Sasha stared once more at the folder labeled:

CLIENT #10

LUCA ELIOS HERNAEZ

With a quiet sigh, she slid it into the drawer and locked it away.

"As your best friend," she whispered to herself, "I'll protect your heart."

What she didn't know was that fate had already unlocked a different door.

One that neither money, contracts, nor friendship could ever close.