Chapter 4The Billionaire's Secret Fan Account

At 2:00 AM, I dragged my exhausted body home.

As soon as I opened my phone, I saw that the man who had been trending all afternoon was now in my friend requests.

The verification message was just two simple words: "Carter Sterling."

I hesitated for a second before clicking on his profile.

His profile picture was pitch black. His bio was completely blank. His display name was just the letter "C." Everything about his profile screamed, Stay away from me.

I rubbed my throbbing temples and helplessly hit 'Accept.'

Carter immediately sent a voice memo. His tone was freezing cold and distant.

He sounded like a man dealing with a nuisance he couldn't shake off, barely maintaining basic politeness and breeding:

[Miss Vance. Hello. I am your fiancé, Carter Sterling.]

I wasn't used to sending voice memos, so I typed back: [Hello.]

Carter had no intention of making small talk. He cut straight to the chase:

[I already have someone I love. She is the only person I will ever love in this lifetime. Therefore, you do not need to waste your time on me after we are married.]

[Our marriage is simply a transaction. I don't mind an open marriage. You are free to find whoever you like, and I won't interfere. Similarly, you are not to interfere in my affairs.]

[Miss Vance, your father mentioned that you have a first love who currently lives out of state. I happen to travel out of state frequently for business. I wouldn't mind bringing you along to create opportunities for you two to meet.]

I was stunned. I asked in disbelief:

[Are you saying you'd cover for me so I can go see my ex?]

Carter:

[Yes. That is exactly what I mean.]

[After all, I don't want you clinging to me. It's best if you have someone you like. It will give me peace of mind.]

[...]

For a moment, I didn't know what to say: [Keep going. What else?]

Carter:

[Also, I want you to remember at all times that our marriage will only last for one year.]

[After one year, we will get a divorce. When the time comes, do not cry and make a scene, refusing to sign the papers. It will be very embarrassing for both our families.]

Me: [Okay, don't worry about that. I won't.]

Hearing my guarantee, Carter visibly let out a sigh of relief:

[Good. Miss Vance.]

[I assume we don't need to hold a wedding ceremony either. And naturally, we will not be fulfilling any marital obligations in the bedroom.]

[There's no need to make our marriage public. I don't want too many people knowing about it. It's better for both of us.]

I didn't have any objections to that either, so I agreed.

After listing off his demands, Carter went silent for a very long time, probably worrying he had forgotten something.

After a full fifteen minutes, he finally confirmed everything and sent one last message.

[That will be all for now.]

[Apologies, Miss Vance, but you know I am a businessman. Businessmen do not trust verbal agreements.]

[Therefore, to prevent you from backing out someday in the future, I would like to draft a prenuptial agreement for both of us to sign. Is that acceptable?]

[The contract will cover asset division, as well as all the terms we just discussed.]

[For example, the marriage lasting only one year, the lack of marital obligations, me covering for you to see your ex, etc.]

[Miss Vance, does that work for you?]

Of course, I had no objections:

[Yes, Mr. Sterling. Draft the contract and send it to me.]

Carter was satisfied: [I will have it drafted and sent to you first thing tomorrow morning.]

I thought about it and asked: [By the way, Mr. Sterling, should we meet at least once before we get our marriage license?]

Carter rejected the idea outright:

[There is absolutely no need for that. It's a waste of time, and we have nothing to discuss anyway. We will see each other at City Hall in three days.]

That worked perfectly for me. I nodded repeatedly: [Sounds good. See you then.]