"Marry me."
She said it without flinching.
He sipped his tea like she'd asked for the time.
They met at a café tucked between skyscrapers, the kind of place meant to look lowkey but charged you for ice. Esther Tedd sat with poise honed by decades of legacy. Hair pinned perfectly, expression unreadable. She didn't do blind dates—not seriously—but her cousin insisted.
Across from her, Shawn Williams was dressed simply. Crisp button-down. No watch, no tie, no visible nerves.
Which was odd. Most men fumbled under the pressure of a Tedd family introduction.
Not him.
"Let me get this straight," Shawn said, setting down his cup. "You want to marry me. Today."
"Flash marriage," she confirmed. "On paper. One year max. You'll get generous compensation, of course."
Shawn leaned back, watching her with unreadable eyes. "You always propose on first dates?"
Esther shrugged, businesslike. "My father's will requires me to marry to access my shares. I don't do emotions. And I don't want some politician's son clinging to me for influence. You, on the other hand..."
"I'm boring," he offered.
"No." Her eyes locked on his. "You're clean. No scandals. No press. No power-hungry family. You're the kind of man who can disappear after this."
If only she knew.
Shawn Williams wasn't just "clean." He was invisible by design. Hidden billionaire. Cultivation master. The kind of man who erased his digital footprints before most people learned to code.
And now, an heiress was offering him the perfect cover.
He smiled faintly. "And if I say yes, what's in it for me?"
"A quiet life," Esther said, sliding over the prenup. "No strings. No expectations. No media."
She had no idea she was offering a deal to the most powerful ghost in the global economy. A man who'd walked away from empires, both spiritual and financial.
And yet...
Something about her—this poised storm of grace and rebellion—intrigued him.
"I have one condition," Shawn said, picking up the pen.
"Name it."
"You don't fall in love with me."
Esther actually laughed. "Please. I don't even believe in love."
The pen scratched. The deal was done.
A flash marriage between two strangers—one who ruled the world in secret, and one who was born to rule it in the spotlight.
And as their names settled on paper, far above them, something ancient stirred.
The Dao of Fate just got a new chapter.