"First Party, Jose Friden. Second Party, Ellen Grace. One, the second party is the spouse of the first party, but only in public. Two, the second party must be available to serve the first party in any matter, including in bed. Huh? In bed?" Ellie muttered, puzzled by the words she read.

"We're husband and wife. Besides the business arrangement, I should also get other benefits from marrying you, so it's fair."

"But sir... I'm not ready for that," Ellie objected to Jose's words.

"You agreed to marry me because of the family business. Do you think I'm lucky to work with your lowly company? At least I need some compensation," Jose explained.

'No, this can't be happening!' Ellie thought angrily. She remembered her foster mother's words, not to sleep with this man if she didn't want to lose her debt of gratitude. But her aunt's words were that Mr. Jose wouldn't let himself be played. These two conflicting things troubled her. What should Ellie do? Should she follow her aunt's advice or her foster mother's?

"That part is non-negotiable. I won't give any leeway because what's the point of marriage if I can't enjoy my spouse's body?"

'But I'm not your spouse, Mr. Jose!' Ellie wanted to shout about all the lies that entangled her. But she didn't have the courage. Especially since this man was far wealthier than the Grace family, whom she thought was very rich. This man was like an active volcano that could erupt at any time. Ellie's position was nothing compared to this wealthiest man. So maybe following the flow created by Mr. Jose was the best option. Even though Ellie doubted if she could give up her purity to a man who was legally her stepsister's husband.

"Read the next part, analyze it, and understand. We still have half an hour before we reach home."

"Do we live together, sir?" Ellie exclaimed, shocked by Jose's words.

The tall man still in his black tuxedo immediately looked at the woman, who seemed very different from the Ellen Grace he had known for two months. The soft voice and surprised expression Ellie showed reminded him of someone from his past, but her face remained Ellen Grace, the very annoying woman who did as she pleased and loved wealth very much.

"You really think we're nothing after this marriage? You did this willingly. As husband and wife, we should be living under the same roof," Jose explained to Ellie.

Ellie lowered her head, gripping her gown tightly. She had assumed that this marriage would be different, not the kind where they lived together. But she was wrong. Before she could even get to know him better, Jose had already thrown an electronic agreement her way. The contract was full of suffocating terms, including the one stating, ‘The second party must serve the first party in all matters.’ If she disobeyed, the first party had the right to punish the second party in bed and even deny her food for an entire day.

"This is emotional torture!" Ellie muttered in frustration.

"Have you read everything, Miss Ellen?" Jose asked in his usual flat tone.

Ellie didn't answer. 'As if negotiating with you would change anything,' she grumbled inwardly.

"In clause twenty-three, it's stated that if the first party asks a question, the second party must answer. The same applies vice versa."

Ellie shook her head slightly. 'This is strange,' she thought to herself. 'You've clearly already broken your own rules!' she grumbled again.

"Ellen Grace!" Jose's voice became stern. "I offered you a mutually beneficial agreement out of respect for you. But your attitude is really bothering me. Put the tablet down. From now on, you will live according to my permission only!"

Ellie's eyes widened. "This is torture!" she protested angrily.

Jose glanced at the woman beside him, scoffing as he said, "I'm not a man without personal obligations. Just attending this five-hour wedding has cost me two deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Now I want you to make up for all the losses you and your poor family have caused!"

Ellie shook her head, completely overwhelmed. Her mind was a blur. After leaving her foster family’s home to repay a debt of gratitude, she was suddenly faced with the reality that she was supposed to compensate for the losses incurred by a marriage that had only lasted five hours.

"And who asked you to get married?" Ellie's voice cracked as she held back tears, hearing about the hundreds of millions of dollars lost because of this wedding.

Jose glanced at Ellie again and snorted. "No one's forcing you; it's just a game."

Ellie couldn't believe the words coming out of Jose's mouth. 'Rich people have strange habits...' thought the poor girl, who was beginning to realize that her role as a stand-in bride was to avoid a rich, cruel, and heartless man like Jose.

Maybe Mme Debora didn't want her daughter to suffer by marrying a man like Jose Friden. But why did she have to sacrifice Ellie instead? Ellie's heart sank as she thought about the reasons she found herself in this situation. She took a deep breath, slowly exhaling to keep herself from crying.

Jose glanced at the woman named Ellen, whom he had known to always try to catch his attention. But now, Jose felt like this girl wasn't the real Ellen.

The cruel woman who was the reason he agreed to marriage, even though he had planned to stay single forever, while still using high-class women to satisfy his desires.

Jose remained silent throughout the drive, letting Ellie cry until she was practically choking.

Even though Jose disliked seeing women cry, believing that tears made a person weak, there was something about Ellie that made him feel a strange connection.

The car arrived at a large, two-story house, a villa owned by Jose. He planned to place Ellen, formerly known as Ellie, in this house to ensure she wouldn't be able to escape.