A Deal With De Niro

Chapter 3

With that, he opened the contract again and started going through each section in detail. His voice was calm and precise as he explained every term – how the merger would work, how their finances would be handled, what their roles would be in each other’s companies, what was expected of them at family and business events. He spoke five languages, she’d heard, and even in English, his words were careful and measured, like he was choosing each one deliberately.

As he talked, Shannon found herself studying him more closely. He was undeniably handsome – sharp jawline, high cheekbones, thick dark lashes that made his amber eyes look even more intense. He had the kind of face that belonged on billboards, on the cover of magazines. But there was something hard in his expression, something closed off, like he’d built walls around himself that no one could climb over.

“…and clause 23 states that we will attend at least one public event together per month,” he was saying, pulling her back to the present. “Press conferences, galas, charity dinners – things like that. We need to present a united front to the media and to our shareholders.”

“Okay,” she said, signing her name on the first page where he pointed. “What about our families? My lola is very traditional – she’ll expect us to act like a real married couple around her.”

Blaine’s expression softened just a little at the mention of her grandmother. “My mother is the same way. She’s full Filipino, grew up in Cebu before moving to Italy when she married my father. She’ll want us to come visit often, have dinner with the family, things like that. I can handle pretending for their sake – can you?”

Shannon thought about her lola, who’d raised her when her mother died giving birth to her. The old woman had always dreamed of seeing her get married, of having great-grandchildren. She’d be so happy when she found out about the wedding – she had no idea it was all a lie.

“I can handle it,” she said firmly, even though the thought made her feel guilty. “My family means everything to me – even if this marriage is just for show, I won’t let them down.”

They spent the next two hours going through every single clause, making small changes here and there, adding her fifth condition to the end. By the time they were done, both of them had signed fifteen pages of legal documents, binding themselves to each other in every way that mattered – legally, financially, professionally.

Shannon looked at her signature on the last page, her name written neatly next to his. Shannon Marie López De Niro. It sounded strange, foreign. Like it belonged to someone else.

“Okay,” Blaine said, closing the folder and standing up. “The wedding is set for three months from today – April 28th. My mother is already planning it with your father. They want a big church wedding in Manila, followed by a reception at the Peninsula. I assume you have no objections?”

“None,” she said, standing up too. “But I get to choose my own dress. And no ridiculous traditions – I’m not going to wear a veil that’s ten feet long or have fifty bridesmaids.”

He let out a small laugh – the first real one she’d heard from him. It was a nice sound, deep and warm, and it made her realize that under all that cold business exterior, there might be a real person in there somewhere.

“Deal,” he said, walking toward the door. “I’ll send you the guest list and the venue details by the end of the week. We should also start having dinner together once a week – get to know each other a little better before the wedding. It’ll make pretending easier.”

Shannon hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. My place or yours?”

“Let’s alternate,” he said, pausing at the door and looking back at her. “And Shannon?”

“Yes?”

“Welcome to the family.” He said it like it was just another business greeting, but there was something in his eyes – something soft, almost kind – that made her heart skip a beat. Then he was gone, leaving her alone in her office with nothing but the sound of her own breathing and the weight of fifteen pages of paper on her desk.