The proposal
Rain tapped softly against the large glass windows of the executive office as Adaeze Okafor sat alone behind her father’s mahogany desk.
The room was too quiet.
Once upon a time, this office had been the heart of Okafor Holdings. Phones rang constantly. Managers walked in and out with reports. Clients waited weeks for appointments with her father.
Now the silence felt like a funeral.
A thick folder lay open in front of her.
Financial reports.
Debt statements.
Bank notices.
Termination letters.
Every page told the same story.
Failure.
Adaeze swallowed hard as she stared at the latest figures.
Three months.
That was all the company had left.
Three months before salaries could no longer be paid.
Three months before creditors seized equipment.
Three months before everything her father had spent thirty years building disappeared.
The thought made her chest tighten painfully.
Outside her office, she could hear the faint murmur of employees talking.
They were trying to keep their voices low.
Trying not to let management hear their fears.
But fear had become impossible to hide.
Everyone knew the company was struggling.
Everyone knew disaster was approaching.
The only question was how much time remained.
Adaeze pushed away from the desk and walked toward the window.
Below her, Lagos moved as though nothing was wrong.
Cars flowed through traffic.
Street vendors sold their goods.
Businessmen hurried into office buildings.
Life continued.
Meanwhile, her own world was falling apart.
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced down hopefully.
The hope vanished instantly.
Another missed call from the bank.
The third one today.
She ignored it.
What else could she say?
They wanted money she didn’t have.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
The door opened slowly.
Grace, her secretary, stepped inside.
Grace had worked for the company for twelve years.
She had watched Adaeze grow from a teenager into a woman.
These days, the worry on her face seemed permanent.
“Miss Okafor?”
“Yes?”
Grace hesitated.
“The staff are asking about this month’s salaries.”
Adaeze closed her eyes.
Of course they were.
How could they not?
People had families to feed.
Children’s school fees to pay.
Rent.
Medical bills.
Responsibilities.
“I’m working on it,” Adaeze said quietly.
Grace nodded.
But neither woman believed those words.
Not anymore.
After Grace left, Adaeze returned to the desk.
Her eyes landed on a framed photograph.
It showed her father standing proudly beside the company headquarters during its grand opening.
She remembered that day vividly.
The music.
The celebration.
The excitement.
Her father had looked unstoppable.
He had started with nothing.
No wealthy family.
No powerful connections.
Only determination.
For decades he had worked tirelessly to build an empire.
And now it was slipping away.
A lump formed in her throat.
The hospital had called earlier.
Her father was recovering physically.
But the doctors warned that emotional stress could trigger another collapse.
That meant she couldn’t tell him the truth.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
A tear escaped before she could stop it.
She wiped it away angrily.
Crying changed nothing.
The numbers remained the same.
The debt remained the same.
The problems remained the same.
The office phone rang suddenly.
She answered immediately.
“Okafor Holdings.”
“Miss Okafor?”
The bank manager’s voice made her stomach twist.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bello.”
“I’m calling regarding your outstanding loan obligations.”
She already knew what was coming.
“We need payment by Friday.”
Friday.
Only three days away.
“If we don’t receive payment, legal action will begin.”
Adaeze’s grip tightened around the receiver.
“I understand.”
“Do you have a solution?”
“No.”
The silence that followed felt unbearable.
Finally, the manager sighed.
“I’m sorry.”
Then he ended the call.
Adaeze slowly placed the receiver down.
For several moments, she simply sat there.
Staring.
Thinking.
Wondering how everything had fallen apart so quickly.
Her father always said that business was like the ocean.
One moment the waters were calm.
The next, a storm could destroy everything.
Unfortunately, the storm had arrived.
And she had no idea how to survive it.
Her phone vibrated across the desk.
Unknown Number.
She frowned.
Another creditor?
Another bank?
Another person demanding money she couldn’t provide?
Part of her wanted to ignore it.
Instead, she answered.
“Hello?”
A deep masculine voice responded.
“Miss Okafor?”
Something about the voice made her sit up straighter.
It was calm.
Controlled.
Confident.
“Yes, speaking.”
“My name is Ethan Cole.”
The world seemed to stop.
Adaeze blinked.
Surely she had misheard.
Ethan Cole?
The Ethan Cole?
The billionaire entrepreneur?
The media darling?
The man featured on magazine covers and business programs?
What could he possibly want with her?
She swallowed hard.
“Ethan Cole?”
“Yes.”
His tone suggested he was accustomed to people reacting that way.
Adaeze struggled to gather her thoughts.
“How did you get my number?”
“I have my ways.”
The answer somehow irritated her.
“Why are you calling me?”
There was no hesitation.
“I have a business proposition.”
Adaeze laughed bitterly.
“Unless your proposition includes several billion naira, I’m not interested.”
“It does.”
Her laughter died instantly.
She straightened in her chair.
“What?”
“I can solve every financial problem your company currently faces.”
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Nobody knew the full extent of the company’s troubles.
At least nobody should have known.
Yet this man spoke as if he had access to every detail.
“What do you want?” she asked cautiously.
A brief silence followed.
Then came the answer.
Simple.
Direct.
Life-changing.
“I want you to marry me.”
The phone nearly slipped from her hand.
Her mind went completely blank.
Marriage?
Had she heard correctly?
Out of all the possibilities she expected, that wasn’t one of them.
Not even close.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Adaeze found her voice.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
She stood abruptly.
The chair rolled backward.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. This is ridiculous.”
Ethan sounded amused.
“I assure you, I’m completely serious.”
Adaeze paced the office.
“This doesn’t make any sense.”
“It will.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
The answer sent an uncomfortable chill through her.
How much did he know?
Why had he chosen her?
And why did a billionaire need a wife so badly that he was calling strangers?
Questions flooded her mind.
Unfortunately, she had a feeling the answers would only complicate her life further.
And somehow, deep down, she knew that this conversation was only the beginning.
