Chapter 2 – The Deal
558 Words
Aira sat on the edge of the bed, the marriage certificate trembling in her hands. Her fingers gripped the edges like it might crumble away and prove all of this wasn’t real.
But it was.
The seal, the signatures, the date—it was real.
She looked up at Elian, who had now donned a crisp white shirt and slacks like nothing ever happened. He was calm, composed, and annoyingly unreadable.
“How can you be so calm about this?” she asked, her voice still shaking.
He adjusted his cufflinks with cool precision. “Because I don’t panic. I solve problems. And this,” he motioned between them, “is a problem with a solution.”
She gave a dry laugh. “You call this a solution? Marrying a stranger and staying married like it’s a job contract?”
“It is a contract,” he said flatly, pulling a folder from his leather briefcase. “Here are the terms.”
Aira stared in disbelief as he handed her an actual printed agreement—like he’d done this before.
Six months.
Strictly platonic.
No emotional involvement.
Monthly financial compensation.
Discretion is mandatory.
Separation upon conclusion of the term.
“You’re serious,” she whispered, flipping through the pages.
“I always am.”
“And what do you get out of this?” she asked warily.
Elian’s expression barely changed. “Convenience. I need to appear settled for a pending business merger. Investors trust a man with a stable domestic life.”
“So I’m your... corporate shield?”
He met her gaze. “Think of it as mutually beneficial.”
Aira laughed bitterly. “You think throwing money at me will make this easier?”
“I think you need it,” he said, not unkindly. “And I think you’re practical enough to realize this could help both of us.”
She hated how right he was.
She thought of her mother’s hospital bills. The event company she’d poured her heart into, barely surviving. Her overdue rent. She was already at rock bottom.
And here was this man offering her a rope... even if it came with a golden chain.
Aira looked him straight in the eye. “And after six months, you’ll just let me go?”
He nodded. “No strings attached.”
She stood slowly, pulling the blanket tightly around herself. “I’ll need time to think.”
“You have 24 hours,” Elian said, already reaching for his phone. “I’m a busy man.”
“Of course you are,” she muttered.
He paused. “You’ll stay here for now. My assistant will bring you clothes and whatever you need. I’ll have my driver take you home later if you decline.”
Aira shook her head. “You really live like this? Cold and calculated?”
He gave the faintest ghost of a smile. “It keeps life simple.”
“Sounds lonely.”
He didn’t respond.
As he stepped out of the suite, Aira dropped back onto the bed, her head spinning.
A fake marriage. A six-month deal. A cold CEO with secrets in his eyes.
She should run.
But deep down, something told her this man was more than he seemed.
And if she said yes—nothing in her life would ever be the same again.
- Writer
