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1386 Words
Nadia really needed that lunch.
She’d barely had time to breathe over the past three months. Keeping WhitCo afloat had become a full-time battle, and every time she thought she’d finally gained some ground, another problem appeared.
Still, she had made progress.
In just three months as CEO, Nadia had managed to clear five million dollars of the company’s debt.
Almost half.
Almost.
And that was the problem.
Almost half wasn’t good enough.
The investors were getting impatient. To them, things were moving too slowly, and every day WhitCo remained in debt was another day they had to wonder whether their stocks were worth holding onto.
One wrong move could send everything crashing down.
Nadia sat behind her desk, staring at the numbers on her screen.
What haven’t I done?
She had brought in investors.
Cut unnecessary expenses.
Restructured departments.
Sold assets.
Negotiated.
Promised.
Delivered.
And yet there was still a mountain of debt sitting between WhitCo and safety.
She leaned back and rubbed her temples.
What else could she possibly do?
A knock sounded on the door.
Nadia sighed.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Kimberly stepped inside.
“Good afternoon, boss.”
“Good afternoon, Kim.”
Kim hesitated, already looking like she was trying not to laugh.
“Some dude is here to see you.”
Nadia looked up.
“Some dude?”
“He said I should tell you he has all the answers to your problems.”
Nadia stared at her.
Kim finally laughed.
“I don’t get paid enough for this,” Nadia muttered. “Does he have an appointment?”
“No.”
“Then tell him I’m busy.”
Kim nodded.
“But…”
Nadia narrowed her eyes.
“But?”
“He said he’s a busy man too, and today is the last chance you’ll get to hear his offer.”
Nadia blinked.
“What kind of person walks into someone’s office unannounced and gives them a deadline?”
Kim shrugged.
“Apparently, a busy one.”
Nadia sighed.
“Just send him in. I want to see where this goes.”
Three minutes later, the door opened again.
Kim walked in first.
“Boss…”
She stepped aside.
“Xavier Sterling.”
Nadia froze.
Xavier Sterling?
The guy Jacqueline had been telling her about?
Is Jaqie behind this?
Nadia looked at Kimberly.
“That’ll be all, Kimberly.”
Kim gave Xavier one last curious glance before leaving.
The door clicked shut.
“I prefer not to be kept waiting, Miss Whitmore.”
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
The kind of tone that seemed to assume people would listen.
Nadia slowly lifted her head.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
“That is a lot of audacity for someone who just showed up at my office unannounced.”
“Xavier Sterling.”
He extended his hand.
Nadia looked at it for a moment before taking it.
“I’d introduce myself, but you already seem to know who I am.”
Xavier released her hand.
“So I do.”
Nadia gestured toward the chair opposite her.
“So, what can we do for you today, Mr. Sterling?”
“I’m actually here to make an offer.”
He sat.
Nadia leaned back in her chair.
“Go on.”
Xavier didn’t waste time.
“Whitmore Co. is struggling. The public just doesn’t know it yet.”
Nadia’s expression hardened slightly.
“I’ve been noticing your movements for a while. Your most successful branch in London, Whit Hospitality, has lowered the price of its stocks by sixty-five percent.”
Nadia’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s a desperate move.”
“Are you here to give me a quarterly report on what I already know about my own company?”
She leaned forward.
“Or are you here to make an offer?”
Xavier looked at her for a moment.
“I’ll clear your debt.”
Silence.
Nadia blinked.
Then laughed once.
“Thanks, but WhitCo isn’t a charity case.”
“I’m not helping you, Miss Whitmore.”
His expression didn’t change.
“I said I’m making an offer.”
Nadia’s amusement faded.
“Okay.”
She folded her hands on the desk.
“So what do you want in return?”
Xavier looked directly at her.
“Marry me.”
For several seconds, Nadia said nothing.
She simply stared at him.
Note to self: Journal about how a man I’ve never met casually walked into my office and offered to clear my company’s debt in exchange for my hand in marriage.
She studied him carefully.
This had to be a joke.
Or she’d finally worked herself into exhaustion.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m about to sign a contract with Enzo Pharmaceuticals.”
Xavier leaned back.
“I’m not the only company competing for it. They have one slot.”
Nadia’s eyebrows lifted.
“I’m obviously the better pick,” he continued, “but I’m not married.”
“And your contender is?”
“A married man.”
Nadia stared at him.
“And so you want me to marry you because…”
“The contract I’m chasing isn’t brief. Enzo Pharmaceuticals is known to be very traditional.”
He paused.
“They aren’t looking for just a business partner. Their entire brand is built around family. Stability. Trust.”
Nadia almost laughed.
“That’s what this is about?”
“Partly.”
Xavier continued.
“If I announce an engagement, I’ll fit the image they’re looking for.”
“And you think getting married will guarantee you the contract?”
“I think it removes one of their biggest concerns.”
Nadia studied him.
“So, since you’re so successful, why don’t you just hire a wife?”
His eyebrow lifted.
“A wife?”
“Pay her a salary like any other employee.”
For the first time, something resembling amusement appeared on his face.
“I can’t marry just anyone.”
“Why not?”
“People would ask questions.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“And since you’re famous for keeping your dating life private, and so am I, we can simply say we kept the relationship private because we didn’t want the media involved.”
Nadia remained silent.
“Besides,” Xavier added, “you’re good for my image.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I’m good for your image?”
“Strong. Independent. Capable.”
His gaze held hers.
“Enzo would eat that up.”
Nadia leaned back.
“This is…”
She searched for the right word.
“A lot.”
“But it’s convenient.”
She stared at him.
A complete stranger had walked into her office, offered to clear millions of dollars of corporate debt, and was now asking her to marry him for a business deal.
Convenient was one word for it.
Insane was another.
“I’ll get back to you, Mr. Sterling.”
Xavier’s expression tightened.
“We both don’t have time to waste.”
Nadia said nothing.
“You can’t convince those investors to keep waiting forever, Nadia.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“It’s Miss Whitmore, please.”
Xavier paused.
“When I’ve decided, I’ll come to your office. I need to discuss it with my bosses.”
“You have seven days, Miss Whitmore.”
He stood.
Nadia watched him walk toward the door.
“Mr. Sterling.”
He stopped.
Slowly, he turned around and raised an eyebrow.
Nadia tilted her head.
“You don’t happen to know a Jacqueline Laurent, do you?”
For the first time since he’d walked into the room, Xavier looked genuinely puzzled.
“Doesn’t ring a bell. Why?”
“No reason.”
She gave him a polite smile.
“Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Xavier stared at her for another second.
Then he walked out without answering.
Nadia watched the door close behind him.
She frowned.
How rude.
Then her eyes drifted back to the numbers on her screen.
Five million cleared.
Seven days.
And a marriage proposal sitting somewhere between the two.
For the first time in three months, Nadia had been handed a solution to WhitCo’s biggest problem.
She just wasn’t sure yet whether it was a solution…
or the beginning of a much bigger one.
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