HER CONDITIONS
1917 Words
Bella Hart spent most of the night thinking about Alexander Sterling.
Not because she wanted to.
Because she had no choice.
His proposal sat on her dining table beside the documents he'd given her.
One year.
Marriage.
Protection for her father's estate.
Access to Sterling's private records.
No love.
No expectations.
No promises.
On paper, it almost sounded reasonable.
That was what frightened her.
Nothing Alexander Sterling did was reasonable.
He had spent eight years building an empire while carrying his father's death like a permanent wound. He looked at Bella and saw the surname attached to every memory he hated.
And now he wanted her to become his wife.
There had to be another reason.
Bella picked up the handwritten letter again.
Richard, if you discover what I've found, you must not trust—
The rest was missing.
She looked at the financial records spread across the table.
The hidden account.
The unexplained transfers.
The missing documents.
And Alexander's admission that he was no longer certain her father had been guilty.
Maybe marrying him was the only way to get close enough to uncover the truth.
But accepting meant walking directly into the life of a man who had every reason to hate her.
She needed conditions.
Boundaries.
Something that would remain hers even after she became Alexander Sterling's wife.
By nine the next morning, she'd made her decision.
She returned to Sterling Global Holdings.
This time, she didn't ask permission to see him.
She walked straight to Sebastian's desk.
He looked up.
“Good morning, Dr. Hart.”
“Is he in?”
“Yes.”
“Tell him I'm here.”
Sebastian glanced toward Alexander's closed office door.
“I could.”
Bella waited.
He sighed.
“But something tells me you'll go in regardless.”
“Something tells me you're learning quickly.”
A smile tugged at his mouth.
“I like you.”
“That's unfortunate.”
“For Alexander, definitely.”
Before Bella could answer, the office door opened.
Alexander stood there.
His tie was perfectly straight. His black suit was immaculate, as usual.
His eyes landed on Bella.
For the briefest moment, something shifted in his expression.
Then it disappeared.
“Come in.”
Bella entered.
The door closed behind her.
Alexander returned to his desk.
“Have you made your decision?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I'll marry you.”
He remained perfectly still.
But Bella noticed the slight movement of his fingers against the desk.
She continued before he could respond.
“Under my conditions.”
His gaze lifted.
“Your conditions?”
“Yes.”
Alexander leaned back.
“Go on.”
Bella placed a sheet of paper on his desk.
“First, my career stays completely separate from you.”
“Agreed.”
“You don't interfere with my work at the hospital.”
“Agreed.”
“You don't decide where I go, who I see, or what I do.”
His gaze sharpened.
“You understand you'll be my wife.”
“And you'll be my husband.”
Bella held his stare.
“Not my owner.”
Something flickered across his face.
“Fine.”
“Second, my father is not to be publicly insulted by you or anyone working for Sterling.”
Alexander's jaw tightened.
“That may be difficult.”
“Then don't marry me.”
Their eyes locked.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Alexander finally stood.
He walked around the desk.
Bella watched him approach but refused to step back.
He stopped in front of her.
Too close.
She could feel the warmth coming from him.
Alexander's gaze moved over her face before stopping at her eyes.
Then, almost unconsciously, his attention dropped for a moment.
Bella noticed.
So did he.
His expression changed.
He stepped back.
“Agreed.”
Bella hid her surprise.
She hadn't expected him to give in so easily.
“Third,” she continued, “you will not use this marriage to humiliate me.”
“I won't.”
“No public scenes. No deliberately embarrassing me. No using me as entertainment for your friends or business associates.”
“I don't entertain my friends.”
“That doesn't surprise me.”
Something almost resembling a smile touched his mouth.
It vanished before she could be certain she'd seen it.
“Fourth.”
Bella picked up the next page.
“I keep my own bank account.”
“Obviously.”
“My own phone.”
“Obviously.”
“My own car.”
“Fine.”
“And my own bedroom.”
His eyes held hers.
“Already agreed.”
“Good.”
She reached for the next page.
“Fifth.”
Alexander's expression became more guarded.
“There is more?”
“One last major condition.”
She placed the document on his desk.
“I want access to every document connected to my father's case.”
“No.”
Bella blinked.
“No?”
“You'll have access to everything relevant to the estate. Not everything.”
“Why?”
“Some of those documents contain sensitive Sterling information.”
“My father's life is sensitive to me.”
“I know.”
The quietness of his answer caught her off guard.
Alexander looked away.
His fingers tapped once against the desk before going still.
“Some of those documents could put you in danger.”
“I can decide what danger I'm willing to face.”
“Can you?”
Bella frowned.
“Excuse me?”
He looked back at her.
“You have no idea what you're digging into.”
“Neither do you.”
“I know more than you.”
“Then share it.”
“I already have.”
“Not enough.”
His expression hardened.
“You're asking questions that people have killed to keep unanswered.”
A chill ran through Bella.
“Is that a threat?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“A warning.”
She studied him.
“You keep warning me to stay away.”
“Because you should.”
“And yet you're asking me to marry you.”
Silence.
There it was again.
The contradiction she couldn't understand.
Alexander wanted her close while repeatedly telling her she should stay away.
She stepped toward him.
“Why?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Why what?”
“Why do you want me close if you're so determined to keep me away?”
Alexander went still.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Bella watched his throat move as he swallowed.
Then his gaze dropped briefly before returning to hers.
“Because this marriage gives me control over a situation that's becoming unpredictable.”
“That’s your answer?”
“Yes.”
Bella studied him.
“You're lying.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Be careful.”
She didn't move.
“I'm beginning to think you don't hate me as much as you want me to believe.”
The silence that followed was heavy.
Alexander's expression became colder.
“You're mistaken.”
“Maybe.”
Bella picked up the final page.
“Sixth condition.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“There's more?”
“One last one.”
She placed it in front of him.
“You cannot expect me to love you.”
Something changed in his expression.
It was so subtle she almost missed it.
“I don't.”
“And I won't pretend to.”
“I don't want you pretending.”
“Good.”
Bella took a breath.
“Because if you ever ask me to choose between protecting myself and protecting your reputation, I'll choose myself.”
Alexander's gaze remained fixed on hers.
“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
She held his stare.
“At the end of one year, if neither of us wants to continue the marriage, you will let me walk away without trying to destroy my life.”
He was silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“I give you my word.”
Bella nodded.
“Then we have a deal.”
Alexander picked up the papers.
He read each condition carefully.
Bella watched him.
He was frighteningly controlled.
Even now.
Especially now.
She wondered what it would take to make a man like Alexander Sterling finally lose that control.
The thought appeared unexpectedly.
She pushed it away.
Alexander looked up.
“You've negotiated well.”
“I learned from watching powerful men.”
“I hope you learned from better men than your father.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Bella's expression changed.
Alexander realized immediately that he'd gone too far.
“My father may have made mistakes,” she said quietly. “But I won't let you insult a dead man because you're angry with him.”
“I didn't—”
“You did.”
She turned toward the door.
“Bella.”
She stopped.
His voice sounded different.
Not soft.
But less guarded.
“I'm sorry.”
Bella looked back at him.
Alexander Sterling had apologized.
She hadn't expected that.
“Accepted.”
She reached for the door.
“One more thing.”
She turned.
“When we marry, you'll live at Sterling Mansion.”
“I assumed that.”
“And you'll attend certain events with me.”
“Fine.”
“There will be cameras.”
“I can handle cameras.”
“I know.”
His gaze stayed on her a moment longer than necessary.
Then he looked away.
“That's all.”
Bella watched him for another second before leaving.
The door closed behind her.
Alexander remained where he was.
He looked down at the signed conditions.
Then at the door.
His hand went slowly to the back of his neck.
He exhaled.
“What the hell is happening to me?”
He'd wanted Bella Hart as a pawn.
A means to an end.
A woman whose name would eventually become another chapter in his revenge.
That was all.
It had to be.
His phone buzzed.
Sebastian's message appeared.
Did she accept?
Alexander typed:
Yes.
Another message appeared almost immediately.
Congratulations.
Alexander stared at it.
Then another message.
You sound thrilled.
He nearly threw the phone across the room.
Instead, he placed it face down on his desk.
Outside the office, Bella walked toward the elevator.
She pressed the button.
As she waited, she found herself thinking about Alexander's reaction to her conditions.
He'd agreed to most of them without much resistance.
But when she'd asked why he wanted her close, something had changed.
He had avoided the question.
That bothered her.
The elevator doors opened.
Bella stepped inside.
Before they closed, she looked back toward Alexander's office.
She couldn't explain why.
Something about him unsettled her.
Not his wealth.
Not his power.
Not even his hatred.
It was the moments when his control slipped.
The way he stepped away whenever she got too close.
The way his expression changed before he quickly hid it.
The things he refused to say.
Bella frowned.
Perhaps Alexander Sterling wasn't the only one walking into this marriage with secrets.
Because she had one too.
She wasn't marrying him because she trusted him.
She was marrying him because she intended to uncover the truth.
Whatever it cost her.
Whatever it cost him.
And if Alexander Sterling thought he was bringing a helpless Hart woman into his mansion—
He was about to discover his biggest mistake.
Bella Hart had no intention of being anyone's pawn.
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