I have no choice
1084 Words
Elena blinked, then let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change, but she could see the slightest twitch at the corner of his lips. “I’m quite serious, Ms. Hartley.”
“Look, Mr. Kane,” she said, shaking her head and leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms. “I don’t know what’s more ridiculous, the fact that you think I’ll help you with your little image makeover, or that you think I need to sell out for your investment.”
She looked at him, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve built my business from the ground up, and you think I’ll pretend to be someone I’m not just to make you look good? I’m not some... accessory you can wear for public appearances.”
Adrian's cool demeanor never wavered. “You need the help. I’m offering it to you. This is a business transaction. You don’t like the terms, you’re free to walk away.”
“Oh, believe me, I’m tempted,” Elena replied, rolling her eyes dramatically. “But since I’m still technically here, maybe we should talk about how this partnership would really work.”
Adrian watched her for a moment, the silence stretching between them. Then, finally, he spoke.
“You’ll get what you need, but you’ll work for it. If you want my investment, you’ll do exactly what I ask of you. Simple.”
“Simple?” Elena repeated, her voice rising in incredulity. “You think you can just buy me, put me on your arm, and I’ll play the part of a respectable woman for your investors? You’re insane.”
Adrian’s expression was stone cold. “I’m offering you an opportunity, Ms. Hartley. A way out of your financial troubles.”
Her jaw clenched. “I don’t need your charity. And I’m not some object you can parade around to improve your image.”
She pushed her chair back with a screeching sound, standing up abruptly. “Forget it. I’ll figure this out on my own. I don’t need to stoop this low for your money.”
Adrian’s eyes followed her every movement, but he didn’t stop her as she stormed toward the door.
“Good luck with finding an investor for your wreck company.” he said, his voice quiet but firm.
Elena turned back for a second, her face flushed with anger. “You think you’re the only one who can save me? Go ahead and keep your investment. If you want to pretend to be a family man, you’re welcome to do it alone. I’ll manage without you.”
She slammed the door behind her with such force that the sound echoed down the hall.
Adrian remained still for a moment, his gaze following her as she left. His fingers twitched, and in a sudden burst of frustration, he slammed his hand down onto the desk. The sound was sharp, like a thunderclap in the silence of the room.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath, staring at the papers in front of him.
If it weren’t for the damn investors, if they hadn’t demanded he show this family man image for the merger, he wouldn’t have had to do this. This... ridiculous game of appearances.
Elena Hartley. She wasn’t even his type. Slim, thick in all the wrong places, freckled and brunette. She didn’t even come close to the models he was used to.
He ran a hand through his hair, seething quietly. He hated this. He hated how she had walked out, how she had turned down an offer that was more generous than anyone else would’ve gotten.
“She’ll come back,” he muttered to himself. “She doesn’t have a choice.”
****
Back in her own office, Elena was furious. She could feel her heart pounding, her palms sweating with a mix of anger and frustration.
How dare Adrian think he could just throw her into some contract relationship for the sake of his investors? How could he ask her to sell herself for his business deal?
She stood in front of the full-length mirror in her office, glaring at her reflection.
“Ridiculous,” she spat, her voice low but harsh. “Who does he think I am? Some… some arm candy he can use to fix his public image? I’m not that desperate.”
But as her reflection stared back at her, the same reflection that had watched her fight for her business, fight to keep everything intact, something twisted in her gut.
She was desperate. She was running out of options, and her business was on the brink. She had employees to pay, bills to cover, and no one else to turn to.
“Dammit,” she muttered to herself. “I hate that I need his help. But I can’t fix this on my own.”
She slammed her hand against the desk, her frustration bubbling over. How was it possible that the one person who could help her (the one person who could save her) was the same man who thought she could be bought so easily?
Her phone buzzed on the desk. A message from Jenna, one of her staff members.
“Elena, I’m really sorry to ask, but I’m struggling to make ends meet. Can I get a little out of my outstanding salary payment? I’m really behind on rent…”
She stared at the screen, her stomach sinking. She had always promised herself that she would never let her employees see her struggle, but now? Now, she couldn’t even help them.
Her fingers hovered over the phone, a wave of guilt washing over her. How could she save her business when she couldn’t even help the people who worked for her?
She sat back in her chair, eyes stinging with the frustration of it all. She had always believed in working hard, doing things on her own merit. But here she was, faced with a reality where the stakes were higher than she had ever imagined.
But as much as she hated the idea, there was no denying the truth: if she didn’t get Adrian’s help, she might not survive. And if that meant pretending to be someone she wasn’t, playing his respectable woman, as he called it, then maybe that was the price she had to pay.
“Christ,” she whispered again, her mind racing. “I hate this, but I have no choice.”
- Writer
