The Impossible Contract
1490 Words
Alyssa forced herself to meet George Kingston’s gaze.
The office was silent enough for her to hear the ticking of the antique clock mounted behind him.
She slowly reached out and shook his hand.
His grip was firm.
Confident.
Yet strangely cold.
“It’s… an honor to meet you, Mr. Kingston.”
George released her hand without smiling.
“Sit.”
His voice wasn’t loud.
It didn’t need to be.
Alyssa obeyed.
Richard quietly closed the office doors behind her, leaving them alone.
George remained standing.
He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.
“You’ve probably been wondering why I called you.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve also been wondering why I would hire someone whose biggest event ended in disaster yesterday.”
Alyssa’s fingers tightened around her handbag.
“I can explain what happened.”
“I’ve already watched it.”
Her heart sank.
“Three times.”
Silence.
George turned around.
“I don’t think you ruined that wedding.”
Alyssa blinked.
“What?”
“I watched every camera angle.”
He walked back to his desk.
“The champagne tower didn’t collapse because of poor planning.”
He pressed a button on a remote.
A large television screen lit up.
Security footage.
The ballroom.
The exact moment before the tower fell.
George paused the video.
He zoomed in.
A waiter.
Barely visible.
His foot hooked around one of the support cables beneath the table.
A deliberate movement.
Then…
Crash.
Alyssa stared at the screen in disbelief.
“Someone…”
“…sabotaged it.”
George nodded once.
“You were set up.”
For several seconds, Alyssa couldn’t speak.
Yesterday, everyone had called her incompetent.
Lazy.
Careless.
But all along…
She hadn’t made a mistake.
“Why didn’t anyone notice?”
“They weren’t looking.”
Her eyes slowly returned to George.
“If you knew…”
“…why didn’t you tell anyone?”
George’s expression didn’t change.
“Because I wanted to see what kind of person you were.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“You never blamed your staff.”
“You never screamed.”
“You accepted responsibility for something that wasn’t your fault.”
He folded his hands.
“Most people in your position would’ve started pointing fingers.”
Alyssa lowered her eyes.
“My employees trust me.”
“They have families.”
“If someone had to take the blame…”
She shrugged weakly.
“It should’ve been me.”
George watched her quietly.
For the first time…
Something softened in his eyes.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
“You’ve lost nearly every client.”
“Yes.”
“You’re behind on your office rent.”
Alyssa’s face flushed.
“You investigated me?”
“I investigate everyone.”
“And your business has less than two weeks before bankruptcy.”
She looked away.
Every word was true.
George slid a thick black folder across the desk.
“My wedding.”
She looked down.
Embossed in silver lettering were the words:
CONFIDENTIAL
“I want you to plan it.”
Alyssa looked back at him.
“After everything that’s happened?”
“Especially after everything that’s happened.”
She slowly opened the folder.
Luxury venue.
International guest list.
Private island reception.
Celebrity performers.
The budget alone made her dizzy.
“This…”
She swallowed.
“This is impossible.”
“Nothing about it is impossible.”
“It is if you expect me to organize it in one month.”
George didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he sat down opposite her.
“I don’t hire average people.”
“I hire people who survive impossible situations.”
She couldn’t tell whether that was a compliment.
Or a warning.
Before she could answer—
Knock.
Knock.
Richard entered.
“Mr. Kingston.”
George didn’t look away from Alyssa.
“What is it?”
“Miss Vanessa Sinclair has arrived.”
George checked his watch.
“Send her in.”
Richard hesitated.
“She insisted on coming immediately.”
“Then don’t keep her waiting.”
Alyssa immediately stood.
“I should leave.”
George shook his head.
“No.”
The office door swung open.
High heels clicked sharply across the marble floor.
Alyssa recognized her instantly.
Vanessa Sinclair.
The same woman who had slapped her less than twenty-four hours earlier.
Vanessa stopped the moment she saw Alyssa.
The smile disappeared from her face.
“You.”
Alyssa instinctively took a step backward.
Vanessa looked from Alyssa…
…to George.
Then laughed.
“This is a joke, right?”
George remained calm.
“No.”
Vanessa folded her arms.
“Tell me you’re not hiring her.”
“I am.”
“The woman who destroyed my wedding?”
George’s voice remained level.
“She didn’t.”
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
“What?”
“I reviewed the evidence.”
“You were misinformed.”
For the first time…
A flicker of panic crossed Vanessa’s face.
Barely noticeable.
But George noticed it.
So did Alyssa.
Vanessa recovered almost instantly.
“I don’t care.”
She walked closer.
“If she’s involved in our wedding…”
“…then I’m out.”
The room fell silent.
George slowly stood.
His face was unreadable.
He looked directly at Vanessa.
Then calmly said—
“If that’s your decision…”
“…there won’t be a wedding.”
Vanessa’s confident smile vanished
Vanessa stared at George in disbelief.
“You can’t be serious.”
George didn’t blink.
“I rarely joke.”
She laughed, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in it.
“This woman embarrassed me in front of the entire city.”
George calmly walked back to his desk.
“And yet, she’s still the planner I’ve chosen.”
Vanessa’s jaw tightened.
“I won’t work with her.”
George looked at Alyssa.
“Miss Monroe.”
Alyssa straightened instinctively.
“Step outside for a moment.”
She nodded quickly.
“Of course.”
She quietly left the office, closing the doors behind her.
⸻
The hallway felt endless.
Alyssa leaned against the wall, letting out the breath she’d been holding.
“What just happened?”
Richard, George’s assistant, offered her a glass of water.
“You’ll need it.”
She accepted it gratefully.
“Does Mr. Kingston always… handle people like that?”
Richard smiled politely.
“Mr. Kingston does exactly what he wants.”
“And no one tells him otherwise.”
Before Alyssa could ask another question…
Raised voices echoed from inside the office.
She couldn’t make out every word.
Only fragments.
“…this is my wedding…”
“…you’ve gone too far…”
“…I made my decision…”
Then—
Silence.
The office doors opened.
Vanessa stormed out.
Her face was pale with anger.
As she passed Alyssa, she stopped.
She leaned in close enough for only Alyssa to hear.
“This isn’t over.”
Then she walked away without looking back.
A chill ran down Alyssa’s spine.
⸻
“Mr. Kingston will see you again.”
Richard opened the office door.
Alyssa stepped inside.
George was standing by the window once more.
Without turning around, he asked,
“Do you know why I refused to replace you?”
She hesitated.
“No.”
“Because I don’t like quitting.”
He finally turned.
“And neither do you.”
He slid a fountain pen across the desk.
“The contract.”
Alyssa looked down.
One signature.
That was all it would take.
Her company would be saved.
Her employees would keep their jobs.
The debt collectors would stop calling.
Everything she’d fought for…
…was on the other side of one signature.
But something felt wrong.
She looked up.
“You don’t trust people easily, do you?”
George gave the faintest smile.
“No.”
“So why trust me?”
His expression became unreadable again.
“Because I believe someone is trying to destroy you.”
The room fell silent.
Alyssa’s heart skipped.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t believe yesterday was an accident.”
“You already showed me the footage.”
“I’m not talking about the wedding.”
He stepped closer.
“I’m talking about you.”
Before Alyssa could respond—
Richard rushed into the office without knocking.
His face had completely changed.
“Mr. Kingston.”
George frowned.
“I said not to interrupt.”
“I’m sorry, sir…”
Richard swallowed hard.
“…security just called.”
“They’ve caught someone trying to break into the Kingston family archives.”
George’s expression darkened.
“Who is it?”
Richard looked down at the security report.
His voice barely above a whisper.
“He refused to give his name…”
“…but he keeps saying…”
Richard looked directly at George.
“…‘Tell George Kingston that I’m here to take back what’s mine.’”
George’s eyes widened for the first time
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