Chapter 2: An Offer She Couldn't Refuse
1941 Words
Ava stared at Ethan Blackwood as if he had spoken another language.
“My fiancée?”
The words barely escaped her lips.
Ethan remained completely composed.
“Yes.”
Ava looked down at the document again.
Then back at him.
Then at the document.
She almost laughed.
Almost.
But the seriousness in his expression stopped her.
“You're serious.”
“I don't make jokes about business.”
“Business?”
Ava pushed the folder slightly away from herself.
“You're asking me to pretend to be your fiancée, and you're calling that business?”
“It is business.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“It will.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
Ava studied him carefully.
Everything about the man seemed controlled. His posture. His voice. Even the way he looked at her.
She couldn't understand why someone like him would need a fake fiancée.
“You're a billionaire,” she said.
“I know.”
“You could have anyone.”
“That isn't the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
For the first time, Ethan looked away.
His gaze moved toward the city outside the window.
“There are certain expectations surrounding my position.”
Ava waited.
He continued.
“My family expects me to settle down.”
She blinked.
“And that's my problem because...?”
“My grandmother owns a controlling interest in one of my family's most important foundations.”
Ava frowned.
“What does that have to do with marriage?”
“She has made her conditions clear.”
Ethan's voice became colder.
“She believes I'm incapable of maintaining a life outside my company.”
“And she thinks getting married will fix that?”
“She believes I need someone beside me.”
Ava stared at him.
“That sounds like a family problem.”
“It became a business problem when she threatened to withdraw her support from a major expansion.”
Ava slowly understood.
“So this is about money.”
“Everything is about money at my level.”
There was something unsettling about the way he said it.
Ava looked down at the contract again.
“How long?”
“Twelve months.”
Her head snapped up.
“Twelve months?”
“Yes.”
“You expect me to pretend to be your fiancée for an entire year?”
“Yes.”
“And what happens after that?”
“We separate publicly.”
“Just like that?”
“Exactly.”
Ava let out a nervous breath.
“This is insane.”
“Probably.”
“You barely know me.”
“I know enough.”
“That is not reassuring.”
Ethan's expression remained unreadable.
“I know you graduated with excellent results. I know you've been working temporary jobs since your mother's death. I know you've submitted thirty-seven job applications in the past two months.”
Ava froze.
“How do you know that?”
“I have people who investigate before I make important decisions.”
“That sounds frightening.”
“It is efficient.”
She stared at him.
“Did you investigate me before I walked into this office?”
“Yes.”
Ava stood.
“I think this interview is over.”
She reached for her folder.
Ethan didn't stop her.
“Your eviction notice expires tomorrow.”
Ava stopped.
Her hand tightened around her folder.
Slowly, she turned around.
“How do you know that?”
“I told you. I investigate.”
“That doesn't give you the right to know everything about me.”
“No.”
His voice softened slightly.
“But it gives me enough information to make you an offer.”
Ava swallowed.
She hated that he was right.
Her apartment was going to be gone tomorrow.
She had nowhere else to go.
Her savings were nearly finished.
She had spent the previous night calculating which belongings she could sell first.
And now this man was offering her enough money to solve all of it.
But nothing came for free.
“What exactly do I get?”
Ethan slid another page toward her.
“A monthly allowance.”
Ava looked at the figure.
Her eyes widened.
She had never seen that amount of money in her bank account.
“That's impossible.”
“It is the agreed amount.”
“For pretending to be your fiancée?”
“For fulfilling the terms of the agreement.”
She looked at the next page.
“Accommodation?”
“You'll move into one of my properties.”
“Your property?”
“Yes.”
“That won't be necessary.”
“It is part of the arrangement.”
“I can find my own apartment.”
“You can.”
Ethan looked at her calmly.
“But your current financial situation suggests that wouldn't be practical.”
Ava's cheeks warmed.
She hated being reminded of how helpless she had become.
“Anything else?”
“Public appearances.”
“How many?”
“Several each month.”
“Family events?”
“Yes.”
“Business dinners?”
“Yes.”
“Media?”
“Occasionally.”
Ava sighed.
“This sounds like a full-time job.”
“It will require discipline.”
She looked at him sharply.
“And what do you require from me personally?”
Ethan paused.
“You will represent yourself as my fiancée.”
Ava waited.
“That means what exactly?”
“You'll attend events with me. You'll meet my family. You'll appear beside me when necessary. You'll follow the agreed rules.”
“Rules?”
“Yes.”
He handed her another page.
Ava read through it.
No discussing the arrangement publicly.
No unauthorized interviews.
No bringing guests to his residence.
No interfering with his business.
No revealing confidential information.
No disappearing without informing his security team.
And one final rule:
Neither party would be required to develop personal feelings for the other.
Ava stared at the sentence.
Her eyebrows lifted.
“You actually put that in a contract?”
“Yes.”
She almost smiled.
“That might be the strangest thing I've ever read.”
“It prevents misunderstandings.”
“Between fake fiancés?”
“Exactly.”
Ava looked at him for a long moment.
“You've clearly planned every part of this.”
“I don't enter agreements without knowing the risks.”
“And what about my risks?”
“I've considered those too.”
“Have you?”
“Yes.”
Ethan reached for another document.
“If you accept, your outstanding debts will be cleared immediately.”
Ava's breathing slowed.
“Immediately?”
“Yes.”
“My rent?”
“Paid.”
“My bank debt?”
“Paid.”
“My mother's medical debt?”
Ava went still.
She hadn't mentioned that.
Her voice became quieter.
“How do you know about that?”
Ethan's expression changed slightly.
“Your mother left unpaid medical expenses.”
Ava looked away.
Her mother's name had become difficult to hear from anyone.
“Don't talk about her.”
Ethan didn't respond.
Ava closed her eyes for a moment.
She remembered the final months.
The hospital corridors.
The smell of disinfectant.
Her mother's tired smile.
The promise Ava had made that she would somehow keep their home.
And now she couldn't even keep that promise.
A tear threatened to fall.
She quickly wiped it away.
“I don't want charity.”
“This isn't charity.”
“Then what is it?”
“A transaction.”
Ava looked at him again.
“And what do you get?”
“My problem solved.”
“What problem?”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“My family.”
That answer wasn't enough.
Ava knew it.
“You're hiding something.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Everyone hides something.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“No.”
For the first time, Ava saw something beneath his calm exterior.
Not anger.
Something closer to exhaustion.
It disappeared almost immediately.
Ethan stood.
“The offer expires tonight.”
Ava stared at him.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“You expect me to make a decision that changes my entire life in a few hours?”
“I expect you to make the decision that's right for you.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then I'll arrange for a car to take you home.”
Ava almost laughed.
“I don't have a home to go back to.”
Silence filled the office.
Ethan looked at her.
Then he walked toward the window.
“You have until midnight.”
Ava gathered the documents.
She turned toward the door.
“Mr. Blackwood?”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Why me?”
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he answered.
“Because you don't look at me the way everyone else does.”
Ava frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“You looked at me like a man.”
She didn't understand.
“And everyone else?”
“They look at me like a bank account.”
Ava said nothing.
Ethan turned back toward the window.
“You're dismissed.”
Ava walked out.
The elevator doors closed behind her.
Only then did she release the breath she'd been holding.
She looked down at the contract in her hands.
Her future was suddenly divided into two possibilities.
One led to the tiny apartment she was about to lose.
The other led into Ethan Blackwood's world.
A world of wealth, secrets, cameras, powerful families, and rules she barely understood.
Her phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
LANDLORD: Final reminder. You must vacate the apartment by 8:00 AM tomorrow.
Ava stared at the message.
Then at Ethan's contract.
She closed her eyes.
“I don't have a choice.”
But deep down, she knew that wasn't entirely true.
She had a choice.
She simply didn't like either option.
---
By eleven thirty that night, Ava was sitting alone on the floor of her apartment.
Boxes surrounded her.
She had packed almost everything.
Her mother's photographs were the last things she hadn't touched.
Ava picked up one of them.
Her mother was smiling in the picture.
Ava smiled sadly.
“I wish you were here.”
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn't a message.
It was a call.
Unknown number.
Ava hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
A woman's voice came through.
“Is this Ava Carter?”
“Yes.”
“This is Mrs. Blackwood.”
Ava's heart stopped.
“Mrs. Blackwood?”
“I understand Ethan has made you an offer.”
Ava slowly stood.
“How do you know?”
The woman's voice became colder.
“Because nothing happens around my grandson without my knowledge.”
Ava gripped the phone.
“What do you want?”
“I want to meet you.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Ava frowned.
“I thought Ethan's family didn't know about me.”
A brief silence followed.
Then the woman said something that made Ava's blood run cold.
“Oh, my dear.”
“You've misunderstood.”
“We've known about you for much longer than Ethan thinks.”
The call ended.
Ava stood frozen in the middle of her apartment.
Her phone slowly lowered from her ear.
For the first time, she wondered whether Ethan Blackwood had really chosen her because she was convenient.
Or whether someone else had chosen her first.
And if that was true, Ava had just stepped into a game where she didn't know the rules.
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