Sophia stared at Ethan Rossi as if he'd just sprouted a second head. The words hung in the air between them like smoke, impossible and surreal. Marry me. She must have misheard. She had to have misheard.
"I'm sorry, what?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I said marry me." Ethan's tone was matter-of-fact, as if he'd just asked her to pass the salt. "It's a simple solution to both our problems."
"Both our problems?" Sophia's voice rose an octave. "I think I only have one problem, and it's sitting right across from me."
That earned her a slight smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You have a debt you can't pay. I have a father who won't give me control of the family business until I'm married. We can help each other."
Sophia felt like she was falling down a rabbit hole i
