Marrying her Ex-husband's Uncle

Chapter 7

"Fall in love?" she echoed in surprise.

She hadn't expected to hear those words from Nate. The thought had never even crossed her mind.

"Yes. Why does it seem like I said something wrong?" Nate asked as he studied her reaction.

She cleared her throat before shaking her head. "Not exactly. I was just surprised."

"As I said, this is a business marriage. You're here for revenge, and I'm here for the company merger. I don't want any complications. Affection might hinder our goals, so we'd better be clear before we start carrying out our agenda. Right?"

She took a deep breath before nodding. "Of course. I understand. Besides, I have no intention of falling in love with you," she replied bluntly.

Luke had already been enough. She never wanted to fall in love with another man again. The only thing that mattered to her was reclaiming the company her mother had worked so hard to build. Nothing else.

"That's good," Nate responded through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on her.

She cleared her throat once more. Nate's gaze was intense—almost as if it could see straight through her soul. It made her feel a little uneasy even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

A moment later, Nate turned his laptop toward her. Displayed on the screen were the rules he had mentioned earlier.

"Read them so you can make sure I didn't add anything we didn't discuss."

She bit her lower lip as she scanned the document. Then a thought suddenly came to her.

Nate had his own rules.

Shouldn't she have hers as well? After all, they were business partners now.

"Is everything okay?" Nate asked when she remained silent.

She smiled before gently pushing the laptop back toward him. "I guess I should have my own rules too. What do you think?"

The corner of Nate's lips lifted into a faint smile. "Sure. Let's hear them."

She looked at the man sitting across from her.

It still felt strange.

Nate was a very attentive person. He genuinely listened to everything she said—something she had never experienced with Luke. Luke had always been stubborn, doing whatever he wanted without considering anyone else. And whenever his reckless decisions backfired at Oceana, she was the one left cleaning up the mess.

"First, I want to be the one who brings Luke and Celine down. All I need from you is your money and influence. We'll do it according to my plan," she began.

Nate smiled. "That's interesting. What else?"

"Even if you're helping me get my revenge and we'll be husband and wife on paper, I still want boundaries when it comes to my personal life."

"No problem. Anything else?"

"Yep."

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest before continuing.

"You said cheating could damage both our reputations, so I expect you not to get involved with any other women either. I understand that you have... needs, but please keep them under control. I don't want us becoming the laughingstock of everyone who knows us—especially Luke—once our marriage becomes public."

A quiet chuckle escaped Nate's lips, but she saw no trace of disagreement in his eyes. "No problem. I can control myself when it comes to that."

"Good. And lastly, this is a business marriage. Once we've both achieved our goals, I want a quiet divorce, Nate. That's all."

She noticed his jaw tighten, making her wonder if she had said something offensive. But the expression disappeared almost immediately as he slid the laptop back toward her.

"Here. Are we all good?"

She quickly reviewed the agreement before giving a nod.

Nate personally printed the contract and handed her a copy.

When he sat back down in his swivel chair, he placed a bank passbook on the desk in front of her.

"Here's your new account. Ten million has already been credited to your balance."

She couldn't hide her surprise.

Nate had really come prepared for everything.

"Thank you," was all she managed to say as she accepted the passbook.

"And here's the keycard to the penthouse where you'll be staying since we can't live together just yet."

She froze.

So... they would be living separately?

She should have been happy about that.

If they lived under the same roof, the line between business and personal feelings might begin to blur—and she couldn't allow that.

Not after what had happened last night...

She immediately pushed the memory aside.

Yes, it was good.

Incredibly good.

But it had been a mistake born out of desperation and the heat of the moment. She had no intention of repeating it.

Never.