Almost Strangers

Chapter Three

Terms and Conditions

Vera’s POV

I stood outside Aries's office for several seconds, trying to guess why he'd asked to see me again. Since my first day at Morgan Technologies he'd made it clear he preferred to keep things strictly professional, so I couldn't imagine what would require a private conversation after everything I'd already finished that afternoon.

When I finally knocked, his voice came from inside. "Come in."

I stepped in and closed the door gently behind me. Aries was standing beside his desk with his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up, which somehow made him look even more imposing than he had that morning. His attention settled on me immediately, and although his expression stayed calm, I couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been waiting.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I asked, keeping my voice professional.

"Yes. Sit down."

I crossed to the chair opposite his desk and sat, my handbag on my lap, while he stayed standing a moment longer before finally taking his own seat. He opened a drawer and pulled out a black folder, setting it in front of him without a word.

I glanced at it, then at him. "Is there a problem with my work?" I asked, a hint of concern creeping into my voice.

"No."His answer was calm and curt.

I frowned "Did I make a mistake on one of the reports?"Did I make a mistake on one of the reports?” I asked cautiously.

"No, Vera." he replied curtly.

The way he said my name made me pause,it was the first time he'd addressed me so directly since I started. For one brief moment I wondered if he was finally going to acknowledge the past, but whatever hope had risen in me died the second I saw how unreadable his face still was.

"Then why am I here?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.

He opened the folder, glanced through the papers, and looked back up at me. "I have a proposition for you."His expression gave nothing away.

"What kind of proposition?"I asked nervously.

"A personal one." His voice was low and unreadable.

That answer straightened my spine. Of all the things I'd expected from him, that wasn't one of them.

He leaned back in his chair, studying me like he was deciding how much I needed to know. "My father expects me to get married."

I was sure I'd misheard him. "I'm sorry?"

"My father expects me to get married because of a business arrangement tied to the company. I have no intention of marrying the woman he's chosen, but I need a solution that satisfies the agreement."

"I don't understand what that has to do with me."Confusion crept into my voice, followed by a growing sense of unease.

He slid the folder across the desk. "I want you to marry me."

For several seconds I could only stare at him the words simply refused to make sense, and I was certain I'd misunderstood him a second time. "You want me to do what?"

"I want you to become my wife."His tone remained firm and unwavering.

A nervous laugh escaped me, because it was the only response I had left. "You barely speak to me unless there's work involved, and now you're asking me to marry you?" I sounded disbelieving, with a hint of accusation slipping into my voice.

"This wouldn't be a normal marriage."His tone softened slightly, almost as though he were trying to make the situation sound reasonable.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"I asked sarcastically.

He ignored the question and kept going. "It would be a contract marriage. We'd stay married for one year, and during that time, you'd play the role of my wife whenever necessary. At the end of the agreement, we'd divorce quietly and go our separate ways."

I looked back down at the contract, feeling as if someone had dropped an entirely different life into my lap. "And why me?"

His answer came without a beat of hesitation. "Because I know you'll accept the terms."

"You don't know me well enough to say that." My voice turned defensive, irritation beginning to surface.

Something almost amused flickered across his face before it vanished. "I know enough."

"No, you don't”. I replied firmly, my voice edged with defiance.

He said nothing, and I felt my irritation climb with every second of silence. "You know my name because I'm your employee. You know where I work, and probably where I live, because it's in my file. That doesn't mean you know me."

His gaze didn't waver. "You're right," he said eventually. "I don't know everything about you."

It should have made me feel better instead it landed the opposite way.

I looked down at the contract again and caught the figure written into the agreement more money than I'd earned in several years combined. I looked away fast, refusing to let him see how much it had gotten to me.

He noticed anyway. "You need the money."His tone was calm and matter of fact, as though he were stating an obvious fact.

"That's none of your business."I reply, my voice sharp with irritation.

"It becomes my business if you're going to be my wife." He replied evenly, completely unfazed by my attitude.

"I don't need anyone's pity. My voice hardened, pride making every word sharper.

"This isn't pity."pity.” His tone remained reassuring.

"Then what is it?" I demanded, frustration slipping into my voice.

"A business arrangement."” He said it simply , almost codly.

His calm only made it worse. I closed the folder and pushed it back across the desk. "Find someone else."

I stood to leave, but he spoke before I reached the door. "You'd receive the payment immediately after the marriage."

I stopped.

"Your debts would be cleared," he went on, his voice measured, "and you'd receive the remaining amount stated in the contract. You'd also have complete financial independence for the duration of the marriage."

I turned back around slowly. "You've been looking into my finances?"

"I needed to know whether you could handle the arrangement." His tone was

practical, as though his invasion of my privacy was perfectly reasonable.

I crossed my arms. "And what makes you think I'd agree just because you're offering money?"

"Nothing." He stood and came around the desk, stopping a few feet from me. "But you've spent years dealing with problems that were never supposed to be yours, Vera. You don't have to pretend money wouldn't make your life easier."

My throat went tight, because he was right, and because he'd noticed at all. "You really have thought this through."

"Yes." His answer was immediate.

"And you expect me to live with you?"I asked warily.

"For one year."His tone was simple.

"And we're supposed to convince everyone we're actually in love?"I asked skeptical.

"You won't have to convince me."There was a faint edge of meaning in his voice.

"What does that mean?"I asked, confused and suddenly cautious.

"It means the arrangement stays between us. Everyone else sees what they expect to see." His tone was controlled and unreadable.

I studied his face for some sign that this was a joke, but he looked completely serious, and there was something unsettling about the whole proposal mostly because this was the same man who'd looked me dead in the eyes and claimed we'd never met.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

Something shifted in his expression for the briefest second before he looked away. "I don't see what that has to do with the contract."

The answer hurt more than I wanted to admit. I lowered my eyes and took a moment to steady myself before looking at the contract one more time. The sensible half of me was screaming to walk away, but the rest of me kept circling back to the bills waiting at home, the years of carrying burdens that were never mine to carry, and how different my life could look if I just said yes.

I picked up the folder. "I have conditions."My voice was firm, signaling that I wasn’t about to surrender completely.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening." His tone was calm, almost amused.

"Separate bedrooms." I said firmly.

"Agreed." He replied without hesitation.

"You don't control where I go or who I talk to." I continued, my tone becoming more assertive.

"Fine." He said flatly. flatly.

“I keep working unless I decide otherwise.” I insisted.

“Agreed.” His response was immediate.

“And when the year ends, there are no arguments about the divorce.” I said firmly, holding his gaze.

He held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Agreed.” His tone was steady, though his expression remained unreadable.

I looked down at the contract one final time. Everything about it felt wrong, and yet walking away felt almost impossible. “I need time to think about it.” I said cautiously.

“You have until tomorrow.” His tone was firm and final.

“That’s not much time.” I protested, frustration creeping into my voice.

“You don’t need more.” He replied calmly, leaving no room for argument.

I gave him a sharp look and turned toward the door, but his voice caught me before I reached it.

“Vera.” His voice was low and deliberate.

I looked back. For the first time since I’d walked in, there was something different in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite name.

“If you accept this, you need to understand one thing.” His tone had turned serious.

“What?” I asked cautiously.

“This marriage will have rules, and I expect both of us to follow them.” His voice was controlled but commanding.

I held his gaze. “Then I hope you understand that I have rules too.” My tone was firm, with a hint of challenge.

A faint smile touched my mouth before I walked out, leaving him standing behind me with the contract still open on his desk.

I didn’t know that by the next morning I’d make the decision that would tie my life to the man who had once been my best friend.

And Aries didn’t know that the woman he believed he could control with a contract was the same girl he’d spent fifteen years pretending he’d forgotten.