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1191 Words
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
Marry Vanessa Laurent?
Not a chance.
He didn’t react outwardly, but inside, the answer was immediate.
No.
Patrick Hartwell watched him carefully.
“You have nothing to say?” The old man asked.
Alexander folded his hands behind his back.
“I understand the condition, grandfather.”
“That wasn’t my question.” Patrick’s sharp eyes narrowed.
“Vanessa is beautiful, intelligent, from a respected family, and our families have been connected for generations. She would make an excellent wife.”
Liam smirked from across the room.
“And she’s still obsessed with you.” Liam said, teasing Alexander.
Alexander ignored him.
Years ago, Vanessa Laurent had been part of his life.
For almost two years, they had been the couple everyone expected to end up together.
Powerful families.
Perfect appearances.
The future golden pair of high society.
But appearances were deceptive.
Vanessa had wanted more than Alexander could give.
More attention.
More affection.
More promises.
More commitment.
And Alexander had never been capable of giving her any of those things.
He had cared for her.
Respected her.
But love?
No.
When they broke up, Vanessa had made her feelings painfully clear.
She wanted marriage.
Children.
A future.
Everything Alexander had never wanted to discuss.
And judging by the number of unanswered messages she had sent over the years, her feelings hadn’t changed much.
Which made her dangerous.
Because if Patrick decided Vanessa was the solution, he would stop at nothing to make it happen.
The old man had built an empire through sheer stubbornness.
And unfortunately, Alexander had inherited the same trait.
“I’ll handle it,” Alexander said finally.
Patrick studied him.
“You have three months.”
Alexander nodded.
“That’s enough time.”
“See that it is.”
Without another word, Alexander turned and left the room.
Behind him, Liam laughed.
“Good luck finding a woman willing to tolerate you.”
Alexander didn’t bother responding.
The mansion doors closed behind him moments later and he was in his car.
His driver glanced into the rearview mirror.
“Office, sir?”
Alexander loosened his tie slightly.
“Yes.”
The vehicle pulled away.
For several minutes, he stared out the window.
Three months.
Ninety days.
Finding a wife wasn’t difficult.
Finding someone willing to survive the Hartwell family was another matter entirely.
Then there was Vanessa.
The thought alone gave him a headache.
If he failed, Patrick would absolutely arrange the marriage himself.
And Vanessa would happily accept.
By evening, Alexander sat alone inside his penthouse office overlooking the city skyline.
The floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the fading sunset.
Stacks of documents covered his desk.
Reports.
Financial statements.
Crisis management plans.
None of them held his attention.
His mind remained fixed on one problem.
Marriage.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Victor, his assistant, stepped in. Victor is possibly the only person on earth who could survive Alexander’s personality.
Alexander explained everything to him moments later.
“So let me understand this.” Victor said. “The board wants you married.”
“Yes. My grandfather is the mastermind behind that decision.” Alexander said.
“In three months.” Victor chimed in.
“Correct.”
“Or your grandfather marries you off.” Victor clarifies.
Alexander looked up.
“That is an oversimplification.” He said.
Victor blinked.
“To Vanessa Laurent?” He asked Alexander.
“Yes.”
Victor leaned back in his chair.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Victor started laughing.
Alexander stared at him.
“You find this amusing?”
“No.” He answered.
Victor laughed harder.
“I find it terrifying.”
Alexander looked away.
“I need a solution.”
Victor immediately became serious.
“You could date someone.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I don’t have the time to invest in that.”
“You could try online dating.” Victor suggested.
“No.”
“You could reconnect with an old girlfriend.”
“No.”
“You could—”
“No.” Alexander groaned.
Victor rubbed his face.
“Then what exactly are your options?”
Alexander looked out the window.
The answer was obvious.
A business arrangement.
Exactly the kind he understood.
“I’ll pay someone to play the part.” He said coolly.
Victor froze.
“What?”
“I’ll hire a wife.” Alexander clarified.
The silence that followed was impressive.
Victor stared at him.
Alexander stared back.
Several seconds passed.
Then Victor spoke very slowly.
“You want to hire a fake wife.”
“Yes.”
“Like a contract.”
“Exactly.”
Victor looked concerned.
“Have you been watching those very awful romantic movies?” He asked Alexander.
“No.”
“Because this sounds like the beginning of one.”
Alexander ignored him.
“The board wants an image.”
“Yes.”
“My grandfather wants a wife.”
“Yes.”
“A temporary marriage satisfies both requirements.”
Victor opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
“You realize this could go horribly wrong.”
Alexander folded his hands.
“Most things do but it’s worth a shot.”
“That’s not reassuring.” He told Alexander.
“It isn’t meant to be.”
Victor sighed.
“Fine. What kind of woman are we looking for?”
Alexander answered immediately.
“Responsible.”
“Okay.”
“Intelligent.”
“Reasonable.”
“Someone who understands contracts.”
Victor nodded.
“Makes sense.”
“Someone who isn’t interested in me.”
Victor paused.
“That may be the hardest requirement.”
Alexander ignored that too.
“And absolutely no socialites.”
“Meaning?”
“No influencers. No models. No actresses. No women who view this as an opportunity.”
Victor scribbled notes.
“This sounds less like finding a wife and more like hiring a new accountant.” He said to Alexander.
“An accountant would actually be ideal.” Alexander joked.
Victor laughed.
Alexander didn’t.
That only made Victor laugh harder.
Eventually, Victor regained control.
“So where exactly do we find this woman?”
Alexander stood.
His gaze settled on the city below.
Thousands of people moved through the streets.
Surely one of them needed money badly enough to agree.
“Well, we’ll start looking immediately.”
Victor stood as well.
“And if we don’t find anyone?” He asked Alexander.
Alexander’s expression darkened.
His mind immediately pictured Vanessa’s smiling face.
The way she would undoubtedly treat this engagement like a victory.
The way his grandfather would celebrate.
The way every decision for the rest of his life would become a negotiation.
No.
That could never happen.
“We’ll find someone,” Alexander said firmly.
And so when he met Elena at the gala after the bar and she treated him the way she did, he considered her to be perfect for the contract. And when she came to his office pleading for a loan for her brother’s surgery, he thought that was the perfect situation for Elena to agree to play the role.
- Writer
