Two Hearts

The Real Deal

Daniel POV

As I stepped out of the conference room, I felt satisfied. The deal had gone exactly as planned, and we would continue growing and expanding. Right now, that was all that mattered to me. Building the company, making it bigger, reaching new markets.

Ten years.

That was how long it had been since I graduated and started my own business.

No, my father had never forced me into it. He never denied me anything, nor did he pressure me to follow in his footsteps. Starting the company had been entirely my decision. I wanted success. I wanted to reach the top. Back then, everything had seemed perfect—my own company, endless opportunities, growth, maybe even a family one day.

Until life had other plans.

Now there was only one thing I truly focused on - My company.

I glanced at the calendar on my phone. For the next two hours, I had no meetings scheduled. I could head back to my office and review files for tomorrow's negotiations. I could go to the gym and work off some steam. Though after last night, I had already done a decent job of that.

Dana had made sure of it. No, she wasn't my girlfriend. She wasn't my partner. She was simply a woman I occasionally slept with. One among many.

My thoughts drifted toward my father, and I sighed. He had called twice this week already. That alone told me something was coming.

Every year our conversations became shorter, yet his need to interfere never seemed to fade. Whenever he called more than once, it usually meant he was involving himself in something that wasn't his business anymore.

Fine.

I had time. I would go see him now and finally put an end to this.

This whole situation had dragged on for years. I knew perfectly well that I had created the mess myself. I knew that eventually I would have to deal with it. The problem was that there was always something more urgent. Another contract. Another expansion. Another opportunity.

Besides, if it ever came down to it, couldn't I just hire an actress for a few weeks? The entire thing felt ridiculous.

I got into my car and drove toward my father's office. Despite my irritation, I knew he meant well. He always had.

No matter how busy he was, no matter how many meetings, flights, or business trips filled his schedule, he always found time for me. Even as a child, I never doubted that I mattered to him.

I admired that. In some ways, I had wanted to become that kind of father myself. But fate had apparently chosen a different path.

When I arrived at his building, I headed straight toward the elevators. Nobody stopped me. Nobody asked who I was or where I was going.

Everyone knew who I was.

The moment I stepped onto the executive floor, I was greeted by Aurora.

"Daniel, sweetheart! What a lovely surprise!"

I couldn't help smiling. Aurora had always been special to me. Growing up, I had spent countless afternoons in my father's office while he worked. Aurora had always been there—helping with homework, bringing snacks, making sure I wasn't lonely.

She had filled a small part of the space my mother left behind.

"I'm here to see Dad," I said as I continued toward his office.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aurora start to say something.

"Daniel, wait—"

But I didn't stop. I was in a hurry. Even if my father had a meeting, whoever was inside could wait five minutes.

This was family business.

As I approached the large oak doors, my hand froze just before knocking.

Voices. My father's voice. And a woman's. That immediately caught my attention.

Women rarely appeared in my father's office. Most of his associates were businessmen, investors, politicians, or corporate sharks - Not women.

Curiosity got the better of me. I knocked.

A few seconds later, my father's voice answered.

"Come in."

I opened the door. My father sat behind his desk with a folder in front of him. Across from him sat a woman. At first, I barely looked at her.

"You wanted to talk about Grandma," I said immediately, walking forward without bothering with greetings.

Then something made me glance toward her. Ordinary. That was my first thought. Simple clothes. Blonde hair tied back. No designer brands. No expensive jewelry. Nothing remarkable.

Yet her eyes caught my attention. Green. Bright. Nervous. I saw fear there. Confusion. And something else. Something I couldn't quite identify.

"Perfect timing," my father said.

I frowned.

"Dad, what's going on?" A cold feeling settled in my stomach. The phone calls. The mysterious meeting. The folder he had quickly closed when I entered. None of this felt accidental.

My father leaned back calmly.

"Daniel, this is Laura Brown."

The name meant nothing to me. I looked at her again. She looked equally confused.

"Laura, this is my son, Daniel." Then he paused.

A pause that seemed to last forever. Instinctively, I knew whatever came next would change everything.

"This is your future husband."

For a moment, I genuinely thought I had misheard him. I took three steps backward.

"What?"

My father remained perfectly calm. Laura looked almost as shocked as I felt.

"Absolutely not." The words left my mouth before I could stop them. "Have you completely lost your mind?"

I dragged a hand through my hair before shoving both hands into my pockets. A nervous habit. One my father knew very well. I only did it when I felt control slipping away. And I hated losing control.

"Daniel—"

"No." I cut him off immediately. "There is absolutely no chance I'm marrying some random woman and living under the same roof with her."

I noticed Laura stiffen. Then, to my surprise, she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not exactly thrilled about this either." Her voice was calm but sharp. There was anger beneath it.

"Marrying a complete stranger is definitely not my childhood dream. Believe me, I have no desire to be here."

I looked at her again. Really looked at her. The woman seemed one second away from walking out. Oddly enough, that made her more believable than anyone else in the room. Before I could respond, my father intervened.

"Laura, would you mind waiting in the lounge for a few minutes? I'd like to speak with Daniel privately."

The way he spoke to her surprised me. There was respect in his voice. Patience. A request rather than an order.

Without arguing, she stood and quietly left the office. The door closed behind her. Silence settled between us.

"I'm not changing my mind."

My father sighed.

"Daniel, listen carefully."

"I'm listening."

"No. You're reacting."

That irritated me even more.

My father slid the folder across the desk.

"These won't be real marriage."

"That's comforting."

"You won't have to love her. You won't have to sleep with her. This is simply an arrangement. Four months. My mother is coming back, and she's already convinced you've been lying to her."

I closed my eyes briefly. Damn it. The lie. Ten years ago it had seemed harmless. A fake wife. A fake marriage. A harmless story to keep Grandma happy. Now it had become a disaster.

"If she discovers the truth," my father continued, "the inheritance goes elsewhere."

That got my attention. Not because of the money. Because of who would get it. My uncle. My father's twin brother. A man capable of destroying in five years what my grandmother had spent a lifetime building.

I sighed heavily.

"Where do I sign?"

Instead of answering, my father pushed the folder toward me. I stared at it for several moments. The entire situation was absurd. A complete stranger was sitting outside the office, and somehow I was expected to marry her. Even if it was only on paper. Even if it was only for four months. It still sounded insane.

Slowly, I opened the folder. The first pages contained exactly what I expected. Terms. Conditions. Timeframes. Confidentiality agreements. Financial arrangements.

Typical.

My father had managed to turn a fake marriage into a business contract. I skimmed through the pages until something caught my attention.

A photograph - Laura.

The picture appeared to have been taken at some family gathering. She stood beside two children, a girl and a younger boy. Ellie and Markus. Both children were smiling brightly at the camera. Laura smiled too. Or at least she tried to. Something about it felt wrong. The smile never quite reached her eyes.

I turned the page. Another photograph. Different day. Different place. The same expression. Then another. And another. School events. Birthday parties. Family celebrations.

In every photograph she seemed to stand slightly behind everyone else, as though she had spent her entire life making sure everyone else's needs came before her own.

I hated admitting it, but curiosity got the better of me. I continued reading - Date of birth. Employment history. Marriage. Children. Debt reports. Financial statements. Nothing extraordinary. No scandals. No criminal record. No hidden surprises.

Just an ordinary woman trying to hold her life together while carrying far more weight than she should have had to carry alone.

I reached the section detailing her finances. The numbers were worse than I expected. Much worse.

For the first time, I understood why she had agreed to meet my father. Not because she wanted to. Because she had run out of options.

I leaned back in my chair and closed the folder. Some of my anger faded. Not because I liked any of this. Not because I agreed with my father. But because it suddenly became obvious that neither Laura nor I wanted to be part of this arrangement. We were simply standing on opposite ends of the same trap.

"Four months," I muttered.

My father remained silent.

I picked up the pen.

"After that, we're done."

Then I signed.

Standing up, I turned toward the door before stopping.

"One condition."

My father raised an eyebrow.

"There will be no wedding."

"Daniel—"

"No wedding."

I met his gaze.

"If she's doing this, she can move into my house. That's enough. Just make sure someone warns me beforehand." Without waiting for an answer, I left.

As I walked toward the elevators, I saw her again. Laura sat quietly in the waiting area. For a brief moment our eyes met.

Those green eyes looked frightened. Good. She should be. Because whatever this was, it had disaster written all over it. Nobody agreed to something like this without a reason. And if I were a betting man, I would wager every dollar I owned that the reason was money. A lot of money.

"Goodbye, Aurora," I called as I passed.

She smiled warmly.

"Goodbye, Daniel. Don't be such a stranger."

I stepped into the elevator.

Just before the doors closed, I looked up one last time.

The last thing I saw were those nervous green eyes watching me.

And for reasons I couldn't explain, I had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time I thought about them.