CHAPTER 4 – ONE CONDITION.
1241 Words
Nora barely slept that night.
The contract remained on the dining table long after Ethan had gone to bed. She must have read every page at least five times, searching for hidden intentions, impossible obligations, or some clause that would explain why a man like Damien Cole had chosen her. Every time she reached the last page, she arrived at the same conclusion.
It was exactly what he had said.
A business arrangement.
Nothing more.
Still, the thought of signing away a year of her life to a man who barely smiled felt surreal. Marriage was supposed to be built on love, trust, or at the very least affection. This one was built on necessity. She needed financial freedom, and he needed a wife.
It was the strangest bargain she had ever encountered.
The next morning, she arrived at Cole Group earlier than usual.
The city was only beginning to wake, and the executive floor was almost empty. She welcomed the silence. It gave her a few precious minutes before the inevitable whispers began again.
She had just placed her bag under her desk when Olivia appeared, carrying a folder.
"You look terrible," Olivia said.
Nora laughed weakly.
"Good morning to you too."
"I'm serious. Did you sleep at all?"
"A little."
"Liar."
Nora didn't argue. There was no point.
Olivia lowered her voice. "The rumors have gotten worse."
"I don't even want to know."
"You probably don't."
Nora rubbed her forehead.
"Please tell me."
Olivia hesitated.
"Someone started saying Mr. Cole is planning to announce his engagement."
Nora nearly dropped the file in her hands.
"What?"
"And because you spent thirty minutes in his office..." Olivia sighed. "...people somehow concluded you're the bride."
Nora stared at her in disbelief.
"That's ridiculous."
"I know."
"They've lost their minds."
"I know."
"They're writing romance novels instead of doing their jobs."
Olivia burst into laughter.
"You should've heard Accounting yesterday. They practically planned your wedding."
Despite herself, Nora smiled.
For a brief moment, the ridiculousness of it all made her forget the weight she had been carrying.
Unfortunately, reality returned the second her phone vibrated.
It was a message from the bank.
Your account balance is ₦18,420.
She swallowed hard.
Rent alone would wipe out nearly all of it.
She quietly locked the screen before anyone could see.
At exactly nine o'clock, the intercom buzzed.
"Miss Adams."
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Yes, sir?"
"My office."
"I'll be there immediately."
She took one deep breath before walking toward the large wooden doors.
This time, she didn't feel nervous.
She felt... prepared.
After knocking, she entered.
Damien was standing beside the floor-to-ceiling windows with both hands in his pockets. Morning sunlight reflected against the glass, outlining his tall frame against the skyline. He turned as she approached.
"You've read it."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"And?"
Nora carefully placed the contract on his desk.
"I have questions."
"I expected that."
He gestured toward the chair.
"Go ahead."
She remained standing.
"Why me?"
He met her eyes calmly.
"I already answered that."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You told me I was responsible and discreet. That's not enough."
Damien studied her for a moment before speaking.
"Would you like the complete answer?"
"Yes."
"You've worked for me for almost a year."
She nodded.
"You've never lied on a report."
Another nod.
"You've never used your position to gain favors."
She remained silent.
"You've never leaked confidential information."
His voice stayed calm.
"When junior employees make mistakes, you help them instead of embarrassing them."
Nora hadn't realized he'd noticed.
"When your father died, you continued working without asking for sympathy."
She looked away.
"When your mother's condition worsened, your performance never declined."
Embarrassment crept into her cheeks.
"I wasn't trying to impress anyone."
"I know."
He stepped closer.
"That's precisely why I chose you."
The office became unusually quiet.
Nora realized that this was probably the longest personal conversation they had ever shared.
She finally asked the question that had been troubling her most.
"Have you ever... been in love?"
For the first time, Damien seemed slightly surprised.
The silence stretched between them.
Finally, he answered.
"Once."
She hadn't expected that.
"What happened?"
"It ended."
His tone made it clear the conversation was over.
She didn't press further.
Instead, she took another breath.
"I also have a condition."
Damien raised an eyebrow.
"A condition?"
"If we're going to do this..."
She chose her words carefully.
"...you don't get to control my life."
His expression remained unreadable.
"I'll continue working."
"Agreed."
"I'll visit my family whenever I want."
"Agreed."
"I won't quit my job just because we're pretending to be married."
"I never intended to ask."
"And after one year..."
She looked directly at him.
"We walk away."
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he nodded once.
"That was always the agreement."
Nora slowly relaxed.
There was one final question.
"Your family..."
"They won't approve."
"I guessed as much."
"My grandfather will."
"And the rest?"
"They'll believe I made a terrible decision."
She frowned.
"They'll probably blame me."
"They will."
His honesty almost made her laugh.
"You make that sound normal."
"It is."
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Damien opened a drawer and removed another document.
"This is unrelated to the marriage."
She accepted it.
It was an authorization letter to settle her mother's outstanding hospital bills immediately after the agreement was signed.
Her eyes widened.
"But I haven't accepted yet."
"No."
"Then why..."
"I don't want your decision to be influenced by desperation."
She looked at him in disbelief.
"You can use that letter today."
She stared at the paper.
"If you refuse the contract tomorrow..."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"...I won't ask for reimbursement."
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
"No."
His voice remained steady.
"This isn't charity."
"It feels like it."
"It isn't."
"Then why would you do that?"
Damien held her gaze.
"Because your mother shouldn't suffer while you're making a difficult decision."
For the first time since she'd met him, Nora saw something she never expected.
Not kindness.
Not pity.
Compassion.
It was subtle.
Almost hidden.
But it was there.
She suddenly realized something.
The man everyone feared wasn't heartless.
He simply kept his heart locked where no one could see it.
Her grip tightened around the authorization letter.
"I'll give you my answer tomorrow morning."
Damien inclined his head.
"I'll be waiting."
As Nora left the office, she felt lighter than she had in months.
Not because she had made a decision.
But because she had finally begun to understand the man behind the cold expression.
Outside, Olivia immediately looked up.
"Everything okay?"
Nora smiled faintly.
"I think..."
She glanced back at the closed office door.
"...Mr. Cole isn't the man everyone thinks he is."
Inside his office, Damien watched the door after she left.
His phone buzzed.
The caller ID displayed a single name.
Grandfather.
He answered.
"Have you chosen someone?" the elderly man's firm voice asked without greeting.
"Yes."
"When will I meet her?"
Damien looked toward the door Nora had just walked through.
"Soon."
His grandfather chuckled.
"I hope she's strong."
Damien's gaze remained fixed ahead.
"She'll need to be."
"What do you mean?"
He remembered the cruel smiles of his relatives, the board members who wanted him to fail, and the family that viewed marriage as another corporate transaction.
Then he quietly replied,
"Because once she becomes my wife..."
"...the real battle will begin."
- Writer
