THE CEO's TEMPORARY WIFE

CHAPTER 2 – A PROPOSAL THAT MADE NO SENSE.

Nora barely remembered how she made it home that evening. The bus ride, the noisy streets, the familiar vendors calling out to passing customers... all of it faded into the background as the same sentence repeated in her mind like a broken record.

"I have a proposition for you."

Damien Cole was not a man who wasted words. In the eleven months she had worked under him, every instruction had been brief, every conversation strictly professional, and every decision calculated. He wasn't the type to make vague promises or mysterious invitations. If he had asked to see her again the following morning, there had to be a reason.

The question was whether it was a good one.

She unlocked the door to the tiny apartment she shared with her younger brother. The place consisted of a small sitting room that doubled as a dining area, a narrow kitchen, and two modest bedrooms. The paint had begun peeling from the walls months ago, and the old ceiling fan creaked every time it rotated, but it was home. It was the only place where Nora allowed herself to stop pretending everything was under control.

The aroma of tomato stew drifted from the kitchen.

"You finally made it!" Ethan called as he emerged wearing an oversized T-shirt and an apron that looked far too big for him. "I was beginning to think your boss had chained you to your desk."

Nora laughed softly despite herself.

"I don't think even chains would keep me there willingly."

"That's better," Ethan said, pointing a wooden spoon at her. "You've smiled. That means today wasn't a complete disaster."

She forced another smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Ethan had always been able to read her better than anyone else. Since losing both parents, they had become more than siblings. They were each other's only family, each other's greatest source of strength.

They ate dinner at the small wooden table by the window. The meal was simple... rice and stew... but Ethan had made an effort to fry two eggs, placing the larger one on Nora's plate when he thought she wasn't looking.

She noticed anyway.

"You should eat it," she said.

"I'm full."

"You've always been a terrible liar."

He shrugged with a grin.

"You work harder than I do."

Nora sighed and cut the egg in half before placing one portion on his plate.

"Now we're both lying."

Ethan chuckled, but his smile slowly faded.

"The hospital called again, didn't they?"

She hesitated before nodding.

"They're willing to wait a few more days."

"And after that?"

She looked down at her plate.

"I'll figure something out."

"You always say that."

"Because I always do."

"But this time..." Ethan's voice became quieter. "This time you don't know how."

The silence between them was heavy.

Nora hated that he was old enough to understand their situation. She wished he could focus on school instead of worrying about overdue bills and hospital payments.

He deserved a normal life.

Instead, he'd learned how to stretch groceries, calculate electricity units, and pretend not to notice when Nora skipped dinner so there would be enough food for him.

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

"I promise you something."

"What?"

"No matter what happens, you'll finish school."

His eyes glistened.

"And what about you?"

She smiled gently.

"I'll be fine."

It wasn't entirely true, but it was a lie she'd grown accustomed to telling.

That night, sleep refused to come.

Nora tossed and turned, replaying every interaction she'd ever had with Damien Cole. Had she overlooked something? Had she unknowingly impressed him? Was she about to receive a promotion? Or worse...

Was she about to lose her job?

By the time her alarm rang at five-thirty the next morning, she'd managed only a few hours of restless sleep.

She dressed carefully in her cleanest blouse, tied her hair into a neat bun, and slipped on the same repaired heels before leaving the apartment.

The company building looked exactly as it always had, but somehow everything felt different.

She reached her desk before eight.

There was already a message waiting on her computer.

Report to the CEO's office at 8:30 a.m.

No explanation.

No agenda.

Just a time.

The minutes crawled by.

She attempted to organize meeting files, answer emails, and review schedules, but her concentration kept slipping. Even the office gossip seemed louder than usual.

"I heard the CEO canceled three meetings this morning."

"Really? That's unlike him."

"Maybe the board finally forced him to take a vacation."

"As if Mr. Cole even knows what a vacation is."

Nora ignored them.

At exactly eight-thirty, she stood outside the office door and knocked.

"Come in."

Damien was already seated behind his desk.

Unlike his usual mountain of paperwork, today's desk held only two items.

A leather folder.

And a cup of untouched black coffee.

He gestured toward the chair opposite him.

"Sit."

Nora obeyed, though sitting in front of him felt strangely unnatural. Employees rarely did unless they were attending formal meetings.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Damien studied her quietly.

"You didn't sleep well."

It wasn't a question.

She blinked.

"I'm fine."

"No."

He folded his hands.

"You look exhausted."

She wasn't sure how to respond.

Most people assumed Damien Cole noticed only profits and performance reports.

Apparently, they were wrong.

"You've been wondering about yesterday."

"Yes."

"I expected as much."

He slid the leather folder across the desk.

"Open it."

Nora slowly did as instructed.

Inside was a neatly prepared contract.

The title alone made her freeze.

CONFIDENTIAL MARITAL AGREEMENT

She frowned.

Had she picked up the wrong file?

She looked up.

"Sir..."

"Keep reading."

Her heartbeat quickened as her eyes moved across the first page.

Contract marriage.

One year.

Mutual agreement.

Financial compensation.

Strict confidentiality.

The words blurred together.

She looked at Damien in complete disbelief.

"I'm sorry..."

He waited.

"I don't understand."

"I know."

"You want me to..."

She couldn't even finish the sentence.

"...marry you?"

"Temporarily."

The room fell completely silent.

Nora searched his face, expecting to find the slightest hint that this was some elaborate joke.

There wasn't one.

His expression remained calm.

Professional.

Almost as though he were discussing next quarter's budget.

"This isn't funny."

"I wasn't attempting to be."

She closed the folder immediately.

"With all due respect, Mr. Cole... why me?"

"You meet every condition."

"What conditions?"

"You are intelligent."

She stared.

"You are responsible."

Still staring.

"You value discretion."

She remained speechless.

"And most importantly..."

He paused.

"You need the money."

The sentence landed like a stone.

Nora felt heat rise to her face.

"So this is charity?"

"No."

"Pity?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"A business arrangement."

She shook her head.

"Marriage isn't business."

"For some people, it is."

His voice carried neither emotion nor apology.

"My grandfather is stepping down as chairman."

She listened despite herself.

"He has one condition before transferring complete control of Cole Group to me."

"What condition?"

"I must marry."

Her eyebrows drew together.

"That's absurd."

"I agree."

"But if I refuse, control of the company passes to my cousin."

"And your family expects you to marry anyone?"

"They expect me to marry someone suitable."

He looked directly at her.

"I have no intention of allowing them to choose my wife."

Nora leaned back, still trying to process everything.

"So... you chose your employee?"

"I chose someone I trust."

Those words caught her off guard.

Trust?

Damien Cole trusted her?

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to."

He reached for another document.

"If you accept, every debt in your name will be cleared."

Her breathing slowed.

"Your mother's treatment will be fully funded."

She swallowed hard.

"Your brother's university education will be paid through graduation."

She felt tears threatening to form.

"And at the end of one year..."

He named an amount.

Nora's eyes widened.

It was more money than she could earn in several years.

She looked down at the contract again.

The number almost didn't seem real.

It could change everything.

Hospital bills.

Debt.

Rent.

Ethan's future.

Everything.

But at what cost?

She slowly raised her head.

"And if I refuse?"

Damien didn't hesitate.

"You continue your life exactly as it is."

The answer was brutally honest.

No pressure.

No threats.

Just the truth.

Nora stared at the contract lying between them.

It promised security.

It promised freedom from the burden she had carried for years.

Yet it also asked her to step into a life she had never imagined.

She drew in a slow breath before speaking.

"I can't give you an answer today."

"I wasn't expecting one."

He stood, signaling that the meeting was over.

"Take the contract home."

She accepted it with trembling hands.

"Read every page."

As she reached the door, his voice stopped her one last time.

"Miss Adams."

She turned.

"If you choose to refuse..."

He held her gaze steadily.

"...I will respect your decision."

For reasons she couldn't explain, those words made the decision even harder.

She walked out of the office clutching the contract against her chest, unaware that behind the glass walls, dozens of curious eyes had already noticed she had spent nearly thirty minutes alone with the CEO.

And before lunchtime, the first rumor had already begun spreading through Cole Group.

The CEO's assistant was hiding something.