BOUND BY CONTRACT, CLAIMED BY DESIRE

Chapter 3: The Proposition

Valentina's POV

I had lain on my bed staring at the water stain on my ceiling for most of the night, as my thoughts kept drifting back to Leonardo's text till dawn.

“My office, saturday noon. I have a proposition for you, Ms. Rossi,” I whispered for the hundredth time.

A proposition? On a Saturday and from Leonadro! What do he want?, I furrowed my brows, my gaze still fixed on the ceiling.

I had changed my outfit three times before settling on the black trousers and cream blouse, which felt both appropriate and ridiculous given that I had no idea what I was walking into.

“It didn't matter Valentina, maybe it's about last night and maybe he wants to fire me,” my voice was low as I whispered to myself, the event of last night coming back.

I grabbed my bag, as I stopped a taxi, leaving for crossTech company.

The building was nearly empty on a Saturday, just the security guard at the front desk who nodded with a warm smile and the hollow echo of my own footsteps in the marble lobby.

The elevator to the forty-third floor felt longer than usual, the numbers climbing slowly, as I checked my wristwatch which was exactly noon.

I had made this exact trip hundreds of times; coffee in hand, schedule printed, ready for whatever the day required. I had never once arrived empty-handed and unsure of what I was walking into.

I pressed my back against the elevator wall and told myself it was probably nothing. A reprimand, or to fire me, or…something manageable.

"Come in,” I heard a baritone voice, from the other side, as I pushed the door open.

Leonardo Monte was behind his desk in a charcoal suit with no tie, the top button of his white shirt undone.

His gaze was fixed on his laptop, as I stood close to the door, waiting for him to acknowledge me.

"Close the door," he said, after a brief moment, finally looking at me.

He gestured to the chair across from his desk, as I sat down and folded my arms, my gaze fixed on him, waiting for him to begin.

"I have a solution to your problem," he said flatly.

"I'm sorry?" I said, as I furrowed my brows.

"Your mother…Elena Rossi. Mercy General Hospital, eight hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars outstanding, due on wednesday or she gets transferred to county care."

"I have a solution,” his voice was calm, as he rested against his chair, his gaze on me.

“O..okay, I'm listening.”

"I need a wife, for two years. The board is demanding personal stability before they commit to the IPO launch, and I need someone who can fulfill that role without complications."

The room went very quiet, as we stared at each other.

I heard the words, I understood each one individually, but together they refused to arrange themselves into anything that made sense.

"I'm sorry," I said slowly. "Did you just say you need a … "

"A wife, yes." He reached into the drawer beside him and placed a dark leather folder on the desk between us, sliding it toward me with two fingers like it was a perfectly ordinary document. "The terms are inside."

"You're asking me to marry you," I said without touching the folder.

"I'm offering you a business arrangement." His voice didn't change at all. "There's a difference."

"There really isn't,” I stared at him, waiting for his facial expression to change, but nothing shifted. His gaze was still fixed on me calm as always.

"Mr. Monte, you can't just … I'm your secretary. You can't just call me into your office on a Saturday and offer me a … a marriage contract like it's a job reassignment,” I said, my voice slightly going up my face red with embarrassment.

"The terms are generous," he said. "One million dollars transferred to your account within twenty-four hours of signing. All of your mother's medical expenses covered both past balance, and all future care for the duration of her treatment.”

“There will be five thousand monthly allowance, five hundred thousand settlement payment when the contract ends after two years." He paused, as he studied my expressions.

"In exchange, you become my wife legally, maintain a credible public appearance in events, functions, and you continue as my secretary and sign a non-disclosure agreement at the end of the term."

I smiled widely, the smile breaking into a loud laugh, as I looked at the window.

"Separate bedrooms," he added.

“Oh! Well that fixes everything,” I said, turning my gaze to him, and for just a moment, he furrowed his brows, as he parted his lips slightly.

“How does this even work? What exactly do you tell people? And what do I tell people?” I asked him, my facial expression professional again.

"That we've been involved privately for some time and decided to formalize it," he said. "It's a simple narrative, people believe what they want to believe about a man in my position."

"And when it's over? When we divorce after two years and every person who believed that narrative wants an explanation?"

"The NDA covers post-contract details," he said. "And mutual discretion is in both our interests."

I pressed my fingers against my eyes for a moment, trying to organize my thoughts into something useful, trying to find the part of this conversation where the ground was solid.

"Why me?" I asked, dropping my hand. “Why me and not someone from your world who already knows how to play this kind of game?" I said, shaking my head slightly.

"Because every woman in my world comes with expectations I don't have the patience for," he said. "Families with agendas, social ambitions, emotional

demands." His eyes stayed on mine, as he adjusted forward slightly.

"You have none of those things. You have no connections to my circle, no ambitions beyond this contract, and a reason to stay exactly within the terms agreed. That makes you the most practical choice."

The words landed quietly and stayed there for a moment. He wasn't wrong, which was the part that made my chest tighten.

"And if I say no?" I asked.

"Then you leave this office, we return to our professional arrangement, and I find another solution to my problem." He held my gaze, as his jaw tightened a little.

"But you should know that I wouldn't have made this offer if I had a better option. And you should ask yourself honestly whether you have one."

“Do I really have another option,” I thought, as I picked up the folder slowly.

"Monday morning, 9 AM," he said. "After that the offer expires. Read every page, Miss Rossi, all forty-two."

I stood up as I walked to his office door and opened it. I stepped out into the corridor without looking back, because I knew that if I looked back something in my face would tell him more than I wanted him to know.

My phone rang immediately I came out, as I answered it.

"Ms. Rossi," the night nurse said, her voice soft but shaky, and I knew something was wrong. "Your mother's condition has changed. You should come in tonight if you can."