THE CONTRACT PROPOSAL
1265 Words
CHAPTER :5
War.
That was the only word that fit.
Ethan stood in the center of Sophia’s apartment, phone in hand, staring at the blurry photo of Liam circulating online.
His son.
Their son.
Speculation had already exploded across financial blogs and celebrity tabloids.
CALLAWAY HEIR SCANDAL?
WHO IS THE MYSTERY CHILD?
BOARD SILENT AS STOCKS DIP 3%.
Sophia felt her chest tighten.
“This is my fault,” she whispered.
Ethan’s head snapped toward her.
“No.”
“I came to that gala.”
“You didn’t leak a photo of your own child.”
Her eyes glistened with fear.
“They’ll destroy him.”
His expression shifted instantly.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
“They’ll have to go through me first.”
The certainty in his tone was terrifyingly reassuring.
A knock sounded at the door—firm, controlled.
Ethan’s security team.
He opened it briefly, issuing quiet instructions before closing it again.
“The press will be cleared within minutes,” he said. “But this doesn’t stop here.”
Sophia crossed her arms tightly.
“What do you want from me?”
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then said the words that would change everything.
“Marry me.”
Silence.
Thick. Absolute.
She blinked slowly.
“I’m sorry?”
“A contract marriage.”
Her pulse pounded violently.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“No,” he replied calmly. “I’ve calculated.”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“You think this is a boardroom negotiation?”
“It is.”
Her laugh was sharp.
“You don’t fix scandals with weddings.”
“In my world, you do.”
He stepped closer, voice steady and deliberate.
“If we marry, the narrative shifts.”
“To what?”
“Long-term relationship kept private for family reasons. Child revealed on our terms. Engagement dissolved respectfully.”
She stared at him.
“You’re insane.”
“Strategic.”
“You’re still engaged.”
“Not for long.”
Her heart twisted at how easily he said it.
“What about Olivia?”
“She already forced a public claim. She made the first move.”
“And this is yours?”
“Yes.”
Her voice lowered.
“You’re asking me to legally bind myself to you because of stock prices.”
“I’m asking you to let me protect my son.”
The sincerity in that sentence cracked something inside her.
“You don’t even know if he’s yours.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“He is.”
The conviction in his voice made her stomach flip.
“And if he isn’t?”
“Then I still protect him.”
The statement stunned her.
“You would raise another man’s child?”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“If he’s yours, I would.”
The weight of that settled heavily between them.
But she wasn’t ready to surrender.
“You don’t love me,” she said quietly.
His expression shifted slightly.
“That’s not part of the contract.”
Her chest tightened.
“Exactly.”
He exhaled slowly.
“This is stability.”
“This is control.”
“This is protection.”
“This is ownership.”
The word hung dangerously in the air.
Ethan stepped even closer.
“I don’t want ownership.”
“Then what do you want?”
His voice lowered.
“You.”
Her breath hitched.
“For one year,” he clarified.
There it was.
The business tone again.
“One year,” she repeated bitterly.
“Yes.”
“And then what? We divorce like a corporate merger?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I’m practical.”
“You’re afraid.”
The accusation surprised even her.
His eyes sharpened.
“Of what?”
“Losing control.”
Silence.
That hit home.
Before he could respond, his phone buzzed again.
This time his expression darkened immediately.
“What?” she asked.
“The board meeting just went public.”
Her stomach dropped.
“What does that mean?”
“It means my father leaked it.”
The pieces clicked together rapidly.
“If you appear unstable,” she whispered, “they can remove you.”
“Yes.”
“And a secret child makes you unstable.”
“Yes.”
She understood now.
This wasn’t just media drama.
This was succession war.
“If we marry,” he continued, “it demonstrates commitment. Stability. Structure.”
“And legitimacy,” she finished quietly.
“Yes.”
She walked toward the window, staring down at the chaotic street below.
Her entire life had been built around independence.
She had survived alone.
Raised Liam alone.
Fought alone.
Now Ethan was offering security.
Power.
Protection.
But at a cost.
“What are the terms?” she asked finally.
His voice shifted into CEO precision.
“One year. Public marriage. Private boundaries.”
“Meaning?”
“We present unity in public. We co-parent. We control media narratives.”
“And in private?”
“No obligations beyond mutual agreement.”
Her heart pounded.
“No forced intimacy.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“No.”
“No emotional expectations.”
A pause.
“Agreed.”
“And if I want to leave before a year?”
“You won’t.”
Her eyes flashed.
“That’s not your decision.”
“If you leave early, the board wins.”
“And if I stay?”
“I secure my position.”
“And Liam?”
“He becomes legally recognized and protected.”
Her stomach twisted.
That word again.
Protected.
She thought about the photo online.
The reporters outside.
The power Ethan wielded effortlessly.
Alone, she was vulnerable.
With him…
She would be untouchable.
But also tied to the very world she had escaped.
“You’ll divorce Olivia publicly?”
“Yes.”
“Without blaming me?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll sign financial protection clauses for Liam?”
“Yes.”
She studied him carefully.
“You’ve thought this through.”
“I started thinking the moment I saw him.”
Her breath caught.
“Why?” she whispered.
His voice softened slightly.
“Because I missed four years.”
The honesty in that statement disarmed her.
Before she could respond, the television in the living room suddenly switched to breaking news.
Olivia stood at another press podium.
Live.
“And while recent rumors have been unfortunate,” Olivia was saying smoothly, “Ethan and I remain united. In fact—”
She lifted her hand.
A diamond ring sparkled.
“We have set a wedding date.”
Sophia’s heart stopped.
The reporter gasped.
“Congratulations! When is the ceremony?”
Olivia smiled directly into the camera.
“Three weeks from now.”
The room went silent.
Ethan’s entire body went still.
Rage simmered beneath his calm exterior.
“She just escalated,” Sophia whispered.
“Yes.”
“And if you don’t respond?”
“The board will assume weakness.”
“And if you do?”
“I burn everything.”
His eyes slowly turned to her.
The decision hung in the air.
Power.
Love.
Reputation.
War.
“Marry me,” he said again—this time not as a CEO.
But as a man standing on the edge of losing everything.
Sophia’s heart pounded violently.
Three weeks.
A wedding announcement.
A corporate coup.
A child caught in the center.
She closed her eyes briefly.
And when she opened them—
“I have conditions.”
Ethan’s gaze darkened with anticipation.
" Name them".
- Writer
