The CEO's Designated Bride

Fine Print

Monday morning arrived with more emails than Vivian cared to deal with.

By ten o'clock, she was seated in her office with a tablet in one hand and a cup of coffee growing cold beside her.

The merger reports between Onyx and Pearl were spread across her desk. It was high time she went through it and finalised things with Oscar.

That meant she'd have to see him again.

Wonderful.

Her eyes narrowed as laid eyes on a page full of clauses that made her pause for a moment.

Clause 14.7:

The CEO of Pearl Corp shall submit monthly operational reports directly to the Office of Oscar Onyx.

Her brows furrowed but her eyes went down to the next clause before she could process the first.

Clause 14.8:

Any expenditure exceeding the approved budget threshold shall require authorization from Onyx Technologies.

Vivian chuckled in disbelief, “This had to be a joke!” She muttered as she went down to the very last clause.

Clause 14.9:

In the event of a strategic disagreement between both parties, final decision-making authority shall rest with the Chairman of Onyx Technologies.

Vivian stared at the page once and twice and then three times. Maybe her contact lenses were misbehaving again.

Surely she was reading it wrong.

Her company generated hundreds of millions annually. She had built half of it herself.

Yet according to this contract, she would be reporting to Oscar like a department manager asking for permission to buy office furniture.

The laugh that escaped her was sharp and dangerous.

"That arrogant son of a…”

Across from her, Cassandra looked up from her laptop.

"Is there a problem, Ms. V?"

Vivian slid the tablet across the desk. "Page forty-three."

Cassandra set her laptop on the centre table, walked towards the desk and picked up the tablet. She read through it silently and her brows furrowed.

“This is..”

"An insult.” Vivian cuts in, clearly irritated. “Was he thinking I wouldn't go through the contract?”

Casandra remained quiet. Hell, even she felt insulted by this agreement! And knowing her boss, Vivian hates micromanagement.

She glanced up. "Do you think it's intentional?"

Vivian stared at her, amber eyes dark with irritation.

“Why else is it there?”

Cassnadra nodded. Both companies have always been detailed about contracts, this was no mistake.

Vivian chuckled again, still in disbelief.

"But I do think someone assumes I'm not reading the documents."

That annoyed her more. The merger affected both companies and they should run it together, not one reporting to the other like she was his bloody staff!

Vivian got on her feet, heading towards the door. “Get my car ready."

“Yes ma'am.”

---

The headquarters of Onyx Technologies occupied an entire block downtown. It was a towering building of glass and steel, roughly the same height as Pearls.

The building itself practically screamed Oscar and his arrogant self.

Vivian did not knock.

The glass door to Oscar's office slammed open hard enough that Charles nearly dropped the coffee he was carrying outside.

Oscar didn't even look up immediately which somehow irritated her more.

The man sat behind his desk reviewing documents as though she wasn't currently seconds away from committing a felony.

“Ms. Vivian.” Charles said, clearly surprised.

Usually, she would inform him before showing up here but seeing she didn't, something was horribly wrong.

"Good morning to you too."

Vivian marched across the office and threw a thick file onto his desk.

The sound echoed through the room.

Oscar finally looked up, his eyes moved from the file to her face. Then back to the file.

"What is this?”

Vivian laughed. A dangerous laugh that seemed to make Charles swallow.

It was the kind of laughter that warned intelligent men to start running.

Oscar remained seated. Unfortunately for him, Vivian wasn't feeling merciful today.

"Explain it."

Oscar picked up the files, eyes fixed on her until it returned to the folder, his gaze skimming through the pages.

He immediately found the section she'd highlighted in red.

Of course.

A corner of his mouth twitched as he leaned back in his chair.

"You stormed into my office a contract review?"

"I stormed into your office because someone thought I wouldn't read the contract."

His brows rose.

Now she had his attention.

Vivian planted both palms on his desk.

"The merger agreement states that all executive decisions made by my company must be reported directly to you."

Oscar remained silent.

She continued. "Monthly financial reports. Quarterly strategy reviews. And my personal approval authority becomes subject to Onyx oversight."

Oscar folded his hands. "What about it?”

"Oh, I'm not finished."

Vivian flipped through the pages. "The agreement gives Onyx Technologies final approval over any acquisition above a hundred million dollars."

Her eyes narrowed. "My company existed before this merger."

She flipped another page. "And if disagreements arise, the final arbitration authority belongs to you."

Oscar finally spoke. "Technically, the board."

She chuckled,trying to control her rage. "Technically?"

His lips twitched again. Vivian wanted to throw the contract at his head.

"You think this is funny?"

"You tell me."

That only made her angrier.

Oscar shouldn't have enjoyed watching her this much.

Yet here they were.

The fire in her eyes, the way she stood her ground, the fact that she hadn't hesitated to march into his office and challenge him directly….

Most executives would have sent emails instead but Vivian showed up herself.

Oscar hated how much he respected that.

"You signed and approved it."

"I approved the draft."

Vivian folded her arms. "The draft and this version are not the same thing."

Oscar's expression shifted to Charles who looked away, staring up at the ceiling like something interesting had caught his eye.

Bloody bastard.

"Who changed it?" She asked.

Oscar remained silent for a moment.

"The legal team."

Vivian scoffed. "And you missed it?"

"No."

The room went quiet as her eyes widened.

"You saw it..” she stared slowly, “And you didn't reject it?"

"That’s right.”

Vivian stared at him in disbelief. For a second she genuinely considered climbing across the desk, yanking him closer by the tie and suffocating him with it!

Oscar watched the emotions cross her face one by one.

She looked mad, in disbelief and murder.

Mostly murder in her eyes.

"You arrogant bastard."

Oscar leaned back further. "I've been called worse."

"I have been working at that company since my early teens and you think I'll report to you every month?"

"I think that's what the contract says."

Vivian's jaw tightened.

Oscar almost smiled.

She looked beautiful when she was furious.

That realization annoyed him immediately.

Vivian grabbed the contract and shoved it toward him.

"Fix it."

"No."

Her eyes narrowed. "No?"

He wanted to swallow. Maybe he needs to hold off the brakes before she actually chokes him to death.

"No."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Oscar held her stare. Vivian held his.

Charles was ready to call 911 if any of them made a move for the other's throat.

She tapped on the folder, "It becomes equal."

Her voice was calm now which Oscar knew was worse.

"A fifty-fifty merger."

She tapped the contract again. "No reporting."

Another tap. "No oversight."

Another tap. "No approval authority."

Her eyes locked onto his. "Equal."

Oscar's gaze didn't leave hers, his eyes lost in hers for a moment. He almost forgot this woman came here to tell him exactly what he was to do.

Its either her way or the bloody highway. He knew that about her.

A tiny grin threatened to appear on his lips.

Vivian looked one second away from homicide.

God.

This woman.

"You find this amusing?"

"No."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

Oscar's gaze moved over her face slowly.

Her refusal to back down….

Years ago she'd been exactly the same. The realization settled somewhere uncomfortable.

"You done staring?"

Oscar blinked. "Probably."

Vivian hated that answer, mostly because it sounded sincere.

She grabbed the contract. "You have three days to edit this."

Her voice softened dangerously. "Or my lawyers get involved."

Oscar nodded once. "Fair."

That wasn't the response she'd expected.

Vivian narrowed her eyes on him suspiciously. "You agreed too easily."

"I didn't agree."

"Then?"

Oscar stood. Immediately the height difference became apparent but Vivian refused to take a step back.

Oscar looked down at her, green eyes penetrating hers.

"I said fair."

The distance between them wasn't much. Vivian hated that noticed.

Oscar hated noticing that she noticed.

Charles steps closer slowly, not sure if this was a safe time to tell them the news he had.

"Sir."

Oscar stepped away first. "What is it?"

Charles held out a phone. "Mr. Rick."

Oscar closed his eyes. Great. Nothing good ever happens with that man calling him during work hours.

Oscar took the call. "Rick."

Rick's voice exploded through the speaker.

"Boy!"

Oscar winced. Vivian smirked.

"Don't sound so excited to hear from me." He said quietly. "What do you want?"

"No hello?"

"No."

Rick ignored him. "As you know, Harold's anniversary party is tomorrow night and Louis and I will not be able to attend…"

Oscar immediately knew where this conversation was heading.

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm asking."

"You're asking me to attend."

"Correct."

"No." He said. “I have a meeting that weekend.”

Rick continued talking anyway. “Then you can stop by briefly. You and Vivian. Just give them a gift, stay for a couple minutes and leave.”

Oscar looked toward her. “Vivian is coming?”

Vivian was already shaking her head.

"Yes." Rick said. “Isn't she your wife?!”

“Oscar…I swear I will…” Vivian gritted only for the bastard to smile.

“Oh, she would love to attend.”

"Wonderful." Rick sounded pleased. "I'll tell Harold you'll both attend."

"I said no." She snapped.

“Alright.” The call ended before she could say anything else. Vivian looked like she's about to strangle him..

“Harold is having an anniversary party tomorrow night…”

She raised her hands to his face, stopping him mid sentence.

“I've heard enough."

She turned and walked out of his office. Oscar watched as she tried to walk fast in heels in the cartoonish motion that always made him laugh.

Charles remained frozen by the door. "Should I call legal?”

Oscar's gaze remained on the doorway she'd just disappeared through.

A slow smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.

"Yes."

Charles blinked. "Sir?"

Oscar finally looked away. "Call legal."

The smile vanished before anyone could question it.

But one thought remained.

Vivian really had walked into his office, threatened a billion-dollar merger, insulted him repeatedly, and left like she'd won.

And somehow…

That was the most interesting part of his morning.