Chapter 2: An Offer I Could Never Imagine
1195 Words
The room spun around me.
I couldn't hear anything except the doctor's words.
"Your brother collapsed this morning."
The papers I had spent weeks preparing lay scattered across the polished floor. Someone called my name, but it sounded far away.
"Ethan..."
That was all I could think about.
I bent down in a hurry to pick up my papers, but my hands shook so badly that I dropped them again.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"I... I have to go."
Without waiting for anyone to answer, I grabbed my bag and hurried toward the door.
"Miss Brooks."
A calm voice stopped me.
I turned around.
Adrian Hale stood a few steps away. His face showed no emotion, but his sharp eyes stayed on me.
"Is there an emergency?"
I nodded quickly.
"My brother... he's in the hospital."
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then he stepped aside.
"Go."
I didn't waste another second.
I ran.
The elevator felt too slow.
The taxi I found outside got stuck in traffic.
Every minute felt like an hour.
I kept checking my phone, hoping someone would tell me Ethan was fine.
No new messages.
No missed calls.
Just silence.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Please be okay.
Please.
When I finally reached the hospital, I rushed through the entrance.
"The emergency room," I told the nurse between breaths.
"My brother, Ethan Brooks."
She checked the computer.
"They've moved him upstairs. Room 417."
I thanked her and ran again.
By the time I reached the room, I was out of breath.
I slowly pushed the door open.
Ethan was asleep.
A tube was attached to his arm, and machines beside his bed made quiet beeping sounds.
He looked so small.
Too small.
I walked over and gently held his hand.
"I'm here," I whispered.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there."
The door opened behind me.
A doctor walked in with a file.
"You must be Miss Brooks."
"Yes."
"I'm Dr. Lewis."
"How is he?"
The doctor sighed.
"Your brother has been pushing himself too hard."
"He didn't want to worry me."
"I believe that."
He opened the file.
"The treatment we've been giving him is helping, but it's no longer enough."
My heart sank.
"What does that mean?"
"He needs a more advanced procedure."
"Can you do it?"
"Yes."
Relief washed over me.
Then he continued.
"But it's expensive."
My stomach tightened.
"How much?"
He told me the amount.
I felt every bit of strength leave my body.
There was no way.
Even if I sold everything I owned, I couldn't raise that kind of money.
"There has to be another way."
"I'm sorry."
The doctor placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"I know this is difficult."
He left the room, leaving me alone with Ethan.
I sat beside the bed.
For the first time in years, I didn't know what to do.
I had always found a solution.
Worked longer hours.
Skipped meals.
Taken extra jobs.
Borrowed money.
But this...
This was impossible.
A soft knock came from the doorway.
Grace stepped inside carrying two cups of coffee.
The moment she saw my face, she rushed over and hugged me.
"I came as soon as I heard."
I buried my face against her shoulder.
Everything I had been holding in finally broke.
Between tears, I told her everything.
Daniel.
The broken engagement.
Missing Ethan's appointment.
The presentation at Hale Global.
The doctor's words.
She listened without interrupting.
When I finished, she handed me a tissue.
"You've had enough pain for one person."
I gave a weak smile.
"It doesn't feel like it's over."
"It isn't."
She sat beside me.
"But you'll survive this."
"I lost the biggest project of my career."
"You don't know that."
"I walked out in the middle of the meeting."
"You had no choice."
"I still left."
Grace reached for my hand.
"If they have any humanity, they'll understand."
I wanted to believe her.
But people like Adrian Hale didn't become billionaires by making decisions with their hearts.
They cared about results.
Not excuses.
A light knock interrupted us.
"I'll give you two a minute," Grace said before stepping outside.
I expected another nurse.
Instead, the hospital room fell strangely quiet.
I looked up.
Adrian Hale stood at the door.
He was still wearing the same dark suit from the meeting.
His tie had been loosened slightly, but he looked just as calm as before.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I quickly wiped my face.
"I'm sorry about today."
He glanced toward Ethan.
"How is your brother?"
"He'll live."
The words caught in my throat.
"If I can afford his treatment."
His eyes rested on me for a long moment.
Then he looked back at Ethan.
"You love him very much."
"He's all I have."
He nodded once.
"I've read your file."
I frowned.
"My file?"
"We research everyone before offering them projects."
I suddenly felt embarrassed.
"So you know."
"I know your parents are gone."
I stayed quiet.
"I know you've been raising your brother since you were nineteen."
I looked away.
"I also know you've never missed a project deadline until today."
That surprised me.
"You... know that too?"
"Yes."
Silence settled between us.
Finally, he spoke again.
"The presentation has been postponed."
I blinked.
"What?"
"You'll present tomorrow."
Hope flickered inside me.
"Do I still have a chance?"
"You do."
My eyes filled with tears again.
"Thank you."
"I didn't do it for you."
The words stung, but somehow I understood.
He wasn't trying to be cruel.
He was simply honest.
He slipped one hand into his pocket.
"I came here because I have another proposal."
I looked at him, confused.
"It has nothing to do with interior design."
I frowned.
"Then what is it?"
His expression didn't change.
"I need a wife."
I stared at him.
For a full five seconds, I was sure I had heard him wrong.
"I'm sorry... what?"
"I need someone to marry me."
The room became so quiet that I could hear Ethan's heart monitor.
I searched Adrian's face for any sign that he was joking.
There was none.
"I don't understand."
"It will be a legal marriage."
He spoke as calmly as if he were discussing the weather.
"There will be a contract."
"A contract?"
"You'll be my wife for one year."
I could only stare.
"If you agree, I'll pay every medical bill your brother will ever have."
My heart stopped.
"And when the contract ends," he continued, "you'll walk away with ten million dollars."
I forgot how to breathe.
Was this real?
Or had my worst day somehow turned into the strangest day of my life?
Adrian looked directly into my eyes.
"You don't have to answer now."
He placed a simple black business card on the table beside Ethan's bed.
"But don't take too long."
He turned and walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, he stopped without looking back.
"Miss Brooks."
"Yes?"
"The offer expires in forty-eight hours."
The door closed behind him.
I looked at the card.
Then at my sleeping brother.
And suddenly, I realized I was about to make the biggest decision of my life.
- Writer
