Love by Contract with the CEO

Chapter 3: The Proposal

Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing—a man like Joshua Moore asking her to be his wife. He was the man every woman in high society wanted, not just for his looks but for his power. A man like him intimidated everyone.

"Mr. Moore, I'm not a woman worthy of you. I'm married, I just had a baby, my father's in ruins... I can't. I'm sorry."

"It's good you know who I am, but I'll only say this once more: think it over. I want you to be my wife. Marry me," he stated with a neutral expression, his face unreadable. He was so cold, it was hard to decipher his emotions.

Faith was bewildered. Why would a man like him, who could have any woman he wanted, insist on marrying her? The mystery left her confused.

But her answer remained the same. She told him she couldn't marry him. Despite everything, she still thought about Andrew. She still loved him.

"I'm sorry, but my answer is the same," she said and ran out of the room, looking for an exit.

Joshua was furious. He ordered the maids to clean the entire house. He didn't want to smell that scent which disturbed him and reminded him of that night months ago.

His rage was immense, destroying everything in his path.

"I want everything she touched cleaned. I don't want a trace of her here. I don't want to smell that damned scent ever again!" he shouted, storming off to his study, fire in his eyes.

Faith ran through the enormous mansion, desperately searching for the exit. She didn't care about her attire, practically in her underwear. The fear and pain in her heart were overwhelming. After all that had happened, she felt her life had ended with the arrival of that baby. In just a few days, she had lost everything and was on the verge of losing her father too. It was too much pain in too little time; she felt she was losing her mind, that nothing made sense anymore.

"Miss, where are you going in this storm? It's dangerous, you could get sick," pointed out a young man with beautiful blond hair. His eyes were dark, and Faith felt she had seen that look before. She wasn't mistaken—it had only been minutes since she left that room.

"I just want to know where the exit is. Nothing else matters," she replied, nervous.

He directed her down a hallway, and she ran, thinking it would lead to her freedom. The young man, named Maick, followed her, knowing she needed help.

The streets were deserted, the cold inevitable in the storm. Lightning struck, but she didn't fear being hit. She thought it might be the best thing that could happen to her.

"Come on, get in. I'll take you wherever you want to go. This storm is too strong; it's better if you get in," Maick said. He was in a high-end sports car with gold inlays.

Faith didn't understand how she could trust someone she had just met, but this young man made her feel that way.

On the way to the clinic where her father was, she let a few tears escape, replaying the events in her mind like a movie, recalling all the beautiful moments when she thought she had it all.

"Thanks for bringing me," she said curtly and got out of the car. She headed to her father's room, seeing everything destroyed—glass and debris on the floor, overturned furniture. In the distance, she saw her father in his bed.

The culprits of this destruction were the very people they associated with—two business partners, Jair and Walter.

"How can you treat my father like this? He trusted you; you were his best friend!" she cried, seeing the cruel scene.

"Just like Andrew, little Miller. But that's life; only the smartest win. Andrew did a great job getting rid of you. Did you know? I always envied him for being with a beauty like you. Now it's my turn to show you what a real man is. For a long time, I kept this feeling quiet and the desire to have you for myself out of respect for him and not to ruin the plans, but now it's no longer necessary."

She looked with disgust at Walter, an ugly, fat, unpleasant man. Jair just laughed, saying his turn would come later. At that moment, Luis arrived and began to fight them, but it was in vain. He was injured from a previous fight with men who had tried to kill Mr. Miller minutes earlier.

Chaos erupted. Walter grabbed Faith forcefully, who tried to defend herself with all her might, but it was useless. Walter tries to tear her shirt off, intending to film her naked and then abuse her, planning to humiliate her on social media and destroy what little reputation she had left.

Faith lost the struggle with the men. She could only cry and beg them not to harm her. When Walter saw the label on her shirt, he changed and backed off.

The shirt bore a tag with the symbol of a skull and two swords, the emblem of the Moore family. But now, it was Joshua, known as the devil, who used that symbol for everything.

The men's fear was palpable. The tag was made of pure gold, with two diamonds in the skull's eyes. Just seeing that, Walter and Jair knew they couldn't mess with her; she was under the protection of the devil.

"For now, you're saved by the devil, but you won't be so lucky next time," Jair said, and they left, terror on their faces.

They didn't understand how Faith could have a shirt belonging to the devil, how she could be so close to a man the whole country feared.

Luis and Faith were attended to by Mr. William Miller's doctor.

"Miss, your father's health is improving. The doctors say he might wake up in a couple of days and be conscious. But I don't know if that's good news. Once he's awake, he'll have to go to court and possibly go to jail because of his partners."

The news was terrible for Faith. She couldn't let that happen. Her father was all she had left; she didn't want to expose him and lose him.

"That won't happen. I'll find a way to get back what was stolen from us. But you haven't told me everything. What happened to Andrew? Why did he suddenly turn on us? We've been together for four years. I don't understand. You must know something more. Please tell me. Don't hide anything from me; I beg you."

Luis was compelled to tell her everything that had happened, recounting it step by step.

"Andrew and Jenna Smith have known each other since they were kids. They always went to the same schools, loved each other very much, and were each other's first love since they were fifteen. Four and a half years ago, their relationship ended, and that's when you met Andrew. After that, everything seemed fine. He and your father were good friends and partners. But your father, seeing how in love you were and that you were going to marry, investigated Andrew's life, since he had no family and was a solitary person. In his investigations, he found the Smith family, who had done business with your father and you long ago. You were responsible for ruining them. The hatred of Jenna grew, and she was determined to take revenge on her. When that happened, your father ordered me to take her far away, but I failed. She escaped and found Andrew, who bought her a house. They must have planned everything there. But what you don't know is that Jenna ran over a pregnant woman who belonged to a very powerful and dangerous man. We don't know who he is, as this city, as you know, is full of such people. We don't know how they solved the problem, but that woman lost her child."

"I know how they did it. They tricked me into sleeping with that man and having his child, so they wouldn't end up in jail. That's what happened."

That conversation helped Faith understand what was going on, but now she had to be strong and find a way to keep her father out of jail. She left the clinic despite her condition, knowing there was only one place in the city where she could go—the Candela Club. It was where the most powerful and wealthy people went to make deals. There, she could find answers to this nightmare. She also held a faint hope of seeing him once more, of finding him and hearing him say it was all just a bad dream, that he was there for her and would help her move forward. She wanted to hear that he loved her, that she was important to him, that he would leave that woman to be with her.

She left, dressed in a hospital gown and slippers, caring about nothing but finding the help she needed. There was still one of her father's partners who seemed uninvolved in this mess. That was the light she clung to, for otherwise, she would be lost in the darkness...