The Contract
512 Words
Ariana couldn’t take her eyes off the contract lying on Damien’s desk.
One signature.
That was all it would take to save Bennett Holdings.
But at what cost?
She looked up at the man standing before the floor-to-ceiling window.
“You expect me to marry a complete stranger?”
Damien didn’t turn around.
“I expect you to make the smartest business decision of your life.”
Ariana let out a bitter laugh.
“You call this a business decision?”
“It is.”
He finally faced her.
“You need money. I need a wife. We both get what we want.”
His voice was calm, almost emotionless, as though he were discussing a merger instead of a marriage.
“There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t.”
The room fell silent.
Ariana thought of the employees who had worked for her father for years. She thought of Mrs. Grace from accounting, who was raising three children alone. She thought of the security guards, the cleaners, the interns.
If the company closed, they would all lose their jobs.
Damien seemed to read her thoughts.
“You’re not only trying to save a company,” he said quietly. “You’re trying to save everyone who depends on it.”
She looked at him in surprise.
For the first time since she’d entered his office, she saw something other than coldness in his eyes.
Understanding.
“You investigated me,” she whispered.
“I investigate everyone I do business with.”
Ariana picked up the contract and skimmed through the pages.
One-year marriage.
No romantic relationship.
No interference in each other’s personal lives.
Appear together whenever necessary.
Maintain the image of a happily married couple.
At the end of twelve months, they would divorce.
She frowned.
“What if one of us wants out before then?”
“There will be financial penalties.”
“And if one of us falls in love?”
For the first time, Damien smirked.
“That won’t happen.”
His confidence annoyed her.
“You’re very sure of yourself.”
“I don’t believe in love, Miss Bennett.”
His words hung in the air.
Ariana closed the contract.
“I need time to think.”
Damien nodded.
“You have until tomorrow morning.”
She turned to leave.
Just as her hand touched the office door, Damien spoke again.
“If you refuse…”
She stopped.
“…Bennett Holdings will cease to exist by this time tomorrow.”
Ariana swallowed hard.
Without looking back, she walked out.
⸻
Outside the building, the cold evening breeze hit her face.
Her phone rang.
It was her assistant.
“Miss Bennett!” the voice cried. “The bank officers are here!”
“They’ve started removing the company equipment.”
“They said if we don’t pay today, they’ll lock the building tomorrow morning.”
Ariana froze.
She slowly looked back at the towering Blackwood Group headquarters.
Then, with tears threatening to fall, she whispered to herself…
“Do I really have a choice?”
- Writer
