Chapter 002
1308 Words
Felix quickly opened the tablet and turned the screen toward her. The names of underground banks, old contracts, and due dates were displayed there.
“At midnight, the old will takes effect,” Marcus explained briefly, now looking serious.
“Whose will?” Ellen swallowed hard.
“My teacher's,” Marcus replied without further explanation.
Ellen's gaze returned to Marcus, the woman still confused. “And who are you, really?” the girl asked again.
“My name is on the contract,” Marcus replied. “That's all you need to know.”
“What do you want?” Ellen asked, her tone now lower.
“We're getting married.” Marcus sighed softly.
The room immediately fell silent. Ellen stared at him as if assessing whether the man in front of her was sane. “You're crazy.”
“People often think that.” Marcus didn't seem offended at all.
“You come here and threaten my company, then ask for marriage?” Ellen laughed bitterly. “This isn't the Middle Ages where everything can be the way you want it to be, sir,” Ellen sneered, trying to appear unaffected by Marcus's words.
“This isn't a request because it's a condition of the will. If I become your legal spouse, the debt is canceled.” Marcus replied casually, placing his hand on his chest.
“Without love?” Ellen challenged, staring sharply at Marcus.
“Without love.” Marcus replied quickly.
“Without ownership of my body?” Ellen asked again, she certainly didn't want to be disadvantaged by the ridiculous will.
Marcus looked at her straight on. “I won't touch you without your consent.”
That honesty made Ellen hesitate.
“Why would you do this?” she finally asked. “You get nothing.”
Marcus was silent. The image of an old man's face flashed through his mind. The voice that taught him to persevere. To die for a promise he never asked for.
“I'm not running from debt,” Marcus replied softly. “Even if the debt isn't mine.”
Marcus's answer made Ellen fall silent. The woman tried to weigh it for a moment, and after thinking for a while, Ellen closed her eyes. “Prepare the contract,” she said finally. “I agree.”
Felix immediately moved, and a few minutes later, the signatures were on the document. Ellen Wilson's name. Marcus's name.
“Remember one thing,” Ellen said coldly, staring at Marcus. “This is a business transaction, Mr. Marcus.”
Marcus nodded, and Ellen agreed to sign the document.
Outside the building, a distant siren could be heard faintly.
And in a system darker than the city of Angkasa, an old contract was officially reactivated.
***
The apartment was on the seventh floor. There was no special guard. No private elevator. No expensive carpets or crystal chandeliers. Marcus observed it in silence. He thought that all of this was far from the standard of living of the CEO of Wilson Group, and that it was not a coincidence.
“This is my temporary place,” said Ellen as she opened the door. “I can't bring anyone to my main house. There are too many eyes.”
“No problem,” replied Marcus calmly.
Entering the room, the two were immediately greeted by the smell of cold coffee and paper mixed in the air. The living room was cramped. One sofa. One table. One shelf filled with documents, not decorations.
“The guest room is over there.” Ellen took off her shoes.
“That's fine,” Marcus said without much protest.
There was no small talk about their first night. There was no feigned awkwardness. They were both too tired to pretend to be a couple.
"We have an agreement. This is just a contract.“ Ellen turned on the small kitchen light.
”We agreed,“ Marcus repeated. He put his thin jacket on a chair and stood for a moment, observing the room. This place was not a home. It was a place to survive.
However, their silence was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.
Ellen frowned. ”I'm not expecting anyone." Without saying much, the woman immediately opened the door to her apartment. A woman entered uninvited, her high heels hitting the floor confidently.
“So this is him,” Nina said with a cynical smile. “Your contract husband.”
Her gaze immediately turned to Marcus, assessing him quickly, then dismissively. “He looks ordinary.”
“I am ordinary,” Marcus replied calmly.
Nina chuckled. “The bank really ran out of options if they sent someone like this.”
Ellen slammed the door shut. “Nina, that's enough.”
“I'm just curious,” Nina folded her arms. “What is he? A consultant? A guarantor? Or just a name on paper?”
Marcus didn't answer. He sat down and opened his tablet. Ellen watched him out of the corner of her eye. Not angry. Not offended. As if Nina's comment had never been made.
“You're losing cash flow in three divisions,” Marcus said suddenly. “It's not because of the market.”
“What do you mean?” Ellen turned quickly.
“Internal leakage,” Marcus continued, swiping the screen. “This contract was manipulated. This report was falsified. An insider.”
“Nonsense.” Nina snorted, feeling that the man she had just met would not be able to actually find what he had just said.
“The signatures are consistent,” Marcus said. “Too consistent.”
Ellen approached, staring at the screen. Her face changed.
“This? This is an internal document,” she said softly. “Not all directors have access.”
“You're too trusting,” Marcus replied briefly.
The bell rang again, forcing Ellen to open the door.
Felix was standing outside, carrying a small dark box.
“Your personal belongings,” he said to Marcus. He placed the box on the table and left without waiting for a response.
Nina opened it immediately.
“An old watch?” She laughed. “Seriously? That's it?”
Marcus took the watch from her hand with a slow but firm movement. “Don't touch it carelessly,” Marcus threatened in a cold tone. He didn't like anyone interfering with his life. His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to silence Nina.
Marcus now turned the watch slowly, making sure there were no new scratches. His hand paused for a moment.
Ellen saw that expression, not anger, not arrogance. Something deeper.
“You take good care of that thing,” Ellen tried to comment to lighten the mood.
“It's not a thing,” Marcus replied. “It's a reminder.”
Nina snorted and picked up her bag. “I'm not interested in watching a poor man's drama.”
The door closed.
The apartment was silent again.
Ellen stood a few steps away from Marcus. “You know too much.”
“I'm paid to know,” Marcus replied, because finding information about Ellen's company was certainly not difficult for an intelligence chief like him.
“You don't mind him treating me like that?” Ellen asked cautiously, wondering if her cousin's attitude was a little over the top.
“Objections don't always need to be shown.” Marcus sat down in a chair and opened his tablet again without looking at her.
“That's not an answer,” Ellen began to approach him.
“That's my answer,” Marcus replied. “I didn't come here to prove my worth to anyone.”
Ellen crossed her arms. “Including to me?”
Marcus stopped reading. “Including to you,” he replied quickly.
Ellen held her breath, then sat across from him. “Then why are you still here?”
- Writer
