“The Proposal That Changed Everything”
Zaria Williams sat behind her neatly organized desk at Sterling & Lowe Media, the soft hum of fluorescent lights above blending with the distant clack of heels and office chatter. She had always been the reliable assistant — punctual, loyal, invisible in the right ways. The kind of employee who knew the color of her boss’s ties for each day of the week and when his coffee should switch from black to espresso.
Today was Thursday. That meant navy blue tie and his 2:30 pm board meeting — the one she’d already prepped all the materials for before lunch.
She tucked a strand of her sleek dark hair behind her ear as her phone buzzed. A calendar reminder: *Meeting with Mr. Sterling — 3 PM. Private.*
Private?
She rarely had private meetings with Mr. Sterling unless something had gone terribly wrong or something was about to go very, very right.
She knocked lightly on the frosted glass door.
"Come in," a deep voice responded.
He slid a contract across the table. “It’s six months. You’ll be well-compensated. One million dollars — half now, half at the end. You’ll have a full legal team. Prenup. Fake honeymoon photos. Media will believe it because they already think I’m dating someone in the office.”
Zaria’s eyes widened. “They what?”
He raised a brow. “Apparently, we have chemistry.”
Her heart pounded. This was absurd. A fake marriage? For business? And yet… a million dollars. That kind of money could erase her student loans, fund her little sister’s college dreams, get her mom that surgery.
Still, she asked, “Why me?”
“Because you’re discreet. Loyal. And because Julian knows you.”
That caught her off guard.
“I interned at Blackstone during college,” she said slowly. “Julian was… nice. But strict.”
“He was more than that, wasn’t he?” Ethan asked.
Zaria hesitated. Julian had once asked her out. She had politely declined. He hadn’t taken it well.
“I don’t see the relevance,” she said.
“He’ll hate that you’re with me. It gives me leverage. Personal, emotional. And you — you get financial security, a role to play, and we both get what we want.”
It was manipulative. Strategic. Cold. But Zaria had lived in a world where survival meant playing smart, not safe.
She exhaled.
“Give me the weekend,” she said quietly. “To think.”
Ethan nodded. “Of course.”
As she left his office, contract in hand, she didn’t notice the faint smirk on his face. The game had begun.
***
