He Wants Me Back

Chapter 4

Adrian POV

The board meeting room felt like a courtroom. Twelve old men sat around the long table, their faces as serious as judges. The dark wood walls made the room feel smaller, and the air had a distinct coffee aroma.

I kept my face calm, even though I was not. These men had been trying to control me for months. I totally blame my uncle for this, willing the hospital to me, but with a strict condition to be carried out by these men.

"Adrian, we need to talk about your situation," Mr Henderson said. He was the oldest board member, with white hair and cold grey eyes. He tapped his pen on the table like a judge with a hammer.

I sat up straighter. "What situation?"

"You're thirty-two years old," Mr Chen said from across the table. "Still single with no family, no wife or children."

Here we go again, the same problem has persisted for the past months. And this time, they were looking more serious.

"That's my personal life," I said quietly, but firmly.

Mr Henderson shook his head. "Not when you're the face of this hospital. St. Therese stands for family values. How can we trust a man who doesn't have a family to run a family hospital?"

My hands stayed flat on the table, but inside, I was burning. These men didn't care about me, they only cared about their image.

"I'm a good doctor," I said. "I saved three lives just this week, isn't that enough?"

"No," Mr Rodriguez said bluntly. He was younger than the others but just as mean. "The other hospitals are talking. They say we have an unstable leader, someone who can't even find a wife."

I wanted to laugh, but I kept my face blank.

"What exactly are you saying?" I asked, though I already knew.

Mr Henderson leaned forward. "Get married, Adrian. Find a nice woman, settle down, or we'll have to vote."

"Vote on what?"

"On whether you should stay as co-founder."

The room went silent. My heart pounded, but I didn't let them see it. They were threatening to take away the hospital my uncle left for me.

"You have three months," Mr Chen added. "Find a wife, or find a new job."

I stood up slowly, buttoning my coat. "I'll think about it."

But as I left the room, my mind was racing.

Three months?

How was I supposed to find a wife in three months?

***

Two weeks passed, and the pressure felt heavier. Every time I walked through the hospital, I imagined the board members watching me, counting down the days.

I was checking on a patient when I saw her again. Dr. Langston. The new paediatrician with the sad eyes.

She was sitting with a little boy. The boy was crying, but she was making funny faces, trying to make him laugh. When he finally smiled, her whole face lit up.

There was something about her that made me stop and watch. She looked tired, like she carried heavy secrets. But when she smiled at that kid, she looked free.

"Dr Cross?" My assistant, Patricia, appeared beside me. "The Henderson family is here. They want to introduce you to their daughter."

I groaned inside. The board members had started sending their daughters and nieces to accidentally bump into me. Last week, it was Mr Chen's neighbour. Today it was Henderson's daughter.

"Tell them I'm busy," I said.

Patricia looked uncomfortable. "Sir, Mr Henderson specifically said…"

"I know what he said." I rubbed my forehead. This was getting ridiculous.

I had my plan for marriage that nobody would even see coming.

After I was done with the patient, I went to her. She was alone, holding a cup of coffee with both hands as if it were keeping her warm.

"Dr Langston?"

She jumped, spilling a little coffee on her coat. "Oh! Dr Cross, I'm sorry .Dr

"No, I'm sorry for startling you." I grabbed some paper towels and handed them to her.

She took them, her hands shaking slightly. I could see she was prettier than I first thought. But there was fear in her eyes, like a deer ready to run.

"Can we talk?" I asked. "Privately?"

Her eyes went wide. "Am I in trouble sir?"

"No, nothing like that." I tried to smile gently. "I have something to offer you."

We went to my office. She sat on the edge of the chair, her back straight, ready to bolt at any second.

"Dr Langston Sofia," I started, then stopped. How do you ask someone to fake marry you?

"Yes?" Her voice was small.

I took a deep breath and said, "I need a wife as soon as possible."

She blinked, looking confused. "I don't understand sir."

"This is what I mean," I leaned forward. "What if we got married?"

She dropped her coffee cup. It shattered on the floor, brown liquid spreading everywhere.

"What?" she whispered.

I quickly grabbed more towels. "It won't be a real marriage, just on paper, a contract."

She stood up, backing toward the door. "I can't accept it, sir."

"Wait, Dr Langston." I held up my hands.

She stopped but didn't come closer.

"It would be a business deal," I explained. "We sign papers, pretend to be married for a year, then quietly divorce, no one gets hurt."

"Why me?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Good question. Why her?

"Because I know your secrets, your real identity," I replied with a smile on my face. “I know you faked your identity, and you were the wife of Damian Holt.”

Her face went pale. She didn't answer, but her silence and her look said everything, like she was wondering how I knew.

Checkmate!

"If you marry me," I continued, "you'll have my full protection. Your secrets will be safe with me."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "This is insane."

"Maybe, but it could help us both."

"I have a son," she said suddenly. “His name is Viktor."

I acted like I didn't know that as well. "Okay, he'd be protected too, and he will be taken care of."

She was thinking about it. I could see her mind working, weighing the danger against the safety.

"What would people think?" she asked.

"That we fell in love quickly, it happens."

"And we'd live together?"

"We'd have to, to make it believable. But you'd have your own room, and your own space." I pulled out a folder from my desk. "This is the contract, everything is written clearly. Your rights, my obligations, the benefits."

She took it with shaking hands, stood there, and held the contract like it might explode.

“I'll need some time to think about it.”

Then she left without another word, taking the contract with her. I'm certain she would accept, she wouldn't dare say no.