My Boss’ Contract Mate: Bound by Love

The Proposal

Isabelle’s Point Of View

Stooping down to put my heels on, I heard something rip and gasped, feeling the back of my pants. Quickly standing up, I bent over a bit and saw that my pants ripped at the seam.

“This can’t be f*****g happening,” I muttered.

I walked over to my closet and skimmed through the racks of clothing. Finally deciding on my red close fitting dress, I changed into it.

The dress had a V-cut and it hugged my slim curvy frame perfectly. I paired it with my beige trench coat and heels before transferring everything into my red tote handbag.

Sitting on the bed, I buckled the heels straps around my ankles and then put on some perfume.

After buckling my heels and spraying on my favorite perfume, I gave myself a final glance in the mirror. The red dress flattered my shape better than I remembered.

A little unexpected wardrobe mishap couldn’t ruin my morning. I grabbed my handbag, shrugged into my trench coat, and headed out the door.

The morning air was brisk, crisp enough to make me glad I’d worn the coat. I hailed a cab on the corner, scrolling through emails and replying to a couple of last-minute texts while we cruised through downtown.

Before work, I had to make one crucial stop — the café on 7th, where Nate and I always grabbed our morning coffee together.

He is a cranky asshole in the mornings without coffee.

The Barista was already there, leaning against the brick wall with two cups in hand. His smile was boyish, warm, like he’d been waiting for me for years. I paid him and took the cup holder with the coffees from him, our fingers brushing briefly.

Awkward…

“Thanks,” I said with a small grin, still typing something on my phone.

He smiled and said, “See you tomorrow.”

As soon as I entered the building, I was back in work mode. I barely glanced up from my phone while riding the private elevator to the top floor of the firm. The moment the elevator doors slid open with a quiet ding, though, something was... different.

The hallway wasn’t empty like usual.

Instead, a narrow path was laid out before me — carefully arranged red rose petals scattered in a tidy, winding trail that led around the corner. My brows furrowed in confusion, and I instinctively took a step forward, heels clicking softly on the polished floor.

What the hell was this?

As I followed the trail, the scent of roses grew stronger. I turned the corner—and froze.

I am going to kill him!

About ten of my colleagues, dressed impeccably and smiling wide, stood on either side of the rose-lined path. Each one held a single, perfect red rose, and as I walked past, they handed them to me one by one with gentle nods and cryptic smiles.

“Wait—what’s going on?” I asked, a little breathless now, clutching the roses to my chest. “Why are you all—what is this?”

No one answered. They just kept smiling.

My heart was pounding by the time I reached the end of the trail. And there he was.

Nate stood beneath the soft golden glow of the overhead chandelier, framed by a tall arrangement of white lilies and more red roses in a glass vase. He wore his best navy-blue suit, the one I told him looked the best on him and I secretly loved. His tie and a red pocket square that matched my dress perfectly stood out too.

How did he know?

He gave me that same smile — the one that always made my stomach flutter with nervousness — and I froze in place.

“Nathaniel…” I started, nerves coiling in my stomach like a spring. “What are you doing?”

He stepped closer and gently took the bouquet of roses from my arms. “Isabelle,” he said softly, voice steady and sure, “I know this is unexpected, and I know how much you love control, but I couldn’t wait any longer.”

My mouth went dry. “Nathaniel, wait—”

Before I could finish, he dropped to one knee.

Time slowed. My breath caught in my throat.

He pulled a small velvet box from his jacket pocket and opened it, revealing a ring so breathtaking it seemed to glow under the lights — a flawless round-cut diamond framed by a halo of smaller stones on a delicate platinum band.

People gasped softly behind me.

My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my god…”

Nate looked up at me, eyes tender. “Isabelle Jade Kaine, you are the love of my life. You are fierce, brilliant, beautiful, and stubborn as hell. I’ve known from the moment you walked into that boardroom that I wanted a life with you. So — I’m asking. Will you marry me?”

This asshole!

The room felt like it tilted sideways. My knees threatened to buckle, and for a second, all I could hear was my own heartbeat in my ears.

Everyone was watching. Waiting.

What the hell do I say?

My hands were trembling. My lips parted to speak, but the words caught in my throat. I wasn’t sure if it was shock or panic or the crushing pressure of everyone watching—but I looked into Nate’s eyes, and somehow… I nodded.

I promised him, didn’t I?

“Yes,” I said, barely audible. “Yes.”

A wave of applause erupted around us as Nate slid the ring onto my finger. It sparkled like a small constellation, heavy and cool against my skin. When he stood, I barely had time to blink before he pulled me close, his arms wrapping around my waist.

He leaned in, voice low and steady at my ear. “Just go with the flow, Belle,” he whispered.

His eyes flicked to my lips and I shook my head, “No, ple—”

And then he kissed me.

Not a chaste kiss. Not one of obligation.

It was deep and breathless, stealing the air straight from my lungs. His hand slid up the back of my neck, holding me in place, and I could feel the shape of his mouth, the certainty in it, as if this wasn’t an act at all. As if he meant every second.

I could taste his toothpaste as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. Slowly, I started to kiss back as heat rushed to my cheeks.

When he pulled away, I stared up at him—dazed, speechless. My heart was thudding like I’d sprinted ten floors.

And then, like nothing had happened, he turned to the stunned crowd and said, “Thank you, everyone. That’ll be all.”

They lingered for a moment, but the authority in his voice was enough. They dispersed one by one, murmuring congratulations, still smiling, some clearly already gossiping. When the hallway was finally empty, and the petals were the only thing left behind, I turned to him.

And slapped him—hard.

His head snapped to the side, his cheek immediately blooming red under the force of it. He slowly turned back to look at me, and instead of getting angry, the asshole chuckled. “I deserved that.”

“You think?” I hissed, my voice sharp. “What the hell was that, Nate? That was not the plan. You proposed. In front of people. With a ring. A real diamond, not a paperclip or a goddamn contract!”

He raised his hands as if surrendering. “It was a calculated risk. Public proposal makes it real. You wanted this marriage to look airtight, convincing. That’s how we make it work. No one will question us now.”

I started pacing, heels clacking furiously against the tile. “Oh my god. Oh my god. I cannot believe you did this. You kissed me. You— you kissed me in front of everyone like—”

And before I could finish the sentence, he kissed me again.

I pushed him back, chest heaving, lips tingling. “Stop doing that!”

“You kissed me back.”

“No, your mouth happened to be where I was breathing , and I didn’t want to die in front of HR.” I spun away from him and stormed down the hall, the petals crunching under my heels.

My office door clicked open. I walked inside and slammed it shut behind me. The moment I turned around, I could see his office through the glass wall across from mine.

He was standing there, completely calm, that infuriatingly smug smile on his face, adjusting his cufflinks like he hadn’t just detonated my entire morning.

This was supposed to be a business arrangement.

Just a marriage of convenience for him to get his alpha title and help cure my Mom.

So why the hell did it suddenly feel like anything but?

...A few hours later

I didn’t get much done that morning.

Well, not nothing — I answered a few emails, revised a client proposal, and tore through two contracts with red annotations like a woman possessed — but the truth was, my mind wasn’t in any of it.

My fingers moved automatically on the keyboard while my eyes… Well, they drifted. Too often.

To him.

Through the glass wall that separated our offices, I caught glimpses of Nate — calm, composed, focused — like he hadn’t just proposed in the middle of our workplace like we were the leads in a romantic comedy.

He didn’t look even remotely fazed.

Meanwhile, I had this ridiculous diamond burning a hole through my consciousness. And my finger.

It was expensive and I hated how much I loved it.

Every time my hand moved, the ring caught the light and sparkled, like it knew what it had done. Like it was mocking me.

I’d twist it absentmindedly, then yank my hand away like it had bitten me. I should take it off. But I didn’t.

At 12:59, I was mid-email — something about international tax loopholes and mergers— when my door opened without a knock.

“Pause your brain,” Nate said, stepping inside with that same confident swagger he always wore like a second skin. “Lunch.”

I didn’t even look up. “Not hungry.”

“You are hungry,” he said smoothly. “Baby, remember I have super hearing. I heard your belly growl about an hour ago. So tuck that anger away and let your fiancé feed you.”

My head snapped up. “Don’t call yourself my fiancé like it’s real.”

He just raised a brow, clearly unfazed by my glare. “It is real. It’s legally binding, soon enough.”

I rolled my eyes. “I said no.”

He stepped closer. “You need me, Isabelle. Just like I need you. Cooperation is half this deal.”

God, he knew exactly which nerve to hit. I could feel the tension in my shoulders grinding tighter. He was right. I did need him — for now. For my mom. For the plan. And I hated how much that weakened my resolve.

I exhaled through my nose. “Fine,” I muttered, shutting my laptop with a sharp click. “But I’m only eating so I don’t pass out during this corporate hostage situation.”

He grinned. “That’s my girl.”

Not your girl.

As we stepped out of my office together, my heels syncing with his long strides, I spotted our secretary, Diana, at her desk. Her eyes widened as she glanced at us, then dropped to our hands — I wasn’t even holding his, but her expression said it all.

She leaned toward her coworker and whispered a little too audibly, “I always knew they were together. Who matches their boss or PA to come to work?”

I bristled.

Why on earth would I do that? Nate and I coincidentally matched a handful of times, never on purpose.

Nate didn’t miss a beat. He turned slightly toward me as we walked, leaned in just enough, and whispered with a smirk, “So... do you plan your outfits with mine the night before, or do you just channel your undying devotion telepathically?”

I elbowed him in the side without breaking stride. “I will end you.”

He laughed softly, low and warm, and I hated — hated — that it sounded like music to my ears.

We stepped into the private elevator together, the doors sliding shut behind us. The hum of movement began, and for a few precious seconds, we were alone in the quiet space.

Then he looked down at me, and his tone shifted. Quieter. More sincere.

“You’re still mad,” he said.

I folded my arms, leaning against the cool metal wall. “You hijacked my morning. My life, technically. You’re lucky I’m even in the same elevator with you and not plotting your death via stapler.”

He stepped closer. “Noted. But I meant what I said, Belle. No one’s going to question this now. And that ring? It suits you.”

I looked away, my eyes catching on the sparkle again before I yanked my gaze upward.

“I hate you,” I said under my breath.

“You kissed me back,” he murmured.

The elevator doors slid open.

I didn’t say a word as we stepped out — but I felt that damned ring pulse on my finger again like it was laughing. And somewhere inside me, a terrifying thought bubbled up:

What if this doesn’t feel fake anymore?