Chapter2
1259 Words
Silence stretched through the conference room like a taut wire.
Elijah’s gaze remained fixed on her, cold and unreadable. Not even a flicker of recognition crossed his face. Just calm professionalism. That same mouth that had whispered against her skin was now set in a neutral line.
Olivia swallowed hard.
“No,” she said quietly, answering the question that wasn’t really a question. “We’ve never met.”
Elijah’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he turned his attention to Valentina before she could read too much into it.
“I trust you’ve reviewed the presentation,” he said smoothly, settling into the chair at the head of the table like he belonged there—like he belonged everywhere.
“Yes,” Valentina gushed. “Everything is perfect. Olivia will be your point of contact for this event. She’s our best.”
He looked at her again.
So this was how it would be.
Pretend. Professional. Polished lies.
The meeting passed in a blur—timelines, guest lists, catering options. Olivia’s voice sounded distant even to herself. Her notes were a mess. She could still feel the phantom weight of his hands on her hips.
When it was over, Valentina lingered in the hallway to chat with Elijah. Olivia slipped away with a mumbled excuse.
But he found her.
Later that afternoon, she stepped into the elevator, her heart catching when he entered behind her. Alone. Just the two of them in a rising glass cage.
“You lied,” he said softly once the doors closed.
Olivia didn’t look at him. “So did you.”
A beat.
He stepped closer. “You knew who I was?”
“I found out this morning. Congratulations on being rich and rude,” she muttered, staring ahead.
Elijah chuckled, the sound low and humorless. “Most people would kill for what you had last night.”
Olivia bristled. “And most people would at least say thank you.”
The elevator dinged.
They stepped out in silence.
But he wasn’t done.
“Olivia,” he said, stopping her just outside the building. She hated how good her name sounded in his voice. “I need a favor.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You think now’s the time for favors?”
Elijah didn’t blink. “It’s not personal. It’s business.”
She folded her arms. “What kind of favor?”
He hesitated, then said the most absurd thing she’d heard all week.
“I need you to marry me.”
She stared at him.
Then laughed—hard. “You’re insane.”
“I’m serious,” he said.
“You’re serious? You don’t even know me.”
“I don’t need to know you. I need a wife. Fast.”
“And I’m supposed to just… what? Be your Cinderella?”
Elijah’s jaw tensed. “You’d be compensated, of course. Financially. Completely taken care of. You’d have your own space, your freedom. We keep things civil and out of the press. After one year, we go our separate ways.”
Olivia blinked.
She should have walked away.
But those words echoed—compensated. Taken care of.
And behind them, the mountain of overdue rent, the cracked phone screen, the eviction threat.
“I don’t understand,” she said slowly. “Why me?”
He looked away, jaw ticking. “Let’s just say… I’m under pressure. There’s a board meeting coming up. They expect stability. Family values. And right now, I look like a liability.”
She studied him. The way he held tension in his shoulders. The hint of something fractured beneath his control.
“You need me to clean up your image.”
“I need a contract wife,” he said plainly. “And you—don’t come from this world. That makes you believable.”
“Because I’m poor,” she said flatly.
He met her gaze. “Because you’re real.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
It was everything she wanted to hear—and nothing she should believe.
“I need time to think,” she whispered.
“You have twenty-four hours,” Elijah replied. “After that, the offer disappears.”
And just like that, he turned and walked away.
Leaving her standing on the sidewalk, with the weight of the world pressing into her ribs.
Later That Night
Olivia sat curled on her worn couch, staring at the cracked screen of her phone. A message from Mr. Bob. Another from the loan sharks. Her stomach churned.
Faith walked in, dropping a grocery bag on the counter. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I might’ve,” Olivia murmured.
Faith raised an eyebrow. “This about Suit?”
“Elijah,” Olivia said.
“Okay, so he has a name now. Progress.”
“He asked me to marry him.”
Faith dropped the bag. “He what?”
“Not like that,” Olivia said quickly. “It’s not romantic. It’s a contract. A business arrangement. One year. He cleans up his reputation. I get financial freedom.”
Faith stared at her. “You’re actually considering this?”
“I don’t know.” Olivia ran a hand through her curls. “I just know I’m drowning. This—this could change everything.”
Faith sat beside her. “Liv… you don’t do things for money.”
“I never had to before. But maybe it’s time I start.”
Silence fell between them.
“You think he’d hurt you?” Faith asked quietly.
“No,” Olivia said after a moment. “But I think… I might hurt myself.”
*****
The Next Day
Olivia waited in the lobby of Elijah’s building, her nerves coiling tight. When the elevator opened, a suited assistant escorted her to the top floor.
The penthouse hadn’t changed. Still sleek. Still silent. Still holding echoes of things she shouldn’t remember.
Elijah stood by the window, staring out at the city.
“You came,” he said without turning.
“I have conditions,” she replied, stepping in.
He finally looked at her.
“No sleeping together,” she said. “No pretending in private. And I keep my job.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Fine. But in public, we’re perfect.”
Olivia hesitated. “Why does this matter so much to you?”
His eyes shuttered. “Because everything I’ve built is one scandal away from collapse. And some people would love to see me fall.”
“And a wife stops that?”
“A respectable one does.”
Olivia drew a breath.
“I’ll do it,” she said.
He nodded once, crisply. “We’ll sign the papers this week.”
“And what will I be to you, Elijah?” she asked softly. “Just a fix? A prop?”
He met her gaze. “You’ll be Mrs. Williams.”
She didn’t know whether to be terrified or relieved.
All she knew was—this wasn’t love.
This was survival.
And she’d just agreed to marry the devil in a suit.
*****
That night, Olivia sat in bed, staring at the ring Elijah had sent over.
Simple. Elegant. Cold.
Her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.
“You think marrying him will save you? He ruins everything he touches.”
Her blood ran cold.
She looked around her small apartment, suddenly unsure if she was alone at all.
Because someone was watching her.
And they didn’t want her to say “I do.”
- Writer
