The Proposal
1544 Words
Lily barely remembered how she got home that what she kept telling herself—but because he reminded her how fragile her world had become.
The silence in her tiny apartment felt deafening. Her father’s medical bills were stacked on the kitchen counter. Her rent was due in three days. Her dream of returning to college felt likeevening. Her coat was still damp, her coffee untouched, and her heart—aching in ways she thought had healed—was unraveling all over again. Ethan’s face haunted her. Not because she still loved him—at least, that’s a cruel joke.
Then the phone rang.
She stared at the unknown number for a moment before answering. “Hello?”
“Miss Lily Carter?” a woman’s voice asked, calm and professional.
“Yes?”
“My name is Caroline. I’m Mr. Alexander Reed’s assistant. He would like to speak with you regarding a personal offer. Are you available tomorrow morning at ten?”
Lily’s brows furrowed. “I think you have the wrong person.”
“No, Miss Carter. You were specifically requested. This is a private matter. You will be compensated for your time.”
“Compensated?” she echoed.
“All details will be provided in person. A car will pick you up at 9:15. Please be ready.”
Before Lily could ask anything else, the call ended.
She stared at the phone, her mind spinning. Alexander Reed. That name wasn’t unfamiliar. The Alexander Reed—CEO of Reed International. Billionaire. Powerful. Cold. What could a man like him possibly want from her?
But she had no options left. No job. No money. No lifeline.
Maybe this was her last shot at saving her father.
The next morning, a sleek black car waited outside Lily’s apartment exactly at 9:15.
She almost didn’t step in.
But then she remembered her father’s hollow cheeks, the sound of him coughing at night, and the overdue notice on their electricity bill.
So she took a deep breath—and got in.
The ride was quiet. The driver didn’t speak, and Lily had nothing to say. Her fingers trembled in her lap the entire way.
When the car pulled up in front of a tall, steel-and-glass skyscraper in the center of Manhattan, she hesitated. The building screamed wealth, power, and everything she didn’t belong to.
She was escorted to the top floor by Caroline, the same woman who’d called her. Dressed in a sharp gray suit and heels that clicked with every step, Caroline didn’t offer any explanation—just led Lily through a glass corridor into a spacious office with a view of the entire city.
And then she saw him.
Alexander Reed stood near the window, back to her, hands in the pockets of a tailored navy suit. His posture was rigid, commanding. The kind of man who didn’t need to raise his voice to own a room.
“You may leave us, Caroline,” he said without turning around.
“Yes, Mr. Reed,” Caroline replied, before leaving and closing the door behind her.
A heavy silence settled.
Then, slowly, Alexander turned.
Lily’s breath caught.
He was tall, with sharp features, dark hair neatly styled, and cold gray eyes that held no warmth. Not handsome in a boyish way—but striking, intimidating. He looked like he belonged in the pages of a business magazine, not a fairy tale.
“Miss Carter,” he said, walking toward his desk. “Thank you for coming.”
“I didn’t know I had a choice,” she replied, unable to hide the edge in her voice.
A faint smirk curved his lips. “You always have a choice. But when desperation knocks, people tend to listen more carefully.”
She stiffened. “Why am I here?”
He sat behind the desk, folding his hands. “Because I need a wife.”
The words landed like a slap.
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“A contract marriage,” he said simply, as if it were no more unusual than ordering coffee. “Two years. No intimacy required. No emotional entanglements. In return, you’ll receive five million dollars—paid in installments. Enough, I believe, to cover your father’s treatments, and then some.”
Lily stared at him, stunned. “This… is a joke.”
“I don’t joke.”
She stood abruptly. “You think you can just buy someone’s life like that? Buy me?”
“No,” he said coolly. “I’m offering a business arrangement. You are free to walk away at any time. But if you stay—everything changes.”
She turned away, her hands shaking. “Why me?”
“Because you’re unknown. Clean record. No scandals. And you’re desperate. Desperate people make loyal partners.”
She swallowed hard.
Five million dollars.
Her father’s life. Her second chance.
But what would it cost her soul?
Lily couldn’t shake the cold, calculated look in Alexander’s eyes. It was as if he was offering her a deal she couldn’t refuse, but also one that would change her forever. Her mind raced as she stared at the polished desk in front of her, the contract she hadn’t even noticed until now sitting in front of her.
The words on the paper were simple, concise. No room for interpretation. A contract for a marriage that would last two years, followed by a generous sum of money. No love. No strings attached. It was all business.
“Five million dollars,” Alexander repeated, his voice low, persuasive. “Enough to secure your father’s future, to pay off his medical bills. To give you a life where you don’t have to worry about every cent. Think of it as a way to make sure you can breathe again.”
She could feel the pull of the money, the weight of her father’s condition pushing her toward it. Five million dollars could change everything. It could fix the mess she had been buried in for so long. She could finally breathe again.
But her chest felt tight.
“How do I know you’re not lying?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “How do I know this isn’t just some… trap?”
Alexander’s gaze flickered with something unreadable, but his face remained as cold and hard as before. “You don’t. But I can assure you, I don’t need to lie. I need a wife, not a puppet.”
His words stung, but they also carried an eerie honesty. She had no choice. She could fight her pride, fight the humiliation of agreeing to this—of becoming a pawn in his world—but what was the alternative? Watch her father suffer? Watch her life continue to fall apart?
Lily’s heart pounded as she sat back down, the weight of the decision pressing on her chest.
She glanced at the clock. Time was ticking.
“I don’t have all day to wait for you to make up your mind,” he added, his voice clipped.
Lily’s hands clenched into fists. This was it. The moment of truth.
She took a shaky breath and signed the contract.
---
The car ride back to her apartment was silent, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Lily couldn’t even remember the last time she’d felt this hollow—like she had just made the worst decision of her life. But the money, the promise of a life she could never dream of on her own, hung in her mind like a beacon.
She was about to marry a man who didn’t believe in love, who saw relationships as nothing more than transactions. A man who might not even care if she lived or died once the contract was over.
She should’ve felt relief. She should’ve felt something.
But she didn’t.
When the car finally stopped in front of her apartment, Lily got out without looking at Alexander. She couldn’t bring herself to thank him. She couldn’t even speak.
“Miss Carter,” he called before she could leave. His voice was surprisingly soft, though his gaze was still hard, unreadable. “We’ll begin tomorrow. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Lily didn’t turn around. She simply walked into her apartment building, her mind racing, heart heavy.
---
Later that night, as she sat on the edge of her bed staring at the contract in her hands, the weight of it crushed her. She didn’t know what had come over her. How had she gone from the girl who had dreams, hopes, and a future to the woman who had sold her life for money?
She thought of her father, pale and weak in his bed, of the medical bills that would swallow them whole, and the years of struggle that had led her to this moment.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about Alexander Reed—his cold, detached eyes, the way he’d spoken to her like a business deal. His presence lingered in her mind, a shadow she couldn’t shake.
She was about to marry a man who didn’t believe in love. And somewhere, deep down, she couldn’t help but wonder: what kind of life would they build together, if any?
- Writer
