The Man Behind the Proposal
632 Words
Aria read the first sentence again.
Miss Aria Bello,
I would like to offer you a marriage proposal.
She blinked.
Then laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was ridiculous.
“A marriage proposal?” she whispered to herself.
She turned the page, expecting cameras to jump out from behind the hospital bushes.
Instead, she found a neatly typed letter.
If you agree to become my wife for one year, I will pay every medical expense related to your mother’s treatment, provide you with a monthly allowance, and ensure you never have to worry about money again.
In return, you will play the role of my wife until our agreement ends.
If you refuse, this letter will be destroyed, and you will never hear from me again.
The choice is entirely yours.
— Kael Blackwood
There was no romantic confession.
No promises of love.
No explanation.
Just a business arrangement.
Aria folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope.
“This has to be a joke.”
“Talking to yourself?” She looked up.
Her best friend, Maya, stood a few feet away holding two cups of vending machine coffee.
“I’ve been calling your name for almost a minute.”
Aria forced a smile.
“I didn’t hear you.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’ve seen something worse.”
She handed Maya the letter.
Maya read it once.
Then again.
Then a third time.
“This is fake.”
“I thought so too.”
“But…”
Maya frowned.
“The paper… the signature… whoever sent this spent money.”
“Exactly.”
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Finally Maya asked,
“Who’s Kael Blackwood?”
“I have no idea.”
“You’ve never met him?”
“No.”
“So why would he ask you to marry him?”
“I wish I knew.”
Maya stared at her.
“You’re not actually considering this… are you?”
Aria’s eyes drifted toward the hospital building.
Behind one of those windows…
Her mother was fighting for her life.
“I don’t know.”
“Aria.”
“It’s just…”
Her voice cracked.
“I don’t know how else I’m supposed to save my mom.”
Maya reached over and squeezed her hand.
“We’ll figure something out.”
Aria nodded.
But deep inside…
She was running out of things to believe in.
Across the city…
On the top floor of Blackwood Tower…
A man stood before floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Lagos.
The city sparkled beneath him.
His reflection stared back from the glass.
Sharp jaw.
Dark suit.
Expression unreadable.
“Has she read the proposal?”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“And?”
“She hasn’t made a decision.”
Kael slipped one hand into his pocket.
“I expected as much.”
“Would you like me to increase the offer?”
“No.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Sir… if I may ask…”
Kael turned.
“Why her?”
For the first time all evening…The billionaire smiled.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t amused.
It was the smile of a man who had waited years for this moment.
“Because,” he said quietly, “she’s the only woman who can save Blackwood.”
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Kael looked back at the city lights.
“You’ll know soon enough.”
That night Aria lay awake in her tiny apartment.
The proposal rested on her bedside table.
She couldn’t stop looking at it.
Marriage to a man she’d never met.
A billionaire.
It sounded like the beginning of a fairy tale.
But every fairy tale she’d ever heard came with a price.
The question was…
What would hers be?
- Writer
