HIS SILENT OBSESSION

THE NEGOTIATION

Alexander study was dim, save for the blue light of his monitors. His niece, Mira, stood by the door, arms crossed, looking at her uncle with a mix of defiance and disbelief.

"You want me to set up my best friend with you?" Mira scoffed, pacing the room.

"Uncle Alexander, you’re… you’re like a machine. You don't have a romantic bone in your body. Rose has been through hell; she needs someone warm,

someone who laughs. She needs a human, not a CEO."

Alexander didn't look up from his desk. He picked up his phone, his thumb hovering over a contact named Henry - Assistant.

"Henry has been too free lately. "his voice terrifyingly calm.

"The agricultural project in Northern Africa. It’s a two-year commitment. Unaccompanied."

Mira stopped pacing. Her face paled. She was head-over-heels for Henry, and the thought of him moving to Africa for two years made her heart sink.

Mira "You wouldn't."

"I have a vacancy," Alexander continued, unfazed.

"I could have him on a flight by Wednesday morning."

"That is blackmail!" Mira shrieked.

"It’s an arrangement,"Alexander corrected, finally looking at her. His eyes were cold, flat, and entirely void of humour.

"I need a wife, Mira. I have assessed the candidates, and Rose is the only one who fits the parameters of what I require.

She is your friend, which means she is 'good.''' That is sufficient for me."

Mira stared at him, horrified by his pragmatism.

"You don't even like her! You just want a… a trophy? A decorator for your house?"

Alexander stood up, walking toward the window. He looked out at the city lights—the same city where he had been watching Rose for years, hidden in the shadows.

"I don't need 'like,' Maya. I need stability. I need someone who is loyal,

someone who is decent, and someone who fits into the life I have constructed. Rose is all of those things. And because you are her friend, you will ensure she sees the… benefits of such a union."

Mira bit her lip, her mind racing. If she didn't help him, Henry would leave. If she did help him, she was selling out her best friend to a man who, by all appearances, didn't have a heart.

"What if she says no?" Mira whispered.

"She won't," Alexander replied, his voice dropping to a low, chilling promise.

"Because you are going to convince her that I am exactly what she needs. In exchange, Henry stays in the city. Do we have an agreement?"

Mira looked at her uncle—the man who had raised her, the man who had always been cold, distant, and unfeeling. She realized then that there was no arguing with him. He had already decided, and the trap was already set.

​"Fine," she snapped, turning to leave.

"But if you hurt her,Unclee Alexander … I won't just hate you. I’ll make sure she knows exactly what kind of man you are."

Alexander didn't blink. He simply turned back to his screen, his fingers clicking rhythmically against the desk. "She will never have a reason to know. Just make sure the date happens."