proposal
2072 Words
The Brooks mansion...
Upstairs, behind heavy double doors, the private office sat under warm ceiling lights that softened nothing about the atmosphere inside. The room still held power just contained within walls of wealth instead of glass towers.
Elijah stood near the desk, sleeves rolled to his forearms, tie loosened, staring down at a spread of documents like they had personally offended him.
The door opened behind him, and Ethan walked in. One look at Elijah's face told him everything.
"What's up?" Ethan said simply, closing the door.
Elijah didn't look up. "It's a mess."
Ethan stepped further in, scanning the papers on the desk—financial reports, investment breakdowns, loss projections that didn't sit comfortably with reality.
"What happened?" he asked.
Elijah exhaled slowly, finally straightening. "Arvex."
That name alone tightened the air.
Ethan's jaw shifted slightly. "You signed off on that?"
"I trusted the broker," Elijah replied, sharper than intended. Then, quieter, "And the numbers looked solid."
A pause.
Elijah rubbed his forehead. "We've lost over half the expected returns. If this leaks before we stabilize it, investors will pull out completely."
Ethan leaned against the edge of the desk, eyes fixed on the documents. "Dad knows?"
Elijah gave a short nod. "I told him."
"And?"
A heavier silence.
"He's furious," Elijah said finally. "Not just about the loss—about the timing, the risk, everything."
Ethan let out a low exhale, almost humorless. "So nothing new."
Elijah didn't respond.
Instead, he picked up a folder and placed it between them.
"I found something," he said.
Ethan didn't touch it immediately. "What is it?"
"Not a bailout," Elijah replied. "A new investor." He handed the folder to Ethan.
"Hailey Matins?" Ethan said when he saw the content of the file. "What does she have to do with this?" he asked.
His expression barely changed, but his eyes sharpened slightly.
He looked up. "Why are we looking into her?"
Elijah stepped closer. "Because she's leverage."
Ethan's tone dropped. "Explain."
Elijah gestured to the file. "Her family structure isn't just traditional—it's strategic. There are internal rules tied to inheritance and responsibility. The first heir who secures a formal alliance—marriage, partnership, stability—gets stronger control over company influence and external contracts."
Ethan frowned. "That sounds outdated."
"It works," Elijah said simply.
Silence stretched.
Ethan closed the file halfway. "And how does that solve our problem?"
Elijah didn't answer immediately.
That pause was the answer.
Ethan's gaze lifted slowly. "No."
Elijah exhaled. "We don't have many options left."
Ethan stepped away from the desk. "You're talking about marriage like it's a business clause."
"It is a business clause," Elijah corrected firmly. "For them. And for us, it's access to Lu Dra, stability, investors, survival."
Ethan turned back sharply. "So you want me to marry her."
Elijah didn't flinch. "Yes."
A beat of silence.
Then Ethan laughed once—not amused, just sharp. "You've lost your mind."
"It's not about emotion," Elijah said quickly. "It's structure. If you align with her, we secure investor confidence again. We stop the fallout before it spreads."
Ethan looked back at the file.
Hailey Matins.
That calm face from the party flashed briefly in his mind—composed, unreadable, like she was always watching something no one else could see.
He shut the file fully.
"Why me?" he asked quietly.
Elijah's voice dropped. "Because I can't."
Ethan looked at him.
Elijah held his gaze. "I already have someone."
A pause.
"I intend to introduce her to the family. I plan to marry her."
Ethan studied him for a long moment. "So you chose your future… and left me with the solution."
Elijah didn't deny it.
"I'm asking you," he said carefully, "to do this for the family. You… you're not emotional. This shouldn't be hard. Just make her the offer. According to some information I got, I hear she's also looking for a partner not a permanent one though. You two can get divorced once everything's settled. It's going to be a win-win for both parties. Please, Ethan. I know it's a lot to ask, but I really need you to do this for me."
Silence settled again.
Ethan walked to the window. The estate stretched beyond the glass perfect, expensive, controlled.
"I'll think about it," Ethan said, already turning toward the door.
He paused with his hand on the handle, then added quietly, "You know Mom and Dad aren't going to accept Lilah, right? If you truly love her, I'd advise you to let her go before this gets messy… and complicated."
Without waiting for a response, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Elijah let out a frustrated sigh the moment silence returned. He sank into the chair, running a hand down his face, lost in thought.
A vibration snapped him out of it.
He reached for his phone. It was a message from his father.
"I'll be at the company in 2 hours. Meet me there with your brother."
Elijah exhaled again, slower this time. He stood, already feeling the weight of what was coming, and made his way out of the office.
Hailey's office, Lu Dra
Hailey Matins sat comfortably at her desk, reviewing documents when a knock came at the door.
"Come in."
Her assistant stepped in and spoke. "Miss Matins… Mr. Chris Turner is here. He's insisting on seeing you."
Hailey's pen stilled for a second, then she continued writing.
"…send him in."
Suzy stepped out, and a few seconds later, Chris Turner walked.
Confident. Composed. Familiar in a way he had no right to be.
His eyes found her instantly and stayed.
"Ms. Matins," he said, a slow smile forming. "I was hoping we'd meet again under less crowded circumstances."
Hailey didn't look up immediately. Only after she signed the last document did she close the file and lift her gaze.
"Mr. Turner," she acknowledged. "You have five minutes."
Chris's smile deepened slightly, like he found that interesting.
"Straight to business," he said, stepping closer. "I like that."
Hailey didn't respond. Didn't offer him a seat but he sat down anyway. He didn't seem uncomfortable.
"Then I won't waste your time," he continued.
A pause.
Then—
"Marry me."
The words landed between them, sharp and unexpected.
Hailey blinked once, slowly.
Then leaned back slightly in her chair.
"I'm sorry?" she said, her tone flat.
Chris didn't flinch. "You heard me."
A brief silence, and then
"No."
Immediate. Final.
Chris tilted his head slightly. "You didn't even ask why."
"I don't need to."
Her voice remained calm, but something beneath it had shifted something colder.
Chris studied her more carefully now.
"You're not even curious?"
Hailey stood.
That alone changed the atmosphere.
"I don't entertain proposals built on impulse," she said. "Or arrogance."
She stepped around the desk, each movement precise.
"And from what I've seen," she added, her eyes meeting his, "you tend to confuse the two."
Something flickered in his expression, interest, challenge.
"You think you know me?" he asked.
Hailey held his gaze.
"I know enough."
The air tightened.
For a brief moment, something unspoken passed between them something Chris couldn't quite place.
A slow smirk returned to his lips. "Then you should also know I don't make offers I don't intend to follow through on."
Hailey's expression didn't change.
"If that's the case," she said, "then you should also know when to accept a rejection."
Silence.
Chris exhaled softly, almost amused.
"You're different," he said.
Hailey didn't respond.
"You walked into that party like you had nothing to prove," he continued. "And walked out like you owned the room."
"I like that."
Hailey's eyes hardened slightly.
"And I don't," she replied.
"I suggest you leave, Mr. Turner."
"Alright," he said quietly. "For now."
He turned toward the door, then paused.
"You'll change your mind."
Hailey didn't blink.
"No," she said. "I won't."
He left.
The door closed behind him.
Silence returned.
"The audacity," she thought bitterly to herself.
After leaving Hailey's office, Chris didn't look back.
The corridor outside was quiet, polished, and too orderly for his liking. Employees stepped aside the moment they recognized him. Chris didn't acknowledge any of them. His jaw was set, his expression calm, but beneath it was something tighter.
He made his way to the driveway and got into his car.
"Let me guess, you got rejected?" his friend said from the driver's seat.
"Shut up, Mike," Chris replied, the irritation finally slipping through.
Mike let out a light chuckle before driving off while Chris sat beside him, silent, lost in thought.
His mind drifted back to her.
The first time he saw her, something about her had caught his attention immediately, something sharp, controlled, untouchable. He hadn't known who she was then. Not until the articles surfaced that morning. He had dug deeper after that and the more he learned, the more his interest had shifted into something heavier.
Then he found the information about her family, the pressure to secure alliances, the importance of stability, inheritance structure.
In his mind, it had made perfect sense. He was the right choice, not because he needed her , but because he wanted her.
Chris hadn't expected immediate acceptance, but he also hadn't expected rejection without hesitation.
That part unsettled him.
Not enough to stop him.
Only enough to sharpen his focus.
His expression darkened slightly as he leaned back in the seat.
Anger lingered, but beneath it, something more dangerous settled in.
Determination.
Chris Turner didn't walk away from what he wanted.
He adjusted his plans until he got it.
Back in Hailey's office....
Hailey's jaw tightened as she tried to process what had just happened.
Chris Turner came from influence that didn't need noise to be powerful.
The Turner family was one of the largest agricultural empires in the country, landowners, exporters, and quiet shareholders in half the food supply chains that fed entire regions. While the Brooks dealt in luxury and public prestige, the Turners moved differently.
Chris had grown up surrounded by expectation, but unlike most heirs, he never felt trapped by it. He understood power—but never chased it the way others did.
He was still as arrogant as he had been years ago.
"Just wait, Chris," Hailey muttered bitterly under her breath. "I'm coming for you next… when I'm done with the Brooks. You'll pay for what you did to her."
Her jaw tightened as the memory threatened to rise again, but her thoughts were interrupted by a knock.
Suzy stepped into the office.
"Yesterday's appearance has really drawn attention from the hot bachelors," she said with a light chuckle.
Hailey exhaled slowly. "Tell me about it. Get ready to leave, please. I'm so ready to call it a day."
"Well… okay," Suzy replied. "But you have another visitor. I'll let him in."
She didn't wait for a response and stepped out.
Hailey frowned slightly, her curiosity rising as her eyes fixed on the door.
A moment later, it opened.
Ethan Brooks walked in.
Her expression shifted almost instantly—controlled, but alert.
"Hello, Miss Matins," he greeted softly. "Ethan Brooks. We saw each other at my sister's party yesterday."
"Yes," Hailey replied, gesturing toward the seat across from her. "Please, have a seat, Mr. Brooks. How may I help you?"
Ethan sat without hesitation.
A brief silence followed.
Then he spoke.
"I'd like you to marry me, Miss Matins."
Hailey was left more surprised than shocked.
'What was up with these man and their marriage proposals'
She thought.
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