THE PROPOSAL
1074 Words
DAISY POV
I walked into Alexander’s office the next morning with my usual coffee and a fresh smile on my face.
My heart was still heavy from everything that had happened, but I pushed it down.
Work came first.
He came first.
“Morning, Mr. King,” I said, setting the mug on his desk.
“I cleared your schedule like you asked.
All meetings moved to the afternoon.”
He looked up from his laptop.
His gray eyes seemed darker today.
“Close the door, Daisy. And sit down.”
My pulse jumped.
Something felt different.
His voice was too calm.
Too serious.
I closed the heavy door and sat in the chair across from him, smoothing my black skirt over my wide hips.
I suddenly felt very aware of my body, of how the fabric stretched across my thighs, of how different I looked from the women who usually walked through that door.
Alexander didn’t waste time.
He picked up a thick folder and slid it across the polished wooden table.
It stopped right in front of me.
I stared at it.
The words on the front were simple,
It says : *Marriage Agreement*.
My brain is literally short-circuited.
I blinked hard.
This couldn’t be real.
I must still be half-asleep.
Or maybe I was dreaming. Yeah, that had to be it.
I had dreamed about Alexander saying all kinds of things to me before, but never this.
He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk.
“Marry me.”
The words hung in the air.
I froze.
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might break out.
For one crazy second, pure joy exploded inside me.
Alexander King wanted to marry me.
Me.
The plus-size assistant who had loved him quietly for so long.
This was really happening.
Then he kept talking.
“It’s only business.”
My joy shattered like glass.
I looked up at him, searching his face.
He was completely serious.
“The Hargrove deal needs stability,” he continued fast.
“My grandmother gave me three months to get married or she handed the shares to Marcus. This fixes both problems. The contract protects you too. There's a big payout after one year, confidentiality, your own apartment if you want it, full medical for your mom. Everything written down.”
My throat felt tight.
I couldn’t speak.
My hands shook as I opened the folder.
Just a business deal
Tears burned behind my eyes.
This was it.
The moment I had secretly dreamed about for years, and it wasn’t real.
He wasn’t choosing me because he saw me.
He was choosing me because I was safe and Reliable.
“Daisy?” His voice softened just a little. “Say something.”
I swallowed hard.
Inside, my heart was breaking into a thousand pieces.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry.
I wanted to tell him I had loved him through every late night, every girlfriend, every cold moment.
But I couldn’t.
Because if I said no, he might lose everything.
And I couldn’t let that happen.
I picked up the pen with trembling fingers.
“You don’t have to decide right now,” he said quickly. “Think about it. Take the day..”
I started signing.
When I finished the last page, I slid the contract back to him. My voice came out surprisingly steady.
“I’ll do it.”
Alexander stared at me.
For a second, he looked surprised or maybe even guilty.
“Are you sure? You didn’t even ask questions.”
“I know you, Mr. King. You wouldn’t offer this if you didn’t need it. And I… I want to help.”
He leaned back, studying me.
“You’re incredible, Daisy. Most people would have run out of here.”
I shrugged, even though my heart was screaming.
“It’s just business, right?”
The words tasted bitter. I stood up on shaky legs.
I wanted to run to the bathroom and cry until I couldn’t breathe.
Instead I stayed standing there, hands clasped in front of me so he wouldn’t see them shaking.
Alexander stood too.
He walked around the desk and stopped in front of me.
I could smell his cologne, that same cedar scent that always made me weak.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
“I mean it. This stays between us for now. We’ll make the announcement when the time is right. You can move into the penthouse guest room starting next week. We’ll make it look real.”
I nodded.
My eyes stung.
Make it look real.
Because it wasn’t
It never would be.
He reached out and touched my arm gently.
“You really are the only one I can trust with this.”
Those words should have made me happy.
Instead they hurt worse.
“I should get back to work,” I whispered.
“There’s still the Langford dinner tonight.”
He nodded.
“Take the rest of the morning if you need it.”
“I’m fine,” I said automatically.
I turned and walked out of his office. My legs carried me straight past my desk and into the private bathroom down the hall. I started crying
I had just agreed to marry the man I loved… for business.
I wiped my face and looked in the mirror. My eyes were red. I looked exactly like what I was the curvy girl who had just signed her heart away.
I fixed my makeup, took a deep breath, and walked back to my desk like nothing had happened.
Alexander’s door was closed now. Probably already calling his grandmother or the lawyers.
My phone buzzed. A text from him.
Alexander: We’ll talk more tonight after the dinner. Thank you again, Daisy.
I stared at the message.
I typed back
Daisy: Of course. I’ll have your suit ready.
Fast. Professional.
But broken inside.
By evening, I was back in his office helping him get ready for the dinner. I adjusted his tie, the way I had done a hundred times before.
My hands brushed his chest.
I pulled them back quickly.
“You look good,” I said softly.
He looked down at me.
For a moment, his eyes lingered.
“So do you, Daisy.”
My breath caught. But then he turned away to grab his watch, and the moment was gone.
Just business
Always just business.
- Writer
