Chapter 1
1091 Words
Prologue
Amelia’s POV
"You're a disgrace to this company, Taylor."
The words sliced through the boardroom like a blade. Everyone turned to watch me squirm, their faces eager for blood. Madison Caldwell, head of PR and resident queen of corporate cruelty, didn’t even blink.
“Three months,” she said, pacing slowly. “That’s how long I’ve tolerated your mediocrity. And for what? Another flat campaign and a room full of blank stares.”
I stood frozen, my mouth dry. My report was still on the screen behind her half-clicked through and completely ignored.
“No spark. No presence. You’re forgettable, Taylor. In this business, that’s worse than failure.”
A quiet chuckle echoed from the end of the table. Harper, Madison’s lapdog in designer heels, leaned back with a smug grin. “Honestly, I’m surprised she even made it through the internship.”
Laughter followed. The kind that sticks to your skin.
“I asked you to impress,” Madison continued. “Not bore me to death.”
My hands tightened into fists behind my back.
“Do you know how many people would kill for your seat?” she added, folding her arms. “You’re not special. You’re barely functional.”
Someone cleared their throat. Another whispered something I couldn’t hear didn’t need to.
My cheeks burned.
"There's a gala tonight. Sinclair Enterprises," Madison said suddenly. “Big names. Potential merger. We need to look good.”
I blinked.
“You’ll be representing us.”
Wait. What?
Her lips curved into a cruel smile. “Unless, of course, you’d rather pack your things now.”
I swallowed hard.
“You have one shot,” she said. “Go there. Smile. Charm someone important. Remind the world we exist.”
A beat passed.
“If you embarrass us if you embarrass me don’t come back tomorrow.”
And just like that, she dismissed me.
My legs moved before my mind could catch up. I stepped out of the room, head spinning. The hallway buzzed with whispers.
“She’s so done.”
“She won’t survive that gala.”
“I heard she still takes the subway.”
My heels echoed down the corridor like gunshots. Each step felt heavier than the last.
I ducked into the restroom and locked the stall. My chest was tight. My palms, clammy.
Why was I still here?
I stared at myself in the mirror. Pale. Unpolished. Small.
But something inside me something stubborn refused to c***k.
I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
They wanted me to fail. To crawl back and beg.
Not tonight.
I would show up at that gala. I’d fake the smile. I’d bluff the confidence.
Because this wasn’t just another event. It was my last chance.
And they didn’t know it but I was about to meet the man who’d rewrite everything.
I didn't know his name.
Not yet.
But when our paths crossed, it wouldn’t just change my job.
It would change my entire life.
---
CHAPTER ONE
Amelia pov
I didn’t even make it to my desk.
The moment I stepped into the office, the HR director and two security guards were waiting. No smile. No explanation. Just a chilling, “You need to come with us.”
Ten minutes later, I was seated in the boardroom, blindsided.
“Miss Taylor, we’ve discovered discrepancies in the budget reports under your name,” the woman across from me said, voice flat. “Unauthorized fund transfers. Confidential client files leaked.”
“What?” I choked out. “I—I never touched anything like that. You’ve got the wrong person.”
But no one listened. Not to the panic rising in my throat, not to the tremor in my hands. Their faces were unreadable as they slid papers across the table, page after page of falsified evidence my name typed beneath every damning figure.
“I didn’t do this,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I swear someone’s setting me up.”
But the verdict had already been delivered.
"You've been terminated, effective immediately. Legal will be in touch."
I was escorted out of the building like a criminal, heels clicking against polished marble, coworkers pausing mid-coffee sip to stare, phones discreetly raised. A few whispered. Most didn’t bother hiding their smirks.
By the time I made it to the street, my inbox was flooded news alerts, gossip blogs, and even a few anonymous death threats. Somehow, the story had already leaked.
Amelia Taylor: Corporate Thief or Ambitious Saboteur?
I didn’t know whether to scream or collapse.
The worst part? I had no way to prove my innocence. No lawyer. No savings. And no job.
Last night, I was at a glamorous gala, trying to network, smile, and survive. Now, I was a public disgrace.
By evening, I found myself slumped at the bar of a dim lounge downtown, makeup smudged, hair a mess, hands trembling as I nursed a glass of something bitter I couldn’t afford.
“How poetic,” I muttered under my breath, “champagne last night, whiskey tears today.”
Then, a smooth voice slid in beside me. “Rough day?”
I didn’t look up right away.
“Unless you’re buying,” I said without emotion, “I’m not interested.”
“I am,” he replied. “And I think you’ll be very interested in what I’m offering.”
I turned, finally meeting his gaze.
Dark suit. Sharp jaw. Eyes like winter storms. The kind of man who didn’t belong in bars like this.
Adrian Smith.
Even I knew who he was. Billionaire. CEO. Ruthless. Untouchable.
“What do you want?” I asked, wary.
“To make you a deal.”
I scoffed. “You want to hire the woman who just got publicly destroyed by her company?”
His lips curved slightly. “Precisely. Because I know you didn’t do it.”
My pulse skipped.
“I need a wife,” he said simply. “And a surrogate. One year. Thirty million dollars. Everything you need to clear your name, disappear… or start over.”
I blinked, my mouth parting slightly. “You’re joking.”
“I don’t joke.”
His expression was deadly serious.
And that’s when it hit me. This wasn’t just a lifeline.
It was a trap.
Or a lifeline dressed as one.
I stared at the man offering to rewrite my life in a single breath.
“Thirty million?” I whispered.
His eyes locked onto mine.
“All in. If you say yes.”
- Writer
