Teju writes 의 작품

Alejandro's POV"Family dinner tonight."The moment my grandfather says the words, I lean back in my chair and stare at the ceiling because Santiago Vega has spent eighty-three years perfecting the art of turning simple announcements into threats."Tonight?" I ask, already knowing the answer."That's usually what tonight means," he replies dryly, and the amusement in his voice immediately puts me on edge because it means he's enjoying himself."You gave me less than eight hours' notice.""Then I suggest you stop wasting them."The line disconnects before I can respond.For several seconds, I continue staring at my phone because I know exactly what this is.A test, another one.The estate review hasn't even officially started yet, and somehow my grandfather is already finding new ways to make my life difficult.I leave the office earlier than planned and return to the Malibu estate, fully expecting to find Camila somewhere she shouldn't be. Sure enough, I discover her in the kitchen ar

Camila's POVI hate everything about this.I hate the contract sitting inside my purse. I hate the black SUV carrying me away from the apartment I've lived in for the last four years. Most of all, I hate the fact that less than twenty-four hours after signing that contract, my mother's treatment plan has already been approved.Not partially approved, not placed on a waiting list.Approved.Every specialist.Every medication.Every procedure.Months of fighting insurance companies accomplished nothing. Alejandro Vega made a few phone calls, and suddenly doors started opening.The worst part is that I should be grateful.Instead, I'm angry because money should not have that much power.The SUV turns through a pair of iron gates, and my irritation immediately collides with disbelief."Oh, you've got to be kidding me." The words slip out before I can stop them as the estate comes into view.The driveway alone looks longer than the entire block where I grew up, and the house sitting at the

Alejandro's POVI don't expect her to come back.Not because the offer isn't tempting enough. Half a million dollars in treatment and a settlement large enough to change someone's life would tempt almost anyone.I don't expect her to come back because she's Camila Reyes.The woman who looked me in the eye and compared my proposal to a psychological disorder.The woman who walked out of my office even after learning her mother might not have sixty days left.Stubborn doesn't begin to cover it which is why I find myself looking up from my laptop the second my assistant announces her arrival."Ms. Reyes is here."A strange feeling settles in my chest before I can stop it.Relief, I immediately hate it. "Send her in."A moment later, the door opens.Camila walks into my office carrying the same determination she had the last time I saw her, but today there's something else beneath it. The dark circles under her eyes are deeper, and the exhaustion she tries so hard to hide is impossible to

Camila's POVHospitals are strange places when the person you're worried about is on the other side of the bed.I've spent years walking these hallways in scrubs, moving from patient to patient, crisis to crisis, always knowing what to do next. But the moment I step onto the cardiac floor as a daughter instead of a nurse, all that confidence disappears.The automatic doors slide open, and I tighten my grip on the coffee I'd bought for my mother downstairs. It's already gone lukewarm, but she won't care. She'll smile anyway and tell me it's perfect.She always does.When I push open her room door, she's sitting up in bed with a magazine in her lap and reading glasses balanced on the end of her nose.The sight makes something inside my chest ease slightly.At least she's awake.At least she's smiling."There's my favorite child," she says, looking up from the magazine.I roll my eyes as I walk over to kiss her cheek. "I'm your only child, which means the competition is suspiciously weak

Alejandro's POVThe door closes behind Camila, and for the first time all afternoon, the conference room falls silent.I should be relieved as the meeting is over, the contract remains unsigned. Nothing has changed.Instead, I find myself staring at the door she walked through, replaying the conversation in my head and wondering why the hell a nurse with too much attitude has managed to become the biggest problem in my life.Most people are careful around me. Employees watch every word.Investors agree before I finish speaking.Lawyers become polite the moment they realize who they're dealing with.Camila Reyes looked at me like she'd rather set the contract on fire than sign it.The strange part is that I almost respected it. I loosen my tie as I leave the conference room and walk toward my office, but the image of her standing by the door refuses to leave my mind.The question had landed exactly where I intended, the problem is that I hated asking it. I don't enjoy using someone's

Camila's POV"I want you to be my wife for sixty days."For a second, I honestly think I've misheard him.Maybe the air conditioning in this ridiculously expensive conference room is too loud. Maybe exhaustion is finally catching up to me after three consecutive double shifts and months of surviving on caffeine and panic.Because there's no way Alejandro Vega…….the billionaire CEO I've spent the last eleven months suing………is asking me to marry him.I stare across the polished table, waiting for him to smile.He doesn't. My disbelief slowly turns into irritation. "I'm sorry, what?"His expression remains infuriatingly calm. "You heard me." Unfortunately, I did. The problem is that hearing it doesn't make it any less insane.A laugh slips out before I can stop it. Not because anything is funny, but because sometimes your brain simply refuses to process reality."I'm here to discuss a settlement.""This is a settlement.""No," I correct, leaning back in my chair. "A settlement is money.