Marry me

Chapter four

For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrong.

Marry him?

He was joking right? He has to be.

The words hung in the air between us like heavy clouds

I stared at him, searching his face for any sign that this was some kind of joke.There was none.

He looked completely serious.

Calm and unbothered, as if he had just asked me what day of the week it was.

“You can’t be serious,” I said when I found my voice.

“I don’t make jokes about marriage.”

Of course he didn’t.

Men like him didn’t joke about anything.

“You're serious” I asked again just to be sure.

“ I wouldn't ask otherwise,” he replied calmly, too calmly. His breath fanned my face and I realized our proximity. I cleared my throat and he got the memo and stepped back.

“ You don't even know me”

“ I know enough” his reply irritated me. I hate how he seemed to know me but I knew nothing about him.

“ Enough to permanently attach my life to yours” I ask instead.

“ No one mentioned permanence but we can work on that.” He replied cockily.

“People don’t usually propose marriage to strangers they picked up from the bottom of a staircase,” I said dryly with an eye roll

His lips almost curved, but the expression disappeared as quickly as it came.

“I didn’t pick you up,” he corrected calmly. “My security did.”

Of course he had security, who was this man?I folded my arms, hoping it hid my eternal turmoil.

“Then why me?” I asked, defeated. He looked like he was searching for a reply. I knew he had one already. He didn't look like someone who acted on impulse.

He walked toward the table, poured himself a glass of water and took a sip before he replied

“ Because you need help to clear your reputation.”

“And you know that because…?”

“Because last night,” he said, taking a seat on the one seater couch. “your fiancé announced he would be marrying your step-sister instead of you.”

My throat dried. He knew, of course he knew what I was thinking when he said he knew enough.

“News travels fast,especially when it involves two influential families,” he continued.

He looked up at me, holding my gaze. If he was trying to make me cower it wasn't going to work.

“ And what does this have to do with marrying you?” I asked

He set the glass down and crossed his leg.

“Marry me,” he said again, “and you leave this place with dignity intact. You become my wife, not the woman who was publicly replaced.”

This wasn't pity, it was strategy.

“ What exactly do you gain from this arrangement?” I asked.

“Stability darling”

His vague answer made me frown.

I waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t. He just kept watching me

This simply meant he was hiding something. He looks like a man of power. What did he need stability for?

“ Am I expected to agree to this without understanding the full picture?”

His eyes studied me for a moment.

“ When you agree to this, everything will be stated in the contract.”

“I’m also not desperate.”

I walked slowly over the couch opposite him to pick up the dress bag.

“ Thanks for the dress.” I said heading for the bathroom door to change.

“If this is some kind of charity proposal,” I said again when I got to the door. “you can keep it.”

His eyes remained on me till I shut the door.

I quickly changed out of my old dress. I needed to get out of here.

The dress was simple but it wasn't the usual corporate outfits I wore to work. I made a mental note to stop by at Dads place to change since it was not so far from here. Going back to my apartment will take more time.

“Miss Moretti.”

His voice stopped me immediately when I got out of the bathroom.

“I’m prepared to compensate you for the arrangement.”

I turned fully to him, his words caught my attention.

“Compensate?” I asked

“Yes.” He opened the folder on the table and slid it toward me.

Inside was a document. He pointed at the numbers.

My eyes scanned the figure once and again.

My breath hitched. That was a lot of money.

“You’re serious,” I murmured, eyes still on the paper.

“I told you,” he replied calmly. “I don’t make uncertain decisions.”

I closed the folder and pushed it back toward him.

“No.”

If he was surprised, he didn't show it.

“Take the day to think about it,” he said.

“I won’t need the day.”

I walked toward the door.

But this time his voice followed me quietly.

“ You never know, Miss Moretti,” he said, uncrossing his leg and standing to his full height.

My hand paused on the door handle. He walked in long strides till he got to me.

“ Here is my business card, I believe you'll need it.” He pushed the card into my hands.

His confidence disturbed me.

He tapped my hand on the handle and I let go. He opened the door for me before leading me out.

“ I'll pay you back for the dress” I said when I got to the entrance of the luxurious suite.

“ You'll have better need for the money, I'll advise you keep it.”

His words stuck with me my whole ride home.

I hate that his words got to me, what did he mean?