LOGINLisa stood in front of the luxurious restaurant where she would be having her date with her so-called fiancé whom she had never met.
She had only heard of him once when her father had rejected her marriage to Dane. He had told her she had a fiancé from a young age and it was the son of his best friend. According to him, they had both made a promise to marry their children to each other.
She had found it ridiculous then, and had resisted with all her heart and it's also one of the reasons she was so decisive in leaving as she had believed her father had sold her.
Now, standing in front of the restaurant about to meet the fiancée, Joseph Bronson, she felt nothing other than calmness.
She had agreed to her father after some quick thought. What is the difference between staying single and marrying someone in her state?
At this stage, she doesn't care who she marries because it will be the same. Her heart had grown cold and tired.
She inhaled deeply, then walked into the restaurant in her heels. Her black wavy hair bounced behind her and her elegant gown followed her sway making look more enchanting.
The people in the restaurant threw a glance or two her way as she walked passed.
A gentle waitress stopped her, “Hello, are you Ceo Bronson’s date?”
Lisa returned her smile politely, then nodded at her words.
“Then, please follow behind.” The waitress said, then began walking away while she followed.
“Here, Ceo Bronson is in there.” She said then bowed before retreating.
Lisa took a relaxed breath, then knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
Lisa raised an eyebrow at the deep but sexy voice she heard, her brows furrowed in thought but she snapped out and walked in.
She walked elegantly to the man who sat behind the table, their eyes met and the air seemed to freeze, they maintained eye contact even when she already sat down.
“Miss Lisa Morgan?”
The call of her name snapped her out of her daze, she looked at him in confusion for a second, then recalled that she hadn't introduced herself.
“Hi, yes, I am,” Lisa said, then stretched out her hand to shake his.
The moment their hands touched, her body jolted, and she released his hand awkwardly, but her gaze saw the tattoo on his wrist.
The more she looked at the tattoo which looked cold but also seemed to have a deep meaning, the more she found it familiar.
“Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss.”
His deep voice sounded again which finally snapped Lisa out of her daze. She looked up and met Joseph’s confused gaze and felt embarrassed at her rudeness, but she just couldn't help it.
She felt she had seen that tattoo somewhere, but…
Suddenly, Lisa’s heart pounded against her rib, her eyes flashed with shock as she raised her head to look at the handsome face in front of her.
To be honest, she had been shocked when she saw him as he looked too attractive and different from what she had expected.
His aura was cold and elegant, his eyes carried traces of gentle indifference, and he looked relaxed which made people subconsciously respect him.
“Are you alright—”
“Have we met before?” Lisa interrupted him and her eyes looked straight at him like she wanted to detect something from his expression.
Joseph looked at Lisa calmly but he was not that calm inside him, he looked at her with a solid expression, then spat out one word, “No!”
Lisa regained her senses, then let out a chuckle, “Sorry, I had mistaken for someone.” She said, then turned serious.
“Ceo Bronson seems to know why we’re here, so I’ll go straight to the point,” Lisa announced, then sat up straight.
“I’ve been through heartbreak, and I don't desire love. Even if I marry you, I won't give you love.” Lisa stared pointedly at him, “ Are you okay with this, President Joseph?”
Joseph's fingers were tapping on the table as he listened to her, his eyes narrowed in deep thought, he couldn't help but recall how she had told all her problems and difficulties to a stranger, which really made him helpless at that time as he had wondered how much she had drunk.
His head lowered as he thought of how she had held onto him that night, how her legs had curled around his waist, the corner of his lips curled up in a smile and his eyes lit up dazzlingly but all this was something Lisa couldn't see.
When Joseph raised his head again, he had returned to being expressionless.
“Miss Morgan, I think we have the same thought, I also don't need a love marriage, just a collaboration between the two families, and I need someone who can help me stop the mutters of the boards,” Joseph said, then sat up with a serious aura.
“That's good!” Lisa sighed in relief.
“Then…Let's sign a one-year contract. If after one year we still don't find ourselves compatible, we break it off.” He suggested.
Lisa frowned as she hadn't thought of that. She looked at Joseph, and her gaze couldn't help but shift to his wrist again which made Joseph who had noticed her focus sigh as helplessness flashed through his eyes.
“What do you think of my suggestion, Miss Lisa?”
Lisa shifted her gaze back to him, “Then let's do it that way.”
****
Two hours later, Joseph and Lisa walked out of the marriage registry with two certificates in their hands.
Lisa looked at the certificate in a daze. She had remarried, just like that?
She turned around to look at the handsome man who stood behind her with the sun casting on him making him look more handsome.
She watched as he stretched out his hand towards her;
“Hello, Mrs Bronson.”
The boardroom was an arena. Long glass walls reflected faces sharpened by suspicion, and the polished oak table gleamed like a stage light trained on the woman standing at its head. Lisa straightened her blazer, her file of reports in hand, but her palms were slick with sweat.It was the third meeting in a week, and the murmurs hadn’t stopped. Rumors, leaked numbers, whispers of mismanagement spread like fire, and today, she was the one expected to douse the flames.“I assure you,” Lisa began, forcing her voice to remain steady, “the numbers you’ve seen in the press are false. Our real projections remain strong. Revenues from the Greenstone Project have not collapsed. In fact….”A director with silver hair and narrowed eyes cut her off. “Then how do you explain the discrepancy? The press doesn’t invent figures out of thin air, Mrs. Hale.”Heat rose in her chest, but she pressed forward. “I have with me the authenticated data. The problem is not in the projects; it’s in the leaks.” She
Morning sunlight bled into the glass walls of Lisa’s office, casting long streaks across the mahogany table. The golden rays did nothing to soften the tension in the air. The front page of the business section lay sprawled before her, bold black letters screaming:“Scandal Brews at Hale Industries: Inaccurate Reports Suggest Collapse in Projects.”Her hand tightened on the paper until it crumpled. She could almost hear the laughter of the board members, see Dane’s smirk echoing from the gala, as if fate refused to let her catch her breath.“This is deliberate,” Lisa muttered, her voice sharp with contained fury. “Someone inside leaked these numbers. False numbers. They’re trying to ruin me…..” She broke off, her chest rising and falling as though each word required too much strength.Joseph stood by the window, listening. He hadn’t touched the coffee she ordered for him. His silence wasn’t disinterest, it was patience, letting her burn the edges of her anger before he spoke. Finally,
The first gulp of whiskey burned its way down her throat, searing her chest, but the second came easier too easily. Her hand shook as she lifted the glass for a third, desperate for the numbness it promised.But the glass never made it to her lips. A firm hand caught it, tugging it away.“You don’t need a drink, Lisa.” Joseph’s voice was low but unyielding. “You need to rest.”She looked up, startled, into his steady green eyes. He stood in front of her, glass still clutched in his hand, his jaw set with quiet authority.“You don’t know that.” The words flew out sharper than she meant, her voice trembling. “I need it. I need something to calm my nerves.”Her shoulders quaked under the weight of the night. She had survived the gala, she had stood her ground. She had silenced Dane at least for the moment. But victory felt hollow now, leaving only fear in its wake.“What do you think, Joseph?” she pressed, words tumbling out as her chest tightened. “Do you think Dane will stop after toni
The ballroom glittered with polished glass and golden light, but Lisa felt the weight of a hundred eyes on her with every step she took. She had barely taken a sip of champagne when Dane’s voice rose above the music.“Ladies and gentlemen!” The clinking of his glass rang out like a bell of doom. The crowd quieted, heads turning toward him, toward her. Lisa’s pulse spiked. She knew that tone mockery laced with charm, the kind of performance that made poison taste sweet.Dane strode into the center of the room, his grin stretched too wide. “A toast,” he declared, lifting his glass high. “To our radiant CEO, Lisa. The woman of the hour, the woman… of temporary power.”A ripple of laughter shot through the crowd. Lisa’s spine stiffened, but she forced her expression to remain calm, unreadable.Dane continued, savoring every word. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, the news travels fast. Isn’t it fascinating how the board moves quietly, preparing for change? Preparing, perhaps, for new leadersh
The chandeliers blazed overhead, their crystal arms scattering light across the ballroom like fragments of a thousand watchful eyes. The air shimmered with perfume, polished laughter, and the sharp clink of champagne glasses. Behind every smile, Lisa could hear the whispers low, hissing currents that twisted through the crowd like smoke.“She won’t last the year, the board has already lost faith.”Lisa’s heels struck the marble floor with deliberate rhythm, her back straight, chin high, every step a silent battle cry against the doubts that trailed her. But still, her stomach tightened with every glance thrown her way, every subtle shake of the head among board members gathered in small, judging circles.At her side, Joseph matched her stride perfectly. Impeccable in his tailored suit, he was more than a shadow, he was a shield. When he quietly bent his arm toward her, offering it without a word, Lisa hesitated only a breath before taking it. His hand was steady, warm, unyielding, an
The press releases for the upcoming annual gala stacked higher than the files on Lisa’s already cluttered desk. The gala was supposed to be a showcase of triumph, a night to reaffirm the company’s legacy under her leadership. Instead, it felt like a battlefield being polished for her public execution.Whispers followed her wherever she walked, she caught fragments of the gossip in the breakroom, in elevators, even in the corridors outside the boardroom. Dane’s coming, he’s going to make his move. She won’t last the night after this, she didn't know what to do if this turns out to be true.The thought of seeing her ex husband left a huge knot in her stomach. Lisa huffed as she thought about it, he had made himself quite popular in ruining her name and now he tends to follow her to the one gala that could save her company's reputation.What an Idiot! She hated his guts.And she tried not to allow any of the whispers to affect her, she totally ignored them with every ounce of strength s







