CHAPTER SEVEN.

Chapter Seven

Zander

I'm irritated.

She looked at the contract for what felt like the tenth time, refusing to touch it for some reason. Still she hadn't signed. I was giving her all she needed and she was throwing it in my face? She was beginning to get on my nerves.

Her voice brought me out of my annoyance.

“Mr Stone…,” she started.

“Call me Zander,” I cut her off without remorse.

She continued without agreeing to my correction. This woman.

She asked to review her contract with her legal counsel. I refused immediately. This was a lifeline I was offering. Time is of the essence!!

She refused to sign and stood up, walking out of my office without sparing me a second glance.

The silence in my office after she walked out was louder than the little disagreement we had.

For a moment, I simply stared at the closed door, half expecting her to walk back in and apologize.

She didn’t.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and leaned back in my chair.

She had refused.

After everything.

After the negotiations, the pressure, the carefully drafted terms, and the undeniable reality staring her in the face, she had looked at the contract, met my eyes, and walked away.

She left, despite knowing what was at stake. Knowing what she stood to lose, in just a few hours.

No signature.

No agreement.

Nothing.

I was angry that all my plans were going to waste. But slowly, it gave way to something dangerously close to admiration.

Most people folded under pressure. They caved when they realized how little room they had to make a change.

But not Ivy.

She was stubborn enough to stand in front of a burning building and insist the flames move around her.

I glanced at the unsigned documents spread across my desk.

I’d been certain she would sign but she didn't.

Anyone in her position would have.

There was too much at stake, and too little time to entertain wounded pride.

Yet she’d chosen pride anyway.

Or maybe it wasn’t pride.

Maybe it was fear of the uncertain, or maybe she didn't care as much as I thought. No. I banished that thought. The woman that sat in front of me wanted to save her family's legacy. 

I wondered what made her choose to leave when she obviously didn't have any other options. 

Was it pride? Or fear?

The distinction didn’t matter.

What mattered was that she still needed this deal.

And whether she liked it or not, she would come back.

I was certain of it.

They had come too far to turn around now.

The situation surrounding her family was deteriorating by the day, and every hour wasted narrowed her options. There was no time to waste and she was treading on dangerous territory.

Soon, this contract would be the only thing standing between them and complete ruin.

She knew that.

And I knew it better than anyone.

I rose from my chair and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

The skyline glittered under the afternoon sun, sharp and untouchable.

Power was a curious thing.

People assumed it came from money, influence, or status.

But true power came from patience.

From knowing exactly when to wait and when to strike.

Ivy was in her emotions right now. Confused maybe.

She needed time to cool down.

And once she did, she would think logically.

Her phone would beep with bad news from her company.

She would read the numbers, check the odds,  revisit the consequences, and understand what I had understood from the beginning.

There was no alternative. I was her only option. And the sooner she took it, the better.

I returned to my desk and opened my laptop.

The cursor blinked against a blank email.

I typed her name into the recipient line and began to write.

Ivy,

I understand today’s meeting did not go as expected.

There are certain aspects of the contract we can discuss further, if you're open to discussion.

If you are willing, I would like to meet privately to address your concerns and clarify any terms you find unacceptable.

Time is of the essence.

Let me know when and where you would prefer to meet.

— Zander

I read the message once, then hit send.

Simple. And direct.

A concession, but only a small one.

I wasn’t rewriting the contract.

I was giving her the illusion of control.

Sometimes that was all a person needed to say yes. I needed her to feel like she was in control, even if it was just a little bit.

My phone buzzed with a message from my attorney.

“Any update?”

He wanted to know the next course of action and if he'd be drafting marriage certificates or motions for marriage. 

I chuckled to myself at his eagerness to work.

I typed back.

“Nothing yet, " she walked out. She'll be back”

I set the phone down and closed the contract folder.

Ivy might hate me. She might question my intentions and wonder why I chose her.

She might resent every word printed on those pages. She might investigate me but she won't find anything.

Resentment was irrelevant.

In the end, necessity always won. I trust that she'd do what she needed to do to save her father's company.

And when she came back to me, she would sign.

One way or another. I would make sure of it.

Just as I was rounding up, I received her email stating the place and time. I smirked. I knew she'd respond. I looked up the place and I had to give it to her. She was up to impress. She was a proud one. Now all I needed her to do was to play into my trap. If only she knew what she was getting into. I rounded up things at the office and headed home for an early evening. Tomorrow was going to be more interesting.