5| Vice president

TREVOR

I didn’t need to look twice at the designs to know the truth.

They were raw.

Unfiltered.

Dangerously different.

I leaned back slowly in my chair, fingers tapping once on the table.

The room was quiet as I didn't speak.

The men around the table were nervous. I could feel it. They always were when I stayed silent for too long.

“She isn’t certified,” one of them said again, clearing his throat. “That’s company policy.”

I raised my eyes from the designs and looked at him.

Just one look.

He stopped talking.

Another man tried. “Sir, if we bend the rules once..."

“She has exactly what we’ve been searching for,” I said calmly. “And you all know it.”

No one spoke.

No one dared.

“This company was built on originality,” I continued. “Not papers. Not copied ideas. Her work is unique.”

I turned my eyes to her.

Ariana.

Now I knew her name.

She stood there stiffly, her face unreadable. But I could see it. The tension. The fear. it was dangerously satisfying.

She was expecting rejection.

The thought amused me.

“She gets the job,” I said.

The words dropped like a final verdict.

Silence.

No arguments.

No protests.

Because they couldn’t.

I saw the shock flash across her face.

Her lips parted slightly, eyes widening before she quickly masked it.

That reaction alone made the corner of my mouth lift.

I stood up.

“Everyone out,” I said.

They didn’t hesitate.

Chairs scraped back. Files were gathered. The door opened and closed until it was just the two of us.

I walked around the table slowly, unbuttoning my jacket.

“So,” I said. “Ariana.”

She didn’t respond.

“I finally know your name,” I added.

Still silence.

I stopped in front of her.

“You’re quiet now.”

She lifted her chin slightly. “I don’t have anything to say.”

I stepped closer.

One step.

Then another.

Till her back met the wall.

I placed my hand beside her head, leaning in as my breath swept her skin.

“You should,” I said quietly. “Because I can take that job away just as easily.”

Her breath hitched.

“I gave you that position because I wanted to,” I continued. “And because I can.”

Her eyes flickered.

“There’s a contract,” I added. “And this time, it comes with… additions.”

She stiffened. “I already said no to your deal.”

“That was before,” I said calmly. “This is now.”

I straightened slightly, giving her just enough space to breathe.

“One month,” I said. “Marriage on paper.”

Her eyes hardened. “Why one month?”

“For personal reasons,” I replied. “Reasons you don’t need to know.”

She swallowed.

“And because of how you behaved last night,” I continued, my voice low, controlled, “there will be conditions.”

Her hands clenched at her sides.

“You will play the role I assign to you,” I said. “ you will be my personal slut and stripper within our timeframe of marriage."

She looked at me like she wanted to slap me.

“You’re insane,” she whispered.

“Maybe,” I replied. “But I’m also your solution.”

Silence stretched between us for a moment.

I pulled the contract from the file I had already prepared for the day she ever crawls back to beg for another chance and handed it to her.

“Read it,” I said.

She did.

Her face tightened with every page.

I watched her carefully.

Pride fighting desperation.

I knew which would win.

Slowly, she picked up the pen.

Her hand trembled slightly as she signed.

The moment the pen touched paper, something settled inside me.

Done.

We walked out together.

The moment we entered the main floor, all eyes turned to us.

Confusion was written everywhere.

I stopped in the center of the room.

“You’re all probably wondering why I hired her,” I said.

Murmurs spread.

“I don’t usually explain myself,” I continued. “But today, I will.”

I turned slightly, pulling her closer.

“This is my wife,” I said clearly. “And the new Vice President of Stone Crest Properties.”

The room exploded.

Some clapped.

Some whispered.

Some stared in disbelief.

" she is so beautiful"

" I've never seen her before, was the boss hiding her ever since?"

" congratulations ma"

" Why did she come for an interview then"

" if she doesn't belong to our boss, I would have played my shot."

I glared hardly at the man that made the last statement, making him loose his smile instantly. my eyes found Ariana again,

She looked like she might collapse.

but didn’t let her.

I guided her outside, opened the car door, and helped her in.

Inside the car, she sat stiffly beside me, staring straight ahead.

I could feel the tension radiating off her.

She hated this.

She hated me.

Good.

“I don’t like you,” she said suddenly.

I smiled faintly. “You don’t have to.”

She turned away.

Just one month, I heard her mutter under her breath.

I leaned back, satisfied.

********

RAYMOND

Something felt wrong.

Ariana hadn’t come back.

Her phone was still switched off.

I tried again.

Nothing.

Just then, my laptop chimed.

An email.

Stone Crest Properties.

My heart skipped.

Collaboration accepted.

I smiled until I read the next line.

Final approval to be conducted at the CEO’s mansion. Decision to be made by the Vice President.

Vice President?

I frowned.

Since when did Stone Crest have a VP?