Chapter 4

Jason shut the door behind him, nonchalantly slipping his hands into his pockets as he met her gaze.

His eyes roamed over her, not for too long, but it was enough for him to see how beautiful she was.

Vanessa noticed the way his gaze swept over her, brief, but not dismissive. It wasn’t the lingering stare of a man entranced by beauty, but more like someone assessing something of value. Nonetheless, that was enough to irritate her.

"I asked you a question. Who are you?" She demanded, her frown deepening.

Jason took a step forward, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Jason," he said simply.

Vanessa’s patience was already running out. "Jason who? And why are you in my office?”

"Jason Wolfe. I suppose you could say… I’m here on personal business." Jason answered.

Vanessa's eyes widened at that statement.

Personal business? What business could this man possibly have with her? And dressed like that, he looked downright suspicious. She felt a cold shiver creep up her spine. Has someone hired an assassin to kill her?

At that thought, she was even more afraid, her finger reached for the emergency button under her desk.

About to press the emergency button, she stopped when she saw Jason take out a piece of paper from his pockets and set it on the desk.

“What is this?” She asked, eyeing the piece of paper and folding her arms.

Jason smirked.” This is an agreement between your grandfather and my master. You and I are supposed to get married." He informed her.bHis voice was casual, almost amused, as if he were discussing the weather.

There was a second of silence. Vanessa processed his word, and then she let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Excuse me?" Without waiting for a response from him, Vanessa’s eyes dropped to the paper, and the moment she saw her grandfather's signature, her entire expression shifted.

She knew exactly what this was.This was the person she was engaged to.

Her grandfather had told her, years ago before he died, that he had agreed to get her married off to someone as a way to settle a debt. He didn't tell her who the person was, only that the agreement was absolute, and she should never break it.

For years now, she had been fearing this day, and she hoped it would never come.

Her fingers clenched against the desk and she stood up from her seat. Her voice cold, and gaze icy, she declared. " You expect me to accept this? Get out!”

Jason raised an eyebrow. "That fast? You didn’t even read it." He said sarcastically.

"I don’t need to," she lashed out. "Because I don’t care. Whatever my grandfather arranged is irrelevant. I’m not going through with it."

She pushed the contract back toward him as if it were a piece of garbage.

Jason chuckled, slow and deep as he picked up the contract and wiped off an invisible speck of dust. He met her glare with an amused little smile.

"You can shove it away all you want, Vanessa," he said smoothly, "but that won’t make it disappear.”

“Even if this contract is real, it’s outdated. My grandfather is dead, which means whatever debt he owes is no longer my responsibility.”

Jason had a calm look on his face. But, he slightly sympathized with her deep down, however not even he could back out of this for her sake.

“Debts don't just disappear, just because someone died. That’s not how it works, sweetheart.” Jason explained smoothly.

“Your family's fortune didn’t just appear out of thin air. Debts don’t vanish, they get passed down, just like wealth.” He continued.

Vanessa let out a heavy breath, and then she gave him a cold stare,“Fine. Then tell me, what exactly did my grandfather get into that made him sign this contract.”

Jason wished he knew the answer to that, however his master did not tell him much about this. “I don't know. Just like you, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart?

That was the second time this man had called her this. Like they were familiar. He was getting too comfortable.

Vanessa's eyes flashed with irritation. She did not like being called that by him. And where did he even get the permission to do so? “Don’t call me that.”

“Fine… Vanessa. But you might want to read the fine print before you throw this away.” He set the contract back down on the table, tapping it twice.

Vanessa scoffed. “Let me guess, it says I owe you my soul?”

Jason did not answer her. He knew she was going to pick up the contact and read it anyway.

Vanessa grinded her teeth. She hated the way he spoke, so calm, so certain, like he had all the power in this situation. She wanted nothing more than to tear that contract up.

She grabbed the contract and finally read through some of it. 30 seconds later she tossed it back down on the desk and shook her head. “I don’t even know you. And I’m supposed to marry you? Just like that?”

Jason leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on her desk. “You’re free to refuse,” he said smoothly. “But considering the trouble Smith Royale is in… that might not be the smartest choice.”

Vanessa looked at him with wide eyes, “What do you know about Smith Royale's situation? How?”

“I know enough,” Jason said. “Enough to know that this marriage could be exactly what you need.”

A brief silence took over. And then Vanessa rolled her eyes at his claim.

The audacity of his claim was almost amusing. He spoke as if he held the key to saving her family, yet one look at him told her otherwise.

He didn't look like someone from wealth, or power, so how exactly was marrying him supposed to help?

“That’s rich,” she scoffed.

It wasn’t in her nature to look down on people, but she wasn’t naive either. She could already tell he wasn’t some wealthy businessman with the means to save Smith Royale. His confidence was misplaced, laughable, even.

“And tell me,” she folded her arms, leveling him with a skeptical stare, “exactly how is marrying you supposed to help?”

Before Jason had time to answer, the office door eased open.

An intern stepped inside, dressed in a neatly pressed uniform. "Miss Vanessa, someone is here for you, outside," she said, hesitating. Then, after a pause, she added, 'And... you might want to see them.”