Agreement

“I thought you wouldn’t come,” she murmurs once she’s settled into her seat.

“I wasn’t going to, but I had no other choice,” I reply honestly.

“You couldn’t find the rest of my formula, could you?” she asks, watching my every expression with unnerving precision.

“How did you know I’d look for someone to help me complete it?” I ask, surprised.

“Because I saw the same look on your face that Oliver gets when he wants something,” she murmurs with a small sigh.

“Don’t compare me to that idiot,” I hiss, my voice laced with anger. She merely shrugs in response and keeps her eyes on me, waiting for me to say something more. When I don’t, she’s the first to speak again, bringing up her offer.

“So… have you decided to accept my deal?” she asks in a whisper, lowering her gaze and fiddling with her fingers.

“Yes, I’ll help you. But let me be clear: if I find out this is some kind of trap between you and Oliver, I’ll make our marriage a living hell. You’ll wish you were dead rather than married to me,” I threaten, earning a growl from the blond guy watching us with a scowl.

“Living like that isn’t anything new for me,” she says calmly. “But don’t worry. I give you my word—what I want most is to get revenge on Oliver. I could never betray my new partner.” She offers her hand to seal the deal, and as a sliver of light filters into the SUV, my eyes narrow when I notice her split lip.

“What happened to you here?” I ask, gently taking her chin and inspecting her face. I’m certain she didn’t have that injury a few days ago.

“That’s none of your business,” she snaps, pulling away from my grip.

“None of my business? In case you’ve forgotten, you’ll soon be my wife. Wait a second—did Oliver hit you?” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. She instinctively flinches, shrinking back as if she’s afraid I’ll hit her too.

The thought that the bastard might’ve laid a hand on her fills me with rage. I clench my fists, resisting the urge to strangle Oliver, and try to steady my voice so I don’t scare her. I know I wasn’t kind the first time we met—I treated her horribly, something I never do to women. But she was Lefebvre’s wife, and that clouded my judgment.

“It wasn’t him,” she says, shaking her head.

“If it wasn’t him, then who the hell dared to do it? Turn on the light, Kalet!” I grab her arm and pull her closer, examining her face for other signs of injury. “I’m waiting for your answer,” I insist.

“It was… Oliver’s mother,” she stammers, her eyes reddening with shame, humiliated by the need to confess that her husband’s family abuses her.

“And Oliver allows that?” I snap, furious.

“He doesn’t care,” she mutters, avoiding my gaze.

“Why am I not surprised?” I mutter, exhaling sharply and pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Can we talk about the agreement?” she asks softly. “Talking about my relationship with Oliver’s family doesn’t exactly bring me joy.”

“Fine,” I concede, even though I want nothing more than to dig deeper into what really happened.

“As you know, on the company’s anniversary, Oliver is planning to unveil his new product.”

“My product, you mean,” I correct her coldly.

“The one he stole,” she clarifies. “That’s the day I want to serve him with divorce papers.”

“You’ll do it in front of the press?” I ask skeptically.

Those launch events are always crawling with media—reporters hiding in every corner, ready to pounce on even the smallest detail.

“He’s planning to do the same to me—ask for a divorce and announce his mistress’s pregnancy without caring about the public humiliation he’ll put me through. Why shouldn’t I pay him back the same way?” she says, her lips tightening as she fights back tears.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll have my lawyers help you with the divorce. When is it happening?”

“In two weeks.”

“That’s enough time to expedite the process. Oliver will hear it straight from your mouth that day. I need you to read this,” I say, handing her the marriage contract I prepared.

“Can I read it another day?”

“Why?”

“I can’t take too long to get back home—they’ll get suspicious,” she explains nervously.

“If you don’t read it today, you won’t have time later to reject any clauses.”

“That’s fine. I trust you.”

“You trust me?” I ask, genuinely surprised by her words. “Even though we barely know each other?”

“Believe me—I trust you more than I trust my own husband. I’m sure you didn’t include a clause requiring me to pay you a million euros if I end the marriage early,” she says with a faint smile.

“You’re right about that. Fine, read it later if that’s what you want. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No!” she cries out, alarmed.

“Why not? What are you hiding from me?”

“Oliver and his parents are suspicious. If any of the guards see me getting out of a luxury SUV, they’ll know something’s going on and our plan will fall apart. Could you drop me off at the beach instead?”

“The beach? That’s even farther from your house.”

“I’ll make Oliver believe I was there the whole time. Please, just take me,” she pleads, clasping her hands together.

“All right. Take us to the nearest beach, Kalet.”

We ride in silence for nearly twenty minutes. Just as we’re nearing our destination, I ask the question that’s been nagging at me.

“Why is Oliver suspicious of you?”

“A few days ago, I overheard him arguing with his mother. She wanted him to press charges against you for the beating you gave him.”

“Fucking coward,” I mutter under my breath.

“But Oliver refused.”

“Why?”

“I think his lover told him not to. Probably figured you’d fight back with your own accusation—about the theft.”

“I don’t have enough evidence to put him in jail.”

“He said the same thing. But just mentioning that he’s been stealing from you would be enough to damage his reputation. And that’s something he protects more than our marriage,” she says softly, barely audible.

“Not that much, clearly. Look at him, strutting around town with his lover on his arm,” I snap, unable to hold it in. But I regret it instantly when I see her expression. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You’re only stating the truth. I should go. Thank you for agreeing to this deal.”

Just as she’s about to get out, I grab her arm and pull her close. Her warmth presses against me, and a soft, unfamiliar scent fills my nose. It's genuinely pleasant—certainly not one of Oliver’s fragrances.

“W-what are you doing? W-why did you do that?” she stammers, placing a hand on my chest to push herself away.

“You need to get used to being close to me. Otherwise, no one’s going to believe we’re madly in love—lovers so drawn to temptation we betrayed your husband.”

“I get that, but... this is so sudden.”

“And that’s exactly how Oliver will feel when he finds out. So don’t go trembling like a baby deer just because I hold your hand—or even kiss you.”

“K-kiss me?”

“Yes. That’s what lovers do,” I say matter-of-factly, watching her cheeks flush crimson again.

“I… I mean… Is there a chance that, when the time comes, we could stick to just holding hands?”

“Alright,” I reply, more amused than I should be. And honestly, there's no way I'd kiss her willingly—not even for a million euros.

“T-thank you. I’ll do my best to make our relationship look convincing,” she says, her voice slightly shaky.

“Before you go, I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

“I got you a phone,” I say, pulling a tiny device from my pocket—small enough to look like a toy.

“For me? Why?”

“So we can stay in contact. I hope you remember how to use one.”

“Of course I do,” she replies, cheeks coloring again. “But if I show up with this, Oliver will notice.”

“You can hide it in the lining of your jacket.”

With Kalet’s help, I make a small slit in her pocket and slip the phone inside.

“If there’s ever an emergency, call me. I’ve already saved my number in it.”

“T-thank you… for everything.”

She jumps out of the SUV and walks toward the beach without looking back. She removes her shoes and strolls along the sand for a few minutes before settling down in a quiet spot, staring off as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon.

“How long are we staying here?” Kalet asks, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Just a bit longer. I want to see what she does.”

I watch her carefully, waiting for her to pull out the phone and inspect it. But she doesn’t move. Not even a little. Only when I see her shoulders start to tremble do I realize she’s crying—and I finally look away. It feels wrong to witness such a private moment.

“Why did you agree to this deal when you don’t trust her? More importantly, you know how much it could hurt your reputation,” the blond man asks, shifting in his seat when he realizes I’m not planning to leave until she does.

“Because if I marry her, Iris will lose her mind when she realizes she can’t force me to marry her obsessive niece—something she’s been scheming for years.

“And as for my reputation... I don’t care anymore. As long as I can damage Lefebvre’s, make him pay for what he’s done to me, it’ll be worth it. The fact that he’ll think he lost his wife—that she left him for me—will drive him insane. She’ll become a sort of trophy, and that alone will push him over the edge.

“Besides... haven’t you noticed? Both times we’ve met with her, she’s worn perfumes that could sell incredibly well. And I’m certain she made them herself. Oliver, arrogant as he is, probably never even considered adding them to his product line.”

“I don’t like the way you’re talking about her—as if she were just a prize. She’s a person, with feelings. But I’m not going to argue with you about it. Still... do you think I’m some kind of bloodhound, sniffing her out?”

“That’s not what I meant,” I reply, smirking. “But her scent lingers in the car every time she gets in.”

As I speak, I notice her finally standing up and heading toward the road. A taxi pulls up, and it drives right past us. I try to catch her eye, but she doesn’t even glance our way. Instead, she quietly wipes away the tears still clinging to her face.