CHAPTER 5: AN OFFER I COULDN'T REFUSE

My heart refused to calm down.

Ethan Sterling closed the file in front of him and rested his hands on the desk. For a long moment, he simply looked at me, It wasn't an uncomfortable stare.

It was the kind that made me feel like he was trying to read every thought in my head.

Finally, he spoke. "Sit down." His voice was calm not loud, not harsh but somehow, it still sounded like an order.

I slowly sat in the chair opposite him and placed my handbag on my lap.The office became quiet again. I had only been there a few minutes, but the silence already felt heavy.

I couldn't take it anymore. "Why am I here, Mr. Sterling?"Instead of answering, he picked up a remote control from his desk. With one click, the glass walls around the office turned dark, shutting out the view of the city. I looked around in surprise.

"No one will interrupt us," he said. A strange feeling settled in my stomach.vWhatever he wanted to say, It wasn't something he wanted anyone else to hear.

He leaned back in his chair."I know a little about you, Miss Hayes."

I frowned."What do you mean?"

"I know you've worked at Harper & Cole for two years."

I stayed quiet.

"I know your father passed away three years ago."

My fingers tightened around my handbag.

"I know your mother has been in and out of the hospital."

My heartbeat quickened.

"And I know you've been doing everything you can to keep your family together."

I stared at him."Did you investigate me?"

"I asked people to find out who you are."

He answered so calmly that it almost annoyed me.

"Why?"

"Because I don't make important decisions without knowing the facts."

I shook my head. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

His answer came without hesitation.

I let out a slow breath.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

For the first time since I entered his office, he looked away. He stood up and walked toward the windows. Even though the glass had turned dark, the sunlight still found its way inside.

"My grandfather built Sterling Holdings from nothing," he said. "He believed family was more important than money."

I listened quietly.

"When he died, he left me everything." He paused, "But there was one condition." He turned to face me.

"I have to get married."

I blinked."I'm sorry... what?"

"The board has given me thirty days to fulfill the condition." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You mean...... You'll lose the company if you don't marry?"

"Not immediately."He slipped one hand into his pocket. "But it will create problems I have no interest in dealing with."

I looked at him, completely confused. "Why are you telling me this?" He walked back to his desk."Because it concerns you." A nervous laugh escaped me "I don't see how."

For a few seconds, he didn't say anything then he looked straight into my eyes. "I want you to marry me."The room went completely silent. I was sure I had heard him wrong.

"What?"

"I believe I was clear." He said

"No..."I shook my head. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

I stared at him. "We've only met twice."

"I know."

"You don't know anything about me."

"I know enough."

I stood up."This is crazy."

"It isn't." He replied 

"It is!" I couldn't stop talking. "People don't just ask strangers to marry them."

"They don't."He remained perfectly calm while I was close to losing my mind.

"Then why me?"

For the first time, he answered without looking away. "Because you're exactly the kind of woman I've been looking for." I frowned. "I don't understand."

"You aren't interested in my money,You don't care about my reputation." "You spoke to me before you knew who I was." He paused.

"And after you found out, you still spoke to me the same way."

I didn't know what to say. He wasn't wrong. I had never treated him like a billionaire. I'd treated him like any other man. Ethan opened a drawer and placed a thick file on the desk."Take this." I looked down, It was a contract.

I slowly picked it up. Across the front page were the words:

CONFIDENTIAL MARRIAGE AGREEMENT

My mouth went dry.

"I don't expect you to answer today," Ethan said.

"Take it home, read every page and if you refuse..."

He shrugged slightly, "I'll accept your decision."

I looked up at him.

"Then why do I feel like I don't really have a choice?"

For the first time, his  expression changed not into a smile just something quieter. Something almost unreadable. "Because you know your mother's treatment is due on Friday." My heart stopped, He knew.

He knew everything. "I can make sure your mother gets the treatment she needs." His voice remained calm.

"I can pay off your family's debts."

"I can make sure your brother finishes university without worrying about school fees."

Every word hit me harder than the last because everything I'd been praying for, he was offering it to me. All I had to do was marry him.

I looked down at the contract in my hands,then back at the man sitting across from me.I came here expecting a business meeting, instead I  was leaving with a marriage proposal from the most feared billionaire in the country.

And somehow, I had a feeling saying no would be much harder than saying yes