Deal

Elaine’s POV

The whole ride to the house, I couldn’t stop thinking of ways to make Gary and Elizabeth pay for all I had lost. My years of sacrifice. My baby. My marriage.

The press had not spared me. News of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and my divorce had hit the news. I am sure she had purposely leaked the news to the press.

“You shouldn’t read the comments. People are mean.” Laura warned me as she grabbed my phone from me. But I needed to see what everyone thought of me. What they said about me.

“Laura…” I said sternly.

There was nothing more anyone could do for me. I had lost it all already. A few hurtful words couldn’t break me. So I thought.

“Elizabeth is the real queen.” One comment read.

“Elizabeth did in a few weeks what Elaine Wayne couldn’t do in four years.”

“Barren woman.”

The comments tore at every string of my heart as I read on. The meaner they were, the more my resolve for revenge hardened. My face darkened with rage as I kept reading.

Not a single comment had been on my side. The whole world had criticized me; some had gone as far as saying I had forced myself on Gary.

I slammed my phone on my lap as I looked away. If only I could turn back the hands of time, I never would have accepted his proposal. I never would have given up years of my youth to him. But what was the point of regret now?

****

Steve Greyson sat on the short couch in the living room. Even though seated, his long limbs were unmistakable. His broad shoulders stood out in the black custom-made suit he wore.

His green eyes were so beautiful to look at. His sharp jawline and icy aura made it hard to maintain eye contact with him. He sat with his legs crossed, slowly sipping the cup of coffee I had offered him.

I had only ever heard of him, but never seen him. In the fashion business world, he was the real deal. Wayne Corporations had always been a rival. On many nights, Gary had complained about how much he wanted Grey Empire gone, as they were setting trends and ruining business for him.

“Mrs Wayne…”

“Miss Elaine Smith, I am divorced now” I corrected with a stiff smile.

“You could have sent an email to me, or better still, sent your Personal Assistant. To what do I owe this pleasure?” I tried to maintain my calm and composure.

“My assistant sent several emails to you, but you left them unanswered.”

I had been too occupied with everything going on, the pregnancy loss, the divorce, and I hadn’t had the time to go through my mail.

“It’s about the land you own on the outskirts of Middletown. Here is my proposal for it.” His Assistant handed me some files.

My father had told me that he had gotten several proposals from Grey Empire about buying the land from him, as that was the only piece left for his Mega Fashion Court Project to launch, but he had refused, saying the land was in my name.

The land had been given to me by my late mother after her passing. Although I had no plans for it yet, I had no plans of selling either.

“I’m not selling,” I said.

“We will double the price there. The land has been left for so many years.” His brows furrowed, but he maintained his calm.

Silence soon fell between us. The world seemed to pause as we both stared deeply at each other. I wasn’t sure what it was, but there was just something about him I couldn’t shake off. Was it his eyes? His aura?

“Is there anything you want in exchange for that piece of land?”

I didn’t want any amount for the land. The land was dear to me, and I wasn’t going to sell it, not for a blank cheque. I looked closely at Mr Steve, his eyes were on me like an eagle waiting to pick its prey.

“I… I am not willing to sell,” I stopped short as an idea came to my head.

“One thing, though. I will only give up the land if you marry me.”

The room fell silent instantly. His assistant looked at him, both eyebrows shot up as he adjusted his glasses. Steve Greyson, on the other hand, remained calm, almost like he hadn’t heard me right.

The Wayne had always hated the Grey empire. This was the perfect revenge and comeback. “Elaine Smith marries Billionaire Fashion CEO Steve Greyson, finally moving on from her failed marriage.” She could picture every blog carrying that headline.

“I have what you need, Mr Steve. You have what I want. Deal?” I didn’t know where I had gotten the idea from. It had just popped into my head.

“I will have my lawyers draft up a contract. It will only last for twelve months.” He said calmly.

“So you are agreeing to it? Nice.” I tried to hide the anxiety in my voice. Did I really just propose a marriage contract with Steve Greyson?”

“There will be some rules to it. It has to play as real, the board, and the press cannot find out that I got into a marriage contract. It will ruin our reputation.” He added.

“Behind public eyes, there will be no romance. No Sex. No entanglement. This will be purely business. You will help me establish myself in the business world.” I wasn’t about to give my heart out to anyone anymore, I needed to focus on taking over as CEO of my dad’s company.

“We have a deal. My lawyers will send the documents to you.” He stood up, his build hovering over mine, he extended his hand, and I couldn’t help but notice how firm and masculine he was.

We shook hands, and he left. I sat back, wondering what I had just started, but there was no time to retract my offer. He was the perfect revenge tool.

The time was ticking, my revenge plan had started rolling, and there was no going back.