The Contract

Elise's POV

"Let's get married." That word echoed in my ears again and I just stared at him, my mouth slightly open, trying to process what he'd just said.

"What?" I whispered again, even though I'd heard him perfectly the first time.

Ravien leaned back in his chair, his expression calm, like he'd just asked me about the weather and not proposed marriage to a woman he'd met two days ago.

"You heard me," he said. "Let's get married."

I looked down at the folder in front of me and it says Marriage Agreement. My hands trembled as I flipped through it. It contained legal terms, conditions, clauses about finances and property. This wasn't a proposal, this was a business transaction.

"Why?" I managed to ask, my voice barely steady. "Why would you want to marry me?"

He gestured to my phone lying on the table.

"You saw the article and the photo. It's already making headlines. My family is furious, my business partners are questioning my judgment, and the board is using this as ammunition against me."

"So this is about damage control," I said bitterly.

"Partly," he admitted.

"But it's also about you. You need protection. Your ex-fiancé just tried to kill you, remember? And from what I saw in that insurance policy, he's not going to stop until you're dead."

My stomach twisted at the mention of Morris. He was right. Morris wouldn't stop, not now that I knew what he was planning.

"Marriage doesn't solve that," I said.

"It does if you're married to me." Ravien's voice was firm.

"Morris works under one of my subsidiary companies. Did you know that?"

I froze. "What?"

"Morris Jones. He's a consultant at Drayton Financial Services. Has been for two years." Ravien watched my reaction carefully.

"If you're my wife, I can make his life very difficult. I can destroy his career with a single phone call."

Yes, that was true. Morris worked for Ravien, or at least, for one of his companies. That meant Ravien had power over him,real power.

"You could ruin him," I said slowly.

"I could," Ravien agreed. "If you give me a reason to."

I looked down at the contract again, my mind racing. This was insane. Marrying a man I barely knew, and entering into some kind of revenge pact. But what other choice did I have? Morris had taken everything from me. My home, my money, my trust, and he'd tried to kill me.

"What do you get out of this?" I asked.

"Besides fixing your reputation?"

Ravien was quiet for a moment. Then he said,

"My family has been pressuring me to settle down for years. This marriage solves that problem. It also sends a message to the board that I'm serious about stability."

"So we both get something out of it," I said.

"Exactly." He affirmed.

I went quiet for a while before talking.

"I have conditions," I said suddenly.

Ravien raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."

"I want your help destroying Morris and Olivia. Not just ruining his career. I want them exposed for what they tried to do to me. I want everyone to know they're thieves and murderers." I said.

"Done," Ravien said without hesitation.

"And I want access to your legal team. I need to get my inheritance back, the house, the money, everything Morris stole from me." I added

"Already planned for it," Ravien said. "Anything else?"

I thought for a moment.

"Separate bedrooms. No... physical contact unless absolutely necessary for appearances."

I could see hesitation in his eyes for a while before he agreed.

"Okay. Though given what happened in my car, I'm not sure how realistic that condition is."

Heat flooded my cheeks.

"That was a mistake. It won't happen again." I said but hated that my voice came out barely above a whisper

"If you say so," he said, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice that made me want to throw the contract at him.

"How long?" I asked.

"How long do we have to stay married?"

"Six months," Ravien said.

"After that, we file for a quiet divorce. You get a settlement, I get my freedom back, and we both move on with our lives."

"Fine," I said. "I'll do it." I finally said and Ravien pulled a pen from his jacket and slid it across the table toward me.

"Then sign." He said without looking directly at me.

I picked up the pen, my hand hovering over the signature line.

I pressed the pen to paper and signed my name. Elise Anderson.

Ravien took the contract and signed his own name below mine. Then he closed the folder and looked at me.

"We'll announce the engagement tomorrow," he said.

"My assistant will handle the press release and we'll get married at the courthouse within the week."

"That fast?" I asked.

"The faster we move, the less time people have to question it," Ravien explained.

"We'll say it was love at first sight, that we've been seeing each other in secret for months. The photo just exposed what we were trying to keep private."

It made sense, even if it was a complete lie.

"What about your family?" I asked.

"Your mother didn't seem too happy to see that photo."

"My mother is never happy," Ravien said dryly. "But she'll accept it once she realizes this marriage benefits the family. My father will be harder to convince, but he'll come around."

I wasn't so sure about that, but I didn't argue.

Ravien stood up and extended his hand to me. "Shall we go? I'll take you to the penthouse. You can stay in the guest room until we're officially married."

I took his hand and stood up. As we walked toward the exit, I couldn't help but feel like I'd just made a deal with the devil himself.

The restaurant was still empty, but as soon as we stepped outside, chaos erupted as cameras flashed and lots of voices shouted questions. Damn! It was the reporters.

"Mr. Drayton! Is it true you're dating the woman from the photo?"

"Who is she? What's her name?"

"Are you two engaged?"

I froze, overwhelmed by the noise and the lights. But Ravien didn't hesitate. He pulled me close, his arm wrapping around my waist, and before I could process what was happening, his lips were on mine.

The kiss was brief but when he pulled back, he looked directly at the cameras.

"This is my fiancée," he said confidently

"And I'd appreciate it if you respected our privacy."

The reporters erupted with more questions, but Ravien guided me toward his car, shielding me from the cameras with his body.

We were almost at the car when I heard a voice that said.

"Miss! Aren't you the same woman whose fiancé reported her missing three days ago?"

I stopped, as my leg almost gave out.

The reporter pushed through the crowd, holding up his phone.

"Morris Jones claims you disappeared with company funds! He filed a police report! What do you have to say about that?"

My mouth went dry and I couldn't speak,

Ravien's grip on my waist tightened.

"No comment," he said coldly.

But the damage was done. The other reporters latched onto the story immediately, shouting more questions, demanding answers.

Morris had reported me missing. And worse, he'd claimed I stole money.

Ravien practically shoved me into the car and slammed the door shut. He climbed into the driver's seat and sped away, leaving the paparazzi behind.

I sat in stunned silence, my heart still pounding.

My phone buzzed in my purse and I pulled it out with shaking hands and saw a text from an unknown number.

"You can't hide behind him forever, Elise. I'm coming for you."

I saw the text and that was Morris.I showed the text to Ravien and his expression darkened.

"Change your number," he said.

"Tonight. I'll have my security team trace that message."

I nodded, but I was really scared.

Morris wasn't going to let this go. And now that I'd aligned myself with Ravien, I'd just made myself an even bigger target.