CHAPTER ONE - THE JOB OFFER

I stood in front of Greyson Enterprises and felt my stomach twist.

Three months ago my father's company crumbled in the worst financial scandal.

Nobody wanted to hire the daughter of a thief.

Nobody, except the one person who had every reason to slam the door in my face.

My stepbrother.

I walked into the building through the revolving doors, and the coolness from the air conditioning hit me hard forcing to realize that I didn't belong here and everyone who glanced at me knew it.

“Uhmm… Hello, I'm Sage Monroe. I'm here for….” I stuttered.

The receptionist didn't bother looking up. She pointed to the elevator, “floor forty-two” she said in a bored voice.

Of course, what did I expect? My heels clicked hard against the marble floor as I walked towards the elevator.

My heart raced.

Dark circles under my eyes. My best interview suit from three years ago. Hair pulled back so tight it made my head ache. I could see them all from the mirrored elevator.

I looked desperate because I was desperate.

The elevator dinged and opened into an executive floor. Expensive. Eerily cold. That's how it felt.

“I'm here to…”

“I know. Sit and wait. He is in a meeting.” A woman in a designer dress said with a dismissive tone.

I sat in one of the leather chairs and tried not to think about the last time I'd seen Kaid Greyson at our parents' wedding. He'd looked at me like I was a gum stuck to his shoe.

We hadn't spoken. Hadn't even acknowledged each other beyond that one burning look of pure hatred.

"Miss Monroe."

I looked up and my heart stopped. Kaid stood in the doorway and God he'd only gotten more unfairly gorgeous. Tall and broad shouldered in a custom suit. Dark hair, perfectly styled. Sharp jaw. Eyes so blue they looked unreal.

And cold. So fucking cold when they landed on me.

"Mr. Greyson." I stood up too fast and nearly dropped my folder.

He didn't move. Just stared at me with a blank.expression. Then he turned and walked back into his office without a word.

I guess that meant follow.

His office was massive with floor to ceiling windows showing off a perfect view of the busy city. His desk, clean except for a laptop and a single pen. Everything about the space was controlled and perfect and intimidating as hell.

He sat down and leaned back in his chair. Still watching me with those icy blue eyes.

I stayed standing. He hadn't told me to sit.

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said finally. His voice was deeper than I remembered.

"I need a job." The words came out steadier than I felt. "I'm qualified and I'm willing to work hard."

"Are you?" It wasn't a question. It was Mockery.

My hands tightened on the folder.

"I have experience in project management and client relations. I worked for my father's company before it went under and I know how corporate environments function."

"Your father's company." Kaid's mouth curved into an obvious snicker. "You mean the company he built on fraud and embezzlement. That company?"

Heat pooled on my face. "I had nothing to do with that."

"Didn't you."

"No." My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. "I didn't know what he was doing."

He chuckled. Clearly ridiculing me. Then he stood and walked over to the windows with his hands in his pockets.

"I don't hire family," he stated.

The word family from his mouth felt like a slap. Our parents had gotten married six months ago but that didn't make Kaid my brother. It didn't make us anything.

"We're not family." The words tasted bitter. "Our parents got married. That doesn't make us anything to each other."

He turned and the look he gave me goosebumps. "You're right. We're not family. We're nothing."

That shouldn't have hurt but it did.

I lifted my chin. "Then hire me based on merit. Not history."

He moved closer and I had to fight not to step back. He was tall enough that I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes. Close enough that I could smell his cologne.

"Why would I do that when I could watch you struggle instead."

I gasped. Shocked. "You're an asshole."

"Yes." He didn't look bothered. "And you're desperate. Which makes this….” he said, gesturing between himself and I, “…..interesting."

"Forget it." I turned toward the door. This had been a mistake.

"Your father owes people money."

I stopped with my hand on the door handle.

"A lot of money," he continued. "Money he stole. Money that's going to destroy what's left of your family when the lawsuits start rolling in."

I didn't turn around. Couldn't. "I know."

"Your mother will lose everything. The house she just moved into with my father. Her car. Her dignity. She'll be lucky if the scandal doesn't destroy her new marriage too."

"I said I know." My voice cracked.

"Then you know you need more than a job. You need a miracle."

I finally looked back at him. He was watching me with an expression I couldn't read.

"I don't believe in miracles," I said.

"Neither do I." He walked back to his desk and pulled out a folder. Set it down and tapped it once. "But I believe in transactions."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sit down, Sage."

The sound of my first name in his mouth made something twist in my chest. He never called me Sage.

I sat.

He pushed the folder across the desk. "Read it."

My hands shook as I opened it. The first page was a contract for Executive Assistant to the CEO. The salary made my eyes water.

But I knew something was off.

I flipped through the pages and my confusion grew. There were clauses about confidentiality and public appearances and living arrangements and personal conduct.

"I don't understand," I said. "This isn't a job contract."

"Keep reading."

I found it on page seven. The word marriage in bold black letters.

I looked up at him. "What the fuck is this?”

"A proposal." Kaid leaned forward. "You want to save your father's company and keep your mother from drowning in his mess. I need a wife to clean up my public image and satisfy the board who think I'm too young to run this company alone."

"You're insane."

"I'm practical." He stood and came around the desk. "This is a business arrangement. You play devoted wife in public. Attend events. Smile for cameras. Make me look stable."

"And in private."

"In private you do what I tell you to." His voice dropped lower. Darker. "You follow my rules. You don't ask questions. And you never speak about our arrangement to anyone."

I couldn't breathe. "Why me?"

"Because I don't want someone who wants this. I want someone who needs it. Someone desperate enough to agree without complaint."

"Someone you can control."

"Yes."

I looked back down at the contract. At the impossible offer that would solve all my problems and create a million new ones.

"I need time to think."

"No." Kaid reached out and tilted my chin up with his fingers. His touch, electrifying. "You get it right now. This moment. Sign the contract and become mine or walk out that door and watch your family fall apart."

"This is blackmail."

"This is an opportunity." His thumb brushed across my lower lip. "If you want to save your father's company, Miss Monroe, sign the contract and become mine."