Chapter 2: The Tyrant’s Proposal

Without wasting a second, Hellena hurried toward the luxury apartment complex where Kael Willian lived.

The increasingly bitter night wind slapped against her skin the moment she stepped out of the taxi. Before her stood a towering skyscraper clad in dark glass, exuding the same arrogance as the powerful man who resided within it.

As Kael’s personal secretary for the past five years, Hellena possessed a special access card for company emergencies. Her trembling fingers pressed the card against the sensor panel.

Beep.

The private lobby doors slid open smoothly.

“Calm down, Hellena. You’re only here to borrow money,” she whispered to herself, trying to steady the increasingly erratic pounding of her heart. “Mr. Kael is your only hope now.”

The elevator ascended soundlessly.

Inside the mirrored metal cube, Hellena stared at her reflection. Her eyes were swollen, traces of her tears still lingering. Her loose work attire was slightly wrinkled.

Being a plus-size woman often made her feel invisible, but tonight, desperation made her feel exposed.

She straightened her hair, forcing what little professionalism she had left to stand tall once more.

The elevator chimed and opened directly into the main living area of the CEO’s penthouse.

The interior was spacious, with soaring ceilings dominated by masculine shades of black, charcoal, and gray. Minimalist. Immaculate. Cold, without the slightest trace of warmth.

Hellena stepped forward cautiously, the tips of her shoes making almost no sound against the gleaming black marble floor.

From the open balcony, she caught sight of a broad, familiar silhouette.

Kael Willian stood with his back to her, dressed in a white shirt with the sleeves carelessly rolled up to his elbows. One hand held a crystal glass filled with red wine, while the other rested on the balcony railing.

The city lights beyond outlined his frame, emphasizing the commanding aura that always surrounded him.

Hellena swallowed hard.

Her throat suddenly felt as dry as sandpaper, and her palms grew damp with cold sweat.

Before she could even greet him, the man spoke without bothering to turn around.

“Don’t waste my time.”

Kael’s baritone voice was low, flat, and razor-sharp.

“Tell me. What made you come here in the middle of the night?”

Hellena bit her lower lip hard.

That tone of voice always intimidated her, even after five years of working alongside him.

She struggled to gather enough air into her lungs.

“I...” Her voice caught in her throat. “I’m sorry for disturbing your rest, Mr. Kael.”

Kael finally turned around.

His dark hawk-like eyes landed directly on Hellena, examining her pale face and unusually disheveled appearance.

“I don’t like small talk, Hellena. You know that.”

Hellena tightened her grip on her bag strap until her fingers ached.

If not for the bastards counting down the hours of her life, she would never have humbled herself like this.

“Mr. Kael... could you lend me five hundred thousand euros?”

A heavy silence instantly settled between them.

Only the occasional gust of night wind stirred the silk curtains near the balcony.

Kael showed no sign of surprise.

He merely studied Hellena with a piercing, evaluative gaze.

“Five hundred thousand euros? That’s an extraordinary amount for a secretary.”

Hellena nodded stiffly.

“Yes, sir.”

“And what collateral do you have?”

The question struck directly at the dignity that was already hanging by a thread.

“I don’t have any assets to offer as collateral, sir. But you can deduct my entire salary every month,” Hellena replied quickly, her words racing against her fear. “I’m willing to work harder. I’ll work overtime without pay. I’ll handle all of your affairs twenty-four hours a day. Anything. Please, sir... I’m truly desperate.”

Hellena lowered her head deeply.

She was too ashamed to admit that the money was needed to pay off her father’s gambling debt, and too terrified to imagine Kael discovering that loan sharks were targeting her body as payment.

Kael slowly swirled the red liquid inside his glass, allowing the silence to torture the woman standing before him.

“Your salary as a senior secretary, even combined with your annual bonuses, wouldn’t be enough to repay that amount within five years,” Kael said calmly, effortlessly dismantling the only plan Hellena had managed to come up with.

“I’ll find another job outside office hours,” Hellena replied softly, her voice beginning to tremble. “I promise I won’t run from my responsibilities.”

Kael did not answer immediately.

His gaze roamed over Hellena’s face.

For five years, the plus-size woman standing before him had always been efficient, resilient, and professional. She had never complained, even when he assigned her workloads that bordered on inhuman.

Hellena was the only woman who had never looked at him with admiration in her eyes or attempted to seduce him for his wealth.

Yet tonight, she looked unbearably fragile.

Like a sheet of glass on the verge of shattering.

Kael’s thoughts drifted to what had happened a few hours earlier in the hospital ICU.

His mother lay weak and frail, surrounded by countless tubes and machines. Before losing consciousness, the elderly woman had gripped his hand tightly with what little strength she had left.

“Kael... get married,” his mother had pleaded that day. “I want to see you build a family... before I close my eyes forever.”

Kael exhaled heavily through his nose.

Marriage?

To him, marriage was nothing more than an inconvenient transaction.

Love was merely a weakness that caused a man to lose control over his own life.

He had no need for emotions.

However, his mother’s rapidly deteriorating condition demanded immediate action.

Kael focused his attention on Hellena once more.

This woman was intelligent, obedient, familiar with every secret and rhythm of his life, and most importantly, she never involved emotions.

Wasn’t that a remarkably convenient coincidence?

When no answer came, Hellena finally released a defeated sigh.

Her assumption had been correct.

Kael Willian was not a philanthropist willing to throw away money out of compassion.

“I’m sorry, sir. I was mistaken, and my audacity has disturbed you,” Hellena said, forcing her voice to remain steady.

She bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, hiding the tears threatening to spill once more.

Only tonight had she truly realized that she was completely alone in this world.

Hellena turned around and walked weakly toward the private elevator.

“Wait.”

That single word rooted her feet to the marble floor.

Hellena slowly turned around and found Kael stepping away from the balcony.

The man set his wine glass on the counter before walking toward her.

His sharp gaze locked onto her completely.

“I’ll give you the money,” Kael said flatly.

Hellena’s eyes widened instantly.

“Really, sir?”

“I can even give you more than the amount you just requested.”

Her heart pounded wildly, caught between overwhelming relief and a sudden surge of caution.

There was no such thing as a free lunch when it came to Kael Willian.

Kael stopped exactly two steps in front of her.

His tall, imposing frame immediately dwarfed Hellena.

“On one condition.”

The air between them seemed to tighten.

Hellena stared at him.

“What condition, sir?”

Kael’s expression remained unreadable.

“Marry me.”

The air around Hellena seemed to freeze instantly.

Her eyes widened as she stared at her boss in disbelief.

“What, sir? Marry?”

Kael’s face remained as cold as ice, without the slightest trace of humor.

It was as though he were proposing a new business contract rather than a sacred lifelong commitment.

“You heard me perfectly clearly, Hellena.”

“Mr. Kael... is this some kind of joke?”

“I never use marriage as a joke.”

His tone was absolute, leaving no room for argument.

Hellena’s world tilted off balance once more.

This night had become far too absurd for common sense.

She had been betrayed by Herry, threatened by debt collectors, and now...

proposed to by her own boss.

“I... I don’t understand what you mean,” Hellena admitted honestly, her voice barely above a squeak.

“It’s simple. You need money immediately, and I need a wife immediately.”

The answer was brief, yet filled with mystery.

Hellena stared at the stern-faced man before her, searching for even the slightest sign of deceit or hidden motives.

She found none.

Kael remained exactly who he had always been—a man as cold as stone.

“Why me, sir?” Hellena finally asked.

Out of all the beautiful women with perfect figures who surrounded him, why her?

Kael looked directly into her eyes.

“Because you don’t love me. And I don’t need a wife who brings emotions into this arrangement.”

That honest answer stole the breath from her lungs.

“I only need someone professional enough to play the role of Mrs. Willian in front of my mother,” Kael continued matter-of-factly.

Role.

The word echoed inside Hellena’s head.

Every instinct she had screamed danger.

Marrying a ruthless man like Kael was no different from stepping into a lion’s den.

Contract marriages like this always ended badly.

Yet the vicious faces of the debt collectors flashed through her mind again.

The twenty-two hours she had left continued ticking away.

If she walked out of this apartment without money, her life would be over by tomorrow night.

“And... what if I refuse your offer?” Hellena whispered.

Kael lifted one shoulder indifferently.

“Then the exit is behind you. The choice is yours, Hellena.”

Silence returned, leaving behind a suffocating tension.

Hellena knew she was standing at the most extreme crossroads of her life.

One path led to certain destruction.

The other led to uncertainty beside a tyrant.

“I need your answer now,” Kael pressed, glancing at his platinum watch. “My time is limited. So is yours.”

Kael stood motionless, reading every trace of fear hidden within Hellena’s curvy frame without needing any further explanation.

Hellena swallowed hard, the lump in her throat feeling almost impossible to force down.