Chapter 6 : Got Me Killed

“What???”

The coffee went down the wrong pipe. Victoria erupted into a coughing fit, nearly dropping the cup.

Across from her, Ryder remained completely calm. As if he had merely commented on the weather.

“I will fund EVANGELINE,” he said. “And provide everything you need to launch it. In return, you marry me.”

Silence. A thick, suffocating silence.

Victoria stared at him.

Then she laughed.

It burst out before she could stop it. She laughed so much tears gathered in her eyes.

Ryder watched the spectacle with remarkable patience.

Sam looked concerned.

When Victoria finally caught her breath, she wiped her eyes. “Oh wow.”

She shook her head. “That was a good one.”

Nobody laughed with her. Her smile slowly disappeared.

Ryder's expression hadn't changed. Not even slightly.

The realization hit her. He wasn't joking. His words had been completely real.

The amusement drained from her face.

“You're serious.”

“Yes.”

The room suddenly felt smaller. Victoria placed the cup down carefully. “You called me here because of my pitch.”

“Yes.”

“You had me thinking this was about EVANGELINE.”

“It is.”

“No.” She stood abruptly. “It isn't.”

Something painful twisted inside her chest.

She should have known. Investors never cared. Not about her project, nor the ideas she had poured her heart into. Even if they did, it was only slightly interest.

Certainly not enough to hand over millions.

“Was this some kind of joke?” she asked.

“It isn't.”

“Then what exactly was the point of listening to my presentation?”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “The point was determining whether you were suitable.”

Victoria blinked. “Suitable?”

“For the arrangement.”

For the first time since entering the room, she felt insulted.

“Are you hearing yourself?”

Ryder remained seated. “I hear myself perfectly.”

“You investigated me.”

“Yes.”

“You looked into my life.”

“Yes.”

“You listened to my business pitch because you were shopping for a wife?”

A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. “No.”

“Then explain.”

His gaze held hers, without wavering for even a second. “Your business is legitimate.”

She folded her arms. “And?”

“And you're intelligent.”

She said nothing. That he was right about.

“You're ambitious.” He continued.

Still nothing.

“You don't have connections to my competitors.”

Her heart skipped.

“You don't have powerful relatives who could interfere.”

Another beat.

“You need money.”

Victoria froze. The words landed like a slap. To think she thought he was complimenting her seconds ago!

Ryder continued. “You need it urgently.”

Suddenly she hated how much he knew. He must have run a background check on her. If he knew how she took her coffee, then he must have found out about her grandmother in need of surgery. The debt over her head. The unpaid hospital bill.

Everything.

All laid bare in front of a stranger.

“You had no right.”

His jaw tightened. “I needed facts before approaching you.”

“I am not some acquisition for Tecna.”

“No.” His voice was calm. “You're a solution.”

The room fell silent again.

Victoria stared at him taken aback.

A solution.

Not a woman.

Not a partner.

A solution.

Somewhere in the room Sam suddenly found the floor very interesting.

Victoria laughed again. This time there was no amusement in it.

“Wow.” She nodded. “That's actually worse.”

For the first time Ryder looked mildly uncomfortable.

“Miss Monk—”

“No.” She grabbed the contract. “If you want me to even consider this insanity, start talking. Why would you even need to do this?”

Ryder leaned back. And to her surprise, he admitted. “My sister and several board members are attempting to remove me as CEO.”

That got her attention. “What?”

“They believe I'm incapable of securing the future of the company.”

Victoria frowned. “That makes no sense.”

“They believe it makes perfect sense.” His expression darkened. “According to them, a man who cannot maintain a family cannot lead an empire.”

Understanding dawned. “They want you married.”

“They want heirs.”

Victoria stared.

Then she burst out laughing again.

“You want me to save your company because your family thinks you're single?”

“They don't think I'm single.” His gaze hardened. “They think something is wrong with me.”

The laughter died instantly.

Oh.

That was much worse.

A lot worse.

Victoria suddenly understood why this arrangement existed. Why it had to be fake. Why Ryder couldn't simply find a girlfriend tomorrow.

Even though she hated to indulge in gossip in the business world, she had seen several articles, speculating on why the billionaire had been single. And there had been several nasty comments each time.

The rumours would never disappear. The board would keep pushing. His father would keep doubting him.

He needed a wife fast. A real public marriage.

Victoria lowered herself back onto the sofa. “This is insane.”

“Yes.” He agreed.

“Completely insane.”

“Yes.”

“And you honestly think I'll agree?”

A faint smile touched Ryder's lips. “I think you're considering it.”

Her mouth opened, then closed, because she truly, she was. That was the problem.

Her grandmother needed surgery. EVANGELINE needed funding. Her savings account was almost empty.

And sitting across from her was a man offering to solve every single one of those problems.

She hated that she was considering it.

Ryder noticed the conflict in her eyes. “You'll receive compensation.”

“I don't want compensation.”

“Ten million dollars.”

Her breath caught, and she nearly choked on air. “Excuse me?”

“Ten million.” He repeated calmly. To him, it was an investment to solve a problem. It was no big deal.

But to Victoria, it was the biggest of deals. The room spun, and suddenly she understood why people sold their souls.

“Stop saying numbers.” She pressed her fingers to her forehead.

“Why?”

“Because they're working.”

For the first time, Ryder laughed. A genuine laugh, that was deep and gruff. It caught her completely off guard.

The sound vanished as quickly as it came.

Victoria looked down at the contract. “Can I take this?”

“Yes.”

She stood, then froze. One page had partially slipped out. A specific paragraph caught her eye. She picked it up, and scanned the words.

Very slowly, she lifted her head.

“Mr. Lake—”

“Call me Ryder.” He interrupted.

“Yeah, um.” She joined the page back to the rest of the contract. “Why does the contract say that if either party develops genuine feelings, the agreement ends immediately?”

The amusement disappeared from Ryder's face completely.

His eyes turned dangerously cold, and he glared at Victoria like she had personally offended him.

“Because the last woman who claimed to love me almost got me killed.”