Chapter Ten

Lauren couldn't believe what she had just heard. Of all the things she had expected the man sitting across from her to say, that was certainly not one of them.

Marry him?

She stared at him, waiting for him to laugh and admit that it was some ridiculous joke. But he didn't. He simply sat there with one hand resting beside his coffee cup, looking as though he had just asked her to pass the sugar.

"I assure you, I'm perfectly sane." Ryan's expression remained completely serious.

"Well, that's debatable." Lauren shook her head and glanced around the bistro, almost expecting someone to appear and explain what was happening. "Do you usually walk up to women you barely know and ask them to marry you?"

"Not usually." Ryan lifted his coffee and took a calm sip, his eyes briefly settling on her over the rim of his cup.

"Then I suppose I should feel special." Lauren gave him a dry look before reaching for her own cup.

A faint amusement crossed his face, drawing attention to the sharp angles of his otherwise serious features. Lauren caught herself looking at him for a second longer than necessary before quickly turning her attention to her coffee.

Annoying man. It was unfortunate that he had such a handsome face.

"I understand how this must sound," he said, placing his cup back on the table.

"Do you?" Lauren leaned back in her chair, studying him. "Because from where I'm sitting, it sounds like you've either had too much coffee or not enough sleep."

"Neither. I'm making you a business proposal." He rested one arm on the table, his gaze steady on hers.

"A business proposal?" she repeated, staring at him in disbelief. "You want to marry me, not hire me."

"I'm aware of the difference." Ryan's expression remained unchanged.

"Good. At least we're making progress." She picked up her muffin and dropped it back, the thought of eating suddenly seemed unappealing.

Ryan glanced briefly at the food on her plate before returning his attention to her. His gaze lingered on her face, taking in the way her eyebrows drew together whenever she was annoyed.

"My name is Ryan Callahan. I'm the CEO of Callahan Global Group." He reached into his jacket and placed a business card on the table between them.

Lauren's eyes dropped to the card.

Callahan Global Group.

She knew that name. Almost everyone in New York had heard of the company. It was one of the biggest corporate names in the city.

And Ryan Callahan?

She had heard that name too. She had read about him in business articles and seen it mentioned in news reports, but she had never actually seen a photograph of him. She had even applied for a Communications Assistant position at Callahan Global Group a few weeks earlier. Her application had been rejected, and she had moved on to the next job listing without giving it much thought.

Now, the company's CEO was sitting across from her, asking her to become his wife. What an irony.

"You're Ryan Callahan?" she asked, looking up from the card.

"Unless there's another one sitting here." He lifted his cup again, a hint of impatience in his voice.

Lauren gave him a sharp look. "Well, that explains a lot."

"Such as?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"The arrogance." She pushed the business card slightly away from herself. "I suppose running a company that big makes you think you can have whatever you want."

Ryan placed his cup down with a soft clink. "I'm not interested in having whatever I want. I'm interested in getting what I need." His eyes remained fixed on her.

"And apparently, what you need is a wife." Lauren let out a short laugh, still struggling to take him seriously.

"Exactly." He replied.

She shook her head and took another sip of her latte. It was getting cold, and she was beginning to regret wasting her peaceful morning on this conversation.

"Now, would you mind telling me why the CEO of a major company is asking me to marry him?" she asked, setting her cup down.

Ryan leaned back slightly. "My grandfather recently passed away. He left me with a rather unusual condition in his will." He paused to take a sip of his coffee. "I need to be married for twelve months. Otherwise, there's a chance I'll lose control of something he spent his life building."

Lauren's expression softened. "That's it?" she asked, looking at him carefully.

"That's the important part." Ryan gave a small shrug, as though the matter wasn't worth discussing in greater detail.

She frowned. "You're telling me your grandfather made marriage a condition of something he left you?"

"More or less." He moved his cup aside, making room on the table. "It's an inconvenience, but one I intend to deal with."

Lauren stared at him for a moment. "An inconvenience?" she repeated. "You're talking about getting married. That's not the same as renewing a driver's licence."

"I didn't say it was." Ryan's jaw tightened slightly. "But I don't see the point in making it more complicated than necessary."

"Of course you don't." She said sarcastically.

He ignored her sarcasm. "I need a wife for twelve months, and I believe we can come to an arrangement that benefits both of us." He spoke with the calm confidence of someone discussing a business acquisition.

Lauren narrowed her eyes. "And why exactly did you choose me?"

"Because I've looked into you." Ryan folded his hands on the table, watching her reaction.

Her fingers stopped moving around the handle of her coffee cup. "You've done what?"

"A background check." He said it so casually that Lauren wondered whether he understood how disturbing it sounded. "I know about your financial situation, your outstanding debts and the problems you've been having finding employment."

For a moment, she couldn't speak. Her face grew warm as embarrassment quickly turned into anger. She glanced around the bistro, suddenly uncomfortable with the thought that the people at the next table might have heard him.