Chapter Three: The Offer

Adrian Kane was not what I expected.

I'd imagined someone older. Harder. A man who wore his power like armor. Instead, I found a man in his early thirties, dressed in a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He stood by the window, hands in his pockets, watching me like I was a puzzle he hadn't decided whether to solve.

The office was sparse. A desk. Two chairs. A bookshelf filled with spines I couldn't read from this distance. No photographs. No personal touches. The room of a man who didn't want to be known.

"Miss Voss," he said. His voice was low, measured. "You're early."

"I didn't have an appointment."

"No. You didn't." He gestured to the chair across from his desk. "Sit."

I didn't sit. I stood in the center of the room, my purse clutched in both hands. I'd rehearsed this moment in the car. I'd planned what I would say. Now, standing in front of him, the words felt inadequate.

"I have information," I said.

Adrian didn't move. "So I gathered."

"About Julian Ashford. About his business dealings. His offshore accounts. His connections."

"Connections to whom?"

"To people who don't like being named."

Adrian studied me. His eyes were dark, unreadable. He didn't blink.

"You're his fiancée," he said. "Or was. The engagement party is today, if I'm not mistaken."

"It was today. I left."

"Why?"

I held his gaze. "Because I found out he's been sleeping with my stepsister. And that they're planning to steal my mother's trust fund. And that he's not the man I thought he was."

Adrian's expression didn't change. "That's a lot of reasons."

"I have a lot of reasons."

He moved away from the window. He walked to his desk but didn't sit. Instead, he leaned against the edge, arms crossed, watching me.

"What do you want, Miss Voss?"

"I want a contract marriage."

The words hung in the air. Adrian didn't laugh. He didn't look surprised. He just waited.

"I have information that can destroy Julian," I continued. "But I need resources. Protection. A name that carries weight. You have all three."

"And what do I get?"

"Everything I know. Every account number. Every shell company. Every illegal deal he's ever made. I'll give you all of it."

Adrian tilted his head. "You're offering me information I could find myself."

"Not this information. Not this fast."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "How do you know these things?"

I had prepared for this question. I'd rehearsed three different answers. None of them were the truth.

"I paid attention," I said. "Julian talks in his sleep. He leaves documents on his desk. He thinks I'm stupid."

"You're not stupid."

"No. I'm not."

Adrian pushed off from the desk. He walked toward me, slow, deliberate. He stopped a few feet away.

"You're asking me to marry a stranger. To tie my name to yours. To involve myself in a war with the Ashford family. That's not a small ask."

"I know."

"What do you get out of it? Besides revenge."

I considered the question. I could lie. I could tell him I wanted justice, closure, peace. But he'd see through it. Men like Adrian Kane didn't survive by believing pretty lies.

"I want to take everything from him," I said. "I want him to lose what I lost. I want him to watch it happen and know it was me."

Adrian didn't flinch. If anything, something in his expression shifted—not approval, exactly. Recognition.

"That's honest," he said.

"I don't have time for anything else."

He was quiet for a long moment. Then he walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a phone. He typed something. Waited. Typed again.

"I'm going to make some calls," he said. "If we do this, it happens fast. Today. Tomorrow at the latest. There's no room for second thoughts."

"I don't have second thoughts."

"We'll see."

He looked at me. Really looked. His gaze was steady, assessing. I forced myself to hold it.

"One more thing," he said.

"What?"

"When you say you want to take everything from him—what does that mean? His money? His reputation? His life?"

I didn't hesitate. "All of it."

Adrian nodded slowly. He didn't smile. But something in his eyes changed. Something almost like respect.

"Wait here," he said. "I need to make a call."

He left the room. I stood alone in his office, surrounded by the quiet hum of the building. I looked at the bookshelf. The titles were business, law, history. Nothing personal. Nothing that told me who he was.

I wondered if anyone knew who he was.

I wondered if he did.

My phone was still off. I didn't turn it on. I didn't want to see Julian's messages. Not yet.

Adrian returned ten minutes later. His expression was unreadable.

"My legal team is preparing the paperwork," he said. "We'll need to sign today. Tomorrow at the latest. Are you available?"

"I'm available."

He nodded. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

The question caught me off guard. I hadn't thought that far ahead.

"I'll figure something out."

"You'll stay here. There's a guest suite. It's not luxurious, but it's secure."

I opened my mouth to refuse. Then I closed it. I had no money of my own—not yet. No place to go that Julian wouldn't find me. No one to call.

"Okay," I said.

"Good." Adrian walked to his desk and sat down. He pulled a folder from a drawer and opened it. "We'll need to discuss terms. Details. What you'll share and when. What I'll provide. How the marriage will function publicly."

I sat across from him. My legs felt unsteady. I hadn't realized how tired I was.

"The marriage will be a performance," I said. "Separate bedrooms. Public appearances only when necessary."

Adrian looked up. "That's what you want?"

"That's what I need."

He held my gaze for a moment. Then he nodded. "Fine. We'll discuss specifics later. For now, rest. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I haven't."

"Then sleep. I'll have someone bring you food. We start tomorrow."

I stood. I walked to the door. I paused with my hand on the handle.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked. "You don't know me. You don't owe me anything."

Adrian didn't answer immediately. When he did, his voice was quiet.

"The Ashford family destroyed my father. I've been waiting fifteen years for an opportunity like this."

I turned. I looked at him—really looked. For the first time, I saw something beneath the surface. Something cold and patient and dangerous.

"You're using me," I said.

"I'm partnering with you," he corrected. "There's a difference."

"Is there?"

He didn't answer. He just watched me. And for a moment—just a moment—something passed across his face. Something that looked almost like guilt. Then it was gone.

I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. The elevator was waiting. I got in and pressed the button for the guest floor.

As the doors closed, I thought about what I'd just done. I'd walked into a stranger's office and asked him to marry me. I'd offered him information I shouldn't have. I'd tied my future to a man I didn't know.

The elevator rose.

I didn't look back.