chapter 2: The Man Behind the offer

Maya Reed had been staring at the marriage agreement for so long that the words had begun to blur.

She blinked and forced herself to look at the page again.

PRIVATE MARRIAGE AGREEMENT

One year.

That was all Julian Voss wanted from her. Twelve months of marriage in exchange for the money Danny needed for his surgery.

Her phone lay beside the contract, the hospital estimate still open on the screen.

$180,000.

The number made her stomach tighten every time she saw it.

For three months, she had chased every possible source of help. She had called charities until she could recite their rejection scripts from memory, borrowed what she could from friends, taken extra shifts, and sold almost everything she owned that had any value. She had even reached out to people she hadn't spoken to in years, swallowing her pride because Danny's life mattered more than her dignity.

The answer had always been some variation of the same two words.

I'm sorry.

Then Julian Voss had appeared with an offer large enough to solve the problem overnight.

There was only one catch.

She would have to marry him.

Maya pushed the contract away. "I can't do this."

Julian didn't move.

He sat across from her in one of the private lounges at Voss Tower, his posture relaxed, one hand resting on the arm of his chair. His black suit was perfectly fitted, but it wasn't his clothes that made him intimidating. It was the way he seemed completely comfortable with silence, as if he never felt the need to fill it simply because someone else found it uncomfortable.

"You said that five minutes ago," he said.

"And I meant it."

"I know."

His calmness irritated her more than anger would have.

Maya folded her arms. "Then why are we still sitting here?"

"Because your brother needs surgery."

The words struck exactly where he knew they would.

She looked away.

Julian continued, his voice steady. "And because you don't have $180,000."

Maya's jaw tightened. "You did your research."

"I do my research on everyone."

"Especially the daughter of the man your family accused of stealing millions."

Something shifted in his expression. It was subtle—a tightening around his eyes, a slight change in the set of his jaw—but Maya had spent the last several minutes studying him closely enough to notice.

"My family accused your father," he said. "I didn't."

"You're a Voss."

"And?"

"That should be enough."

"It isn't."

Maya looked back at him.

Julian leaned forward, resting his forearms against his thighs.

"The man who supposedly stole from Voss Holdings left behind evidence."

Her brows drew together. "What evidence?"

"You said my father stole from your company."

"That's what the official records say."

"And what do you believe?"

Julian held her gaze.

"I believe your father was framed."

For several seconds, Maya couldn't respond.

The air-conditioning hummed overhead. Somewhere outside the lounge, footsteps passed along the corridor, followed by the faint sound of an elevator opening and closing.

Ordinary sounds. They felt strangely out of place.

Her father had been called a thief for years.

His name had appeared in newspapers. Their bank accounts had been frozen. Friends had stopped calling. Relatives who once filled their home had gradually disappeared.

And through all of it, her father had never defended himself the way she expected him to.

Whenever she asked him what really happened, he had given her the same answer.

I didn't do it.

Maya had wanted to believe him.

But wanting something to be true didn't make it true.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked.

"Because I need something from you."

A humorless laugh escaped her. "Of course you do."

Julian opened the folder beside him and took out a photograph. He placed it on the table and pushed it toward her.

Maya stared at it before picking it up.

Her father stood outside a building she didn't recognize. He looked younger, though not by much. Beside him was an older man wearing a gray coat.

"When was this taken?"

"Seven years ago."

Maya studied the older man. "Who's he?"

"I don't know."

She looked at Julian sharply. "You don't know?"

"Not yet."

She turned the photograph over.

Three words were written across the back in black ink.

ASK YOUR DAUGHTER.

Her fingers tightened around the photograph.

"What does that mean?"

"That's what I want you to find out."

Maya slowly raised her eyes. "You expect me to investigate my father's past?"

"I expect you to help me uncover the truth."

"Why?"

Julian's expression became unreadable.

"Because if your father was framed, the people responsible are still out there."

"And you think I can find them?"

"I think they may come looking for you."

A faint uneasiness settled beneath Maya's ribs. She lowered the photograph.

"Is that a threat?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"A warning."

She studied him, searching for something he wasn't saying.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city was slipping into evening. Headlights moved along the streets below while office lights came on across the surrounding buildings.

Maya thought about Danny.

Her little brother was lying in a hospital bed waiting for an operation their family couldn't afford.

Then she looked at the contract again.

One year.

One year married to Julian Voss.

One year living beside the man whose family had become her family's greatest enemy.

She swallowed.

"You'll pay for Danny's surgery immediately?"

"Tonight."

"Not after the wedding?"

"Tonight."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because I don't want your brother's life hanging over your head while you make this decision."

That wasn't the answer she'd expected.

Julian stood and buttoned his jacket.

Maya watched him cross toward the window.

"You have until midnight," he said.

"Until midnight for what?"

"To decide."

"And if I say no?"

"I'll walk away."

Maya's chest tightened.

He sounded as though he meant it.

There was no pleading in his voice. No attempt to pressure her. He had given her a choice, and somehow that made the decision harder.

Julian picked up his coat from the back of the chair.

"One more thing."

Maya watched him slip one arm into the sleeve. "What?"

"If you agree, our marriage remains private."

"Why?"

"Because the world can't know."

"Because of your reputation?"

"No."

Julian paused with his other hand on the coat's collar and looked directly at her.

"Because someone is watching this family."

Maya opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen. Whatever he saw there wiped the last trace of ease from his face.

"Speak."

A man's voice came through the phone, too low for Maya to make out. Julian turned slightly toward the window, listening.

"Someone tried to get into the unit," he said, more to himself than to the caller.

His eyes narrowed.

"Did they get in?"

He listened.

"Good. Keep the watch on it. Don't approach them."

He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.

Maya was already on her feet. "What happened?"

"Someone just tried to break into your father's old storage unit."

She stared at him. "My father had a storage unit?"

"Had." Julian's expression remained unreadable. "I had it cleared out four days ago."

The words took a moment to settle.

"Four days ago?" Maya repeated. "You've known about this for four days?"

"Yes."

"And you're only telling me now?"

"I was going to wait until after tonight."

Her disbelief sharpened into anger. "Wait for what? Until I'd already signed?"

Julian didn't look away. "Until I knew whether what was inside was worth telling you about."

Maya's jaw tightened. "And is it?"

Instead of answering, Julian reached into his coat and pulled out a small envelope.

Maya recognized the handwriting before he even extended it toward her.

Her father's.

Her breath caught.

"That's why I moved everything out before anyone else could get to it," Julian said. "Whoever just tried to enter that unit was looking for this. It's the only thing I left behind."

Maya stared at the envelope.

"How long has it been sitting in your coat?"

"Since I picked you up tonight."

Her eyes snapped to his. "You were carrying my father's letter around all evening?"

"I was going to give it to you when I knew you were safe enough to read it."

She gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "And how exactly am I supposed to know you're telling me the truth?"

"You don't."

There was no defensiveness in his answer. No attempt to win her trust. Just a blunt acknowledgment that she had every reason not to believe him.

Maya finally reached for the envelope.

The paper felt slightly rough beneath her fingertips. Her hand trembled as she turned it over.

There was no stamp. No date.

Only her name.

Maya.

She swallowed and traced the edge of the envelope with her thumb.

Then she noticed the writing underneath.

Her father's handwriting was unmistakable.

Do not trust Julian Voss.

Maya stopped breathing for a second.

She slowly raised her eyes.

Julian stood several feet away, watching her. She searched his face for anger, surprise, anything that might explain the message.

Instead, she noticed something else.

Fear.

Not the fear of a man who had just been accused. Julian's attention had shifted toward the doors and windows, taking in the room as if he were calculating every possible way someone could reach them.

"Don't open it here," he said.

Maya closed her fingers around the envelope. "Why?"

His voice dropped.

"Because someone just tried to break into a unit that's been empty for four days. That means they know the contents are gone."

He looked toward the windows.

"And if they know the contents are gone, they may already know who has them."

The lights went out.

Maya gasped.

Darkness swallowed the room.

For one disorienting second, she heard nothing but the faint hum of the building dying around them. Then the emergency lights flickered on, bathing the lounge in a dim red glow.

Julian was already moving.

"Maya, down."

She barely had time to react before he reached her, caught her wrist, and pulled her toward the floor.

A sharp crack came from the direction of the windows.

The glass behind them shattered.

Maya screamed as fragments sprayed across the room.

Julian threw himself over her, shielding her with his body.

For a stunned moment, she couldn't move. His arm was braced across her back, his weight keeping her against the floor. She could feel the rapid movement of his breathing and the heat of him through his shirt.

Then another crack split the room.

Maya flinched.

Julian lowered his mouth close to her ear.

"Now you know why I needed you to say yes."