Chapter 8

“Marry me.”

Alexander said it so calmly that Sophia wondered if she had misunderstood him.

She stared at him from the hospital bed, her eyebrows slowly drawing together. For several seconds, she said nothing. Then a short, disbelieving laugh escaped her.

“Have you finally lost your mind, Mr. Wolfe?” Sophia asked, shaking her head as she looked at him.

Alexander remained seated in the chair beside her bed, his expression completely serious.

Sophia laughed again and leaned back against her pillow. “You must be delusional if you think I'm going to marry a man I barely know, especially after everything I've just been through.”

Alexander rested one arm against the side of the chair and watched her without reacting to the insult.

Sophia folded her arms across her chest and gave him a skeptical look. “You saved my life, Mr. Wolfe. I appreciate that. But that doesn't mean you have any right to do whatever you feel like.”

Alexander opened the folder and removed several documents. He placed them neatly on the table before looking back at her. “I know what you're capable of.”

Sophia glanced at the papers but didn't reach for them. “You know what I'm capable of?” She repeated with a scoff.

“I know your work,” Alexander replied, resting his fingers against the edge of the folder.

Sophia's expression changed slightly.

“I've reviewed Carter Group's expansion plans, acquisition proposals, investment strategies, and financial models for years,” Alexander continued, picking up one of the documents. “Some were good. Some were excellent.”

He placed the document on the table. “But the best ones weren't Damien Carter's.”

Sophia went still.

Alexander watched her reaction before continuing. “They were yours.”

Sophia stared at him.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Alexander picked up another document and held it out. “I found these among the papers scattered at the accident scene.”

Sophia reluctantly took it from him.

The moment she saw the page, she recognized it. Her eyes moved over the figures, calculations, and handwritten corrections she had made herself.

“You read my documents?” she asked, her fingers tightening around the paper.

Alexander nodded once. “I did.”

Sophia lowered the document to her lap. “You had no right to read them.”

“I know,” he said, leaning back in his chair.

Sophia looked at him suspiciously.

“I've seen similar work in Carter Group's proposals,” Alexander explained, tapping the document lightly. “The structure, the projections, even some of the revisions were familiar.”

He paused before adding, “I wanted to know if the woman who created them was the same woman I had just found lying in the middle of the road.”

Sophia looked away.

She didn't like how easily he had connected the pieces.

Alexander closed the folder. “I was right.”

Sophia looked back at him. “And that is supposed to explain why you're asking me to marry you?”

“No,” Alexander replied, shaking his head. “It explains why I chose you.” Alexander reached for another document and placed it in front of her.

Sophia looked down.

“This is a two-year marriage contract,” he said, resting his hand beside the folder.

She stared at him, then she looked at the contract, then back at him. She shook her head and leaned back against the pillow. “This is absurd.”

“It can be when both people understand what they're getting from it.”

Sophia glanced at the contract again.

Alexander pointed toward it. “Two years. We present ourselves as husband and wife publicly. We attend important events together. We live together so the arrangement remains believable.”

Sophia's eyes widened slightly. “You expect us to live together?” She rubbed her forehead and muttered, “Things keep getting worse.”

Alexander ignored the comment. “There will be no expectation of love,” he continued, keeping his voice even. “No interference in each other's private decisions. No control over your finances. No control over your career.”

Sophia slowly lowered her hand. “And after two years?”

“We divorce quietly.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You really have a talent for irritating people.” She stared at him for another moment before looking down at the contract. “And what exactly do you get from this?” she asked, running her thumb along the edge of the paper.

Alexander held her gaze. “Carter Group became the nation's number one enterprise because of strategies you created. Damien Carter simply stood in front of the cameras and accepted the credit.”

He paused.

“I want you to do it again. But this time, your work will build an empire that belongs to you as much as it belongs to me.”

Sophia slowly shook her head. “You want me to destroy Damien's position.”

“I want Wolfe Global to surpass Carter Group.”

His voice remained calm. “You know his company. You know his weaknesses. You know the strategies that made him successful because you created many of them. I want you to take that knowledge and use it to build something greater.”

Sophia stared at him, unable to respond immediately.

Alexander continued. “I need a wife before the next shareholders’ meeting. My board is preparing to pressure me into marrying into one of the families that wants influence over Wolfe Global. If I marry someone of my own choosing, that pressure ends.”

Sophia stared at him. “And you chose me?”

His gaze settled on her. “I need a wife I can trust not to use the marriage to gain control of Wolfe Global. And I need someone capable enough to stand beside me when my competitors come for us.”

Sophia looked down again.

Alexander picked up another document. “There is something else.”

He slid it toward her, and Sophia took it reluctantly and began reading. She looked up. “This is a position offer.”

Alexander nodded. “Chief Strategy Officer at Wolfe Global.”

Sophia stared at him. “You're offering me this?”

“Yes.”

She looked back down at the document, and the salary caught her attention first, then the responsibilities, and the authority.

Her fingers tightened around the paper.

Alexander watched her carefully. “You won't work under my name,” he said, resting his hand on the arm of the chair. “You won't create strategies that someone else presents as their own.”

Sophia swallowed.

“Your name will be on your work,” he continued, his voice firm.

She slowly raised her eyes. “You're offering me this because of the marriage?”

“No.”

Alexander shook his head. “The marriage is an arrangement. The position is because you're qualified.”

Sophia stared at him.

That answer affected her more than she wanted to admit.

For five years, she had worked behind Damien.

She had watched him present her ideas, accept praise for her strategies, and stand in front of cameras as though he had built everything himself.

Now Alexander Wolfe was offering her a position because he believed she deserved it.

“You'll have your own salary, your own accounts, and your own authority,” Alexander added, placing his hands together. “Nothing you earn will belong to me.”

Sophia looked back at the contract.

Alexander leaned forward slightly. “You'll also have protection from Carter Group.”

Her eyes lifted.

“They've already sent people to your hospital bed with a confidentiality agreement,” he continued, his expression hardening. “If you become my wife, any attempt to threaten or intimidate you will become a problem between Carter Group and Wolfe Global.”

Sophia's lips pressed together.

Alexander studied her for a moment before speaking again. “You won't have to sit quietly while Damien Carter decides what you can and cannot say.”

Silence settled between them.

Sophia looked down at the documents spread across her lap.

Alexander stood and adjusted his jacket. “I don't need your answer today,” he said, picking up the folder from the table.

Sophia watched him.

“Read everything,” he continued, sliding the contract closer to her. “Take it to a lawyer. Change anything you don't agree with.”

He turned toward the door.