Chapter 5: The Offer

She did.

But there was only one question that mattered.

"Why me?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Maeve felt some of her nervousness ease. She lifted her head, met Kieran's gaze, and refused to cower.

Whatever had prompted his proposal, he clearly stood to gain something from marrying her. It couldn't simply be an attempt to honor an engagement no one cared about anymore.

Kieran had remained unmarried for so long that something far more compelling than a family agreement must have changed his mind.

If the arrangement benefited them both, she had no reason to lower herself before him.

Kieran watched as the woman who had been visibly nervous moments ago met his eyes without flinching.

A bold one, he thought.

Good. She would need to be, given what he intended to ask of her.

He leaned forward slightly, holding her gaze.

"Because I'm dying."

Maeve froze.

Her mind refused to process the words. They hung between them, absurd and out of place in the quiet study.

Dying?

Kieran Archer?

The man who had never missed a board meeting, never shown weakness in public, and carried himself with such unwavering composure that he seemed carved from stone?

Her gaze searched his face for any sign that this was a test or some kind of joke.

There was none.

His expression remained composed, his hand resting steadily on the desk. He looked like a man discussing next quarter's budget.

That frightened her more than anything.

"You're..." Her voice came out as a whisper. She swallowed and tried again. "This isn't funny."

"I have no reason to joke about something like this."

No, he didn't. She wasn't even sure he had a funny bone in his body.

Her fingers tightened in her lap until her knuckles whitened. Questions crowded her mind, but she struggled to voice even one.

How long? How bad? Did anyone else know?

Beneath them lurked a more selfish fear, one she was ashamed to acknowledge.

If he's gone, what happens to me?

"How..." She bit the inside of her cheek before forcing herself to continue. "How long do you have left?"

"The doctors estimate a year. Perhaps less."

A year.

Panic coiled around her heart. She couldn't imagine anyone else at the head of this household or what living here would feel like without him. Kieran had always been the reason she could delude herself into believing this was home, and the reason she had fought so hard to hold on to it.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"You don't need to know for now."

His tone made it clear that he wasn't prepared to discuss his condition, so she asked something else.

"Does anyone else know?"

"The family knows I'm ill. They just don't know how bad it is." His gaze remained steady. "You're the only one who knows how little time I have left."

So everyone else knew he was ill, yet she had been kept in the dark.

Having lived among them for five years, the realization stung more than she wanted to admit.

Perhaps she had never truly belonged here after all.

Gradually, the pieces fell into place.

His harsh reprimand of Curtis. The cancelled engagement. The sudden marriage proposal. And now, this confession.

"You're marrying me because..."

"Curtis is far more incompetent than I thought. He's grown too full of himself, and I can no longer trust him to run things in my stead after I'm gone."

Maeve's throat tightened. She wanted to ask what that had to do with her, but Kieran continued before she could speak.

"On the other hand, I've watched you since your internship and throughout the three years you've worked for the company." His expression softened with approval. "Your performance has been exceptional."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"So I'll ask you plainly. What do you think about becoming my successor instead?"

Maeve stared at him.

Did he have any idea how outrageous that sounded?

Never in the history of the Archer Group had anyone outside the Archer bloodline led the company. With a single question, Kieran was proposing to overturn a tradition that had endured for generations.

He couldn't possibly be serious.

"...There's still Lily, isn't there?" she asked.

"I've already asked her. She's only interested in mathematics and has no desire to take over."

The temptation to accept was almost overwhelming, but Maeve forced herself to shake her head.

"It's not possible. I'm not an Archer."

Kieran arched a brow.

"By marriage, you will be. And that's enough."

So he had considered everything.

Now, all she had to do was agree.

Or so it seemed.

Maeve wasn't about to get carried away. She was negotiating with a seasoned businessman, after all. With Kieran, she might be sold and still end up counting the money for him if she failed to exercise due caution.

Straightening in her chair, she met his gaze squarely.

"If I agree, what's the catch?"

Approval deepened in his eyes.

"Of course. I have conditions."

He continued before she could respond.

"First, this will be a marriage in name only. Second, you will neither remarry nor have children after my death. If you violate either condition, you'll forfeit all rights and control over the Archer Group, though you'll receive compensation for your years of service."

Maeve remained silent, allowing him to finish.

"Third, once Curtis or Lily has a child, you will select a suitable successor from among their children and train that person to take over the company."

Maeve narrowed her eyes.

As expected, there was no free lunch in this world, least of all when dealing with a businessman.

Successor was a generous term for what Kieran had in mind. In reality, he wanted someone to hold the fort until the next generation of Archers was old enough to take over.

And what would become of her then?

After years of building her position, she would eventually have to surrender that authority to the very person she had trained to replace her.

What would she have left when that day came?

Financial security, perhaps. But no partner, no children of her own, and no family to call hers.

Maeve sat quietly, weighing the offer.

Would such an ending be worth sacrificing the rest of her life for?