THE PROPOSAL

Lewis found Anna in a sitting position when he re-entered her room. "You should lie back and rest, doctor's orders." Without a word, she slipped back under the sheet.

"I apologize for the embarrassment."

"It's not really embarrassing. It's typical of mothers. I doubt my mom would have acted differently under the same circumstances."

"Is there someone you'd like me to call? Is there a friend who could possibly bring you a change of clothes?"

She opened her eyes briefly, nodded in the negative, and shut them again. If Lewis was shocked by this, he didn't show it. It only served to further fuel his determination to help her.

While Anna slept, Lewis paced at the window, his mind considering several options like a chess player analyzing his next moves.

He prided himself on his sharp mind and problem-solving skills, seeing patterns others missed. He had to come up with a reasonable solution to the situation before him now.

He began to play the scenes in his mind: from the feeling she stirred in him that night he kissed her, to the fierceness in her eyes when she had accused him of stealing her work, to his mother's suspicions about her being pregnant by him and the conditional clause that he had to get married to take the helm of affairs at his father's hospital, back to Annabelle's mounting medical bills.

He stopped in his tracks as the solution became evident. He'd solved the problem with the same concentration skill that made him a billionaire before thirty.

A simple arrangement that would solve both their problems. His lips curved slightly. She would have the money she needed, and he would reclaim his father's hospital from Margaret.

He smiled to himself at the thought of what his mother's reaction to the news would be. He half-expected her to disapprove, but it wouldn't matter. The more he toyed with the idea in his mind, the more he liked it.

He didn't know if she would agree, though. But given her situation, there was a ninety percent chance she'd take the offer.

Anna's phone rang, and Lewis swore. Who the hell was calling her now of all times? He strode to the bedside table to turn off the phone, but it was too late. She was already awake and picked it up.

She listened briefly to the person on the other end, apologized for not being available, and promised to be there the following day. She then ended the call.

From the part of the conversation he heard, Lewis knew the call was most likely from her mother's hospital, but he asked to confirm.

"Who was that?"

"An acquaintance," she said and opened her tablet.

Lewis mulled over her response. She didn't want him to know, but he already did.

"You're supposed to be resting." He pointed at the tablet. "You should put that away."

"I've slept enough for a day," she tapped on her tablet with a stylus. "I need to get back to work."

He walked over and grabbed the tablet from her. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe I am."

"You fainted, for crying out loud!" His voice rose in anger.

"But I'm alive now."

She wanted to scream, 'Maybe it would have been better if I died. If we all died.'

Aloud, she said, "I'm alive and I have to work, to fight for my mother." She looked up, eyes blazing, her anger matching his.

"Okay." He sat on the edge of her bed, close enough that she could see flecks of silver in his gray eyes. "I didn't know you were hurting that badly."

"That badly?"

"I know about your situation, Annabelle." His voice softened. "The accident and your mother's medical bills. Though looking at you, no one would know. You did a pretty good job pretending as if everything is fine."

"You know? How?"

"Stefan told me. I'm Lewis Cole." He emphasized his surname.

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, wondering how she missed the obvious connection.

"I wanted to introduce myself when we met outside the cafe, but you were too—"

"Too indignant," she completed.

He smiled at her honest admission. "Yes. And I was about to call when you walked into my office with an accusation. So I thought the timing wasn't right either."

He moved closer, and Anna caught that familiar scent of musky cologne and coffee. "I've thought about a way to help you."

She looked at him. "What way?"

"I have an idea," he said, a trace of anxiety in his voice. Inwardly, he cursed himself for that feeling. Even when he faced investors, he never felt this anxious. He suddenly realized he didn't want her to say no.

"I was going to wait until you're stable before I say this, but I figured this is the best place to tell you. In case you faint, we're surrounded by doctors." He smiled, and she laughed at the joke.

"I don't make a habit of fainting every other day, you know."

"Well, the thing is..." He paused, thinking how best to present the idea. "When my mom came earlier, I was pissed off. But actually, her reaction gave me an idea. A solution to both our problems."

"And that solution is?"

"Marry me."

The words hung in the air like two inflated balloons.

"What?" Anna asked, open-mouthed.

"Hear me out." Lewis held up his hand. "It will be a contract marriage. I'll take care of your mother's medical bills and provide for your upkeep. In return, you'll help convince my mother we're happily married."

Anna's mind went blank, as if strong waves crashed against it. "You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious," he said, and he looked it.

She closed her eyes, trying to think past the pounding in her head and the image of her mother in the hospital. "This is insane... It's unreasonable... totally..." She was at a loss for words to describe what she felt.

"Is it?" His voice softened. "More insane than watching the person you love slip away when there's a practical solution?"

She opened her eyes to find him watching her with an intensity that unnerved her. "I don't know you."

"But you know Stefan. And he wouldn't have referred you to me if I weren't trustworthy." He stood, straightening his cuffs.

"But it's different from what I expected. I wanted a loan, not marriage."

He smiled. "Nothing goes for nothing. What you need is money, and I'm offering it to you with terms."

"The only terms I'm prepared to agree to involve repayment."

Yeah, he thought. That was my plan too, until I realized it was you.

"It's a simple term, though. A business arrangement with mutual benefit."

Anna stared at him, her head continuing to spin. She couldn't wrap her mind around the shocking proposal.

Lewis sensed her overwhelming emotions. "I know it's a lot to take in," he said gently. "You don't have to give me an answer now. Sleep on it. We can discuss tomorrow, or whenever you feel up to it." He walked to the door. "Have a good night's rest."

With that, he was gone. Anna was left alone with the bombshell he had just dropped and her inability to process it. She sank back against the pillows, her mind whirling with various possible scenarios.

What would life be like if she married him? What would people say about their sudden engagement and class difference? In fact, everything about them was different. They were from two completely different worlds.

A marriage of convenience. It went against her beliefs about love and companionship. And yet...

Could she really go through with this? Tying herself to a man she barely knew, even if it was just on paper?

She remembered how he calmly handled the copyright infringement. If that was any indication of his personality, he seemed to be a good person.

She quickly snapped out of it. This wasn't the time to decide based on fleeting emotions. Yes, he was rich and handsome, but that was all she knew about him.

What if he was only pretending and would start abusing her after their marriage? What if he changed his mind? What if he demanded more than she could give? What if...

She ran both hands through her hair in frustration. She had always been sure of the life she wanted. To her, things were usually in black and white, so it was easy to decide. But it was difficult this time around.

Even though Lewis's offer was the only option she had now, she forced herself to believe that there would be an alternative. Her mother's jewelry, her father's art collection, and anything else apart from the house that could fetch money.

As she struggled with the most important decision in her life, deep down, in a place she didn't dare acknowledge, a small, traitorous voice in her heart whispered that maybe, just maybe, Lewis Cole could be the answer to her prayers. It might not be the life she had always envisioned, but it could possibly be the door to a new beginning.