Chapter 2 — A Dangerous Offer

Elena didn’t sleep that night.

The guest bedroom at the Vale Residence was larger than her entire old apartment, wrapped in soft gray tones and silence so deep it felt unreal. Rain tapped gently against the tall windows, but even that sound couldn’t drown out the storm inside her chest.

She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying the night again and again—Victor’s words, the message on his phone, the way her life had cracked open in seconds.

And then there was Sebastian Vale.

She had known his name for years, seen him on magazine covers and business headlines, always distant, always untouchable. Yet tonight, he had looked at her as if she were… real. Not a burden. Not a liability.

A soft knock sounded at the door just as dawn began to tint the sky.

Elena sat up. “Yes?”

The door opened slightly. A housekeeper smiled politely. “Mr. Vale asked me to tell you breakfast is ready. No pressure.”

Elena hesitated, then nodded. “Thank you.”

She changed into the simple clothes left for her—soft, expensive, unmistakably not hers—and followed the quiet hallway to the dining room.

Sebastian was already there.

He stood by the window, sleeves rolled up, coffee untouched beside him. Morning light sharpened his features—strong jaw, composed expression, eyes that seemed to miss nothing.

“Good morning,” he said.

She swallowed. “I hope I didn’t cause trouble by staying.”

“You didn’t,” he replied. “I invited you.”

They sat across from each other. The table was set perfectly, yet the air between them felt charged.

“You can leave whenever you want,” Sebastian continued. “A car will take you anywhere.”

Elena nodded. “I appreciate that.”

Silence stretched.

Finally, she broke it. “Why did you help me?”

Sebastian stirred his coffee slowly. “Because I don’t like waste.”

She frowned. “Waste?”

“Talent. Integrity. Strength,” he said evenly. “Victor Reynolds wasted all three.”

Her fingers tightened around her cup. “You barely know me.”

“I know enough,” he replied. “You walked away from power rather than compromise yourself. Most people don’t.”

That landed deeper than she expected.

He leaned back slightly. “Tell me about Hart Industries.”

Her chest tightened. “My father built it. Medical supply logistics. After he died, debts surfaced. Victor helped… or so I thought.”

“Reynolds Capital doesn’t help,” Sebastian said. “It controls.”

Elena met his gaze. “He owns forty percent.”

Sebastian’s eyes darkened. “I know.”

Her heart skipped. “You… know?”

“I’ve been watching that company for months,” he said calmly. “Your father was a visionary. The business is salvageable. Profitable, even.”

Hope flickered—dangerous, fragile.

“And Victor?” she asked.

“He plans to force you out,” Sebastian said. “Tonight’s humiliation was not an accident.”

The words felt like a slap.

“I trusted him,” she whispered.

Sebastian’s voice softened, just slightly. “Trust is expensive. Especially for people like us.”

She looked up sharply. “People like us?”

“Those with something to lose.”

He stood, walking toward the window again. “Elena, I don’t believe in coincidence. You didn’t end up in my car by chance.”

Her pulse quickened. “What are you saying?”

He turned to face her fully now.

“I’m offering you a solution.”

The room seemed to shrink.

“What kind of solution?” she asked carefully.

“A partnership,” Sebastian said. “Public. Strategic.”

Her stomach dropped. “You mean business.”

“And more.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

“You want me to pretend to be with you,” she said slowly. “After what just happened?”

“I want you to marry me.”

The words hit her like thunder.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” he replied. “A contractual marriage. One year.”

She laughed weakly. “This is insane.”

“Listen,” he said, unfazed. “Victor Reynolds is preparing to announce his engagement to another woman. If that happens, your position collapses. Investors will flee. Your company will die.”

She clenched her fists. “And marrying you fixes that?”

“Immediately,” Sebastian said. “Vale International backing Hart Industries changes everything. Victor loses leverage. You gain protection.”

“And you?” she asked. “What do you gain?”

His gaze held hers, sharp and unyielding. “Stability. Influence. And silence.”

Her breath caught. “Silence?”

“I need a wife,” he said bluntly. “Someone intelligent. Uncomplicated. Someone the world won’t question.”

She stood abruptly. “I won’t be bought.”

Sebastian didn’t move. “You won’t be owned either.”

She stared at him, heart pounding. “You don’t even know if you like me.”

“I don’t need to,” he replied. “This is not about romance.”

Her chest tightened painfully. Of course it isn’t.

“And after a year?” she asked.

“We divorce,” he said. “Quietly. Generously. You walk away with your company intact and enough resources to start over anywhere.”

She shook her head. “You make it sound easy.”

“It won’t be,” he admitted. “The world will watch. Victor will fight back. And you’ll have to stand beside me.”

She thought of Victor’s smirk. The way he’d said she was nothing without him.

She thought of her father. His belief in her.

She looked at Sebastian Vale—dangerous, controlled, offering a lifeline wrapped in steel.

“If I say yes,” she said quietly, “what happens tonight?”

Sebastian’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

“Tonight,” he said, “you walk into that world again—on my arm.”

Her heart raced.

“And Victor?” she asked.

Sebastian’s eyes hardened.

“Victor will learn what it means,” he said coldly, “to lose.”

Elena closed her eyes.

Then, slowly, she nodded.

“I’ll do it,” she said. “On one condition.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Name it.”

“No lies between us,” she said. “Not ever.”

He considered her for a long moment.

“Agreed,” he said.

As their hands met across the table, sealing a deal that would change both their lives, Elena didn’t realize one terrifying truth—

She wasn’t just risking her future.

She was stepping directly into the heart of a man who didn’t know how to love…

yet.