The Deal Read Online Novels & Stories

The details that made the accurate quote accurate. Reed Capital's largest acquisition to date had closed in November three years ago. This was public record — press releases, regulatory filings, coverage in the financial press. The deal had been in progress for fourteen months. The final weeks had been, by all accounts, the most demanding: competing bids, restructured terms, a forty-eight-hour window in which the deal had nearly collapsed and Alexander had, according to a Financial Times piece from the time, personally held the negotiation together through two nights without sleep.

What people listened to before now fades, moment by moment. What remained behind was just the need to even the score. There I was, parked at the desk, lid up, light spilling across my face from the machine. That file waited - my last move - the signed copy of our deal, crisp scan, each line sharp enough to cut. Twelve months spelled out clear, not a word blurred, names inked at the bottom like receipts. Passages stood out now, bolded by me earlier: time limit stamped upfront, money terms laid bare, romance left off the table completely, an escape hatch built right into month twelve. The whole thing ready, just sitting there, quiet on the screen.

I wondered what happened now for him to delay the deal this much… Just then, the phone in my office started ringing, and I picked it up. “Alpha Kayla!” I said in greeting. “Hello Alpha. This is Alpha Devin.” “I was waiting for your response. Shall we seal the deal then?” “Well, about that…” he said hesitantly. Hearing his tone, I knew that I was not going to like what he had to say. “What?” “We wouldn’t be doing that deal, Alpha.” “What? Why?!”

“Make a deal with me, and I’ll be yours as much as you are mine.” *** If you were her, would you trust the man who just “bought” you? 240525, Anne Joyce

“Marriage isn’t a business deal.” Lucas’s mouth curved not a smile, but something colder. More dangerous. “In my world,” he said, “everything is a business deal.” _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Deal with the Devil The contract sat between them, thin sheets of paper that weighed more than a tombstone. Natasha’s heart pounded so violently she thought Lucas might hear it. She forced her eyes down to the first page, where her name, Natasha Marie Raymond was printed in bold black letters. The terms were simple:

"I'm here to make sure this deal is finalized today, by any means necessary." Before he has a chance to speak, I continue. "You seem to think that you're the only one able to finalize this deal. However your life is inconsequential. This deal is not a partnership with the Scorpions and Daniel Price. This deal is with the Scorpions and Seven Seas. Therefore whether you sign or not, this partnership will happen. We were being curteous by doing the transaction in a traditional manner. However, this deal will happen whether you're alive or dead."

My gaze landed on the file labeled ‘CONTRACT’. I raised a brow in confusion, but before I could even ask, Alaric spoke up, answering my unspoken question. “Read it and sign once you’ve gone through it. It outlines the terms of our deal.” Deal? Oh right—the deal. The very reason I had come here in the first place. But why a contract? I met Alaric’s gaze, watching as he took a bite of his apple before casually gesturing for me to read. Swallowing nervously, I obliged and reached out for it, opening the front page of the file and almost instantly, my eyes widened in shock.

"You still got a page full of them." "But- That's no fair!" Nate whined again and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, biting into my cheek to hold a smile and going back to make a neat copy of my notes. "I demand a re-deal." "And what is that?" I hummed not glancing up. "For each problem I got right, you take one cloth off." my heart somersaulted and this time my wide eyes found his immediately. Was he for real? He smirked now having my attention. "Don't worry, I'll undress whenever I get one wrong. Deal?"

The contact was unsaved but I just had a feeling that he was the one. “You should be really careful of the kind of deals that you say yes to.” I frowned, about to swipe away when I realized that there was still another written text which was all the way down and I had to scroll through a lot of blank screens before getting to it. The font was so small and unreadable that I squinted hard before I could see it clearly. “The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know.”

No matter how many times I read the contract, the outcome wouldn’t change. “Good night, Mr. Moretti.” I said, my voice was quieter now. “Good night, Miss Blake.”