“We should petition to have one made.”
Her lips tilt into something that’s almost a smile. When the server approaches with Maura’s drink, we both stay silent until he’s out of earshot.
“I keep trying to come up with a way to tell Brinley. But I can’t think of a version of that conversation where she doesn’t tell me this is a terrible idea. I mean, itisa terrible idea.”
My stomach twists. Part of me wondered whether Maura wanted this contract or if she just wanted to please her father. This is the entire reason I requested this meeting, much toVictor’s annoyance. I need to know if she’s chosen this or if it was chosen for her.
The tabloids and gossip blogs already call me ‘the villain’, but I’m not a total monster. This contract isn’t just for a marriage. It requires me to put a baby in this woman within a year of taking our vows or the deal that will get me 50 percent of her father’s company is out the window.
Either she convinces me this is what she wants, or I walk out of here the same way I came in: the owner of the largest streaming service in this country, disgustingly wealthy, and terminally single.
Not a bad life.
But it could be better.Bigger.
If she says yes.
I meet her eyes. They’re lighter than I thought at first—like tea with a splash of milk. “If you think it’s a terrible idea, we can end this arrangement now. No questions asked.”
Her lips part. “But—why? Am I really that different from what you expected?”
My brow furrows. “No.”
“There must be something about me,” she presses. “Something that made you change your mind. What is it?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing objectionable about you.”
She’s misunderstanding me. I lean forward, resting my forearms on the table. “In fact, you’re altogether different from what I thought you’d be, but not in a bad way whatsoever.”
It’s not just her beauty, which is a perk I didn’t think I’d get, but her bearing. She’s full of contradictions. Blunt questions, asked in a melodic voice that speaks of diction classes. Tailored designer clothing and paint-stained hands. She’s chaos wrapped in elegance—something adjacent to the icy society princess I expected.
It makes me wary.
As a rule, I avoid unpredictable elements—I don’t need people around me who throw wrenches in my plans. But something about her intrigues me. For once, I don’t want to cut a meeting short, which might be a good sign. If we get married, we’ll have to spend years together. My wifeshouldbe someone I can spend more than five minutes with in a café.
Maura leans forward, mimicking my position as she fixes me with a determined gaze. “This isn’t a love match, Keller. If you’re not attracted to me, or if you think we wouldn’t fit for some reason, I’d rather just know instead of having to guess.”
“Iambeing frank. I have no objections.”
She blinks at me, her confusion transforming into understanding. “You’re worried about me. You thought my father pressured me into this.”
“Didn’t he?”
“No. I chose this. It’s what I want.”
“Not many women would choose to give up romance.”
“Trust me. I’m not the least bit interested in romance, let alone a traditional marriage. I never have been. I deliberatelychoseto be alone, even before Victor cooked up this marriage merger.”
I twist my coffee cup in my hand as I consider. I have no doubt other men pursued her. If she’s single, I do believe it’s because she chose it. Still, she might only be marrying me to appease her father. She might tire of the arrangement in a few months, once she realizes I’m not a kind or thoughtful man—or worse, after she’s already pregnant with my child.
Maura sighs loudly, like she can already tell what I’m thinking. “I want this,” she says bluntly. “It might have been my father’s idea, but it fits my needs.”
“Which are?”
“A baby. Financial security. Freedom from my father.” She ticks off each point on her fingers. “My father is a controlling bastard, and I’m tired of living under his thumb. “
My jaw clenches. The words “controlling bastard” have been used to describe me, too. Maura would just be trading one villain for another.
