3 : A Proposal As A Pretext Access

Julian leaned back, the amber liquid in his glass catching the dim light. He wasn't looking at the merger papers. He was looking at the way Elena’s jaw tightened when she was bluffing.

"Three years, Julian," she said, tapping a silver pen against a thick legal folder. "That’s how long the merger has been stalled. Your board wants blood, and my family wants your territory. We are past the point of handshakes." 3 : A Proposal as a Pretext

"It’s a pretext," he corrected, his voice dropping an octave. "The board won't block a merger between husband and wife. It creates a single legal entity that’s untouchable. We sign a pre-nup tonight that dissolves the marriage in twenty-four months, once the acquisition is finalized. You get your family’s legacy back, and I get the seat at the head of the table." Julian leaned back, the amber liquid in his

"To the pretext," he replied, already wondering how he would convince her to stay when the twenty-four months were up. "Three years, Julian," she said, tapping a silver

"I have a solution," he said smoothly. "One that bypasses the regulatory hurdles and the internal sabotage."

Elena took it. Her hand was cold, but as his fingers closed around hers, a spark of something that wasn't business flickered in her eyes. She put the ring on, the weight of it anchoring her to a lie they both desperately wanted to believe. "To the merger," she said.