THE CEO'S SECRET WIFE
Chapter 2 – "The Offer"
"Wait," Damon said, his voice deep and sharp enough to freeze me mid-step.
I turned slowly. His expression was unreadable, but those dark eyes… they studied me like I was a puzzle he'd just solved.
"You're desperate," he said. Not a question. A fact.
My throat tightened. "I'm not—"
"Yes, you are." He stood, coming around the desk until he was only a breath away. "And I might be… in need of someone like you."
The elevator ride up had been nerve-wracking. This—standing inches from Damon Black—was terrifying.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
He crossed his arms, his gaze unwavering. "I'm offering you a job. But not the one you applied for."
I frowned. "Then what—"
"My wife," he said bluntly.
The words hit me like a slap. "Excuse me?"
"You'll be my wife," he repeated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "On paper. A contract marriage."
My mind scrambled to catch up. "You can't be serious."
"Oh, I am. Six months. You get paid more than you'd earn in ten years working here. And in return, you'll smile at my board dinners, play the loving wife in public, and follow a few… rules."
I shook my head, half laughing, half horrified. "Why me?"
He leaned in, voice dropping low. "Because you look like a woman I can trust not to fall in love with me."
"I'm not offering you a job, Miss Carter," Damon's voice lowered, each word deliberate. "I'm offering you a contract that will change your life… and ruin it, if you say yes."
What's in the contract?
Why is it life-changing and dangerous?
Will she accept?