Lisa froze, certain she had misheard him.
"E-excuse me?" Her voice trembled, eyes wide as she stared at the man behind the massive mahogany desk.
Will leaned back in his leather chair, perfectly composed, his gray eyes sharp as steel. There wasn't even a trace of humor in his expression. His lips curved just slightly, but it wasn't a smile, it was a challenge.
"I said marry me," he repeated, as though he were discussing nothing more important than the weather.
Lisa's heart thundered in her chest. Marry him? Marry Will Bruce? The very man who had humiliated her, tossed her out like garbage, and treated her like she was nothing?
"This isn't funny," she whispered, clutching her trembling hands together. "I came here to ask for my job back, not to—"
"I'm not joking," he cut her off smoothly. "You want your job back. You want money. Stability. Security. I can give you all of it. But in return, you'll be my wife."
Her legs felt weak. She wanted to laugh, to scream, to cry all at once. "Why… why me?"
Will's gaze was cold, calculated. "Convenience. You already know me. You're not some starry-eyed socialite desperate to cling to my name. And…" his eyes narrowed, voice low with an edge of venom, "…you owe me. You cost Bruce Enterprises a billion-dollar deal. I don't forget debts, Miss Carpenter. You ruined me once. Now you'll fix it, by standing at my side."
Lisa's stomach twisted. So this wasn't romance. It wasn't affection. It was punishment disguised as opportunity.
"I can't," she whispered, shaking her head furiously. "This is insane. Marriage isn't a business deal."
"Everything is a business deal," Will replied coldly, rising from his chair. He walked around the desk, stopping so close that Lisa had to tilt her head back to look at him. His towering figure, the sharp cut of his suit, the sheer presence he carried, was overwhelming. He leaned down, his lips brushing dangerously close to her ear.
"You're desperate. Your father's medical bills. Your sister's tuition. Your family barely surviving. You need me, Lisa. And I don't offer twice."
Her breath caught. How did he know? How could he possibly know?
As if reading her thoughts, Will straightened, his expression smug. "I have eyes everywhere. Bruce Enterprises doesn't just run on contracts and boardrooms, it runs on information. I know everything I need to know about you."
Lisa's cheeks burned with shame. She wanted to hate him. In fact, she did hate him. But his words cut too close to the truth. Her father was growing weaker every day, the hospital demanding payment for treatments they couldn't afford. Her sister, Mia, had called just last night, her voice cracking as she confessed she might have to drop out of school if the fees weren't paid. And her mother... her poor mother, was working herself sick at a diner just to keep food on the table.
Lisa had thought this job, this chance at Bruce Enterprises, would save them all. But Will had taken it away. And now… he was offering something else.
Her lips trembled. "You want me to marry you just to save your company?"
Will's eyes darkened, unreadable. "My father has made it very clear. If I don't have a wife by the end of this month, the board will strip me of my position and hand Bruce Enterprises to my brother. I built this empire with my own hands. I won't let him take it."
"And what happens to me?" she demanded, anger sparking through her fear. "What happens to me after you're done using me?"
For a moment, Will said nothing. His jaw tightened, his stare hard. Then, finally, he shrugged. "You'll have money. Security. Your family will be taken care of. What more could you want?"
Lisa's eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. Love. Respect. Kindness. A man who doesn't see me as a pawn in his twisted game.
But she didn't say it aloud. Because love didn't pay hospital bills. Respect didn't cover college tuition.
"You're heartless," she whispered.
Will's lips curved again, the faintest trace of that infuriating smirk. "Perhaps. But I'm offering you a deal that no one else will. Think carefully, Lisa. Your pride won't feed your family. My ring will."
He turned away from her, walking back to his desk. To him, the conversation was over. To her, it had only just begun.
Lisa stumbled out of Bruce Enterprises that afternoon with her mind spinning. The city streets blurred around her as she clutched her bag tightly to her chest. Rain began to fall, cool droplets soaking through her thin jacket, but she barely noticed. Her world had shifted. She had walked in begging for a job and walked out with a proposal that felt more like a prison sentence.
That evening, she sat at the kitchen table of their cramped apartment, staring at the pile of unpaid bills. Her father coughed weakly from the bedroom, the sound slicing through her heart. Mia sat across from her, chewing on her lip as she tried to study with the one working lamp flickering above them.
"Lisa?" Mia's voice was soft. "Did you find another job today?"
Lisa's throat tightened. She forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Not yet. But I'm… I'm working on it."
How could she tell them? How could she explain the impossible choice she faced?
Her phone buzzed with a message. She picked it up, her heart skipping when she saw the sender.
Will Bruce: You have until Friday to decide. Don't keep me waiting.
Lisa's hands shook as she set the phone down. Friday. Just three days to decide whether to sacrifice herself for her family or let them all drown while she clung to her pride.
And deep down, though she hated him, though she hated herself for even considering it, Lisa knew one thing:
Will Bruce always got what he wanted.