Elena didn't sit.
She couldn't.
The office was too quiet. Too expensive. Too powerful.
Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the entire city below, cars moving like tiny ants, people living their normal lives while hers had just walked into something she didn't understand.
Adrian Volkov watched her from behind his desk.
Not staring.
Studying.
Like she was a decision he hadn't fully made yet.
"Relax," he said calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it filled the room anyway.
"I'm fine," Elena replied, even though her hands were cold.
He noticed.
He noticed everything.
That made her nervous.
Do you know why you're here?" he asked.
"You said it was about a job," she answered carefully.
"In a way."
That wasn't a normal answer.
Elena's chest tightened. "I don't understand."
Adrian leaned back slightly, fingers resting together. "You need money."
Her eyes widened.
"I "
"Your father's hospital bills. Your university debt. The eviction notice delivered last week."
Her face went pale. "How do you know that?"
"I don't meet people without knowing who they are," he said smoothly. "I run background checks."
That made sense.
But it didn't make it less scary.
Silence fell between them.
Heavy.
Serious.
Then he said something that changed everything.
"I want you to marry me."
The words didn't sound real.
Elena blinked. "What?"
"A contract marriage," he clarified. "One year. You act as my wife in public. I solve all your financial problems."
Her heart began to pound so loudly she could hear it.
"This is a joke," she said.
Adrian didn't smile.
"I don't joke about marriage."
She took a step back. "You don't even know me."
"I know enough."
"That's not a reason to marry someone!"
"It is for me."
His calmness was terrifying.
"Why me?" she whispered.
For the first time, something shifted in his expression. Not softness.
Something… darker.
"Because you have nothing to gain from betraying me," he said. "And everything to lose."
That didn't sound romantic.
It sounded like a warning.
I'm not that desperate," she said, even though they both knew she was.
He opened a file on his desk and slid it toward her.
Her father's hospital report.
The unpaid balance circled in red.
Her breath shook.
"One year," Adrian said quietly. "And when it's over, you walk away with enough money to live any life you want."
She stared at the paper.
Then at him.
This man wasn't asking.
He was offering survival.
What happens if I say no?" she asked.
Adrian stood.
He was taller than she expected. Broader. The air changed when he moved.
"Then you walk out that door," he said. "And your life continues exactly as it is."
He didn't threaten her.
He didn't need to.
Elena's heart battled with her pride.
One year.
Fake marriage.
A stranger who looked like danger in a suit.
"I need time," she said softly.
"You have 24 hours."
As she turned to leave, his voice stopped her.
"Miss Rossi."
She looked back.
"If you accept… your life changes tomorrow."
She stepped out of the office with shaking hands.
And for the first time in her life…
Elena felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff
and the only way forward…
was to fall.