Ruthless Bargain

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y for eight months and pay up every single coin he owed you and if you refuse..'' she paused, looking into my eyes more intently. ''You find another way to recover your eighty million.'' The silence that followed her information was the kind that never argued. I reached forward and unfolded the piece of paper, her handwriting neat and deliberate. I read each rule again and again before setting the paper down. She was still watching me, her expression fixed, like someone who had come to a conclusion. Her rules were five: She keeps her job at the bookstore. A sex free marriage. No intimacy of any kind. Her earnings goes directly to her savings and the debt alone. No public display of affection without consent. Freedom of movement. She comes and goes without reporting her whereabouts. I was quiet for a moment. In twelve years of running Cross Empire, no one, no one had ever presented their own terms. Not in boardroom meetings and in places far darker than boardrooms. Men twice her age flinched under my scrutinity. But here she sat, holding my gaze and presenting rules. ''Ýou spent your night drafting this.'' I said. Something flickered in her face for a fraction. ''That is not relevant.'' ''To me, it is. It tells me you spent the night thinking instead of crying. Useful information.'' I nodded. Her jaw tightened for barely a second and then released. ''Are you accepting my rules or discussing how I spent my night, Mr. Cross.'' Dominic's gaze flickered to her and then back to his position. I looked at the paper again. Her rules were strategic, she wanted to ensure that she walked out of this arrangement with her money, job, dignity and freedom. I set the paper down before speaking. ''Rule two,'' I studied her. ''A sex free marriage.'' She replied without blinking. ''Correct.'' ''You should be aware that you are entirely not my type.'' My voice level was low and unbothered. Something flickered across her face and then she swallowed. ''Then we have no problem.'' After a beat, I spoke. ''What is your full name?.'' She blinked, ''You already know my name.'' ''I know what your uncle told me.'' I said, ''Now I'm asking you.'' ''Amelia Nightshade.'' She responded after an eternity. ''Good.'' I folded the contract. ''I accept your contract.'' She exhaled, so quietly I almost missed it. ''But I have my own terms.'' I continued. Her eyes snapped up to mine immediately, her brows raising slightly. ''Since you have proposed a marriage contra