Julian Oneal stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, the entirety of Manhattan sprawling beneath him like a conquered map. His expression was as hard and unyielding as the steel and glass of the skyscraper he commanded.
A soft knock on the door broke his concentration. "Mr. Oneal."
His executive assistant, Miles Hayes, entered holding a tablet. Miles was impeccably dressed, his demeanor a perfect blend of deference and efficiency.
"We have the preliminary file on the young woman you asked about, Hailey Lawson," Miles said. "And... something else. I've been monitoring the digital footprint from Miss Lawson’s device as you hinted. I found this on an anonymous board—the IP matches her current coordinates."
He handed the tablet to Julian. Displayed on the screen was a screenshot: Seeking a contract husband.
A slow smile—the first genuine one in days—spread across Julian's face. He had offered her a lifeline that morning, and she had spat on it. Now here she was, casting a net into the digital ocean, hoping to catch a savior. The irony was delicious.
"Find her current location," Julian said, his voice calm.
Miles tapped on his own device. A few seconds passed. "She's at a café. La Reine. Fifth Avenue."
Julian loosened his tie and reached for the tailored jacket hanging on the back of his chair. "Cancel my afternoon."
"The Henderson merger..." Miles began, then stopped himself when he saw the look in Julian's eyes. "Of course. Canceled."
Julian walked out of the office and into his private elevator, the polished steel doors sealing him off from the world of Apex Consolidated.
Meanwhile, at La Reine, Hailey stared at her phone, her coffee growing cold. The post had been up for twenty minutes. The only replies were crude messages and obvious scams.
A wave of dizziness washed over her—the after-effects of whatever Isabelle had made her go through still lingering, making the world feel unsteady. She was about to give up, to delete the post and resign herself to her fate, when a shadow fell over her table.
A figure sat down in the chair opposite her.
Hailey looked up, and her heart leaped into her throat. It was him. The man from the hotel.
A hot flush of anger and fear shot through her. "How did you find me? Are you following me?" This was Isabelle's doing. It had to be. The post was used as a trap, and this man was the bait, sent to complete Isabelle’s order.
Julian ignored her accusation. He calmly signaled a waiter. "Black coffee, please." Then he turned his unnervingly steady gaze back to her. "Miss Lawson," he said, his voice even and direct. "I'm here to apply for the position you advertised."
Hailey was so taken aback by his bluntness that for a moment she was speechless. Then a cold, bitter laugh escaped her. "Should I commend Isabelle for her generosity, or you for your dedication to the role?" She was certain this was a new, cruel twist in Isabelle’s game.
Julian didn't bother to deny it. He simply looked at her, his expression serious. "Do you have any other options?"
The question was a shard of ice in her heart. Because she didn't. Her father would use the phone’s GPS to track her whereabouts. The family car would be here any minute. Sterling Knight was waiting.
The walls were closing in, and this man—this stranger, this potential enemy—was the only one offering a door.
The color drained from her face. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
"I'm not working for Isabelle, because I don’t even know her at all," Julian said, as if reading her mind. His voice was low, persuasive. "I'm just a man who happens to need money. And you happen to need a husband. It's a simple transaction."
He presented it so logically—a desperate man seizing an opportunity. It was a story that made perfect, terrible sense. She stared at him, searching his face for any sign of deception, but found nothing but calm, unnerving sincerity.
Her phone vibrated on the table. A text from her father’s secretary. “Mr. Arthur Lawson is impatient. The car has been redirected to your current location. It's downstairs.” Time was bleeding away.
Hailey closed her eyes, taking one last shuddering breath of her old life. She was stepping off a cliff into the abyss. She opened them, her gaze clear and resolved. "Fine," she said, her voice steady. "We're going to City Hall. Right now."
