The Stark Group
In the heart of New York’s ultra-expensive financial district, the thirty-three-story headquarters of the Stark Group stood like a titan. The magnificent skyscraper lived up to its name, radiating an aura of prestige and power from every polished window.
Every graduation season, countless elite students fought tooth and nail just to set foot in this building, hoping to secure a high-paying, high-status career. Even now, outside of graduation season, the lobby was a blur of activity. Everyone was in a race against time, working with a frantic energy as if trying to squeeze two minutes out of every one.
On the top floor, in the CEO’s office.
Rob Stark, the President of the Stark Group—a man usually far busier than any of his employees—was currently experiencing a strange moment of stillness.
On his expensive desk sat a document. It wasn't a billion-dollar contract from a partner, nor was it an urgent file from a department head. In fact, it wasn't anything that would typically be considered worth his professional time. Yet, since the moment he opened it, his gaze hadn't wavered. He read it line by line, focusing on every single word with intense concentration.
Across from him, Chloe Bishop sat with her back ramrod straight. The oversized executive chair made her look especially frail and thin. Her hands were clasped over her knees, their slight trembling betraying her nerves despite her best efforts to remain composed.
Mr. Stark was a tall man. Even sitting down, his presence was imposing enough to overwhelm her. The afternoon sun cast his shadow directly over Chloe, enveloping her like a massive mountain that made it hard to breathe.
Chloe thought to herself that she hadn't seen Rob Stark in fifteen years, and he had grown into someone far more intimidating than the boy she once knew. He was also much more handsome. She stole occasional glances at him—his rugged features, sharp jawline, and cold silhouette all radiated a "do not approach" vibe. Even his long eyelashes, which should have looked soft, seemed hardened by the indifference in his eyes.
He truly was a man whose looks were out of this world. If he were just a little bit warmer, Chloe figured she would probably be one of his many fangirls.
"You want to get engaged to me?"
While Chloe was lost in thought, the man opposite her finally finished reading the document she had brought. It was a formal engagement agreement, a thick stack of papers that she had asked Jake Tully to draft in advance.
"Yes." Chloe met his indifferent gaze, lifting her head and summoning every ounce of courage to look him in the eye. Her expression was one of absolute determination.
"And it's... a fake one?" Rob Stark’s voice rang out again. There was a hint of genuine surprise hidden in his tone.
"Yes," Chloe answered, even more firmly this time.
Snap!
Rob Stark closed the agreement and tossed it onto the desk. He uttered a single word: "Reason?"
He was genuinely perplexed. If he remembered correctly, he hadn't seen the woman in front of him for fifteen years. After he had accompanied his mother to her mother's funeral when she was ten, they had had no contact at all. If it weren't for the jade pendant, he wouldn't even have recognized her.
"Didn't you say that if I ever brought this pendant to you, you would repay me for saving your life?" Chloe steadied her nerves and pointed to the jade pendant resting on the desk near his hand.
Rob Stark nodded. He admitted he had made that promise, but he never expected her to cash in that favor in such a way.
A fake engagement?
For the first time in forever, Rob's curiosity was piqued. His thin lips pressed together briefly. "I need to know the reason behind this decision before I consider agreeing."
"The truth?" Chloe asked.
Rob Stark nodded.
