Nova's POV
As I walked into the building,my heels clicked against the marble floor like gunshots. I feel a lot of eyes staring at me as I walked pass but I didn't look around,I just minded my business and walked with what was left of my confidence.
I didn't belong in this office tower anymore especially not in a designer coat I couldn't afford and confidence I didn't feel. HaleCorp was the tallest building in the city, and right now, I was walking into its lion's den with a fire in my chest and a name no one respected anymore.
James. Once a badge of pride and power but now just a cautionary tale in the business pages.
I pushed open the glass doors to my father's office and froze.
He wasn't alone.
Leon Hale stood by the window, hands in his pockets, staring out like he owned the sky. Which he probably did. His suit was as black as his reputation,his tie as red as blood. His hair, perfectly slicked back. His profile? Cold like that of an ice king, sharp, infuriatingly perfect.
I knew that face and I hated that face very much. Even words couldn't describe it.
"Nova." My father's voice sounded smaller than I remembered. "You came."
"Only because you said it was an emergency," I said, keeping my eyes on Leon. "Imagine my disappointment when I found out you invited the devil to dinner."
Leon turned slowly, like he had all the time in the world.
"I'm not here for dinner dear," he said. "I'm here for a proposal."
I almost laughed. "What, you need help picking out a ring for your next victim?",I said while rolling my eyes.
His lips didn't even twitch. "No. I already picked her.", he said coldly
And then he said the words that knocked the breath out of my chest:
"I want to marry you."
At first I thought I had hearing problem until he repeated himself again. At this point I was so dumbfounded, trying to process what was going on.
Leon's POV
Her silence lasted exactly four seconds. Then she blinked, tilted her head, and laughed like I'd just offered her a rotten fish.
"That's cute," she said, arms folded. "Did your PR team suggest that one? Marry the disgraced heiress to clean up your image?"
I didn't flinch. "Yes."
She blinked.
"Wait—you're serious?"
I walked to the table, dropped a thin folder in front of her. Inside were legal documents. Dates. Terms. A contract marriage.
"Six months," I said. "Fake to the world. Legal on paper. You'll get ten million dollars wired to your account the moment you sign."
Her hand hovered over the folder. "Why me?"
"Because you're clean. Your scandals were never your own doing. And because you hate me enough not to fall in love."
That hit a nerve. Her eyes flashed with anger.
"I wouldn't fall for you if you were the last man alive."
"Good," I said. "Then we're on the same page."
Nova's POV
My first instinct was to burn the folder. My second was to slap him or even stab him but that was illegal and I would probably rot in jail for that.
But instead, I stared at the numbers. At the terms. At the way my father wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Is this why you called me?" I said quietly. "Because the company's tanking, and you want me to sell myself to save it?"
Leon didn't even blink. "Sell? No. Trade. Your name for my image. We both win."
"I don't give a damn about winning."
He stepped closer. "You do. You just forgot how it feels."
My jaw tightened. "And if I say no?"
He shrugged. "Then you walk out of here. And by next week, James Industries will be bankrupt. Your father will lose everything. Your mother's medical bills? Gone unpaid. But at least you'll have your pride, right?"
Bastard.
"You really are the devil," I whispered.
He smiled faintly. "Then sign the deal and marry hell."
Leon's POV
She stood there a long time, eyes flicking between me, the contract, and the dying empire her father still clung to.
I knew Nova James. Knew her pride. Knew her pain. And I knew this would break her just enough to make her useful but not enough to make her weak.
"I'll need twenty-four hours," she said finally, voice hard.
"You have twelve," I replied. "After that, the offer vanishes just like your family name."
She grabbed the folder, turned on her heel, and walked out without a word.
Good. I didn't need her love.
I just needed her last name.