Chapter 5 A Contract with the Monster

Avery sat rigidly in the reception area of Ravenwood Enterprises, her fingers tightly clasped together in her lap as she tried to calm the storm of nerves raging inside her.

The building itself was intimidating.

Everything about it screamed wealth, power, and influence.

Floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooked the city skyline. Polished marble floors gleamed beneath crystal lighting fixtures, while elegantly dressed employees moved through the corridors with practiced efficiency.

She felt completely out of place.

Her modest dress suddenly seemed inadequate compared to the luxurious surroundings.

Just yesterday, she had been struggling to decide whether to pay her electricity bill or buy groceries.

Today, she was sitting inside one of the most prestigious corporate headquarters in the country.

Life had a strange sense of humor.

The call she had received the previous night still felt unreal.

Simon had introduced himself as the personal assistant to Alex Ravenwood and invited her for an interview.

At first, she had assumed it was some elaborate prank.

Why would a billionaire want anything to do with her?

Yet here she was.

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled her from her thoughts.

Simon appeared moments later, looking every bit as polished as he had the night before.

His tailored suit fit him perfectly, and his calm smile immediately put people at ease.

"Miss Avery."

He extended his hand politely.

"Thank you for coming."

Avery rose from her seat and shook his hand.

His grip was firm but respectful.

"Thank you for seeing me."

"Please follow me."

He led her through a corridor lined with modern artwork before stopping in front of an impressive office.

The space beyond looked like something from a luxury magazine.

Dark wood paneling decorated the walls, while enormous windows bathed the room in natural sunlight.

A long conference table occupied the center of the office.

Simon gestured toward one of the chairs.

"Please have a seat."

Avery obeyed, trying not to appear as nervous as she felt.

Once seated, she carefully studied the man across from her.

Despite his pleasant demeanor, she could sense a certain seriousness beneath the surface.

Whatever this interview was about, it was important.

Very important.

Simon folded his hands together.

"Miss Avery, thank you again for coming."

Avery decided to skip the formalities.

Too much had happened recently for her to waste time dancing around questions.

"What exactly is this job?" she asked directly.

Simon appeared unsurprised by her bluntness.

In fact, he almost seemed impressed.

"As I explained briefly on the phone, Mr. Ravenwood is searching for an executive assistant."

Avery nodded.

That part sounded reasonable enough.

Then Simon continued.

"However, the position comes with certain additional conditions."

Immediately, her stomach tightened.

Additional conditions.

That phrase never led anywhere good.

Simon opened a folder and slid it across the table.

Avery pulled it closer.

The moment she opened it, her eyes widened.

Line after line of printed text filled the pages.

Employment benefits.

Compensation packages.

Housing allowances.

Security arrangements.

Travel accommodations.

The figures alone nearly made her choke.

She had never seen so many zeros attached to her name before.

Then she reached the final pages.

Her entire body froze.

She reread the paragraph.

Then she read it again.

Certain she must have misunderstood.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze.

"You're asking me to pretend to be engaged to your boss?"

The words sounded ridiculous even as they left her mouth.

Simon nodded calmly.

"Yes."

No embarrassment.

No hesitation.

No indication that he realized how absurd the proposal sounded.

Avery stared at him.

Surely this was some kind of joke.

It had to be.

"Excuse me?"

Simon remained perfectly composed.

"Mr. Ravenwood is prepared to pay off all your outstanding debts and provide you with a monthly salary of two hundred thousand dollars in exchange for your cooperation."

The room seemed to spin.

Two hundred thousand dollars.

Per month.

The amount was so far beyond anything she had ever imagined earning that her brain struggled to process it.

Images flashed through her mind.

The threatening calls from debt collectors.

The overdue notices.

The endless financial stress.

The sleepless nights spent worrying about rent.

The humiliation of borrowing money.

The fear of losing everything.

A single signature could make all of it disappear.

Yet there had to be a catch.

There was always a catch.

Taking a steadying breath, she met Simon's gaze.

"What makes you think I'll agree to something like this?"

His expression softened.

Because unlike many wealthy people she had encountered, Simon did not seem interested in mocking her circumstances.

"Because you're intelligent enough to recognize an opportunity when you see one."

Avery remained silent.

Simon leaned slightly forward.

"You've been fighting an uphill battle for a long time, Avery. Mr. Ravenwood is offering you a chance to start over."

His words hit closer to home than she wanted to admit.

She was tired.

So incredibly tired.

Tired of struggling.

Tired of barely surviving.

Tired of constantly choosing which crisis deserved attention first.

For years, life had happened to her.

Perhaps it was time to take control.

Even if the opportunity arrived wrapped in madness.

Avery glanced down at the contract again.

Questions still crowded her thoughts.

One question in particular.

She looked up.

"Why me?"

Simon's polite smile remained firmly in place.

"Excuse me?"

"Why choose me?"

She tapped the contract.

"Surely there are thousands of women who would jump at this opportunity. Why me?"

For the first time, Simon hesitated.

His eyes shifted toward the office entrance.

As though waiting for someone else to answer.

A second later, the door opened.

The atmosphere inside the room changed instantly.

Avery felt it before she even turned around.

An invisible pressure settled over the space.

Heavy.

Powerful.

Commanding.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Alex Ravenwood entered the room.

The billionaire looked even more striking than she remembered.

His expensive charcoal suit hugged his tall frame perfectly.

Dark hair framed a face so handsome it seemed almost unfair.

Yet it was his eyes that captured her attention.

Those intense silver-gray eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through a person.

The moment they settled on her, Avery felt a strange jolt travel through her body.

Fear.

Curiosity.

Attraction.

She couldn't tell where one emotion ended and the next began.

"Avery."

His deep voice wrapped around her name.

"Welcome to Ravenwood Enterprises."

He extended his hand.

After a brief hesitation, she accepted it.

The instant their skin touched, something strange happened.

A spark.

Not literal.

But close enough.

A rush of energy shot up her arm.

Her breath caught.

For a split second, Alex's expression mirrored her own surprise.

Then the moment vanished.

Simon cleared his throat.

"Miss Avery had questions about why she was selected."

Alex's gaze never left her face.

"I know."

The intensity of his attention made her pulse race.

Then he reached into his pocket and produced a folded sheet of paper.

Avery recognized it immediately.

The sketch.

The strange image she had drawn without understanding why.

Alex unfolded the paper and placed it on the table.

"This."

His voice dropped lower.

"This is why."

Avery stared at the symbol.

The unfamiliar design suddenly seemed far more significant than she had originally believed.

"I don't understand."

Alex's eyes darkened.

"This symbol represents the Aethon Orb."

The unfamiliar name meant nothing to her.

"It is connected to an ancient artifact."

"And?"

"And you drew it."

Avery frowned.

"That doesn't explain anything."

Alex studied her carefully.

Almost as though searching for signs she might be hiding something.

"You drew a symbol that should have been impossible for you to know."

A chill ran through her.

"What are you talking about?"

Alex did not answer immediately.

Instead, he said something far more unsettling.

"You're the only person who can help me find it."

The certainty in his voice sent another wave of unease through her.

She knew nothing about artifacts.

Nothing about mysterious symbols.

Nothing about whatever game he was playing.

Yet somehow he sounded absolutely convinced.

Before she could ask more questions, Alex nodded toward the contract.

"If there are no further questions, do you agree?"

Avery looked down at the document.

Then she thought about her debts.

Her future.

Her exhausted mother.

The life she desperately wanted to rebuild.

Slowly, she picked up the pen.

"Okay."

The word emerged as barely a whisper.

"I'll do it."

Simon smiled.

Clearly, he had expected this outcome.

"It's settled then."

Avery signed her name.

The moment the pen left the paper, a strange feeling settled over her.

As though her life had just shifted onto an entirely different path.

One she could never reverse.

"Our private engagement party is next week," Simon announced.

Avery nearly dropped the pen.

"Next week?"

Simon nodded.

She turned toward Alex.

"What happens when the contract ends?"

Alex shrugged.

"Nothing."

The answer surprised her.

"If we find the artifact before then, I'll get what I need. You'll be free to leave."

Free.

The word should have reassured her.

Instead, she wasn't sure why it left an odd ache in her chest.

Before she could analyze the feeling, Alex exchanged a glance with Simon.

Simon quickly checked his phone.

A second later, Avery's own phone buzzed.

Confused, she pulled it out.

Her breath stopped.

The notification displayed a message from QuickCash.

Loan Balance: Fully Settled.

Her eyes widened.

The words blurred.

For several seconds, she simply stared.

The crushing debt that had haunted her for years was gone.

Gone.

She slowly lifted her gaze toward Alex.

"How did you do that?"

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Consider it a signing bonus."

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too overwhelming.

Simon placed another folder before her.

Inside was an ATM card and several documents.

"This account already contains one million dollars."

Avery nearly choked.

"What?"

"For your inconvenience," Simon explained calmly.

"Your future salary payments will be deposited there."

Everything felt unreal.

Like a dream she would soon wake from.

Yet as she looked at Alex, gratitude slowly gave way to something else.

Unease.

There was something about him.

Something she couldn't explain.

The way he carried himself.

The way people instinctively obeyed him.

The way the atmosphere seemed to bend around his presence.

Predatory.

That was the word.

A cold shiver crawled down her spine.

And then she saw it.

For a brief moment, his canines appeared longer.

Sharper.

Far too sharp to belong to a normal man.

Her breath caught.

Then his eyes changed.

A strange golden light flickered within them.

The sight rooted her to the chair.

Fear surged through her body.

The rumors.

The whispers.

The stories she had dismissed as nonsense.

Suddenly they no longer seemed impossible.

Alex wasn't human.

The realization slammed into her with terrifying force.

"Avery."

His voice sounded different.

Deeper.

Rougher.

Dangerously possessive.

Then something growled inside her mind.

Not through her ears.

Inside her head.

One single word echoed through her consciousness.

Mate.

Avery's entire body stiffened.

Alex moved toward her.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

His glowing eyes remained locked on hers.

The distance between them disappeared.

His face hovered inches away.

Panic exploded through her chest.

She shoved him backward.

"No!"

Her voice trembled violently.

"What are you doing?"

Alex looked as though he was fighting himself.

Every muscle in his body was rigid with strain.

His eyes burned.

His breathing had become uneven.

"You're mine, Avery."

The words emerged as a growl.

Not a man's voice.

Something far more primal.

Far more dangerous.

Terror flooded her.

What had she agreed to?

Who was Alex Ravenwood?

And what exactly had she just become involved in?

Desperate to escape, Avery pushed herself to her feet.

Immediately, her knees threatened to buckle beneath her.

Before she could stumble away, Alex's hand shot forward.

His fingers wrapped around her wrist.

Holding her firmly in place.

Avery's heart hammered wildly as she stared into the glowing eyes of the monster she had just agreed to marry.

And for the first time since entering Ravenwood Enterprises, genuine fear settled deep inside her soul.