Chapter 2 THE MEETING

Harper Vale and fell out of place the moment she stepped off the elevator.

Everything was steel and glass and expensive minimalism. The reception area featured furniture that looked like abstract sculpture, the kind of pieces that probably cost more than Harper's annual income. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the city that made Seattle look manageable and organized, nothing like the chaotic reality at street level.

"Ms. Vale?" A woman appeared from around the corner, tablet in hand and an expression that suggested she'd already classified every way Harper failed to meet standards. "I'm Mrs. Amanda Chen, Mr. Colton's executive assistant. He's just finishing a call."

Not related to her lawyer, Harper noted. Different Chen.

"Thank you for seeing me," Harper said, even though technically Sebastian had been the one to request this meeting.

Three days after she'd turned down his offer, he called her directly. Not through lawyers, not through intermediaries, but personally. His voice had been smooth and professional with an edge of something Harper couldn't quite identify. Curiosity, maybe. Or irritation that someone had actually said no to him.

"Ms. Vale, I'd like to discuss the Adriatic situation in person. Would tomorrow at two’ o'clock work for you?"

She should have said no, and insisted on communicating through proper channels. Instead, she agreed, because desperation made people do stupid things and she was running out of time.

Amanda gestured toward a seating area. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water? Tea?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

Harper sat on a chair that was somehow both beautiful and deeply uncomfortable, clearly designed to discourage people from staying too long. She pulled out her phone, more for something to do with her hands than any real need to check it. A text from Jessie: “Don't sign anything without reading it first. And if he's as hot in person as he is in photos, do NOT let that influence your judgment.”

Harper smiled despite her nerves and typed back: “I'm a professional.”

“You're a disaster. Call me after.”

The office door opened and a man emerged older, maybe sixty, with silver hair and an expensive suit that screamed old money.

Something about him made Harper's skin crawl, though she couldn't have explained why.

"Ms. Vale?" Amanda stood by the now open door. "Mr. Colton will see you now."

Harper grabbed her bag and followed Amanda into an office that was somehow even more intimidating than the reception area. More glass, more steel, more evidence of wealth so vast it became abstract.Art on the walls that Harper recognized from a museum exhibit she'd attended last year.

And behind the desk, Sebastian Colton.

Jessie hadn't been wrong about the photos. He was objectively attractive in that way certain men were mid-thirties, dark hair that was slightly too long for corporate standards, sharp jawline, the kind of bone structure that belonged in fashion magazines. He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and no tie.

"I don't care what Thompson thinks, the environmental impact study needs to be completed before we break ground." His voice was cold, controlling, the tone of someone used to being obeyed. "I'm not cutting corners on this." A pause where someone on the other end was presumably arguing. "Then we delay the project. I'll deal with the board." Another pause, his jaw tightening visibly. "Fine. Schedule the meeting for Monday."

He ended the call and turned to face Harper fully. For a moment, they just looked at each other across the expensive desk.

Harper had expected him to be intimidating, and he was. But there was something else too, something in his eyes that didn't quite match the ruthless CEO image the business magazines painted. Exhaustion.

"Ms. Vale." He didn't stand, didn't offer his hand. "Thank you for coming."

"You said you wanted to discuss the Adriatic." Harper kept her voice steady despite the way her heart was hammering.

"I did." He gestured to the chair across from his desk. "Please, sit."

Harper sat, setting her bag on the floor beside her. The chair was more comfortable than the ones in the waiting area, which felt somehow significant, like the furniture itself was part of some corporate hierarchy she didn't understand.

"I understand you've declined my offer," Sebastian said. It wasn't a question.

"I have."

"May I ask why?"

Harper had prepared for this question. Had practiced what she'd say during the long bus ride over. "Because you want to tear it down."

Sebastian's eyebrow raised slightly. "I want to develop the property to its highest and best use."

"You want to demolish a ninety-year-old art deco building and replace it with generic luxury condos that no one who actually lives in the neighborhood can afford."

"I want to provide housing in a city with a critical shortage."

"Housing with thousand-dollar-a-month parking spaces." Harper leaned forward slightly. "That's not solving the housing crisis. That's refurbishment with better marketing."

A muscle in Sebastian's jaw twitched. "You've done your research on my projects."

"Of course I have. You're trying to buy my building."

"Your building is structurally compromised, financially bankrupt, and in violation of multiple safety codes according to the last inspection." Sebastian's voice remained level, factual. "I'm offering you a way out of an impossible situation."

"By erasing it from existence."

"By being realistic about its viability." He leaned back in his chair, studying her with an intensity that made Harper want to look away but didn't. "Tell me, Ms. Vale, what's your plan? How exactly do you intend to save the Adriatic?"

Harper's fingers tightened on the armrest. "I'll find a way."

"That's not a plan. That's hope. And hope doesn't pay contractors or replace forty-year-old electrical systems or fix water damage."

"Neither does demolition."

"No, but 8.5 million dollars does. Which is what you'd walk away with if you'd accept my offer."

They stared at each other across the expensive desk. Harper could feel her heart pounding, adrenaline and frustration mixing into something explosive. This man represented everything she hated about the modern development world, the kind of developer who saw buildings as nothing more than obstacles to profit, who valued progress over preservation, who looked at history and saw only inefficiency.

"Why did you ask me here?" Harper demanded. "To try to convince me again? To explain in small words why I'm being irrational?"

"No." Sebastian's voice was quieter now, less combative. "I asked you here because I wanted to understand who you are."

"What?"

"In my experience, people always take the money. Always. Sentiment is expensive, and everyone has a price." He tilted his head slightly, still watching her with that unsettling intensity. "But you looked at 8.5 million dollars and said no. That's either incredibly principled or incredibly foolish, and I haven't decided which yet."

"Does it matter?"

"It might." He stood then, walking to the windows overlooking the city. His back was to her; shoulders tense beneath the expensive shirt. "I'm going to make you a different offer."

Harper's stomach dropped. "I'm not interested in…"

"Marry me."

The words hung in the air between them, so absurd that Harper was certain she'd misheard.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Sebastian turned to face her, and his expression was completely serious. "A legal marriage.

Twelve months. You keep the hotel; I keep my inheritance. We both get what we need."

Harper actually laughed. The sound came out sharp and disbelieving, echoing slightly in the large office. "You're insane."

"I'm pragmatic." He returned to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a thick document that looked like it had been prepared by an entire legal team. He slid it across the desk to her. "My grandfather's will stipulates that I must be married to inherit full control of Colton Industries. The exact wording is 'demonstrate commitment and stability through marriage.' He was traditional in his views."

"So, get married. Find someone who actually likes you."

"I need someone who won't develop unrealistic expectations. Who understands this is purely a business arrangement. You need capital to save your hotel." He tapped the document with one finger. "I'm offering five million dollars upfront, plus complete funding for the Adriatic's restoration. Full architectural control stays with you. All decisions about the building's future remain yours. In exchange, you agree to a legally binding marriage for just twelve months and after then we will come up with a reason for a divorce and go our separate ways. You have your Adriatic and I have my inheritance."

Harper's brain was trying to process too many things at once and failing spectacularly. "This is insane. This is actually insane."

"It's a solution to both our problems."

"It's fraud."

"It's a contract." His voice was matter-of-fact, like he was discussing a standard business transaction rather than proposing fake marriage. "Everything would be legal, documented, transparent where it needs to be. The marriage would be real in the eyes of the law. What happens after twelve months is up to us."

"Why me?" Harper demanded, her voice rising slightly. "Why not someone from your world?

Someone who knows how to play these games? Someone who'd actually want to marry you?" Sebastian was quiet for a long moment, his gaze steady on hers. "Because everyone in my world wants something from me. Connections, status, access to wealth and power. You're the first person I've met in years who looked at eight million dollars and chose a crumbling building instead."

"That doesn't make me a good candidate for fake marriage."

"It makes you someone who won't try to turn this into something it's not." He leaned forward slightly. "I need someone I won't accidentally care about, and you clearly despise everything I represent. That's perfect for what I need."

Harper should have stood up; She should have walked out; she should have told him exactly where he could put his proposal. Instead, she heard herself ask: "What's the catch?"

"We'd have to make it convincing. Public appearances. Shared residence. The appearance of a real relationship." His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes. "My grandfather's former business partner is looking for any excuse to challenge the will. If this looks fake, we both lose everything."

"So, you want me to lie to everyone I know."

"I want you to save your hotel." Sebastian's gaze was steady, unflinching. "You have forty-eight hours to decide. After that, the offer expires and we return to my original proposal. I buy the property, you take the money, and the Adriatic becomes luxury condos. Your choice."

Harper stood on shaky legs. She grabbed the contract without looking at it, just needing something to hold onto. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Perhaps." Sebastian stood as well, tall enough that she had to look up to meet his eyes. "But it's also your only viable option, and we both know it."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I've seen the bank's timeline. I've reviewed the cost estimates for necessary repairs. I know exactly how impossible your situation is." His voice softened slightly, just a fraction. "I'm not trying to be cruel, Ms. Vale. I'm offering you a way to save what matters to you."

"By pretending to marry a man I don't even know?."

"By entering into a mutually beneficial business arrangement with clear terms and defined parameters."

Harper clutched the contract to her chest. Her hands were shaking and she hoped he couldn't see it. "Forty-eight hours."

"Forty-eight hours."

She turned toward the door, then paused with her hand on the handle. "Why are you doing this? Really. You could find another way to meet your grandfather's requirements. Why this?"

Sebastian's expression shifted, something raw flickering across his features before the corporate mask returned. "Because despite what you think of me, To have to choose between losing everything and compromising who you are."

Harper left without another word…