" Miss Emily Miles,” Derek's deep, commanding voice broke through the silence of the lavish office, every syllable sharp and calculated. Derek leaned back in his pure leathered chair, his fingers were tapping softly on the polished mahogany table, as Derek's piercing blue eyes locked onto Emily's eyes, it was very unflinching and very steady. “Are you sure this is your final answer Emily?”

Emily swallowed very hard, feeling the weight of his words. Emily's heart pounded so loudly and heavily in her ears that she almost missed the hum of the city far below the skyscraper they were in. The air in the Derek's office felt so thick, and suffocating even, as though it carried the gravity of the choice she was about to make. Emily shifted in her seat, her fingers instinctively gripping the edge of her worn out purse that sat on her lap.

This was more than she had ever bargained for. She wanted a job at Derek's company, not expecting this offer.

“I--I-- I don’t really know, Mr--Andrews” she finally stuttered, her voice almost betraying the turmoil that is ragging inside of her. She glanced down at her hands, which had begun to tremble. “It’s not that simple, Mr. Derek Andrews. You’re asking me to lie Mr Andrews. To live a life of a lie?

Derek didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. Instead, he leaned forward, his movements very smooth and deliberate. Derek's fingers very long and elegant, formed a steeple as he rested them gently in front of him on the desk. “I’m only asking you to help me. This is more than just business, Miss Miles. It’s just survival.

Survival? The word echoed in her mind. What could someone like Derek Andrews, a billionaire with the world at his feet, possibly need help surviving? She couldn’t understand it. Yet, here he was, presenting her with a proposition that felt almost unreal. Like something out of a twisted fairy tale where the prince wasn’t charming at all, but cold and distant.

“You’re not just some random employee,” Derek continued, his voice smooth yet filled with an underlying tension. “I need someone like you. Someone who isn’t tied to this world of power plays and corporate manipulation. Someone who isn’t seeking to climb the ladder or gain from my own downfall.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Emily felt a strange sensation, a pull, that's almost urging her to hear him out. Yet she couldn’t shake the unease curling in her stomach. But Why her? She was ordinary, just a girl with mounting debt and a sick mother. No ties to the glittering, cutthroat world Derek Andrews belonged to.

Her gaze fell to the window behind him, where the skyline stretched out in all its sparkling glory. The city looked so calm from this height, so far removed from the chaotic mess of her life below. She had come here for a job interview. A regular job , something stable, something that would pay the bills. She hadn’t expected this.

“But How long?” she asked softly, her voice barely audible.

“Six months,” Derek replied without missing a beat. His tone was calm, authoritative, like he had thought this through a thousand times before uttering a single word. “For six months, you’ll play as my fiancée. Then, In return, I’ll pay off every debt you have on your desk, your mother’s medical bills, student loans, credit cards. You’ll have financial freedom.”

Six months. Six months of pretending. But what would happen afterward? The question clawed at her, but before she could voice it, Derek’s voice cut through her thoughts once more.

“After six months, we part ways,” he said, reading the unspoken question in her eyes. “No strings attached. You walk away debt-free. You’ll have your life back.”

But it wouldn’t be  her  life anymore, would it? Not after something like this. Emily tried to picture herself in that role, into Derek’s world, by his side, wearing a hidden mask for six long months.

“You just say this like it’s so easy,” she murmured, her voice shaky. “Like there will never be any consequences.”

Derek’s gaze didn’t waver, his posture remained steady. “There are always consequences, Miss Miles. But you’ll be in control of your future. More than you’ve ever been.”

Her future. Was that what this was about? She had been so consumed by the weight of her present circumstances, the endless bills, the doctors' warnings, the constant threat of losing everything that she hadn’t even dared to think about the future.

But now, faced with this offer, the possibilities seemed overwhelming. Could she really walk away from her problems this easily? Was it even that simple?

She bit her lower lip, her mind racing with a thousand conflicting thoughts. And yet, Derek’s offer hung there, like a lifeline in a storm. All she had to do was grab it.

But what would that make her?

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for some trace of humanity, something beyond the cold mask of the powerful CEO. But Derek Andrews remained impassive, as though he had already won, as though her decision was inevitable.

“Why me?” she asked, the question slipping out before she could stop herself. “Why not someone… someone from your world?”

Derek’s lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile. “Because you’re ordinary.”

The word hit her like a slap. Ordinary. Plain. Unremarkable. It stung, more than she had expected, but there was a twisted logic to it. He never wanted someone flashy or that ambitious. He wanted someone who could blend in, who wouldn’t raise any suspicions to his plan.

And that someone was her.

Emily’s pulse quickened a bit. She could feel every weight of each word pressing down on her, as she squeezed her chest so tight. Her mother’s face flashed before her eyes for some few seconds. Her frail and weak body in the hospital bed, with no hope of coming out. She had no choice.

“I-- I will need some time please, Mr Derek” she stuttered , her voice barely audible.

Derek’s expression didn’t change for a bit, but there was a flicker in his eyes something very hard, something which is unyielding. “Time is a luxury and that's what we don’t have, Miss Miles. I need an answer now.”

Her heart skipped immediately. Now? How could he expect her to make such a monumental decision in just a single moment? But then again, that was who he was. Derek a man who didn’t wait, who didn’t hesitate. A man who always got whatever he wanted.

Emily’s hands clenched into fists, her mind spinning. But deep down, she already knew the answer. There was no turning back from this. Not if she wanted to save her mother, not if she wanted to free herself from the crushing weight of her debts. Too many debts await for her.

“I’ll do it, Mr Andrews” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll sign the contract.”

For the first time, Derek’s lips twitched into a small, satisfied smile. “Good.”