The meeting took place on the forty-second floor of Blackwood Tower, in a room far too spacious for two people who didn't know each other. Glass walls overlooked the city. From that height, the highway looked like a thin vein carrying light from one part of the city to another.
Elise arrived five minutes early. She declined the secretary's offer to wait in the lounge and went straight inside when the door was opened.
Adrian stood by the window.
He didn't look like a man waiting to meet his future wife. His black suit was immaculate, but his tie was loose, one hand tucked into his trouser pocket. His expression wasn't friendly, but it wasn't cold either. He had the composure of someone who had already decided the outcome of the meeting before his opponent even sat down.
“Miss Laurent.”
“Mr. Blackwood.”
“Please.”
He gestured toward the chair across from the long table. Elise sat without taking off her coat. Adrian took the seat opposite her, then pushed a folder toward her.
“The contract has been prepared.”
“We just met.”
“Which is why I don't want to waste time.”
Elise opened the folder. The first page listed their names, the wedding date, a one-year term, and the obligation to appear together at certain public events. The following pages detailed the house, bank accounts, management of Laurent Design, and the division of assets after the divorce.
Everything was perfectly clear. Too clear.
“There are no romantic obligations,” Elise said after reading several pages.
“Correct.”
“No obligation to share a bedroom.”
“Correct.”
“No requirement to have children.”
“Correct.”
“And after one year, I'm free to leave.”
“If you still want to.”
Elise looked up. “That isn't part of the arrangement.”
“A lot can change after living with someone.”
“Not for me.”
For the first time, Adrian seemed to truly pay attention to her. His eyes moved from Elise's face to the hand still gripping the edge of the folder. No ring, no nail polish, no sign that she was used to asking anyone else for approval.
“Your family's debts will be paid off once the marriage is officially registered,” he said.
“Not after I sign the contract?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to make sure this arrangement isn't canceled after the money changes hands.”
“So you don't trust me.”
“I don't trust the situation.”
The answer was so calm that it was more unsettling than an insult.
Elise read the following pages. There were clauses about confidentiality, public appearances, and restrictions on relationships with anyone who might cause a scandal. Not a single line felt romantic. There was no attempt to dress up this transaction as fate.
Adrian only made it seem more honest by admitting that all of this was a transaction.
“Why me?” Elise asked.
She wanted to hear the same answer she'd gotten from her father, but Adrian didn't answer right away.
“Because you need protection.”
“That isn't enough of a reason to marry someone.”
“Perhaps not for you.”
“What about you?”
Adrian turned his gaze toward the city.
“Marriage isn't always about love.”
“Then you should marry the company.”
“I've been married to the company for years.”
This time, Elise almost smiled. Almost.
She turned to the last page. There was an additional clause printed in smaller type than the rest. Elise read it twice.
“All of the Laurent family's debts will be paid off after I get married,” she said. “But the payment will come from the Blackwood family fund, not the company.”
“Yes.”
“That means your family is directly involved.”
“It's unavoidable.”
“Victor Blackwood approved this?”
“He was the one who asked me to make the proposal.”
There was something in the way Adrian said his father's name—not respect, not fear. More like someone mentioning an old illness.
Elise closed the folder.
“I have conditions.”
“Five, according to your father.”
“Six.”
Adrian's brow lifted slightly.
“First, you can't interfere with my work. Laurent Design remains under my control.”
“Agreed.”
“Second, you can't interfere in my personal life.”
“Agreed.”
“Third, separate bedrooms.”
“Already arranged.”
“Fourth, there can be no scandals.”
“Reasonable.”
“Fifth, we don't need to pretend when no one else is around.”
Adrian stared at her for a long moment.
“And the sixth?”
Elise drew a breath.
“Don't fall in love.”
The room grew too quiet. Rain tapped against the glass behind Adrian, slow and steady.
“Is that an order?”
“A warning.”
“For whom?”
Elise stood. “For both of us.”
Adrian didn't stop her. He simply picked up the black pen from the table and signed the last page without rereading it.
When Elise took the pen, their fingers brushed.
In an instant, a shadow flashed through her mind: a young man's hand wet with rain, a broken umbrella, and a voice saying, “Don't look back.”
Elise pulled her hand away.
Adrian noticed the change in her expression.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
She was lying.
Adrian didn't say anything either.
Outside the room, the secretary waited with a composed expression. Elise walked toward the elevator, but before the doors closed, she glanced back once.
Adrian was still standing by the table.
He stared at Elise's signature as though he had just obtained something that had been missing for a long time.
And for some inexplicable reason, Elise felt that the contract wasn't the beginning of Adrian's plan.
It was the end of his waiting.