Chapter 3 A GOOD DEAL
Alexander.
"She'd better not die." I muttered putting on a new dry shirt.
"If she died by drowning in my lake, by tomorrow morning I'd have the cops knocking every three minutes. And I'm really not in the mood for legal drama."
Walter cleared his throat, "Actually, sir, she's stable now. The doctor says she just inhaled a lot of water and fainted from shock."
"Better," I muttered, grabbing the towel he offered and rubbed it roughly through my now damp hair, thanks to Little Miss Suicide Queen.
I still couldn't believe it.
She jumped. Right on the edge of my property.
Glass Lake, which I'd bought specifically because of its closeness to my mother's cemetery.
Just what I needed: a dead stranger floating into my already overcrowded schedule and exactly when I finally decided to visit my late mother's grave for the first time in five years.
"So what's her info?" I asked, drying my hair.
He opened his tablet, "Her name is Dandelion Williams."
I paused mid-motion.
"Dandelion? Like the flower kids blow wishes on?"
He nodded with amusement.
I scoffed. "Why do people name their children the first thing that pops into their head?"
"Apparently it was her late mother's choice," Walter explained. "Late Mrs. Genevieve Williams, former CEO of Williams Corp."
Genevieve Williams.
The name sounded familiar, but then I don't have any dealings with Williams Corp.
I waved it aside and walked to my desk, sinking into the leather chair with a heavy sigh. My eyes still burned from the salt water.
"Continue," I said, closing my eyes briefly.
"She's twenty-three. Greenville's top actress. Very popular... well, formerly popular."
I opened my eyes, with brow raised.
"Formerly?"
Walter sighed, "She was involved in a scandal, sir. A very destructive one."
I leaned back, intrigued.
"Go on then. Entertain me."
He continued, "Her ex-boyfriend, Chase Brussel, a powerful movie producer in the film industry, he leaked explicit photos of them together. Without her knowledge or consent."
I let out a short, dry laugh almost like a scoff.
"She chose poorly, How amusing."
"That's not all, sir."
Walter's expression darkened.
"He physically abused her. For two years and She never reported him, probably to protect her career. But now that she finally left him... he retaliated with a scandal."
I tilted my head, more interested now.
Walter adjusted his glasses, "Her family has abandoned her, they are planning to disinherit her and possibly freeze her accounts. Her agency dropped her today. Even her fanbase turned on her instantly."
I whistled mockingly.
"Damn. She collected tragedies like they were limited editions."
Walter nodded slowly, lips pressed thinly.
"She's trending on every platform, sir. All for the wrong reasons."
I drummed my fingers on the armrest.
"No wonder she wanted to die so badly."
I remembered the way she fought against me in the water, trying to push me away even as I pulled her toward the surface.
Who refuses rescue at the brink of death?
This explained it.
"So she's broke, hated, abandoned..." I smirked. "And stupid enough to try dying in my lake."
Walter gave me a look.
"Sir”
I held up a hand.
"Walter, if she wasn't on my property, I would've let fate deal with her. It's not my business. You know I hate meddling in other people's affairs just like I wouldn't tolerate anyone meddling in mine."
I leaned forward.
"But the last thing I need is the COPS at my door asking why a famous actress drowned in my lake. I'm too busy for legal drama."
Walter sighed.
"Sir... you found her today. Of all days. The first time in five years you've visited your mother's grave."
I glared at him.
Where was this going?
He ignored my glare.
"I believe it's... intentional. Almost like the universe wanted you to save her."
I snorted.
"You and your sentimental nonsense. The universe didn't want anything. It's called coincidence."
"Perhaps," he murmured. "But think about it. You haven't visited the cemetery in years. And when you finally do, you find her at the exact right moment."
I rolled my eyes.
Walter and his ridiculous intuitions. Always thinking like a butler from the 1960s.
He'd never accept any explanation other than fate or divine intervention.
Just like my grandmother.
"Saving her brought something else to mind," he continued, staring into space the way he always did when hatching a ridiculous scheme.
I raised a brow.
"Why not use this situation to your advantage?"
My eyes narrowed "What Advantage?"
Walter hesitated, which was rare, what idea could it be.
"A contract marriage" he said finally.
I blinked once.
Twice.
Then I laughed out loud, leaning on the large marble desk. “A marriage With who?” I uttered in disbelief, Walter is so predictable, I knew his idea would be something bizarre, but I honestly wasn't expecting this at all.
But he pressed on.
"Think about it, sir. right now She needs power, protection, a way to reclaim her name and dignity. And you need a wife, one who won't cling to you emotionally. She's too broken for that. She just needs stability. And a way to reclaim her dignity."
My jaw tightened.
"It would be a one-year contract," he continued. "Once you finish your business in Greenville, you can choose to divorce her and return to the States."
I exhaled sharply.
"And she won't even fall in love with you," Walter added, as if pulling the final card. "Her heart is too shattered. That makes her perfect."
I stared at him in awe.
"You've thought this through."
"I have, sir."
I leaned back, fingers grazing my chin.
"She has no reputation left. Nothing to lose. No one backing her." Walter's voice was steady and confident. "Also with the upcoming family gathering... your grandmother...."
Fuck.
I groaned, gripping my hair.
My grandmother's threat echoed in my mind:
'If you don't come back on my next birthday with a wife, you might as well come for my corpse at the hospital, you brute!'
"Nona and her obsession with me getting married before she turns seventy," I muttered in frustration. "Why won't she just accept Roxy?"
Walter scoffed.
"You know Mrs. Graham would never allow it. Miss Briggs isn't... suitable."
"And Little Miss Suicide Queen is?"
Walter's expression was firm.
"In beauty, character, and poise? She ticks all the boxes on Mrs. Graham's checklist."
I glared at him.
Everyone hated Roxy. But why should I care? She was convenient. No strings attached. Just sex in exchange for money.
Simple.
But Noona...
She'd dissect anyone I brought home with surgical precision.
Walter stepped closer.
"Sir, her seventieth birthday is in a month. She expects you to show up 'actually' married. And if she suspects deception..."
He let the sentence hang.
I sighed heavily.
"I know."
Her health condition and her threats of not receiving treatment until I get Married before her 70th birthday.
What a smart way to force me into marriage, That sly grandmother of mine.
Walter continued.
"I believe she has a reason she hasn't told you. Something to do with Graham Corp. Possibly the succession plan."
I scoffed, "She wants me married before handing over Graham Corp. I already know, But I don't even want it."
"Perhaps not," Walter said. "But she doesn't know that. And if you told her, she'd have a heart attack. So you have no choice but to play along."
I rolled my eyes.
He was right.
Nona was obsessed with me inheriting her empire, an empire I had zero interest in.
Heck I already have mine to focus on, but she just kept insisting.
Meanwhile, I'm amused at my stepmother Viola pressuring my stepbrother Tristan to drag the title with me.
Really entertaining.
Walter continued, "This solves two problems. You need a temporary wife to appease Mrs. Graham, Miss Williams needs someone powerful to help her reclaim her dignity and perhaps... seek revenge."
I tapped my fingers on the armrest.
"Revenge," I murmured. "And a fake wife, Killing two birds with one stone."
Walter almost smiled.
"Exactly, sir."
"Okay then." I stood, buttoning the last button on my shirt. "An affectionless marriage. Simple, Clean, Mutual benefit."
Walter grinned, satisfied that he had finally convinced me.
Suddenly He frowned as if remembering something important.
"But...What if she refuses?"
I smirked.
"Walter. You underestimate the power of revenge."
I glanced toward the guest room where she slept, unconscious.
"A woman who lost everything? With a new chance for revenge?"
My smirk widened.
"She'll take the deal....Because right now... revenge is the only thing keeping her alive."