2

Amelia’s POV For one terrible second, I thought Theo was about to tell me he had a wife hidden somewhere. Or a pregnant girlfriend. Or maybe some criminal secret his family needed to bury under a convenient marriage. The possibilities rushed through my head so quickly that by the time he spoke again, I had prepared myself for almost anything. Almost. Theo moved away from the door and stood beside the desk. “There’s no easy way to say this.” “That’s never a comforting sentence.” His mouth twitched slightly, but the almost-smile disappeared quickly. “I know.” I crossed my arms. “If you have a girlfriend, you should probably tell her before your father marries you off to someone else.” Theo looked at me. “I don’t have a girlfriend.” “Okay.” I waited. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. Then he stopped trying. “I’m gay.” I stared at him. Theo said nothing. I blinked. Then I laughed. It escaped before I could stop it. Not because I thought being gay was funny. Because surely this entire evening had finally crossed into some kind of ridiculous joke. Theo Wellington, billionaire heir, was standing in front of me telling me he was gay while our fathers discussed whether I should become his wife. “You’re serious?” “Yes.” My smile disappeared. “Oh.” That was all I managed. Oh. Theo looked almost apologetic. I slowly lowered myself into the nearest chair. “So your father wants you to marry me.” “Yes.” “And you’re gay.” “Yes.” “And everyone downstairs apparently thinks this is reasonable.” “My father thinks it is necessary.” I stared at him. “For what?” Theo breathed out through his nose. “For appearances. For the company. For the family name. Pick whichever answer makes the least sense to you.” There was bitterness in his voice now. For the first time that evening, he sounded less like a calm billionaire and more like a man who was exhausted. “How long has your father known?” “Years.” “And he still expects you to marry a woman?” “Yes.” I shook my head slowly. “That’s insane.” “I know.” “Does your mother know?” His expression changed. “She died when I was younger.” “I’m sorry.” “Thank you.” Silence settled between us. I looked at him differently now. All those magazine articles suddenly made sense. The questions about why Theo Wellington never dated publicly. Why he never appeared with women. Why every rumor about some model or actress disappeared almost as quickly as it started. “So all those stories…” “Mostly inventions.” “And you never corrected them.” “What exactly was I supposed to say?” I had no answer for that. Theo looked toward the closed door. “My father has spent years pretending this part of my life doesn’t exist.” “That sounds exhausting.” “It is.” Something about the way he said it softened me. Not enough to forget why I was sitting there. But enough to stop seeing him as the enemy. I leaned back in the chair. “So why me?” His eyes returned to mine. “Your father and mine have known each other for years. Your family needs help. My father wants a marriage he can control.” “That still doesn’t explain why you agreed.” Theo looked away. That answer took longer. “There’s someone.” Of course there was. “A man?” “Yes.” I nodded slowly. “What’s his name?” “Ethan Cole.” The way Theo said the name told me more than anything else had. His voice changed. Just slightly. Softer. Warmer. “How long?” “Three years.” I frowned. “Three years?” He nodded. “And your father knows?” “He knows enough.” “What does that mean?” Theo’s jaw tightened. “It means he had Ethan investigated.” My stomach twisted. “He did what?” “My father investigates everyone who gets close to this family.” “That’s terrifying.” “You get used to it.” “I don’t think anyone should get used to that.” Theo gave me a look that almost said exactly. I stood and walked a little farther into the room. “So your father doesn’t like Ethan.” “He hates what Ethan represents.” “You being happy?” Theo laughed once. It was dry and humorless. “Something like that.” “What did he do?” Theo was silent for a moment. Then he said, “He threatened him.” I stopped. “With what?” “Ethan works in finance. He’s built his career from nothing. My father has enough influence to make sure no major firm in this city touches him.” “That’s disgusting.” “Yes.” “And he threatened to do that unless you married?” “Unless I ended the relationship and stopped embarrassing the family.” My anger shifted. A few minutes ago, I had been furious at Theo. Now I was furious for him. “And if you refuse?” “He removes me from the company. Cuts me out of the family trusts. Makes Ethan’s life difficult.” “So he’s blackmailing you.” Theo looked at me. “My father would call it protecting the family.” “I’d call it blackmail.” “I prefer your version.” Despite myself, I almost smiled. Then I remembered the rest of it. “So where exactly do I fit into this nightmare?” Theo straightened. “This marriage would be an arrangement.” “That’s obvious.” “You would not owe me anything.” I frowned. “What do you mean?” “No love. No intimacy. No children.” He said it calmly. Almost clinically. My face warmed anyway. Theo continued. “We would behave like husband and wife in public. Attend events together. Appear when necessary. Live at the same residence when required.” “And privately?” “Separate rooms.” I stared at him. “Separate lives?” “Yes.” “And Ethan?” His expression hardened slightly. “I’m not ending my relationship with him.” I nodded. At least he was honest. “And you expect me to just live with that?” “You would be free to have your own life too.” I raised an eyebrow. “Your father would be fine with his daughter-in-law openly dating?” “No.” “Then I wouldn’t exactly be free, would I?” Theo looked uncomfortable. “No. Not publicly.” I laughed softly. “This gets better every minute.” “I know.” I rubbed my forehead. “How long?” “Two years.” I looked up. “Two years?” “After that, we divorce.” “And then what?” “You leave with enough money to start over independently. Your father’s debts remain cleared. The company stays protected.” I stared at him. He had thought about this. Really thought about it. “You’ve planned everything.” “I’ve had time.” “That doesn’t make it less disturbing.” “I know.” I walked toward the window. Outside, the Wellington estate stretched into darkness, lit by small garden lights. Two years. It sounded short when said quickly. It sounded enormous when I imagined waking up every day as the wife of a man who loved someone else. Still, Theo wasn’t pretending. He wasn’t trying to trick me into some marriage and reveal the truth later. He had told me before I said yes. That had to count for something. “You could marry someone else,” I said. “My father chose you.” “That’s not an answer.” Theo looked tired again. “Most women in our social circle would use this information against me eventually.” “And you think I won’t?” “I don’t know you well enough to think anything.” “That’s reassuring.” “But you looked horrified downstairs.” I frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?” “You don’t want this marriage any more than I do.” I stared at him. Then I understood. He wanted someone with something to lose too. Someone who would treat this as a contract. Not a fairy tale. Before I could respond, the study door opened. Victor Wellington walked in without knocking. Theo’s expression immediately closed off. Victor looked between us. “I assume you’ve spoken.” “We have,” Theo said. Victor’s attention settled on me. “And?” “I haven’t decided.” His face remained polite. But the room suddenly felt colder. “I understand.” Something about his tone told me he understood nothing. “My family needs time.” “Time is precisely what your father’s company does not have.” My spine stiffened. Theo looked at him. “Father.” Victor ignored him. “The banks are moving quickly, Miss Rose. I’m prepared to resolve the matter immediately, but I cannot keep an offer of this size open indefinitely.” I hated him in that moment. Not because he was shouting. He wasn’t. That somehow made it worse. He was calm while reminding me that my family was drowning. “How long do I have?” “Tomorrow morning would be preferable.” Theo’s jaw tightened. “That’s unreasonable.” Victor glanced at him. “So is paying fourteen million dollars to save another man’s company.” I felt sick. “I should go.” Theo stepped toward me. “Amelia.” “I need to think.” He stopped. Then nodded. “I understand.” I walked past Victor without saying goodbye. ⸻ Dad was still awake when I got home. I found him in the dining room. The lights were off except for the one above the table. He sat alone with papers spread in front of him. More letters. More numbers. More red stamps. I slowly approached. He didn’t notice me at first. His hand was pressed against his mouth as he stared at one page. I looked down. FORECLOSURE NOTICE. My chest tightened. “Dad.” He quickly turned the paper over. Too late. “I thought you went to bed.” “I couldn’t.” Neither could I. He looked at me carefully. “How was dinner?” I pulled out the chair opposite him. “Interesting.” He waited. I wanted to tell him everything. About Theo. About Ethan. About Victor. About how completely insane the entire arrangement was. Instead, I looked at the foreclosure papers. My childhood home. The company. Four hundred and thirty employees. My father. “What happens if I say no?” He looked away. “I’ll figure something out.” “That wasn’t my question.” Silence. I understood. Nothing. Nothing happened if I said no. Except everything fell apart. Dad reached across the table. “You do not have to do this.” I looked at his hand. Then at his face. For the first time in my life, my father looked afraid of losing everything he had spent decades building. And suddenly, Theo’s face came back to me. He was trapped too. Maybe differently. But trapped. Two years. I stood. “Where are you going?” “To bed.” I made it halfway upstairs before stopping. My phone felt heavy in my hand. Theo had given me his number before I left. Just in case. I stared at it for almost a full minute. Then I pressed call. He answered on the third ring. “Amelia?” I closed my eyes. Every part of me wanted to hang up. Instead, I said the words that would change my life. “I’ll marry you.” If you want, I can also write Chapter 3 with Theo’s POV and keep the same emotional, human-written style.