The knocking came again, more insistent this time.

Jaxon stood frozen in his small apartment, the silence around him suddenly deafening. The rain outside drummed against the window like an impatient audience. He glanced down at the unopened eviction notice on the table and the photograph of Mia still clutched in his hand.

Whoever was at the door wasn't leaving anytime soon.

With a resigned sigh, Jaxon tucked the photo into his jacket pocket and opened the door. Standing before him was the woman from earlier, her coat still damp and her expression sharp as a blade. Harper Sinclair. She looked out of place against the peeling paint of the hallway walls, her tailored coat and polished boots more suited to the glossy streets of the city center.

"Thought you'd ignore me all night?" she said, arching an eyebrow.

"What do you want?" Jaxon asked, his voice gruff.

"I told you. I have a proposition." Harper stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, her heels clicking against the worn floor. The scent of rain and expensive perfume followed her.

Jaxon shut the door and crossed his arms. "I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."

"Oh, I think you'll be very interested," Harper replied, turning to face him. She pulled a folded document from her bag and placed it on the table. "This isn't a sales pitch, Reyes. It's an opportunity."

Jaxon eyed the document warily but didn't move to pick it up. "You've got the wrong guy. I don't do… whatever this is."

Harper smirked. "You don't even know what this is."

"Don't need to. People like you don't come knocking on doors like mine unless they're looking for trouble."

Her expression softened, just a fraction. "And people like you don't turn down a way out when it's staring them in the face."

That hit a nerve, and Jaxon's jaw tightened. "What do you know about me?"

"Enough," Harper said simply. "I know you're behind on rent. I know you're working a dead-end job, barely making ends meet. And I know you're trying—desperately—to leave a past that doesn't want to let you go."

Jaxon stared at her, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "So what? You came to gloat?"

"I came to help," she said, her tone surprisingly gentle. "But only if you're willing to listen."

Jaxon didn't trust her, not for a second. But curiosity won out over caution, and he finally reached for the document. His eyes skimmed the first few lines, his brow furrowing as the words sank in.

"A fake relationship," he muttered, looking up at her. "That's your big proposition?"

Harper nodded. "A mutually beneficial arrangement. You pretend to be my partner for the next six months, and in return, I'll make your financial problems disappear."

Jaxon laughed, a bitter sound that filled the room. "Lady, I don't know what kind of fairy tale you think this is, but I'm not interested in being someone's puppet."

"It's not a fairy tale," Harper said, her voice cutting through his skepticism. "It's a business arrangement. No strings, no expectations beyond the contract. You get your debts cleared, and I get what I need."

"And what is it you need?" Jaxon asked, narrowing his eyes.

Harper hesitated, just for a moment. "Let's just say I have certain… obligations. Ones that require me to appear settled and stable in the public eye. You fit the bill."

Jaxon leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms again. "And what happens when your plan blows up? When people find out this whole thing's a sham?"

"They won't," Harper said confidently. "Not if we both play our parts right."

He studied her, searching for cracks in her polished exterior. She was beautiful, no doubt about it, but there was something guarded in her eyes, something that made him think she wasn't as put together as she wanted him to believe.

"I don't know," Jaxon said finally, his voice quieter now. "This sounds like the kind of mess I've been trying to avoid."

"And where has avoiding messes gotten you?" Harper countered, gesturing to the eviction notice on the table.

The words stung, but she wasn't wrong.

Jaxon looked down at the contract again. Six months. That's all she was asking for. And in return, he could finally breathe again, finally take a step forward without the weight of his past dragging him down.

But it wasn't just about the money. If he did this, he'd be stepping into someone else's world—a world he didn't belong in.

"What happens after six months?" he asked.

"We go our separate ways," Harper said. "No harm, no foul."

Jaxon rubbed the back of his neck, his mind racing. It was a terrible idea, a disaster waiting to happen. But the alternative? Staying stuck in this limbo, watching his life crumble around him?

He sighed. "Fine. I'll think about it."

Harper smiled, a small, satisfied curve of her lips. "Good. That's all I ask."

She turned to leave, but paused at the door. "One more thing," she said, glancing back at him. "I'm not offering charity, Reyes. If you accept, you're expected to earn every cent."

Jaxon met her gaze, his expression unreadable. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Harper nodded and stepped out into the rain, leaving Jaxon alone with the contract—and the weight of the decision ahead.

Cliffhanger:

As the rain continues to fall outside, Jaxon's mind churns with questions. What kind of woman offers a deal like this? And what is she hiding behind that polished façade?