"You're paying for that."
Ella Reyes froze mid-step, her sneakers skidding slightly on the marble floor of Calloway Enterprises. She looked down at the coffee stain spreading across the chest of a perfectly tailored three-piece suit. The man wearing it glared at her, his piercing gray eyes as cold as the iced Americano now dripping from his sleeve.
"Excuse me?" she said, clutching her now-empty coffee cup.
"You heard me." The man's tone was clipped, his jaw tight. He pulled a monogrammed handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the stain, though it did little to save the ruined fabric. "This suit costs more than your entire outfit. Do you have any idea—"
"Hey, buddy," Ella interrupted, her temper flaring. "It was an accident. And for the record, I didn't ask you to stand in the middle of the hallway like a statue."
His eyes narrowed. "Do you know who I am?"
Ella tilted her head, studying him. He looked like the kind of man who'd sue someone for breathing too loudly near him. "Should I? Are you the coffee police?"
For a split second, something flickered in his expression—was that amusement? But it was gone as quickly as it came.
"I'm Damien Calloway," he said, his voice low and commanding.
Ella's stomach dropped. The Damien Calloway. CEO of Calloway Enterprises. Billionaire. The man whose company was funding the event she'd been hired to cater. And she'd just doused him in coffee.
"Oh," she said, suddenly feeling very small. "Well… uh… nice to meet you?"
Damien raised an eyebrow. "Is this your idea of an apology?"
"I said it was an accident!" she shot back, though her voice wavered slightly. "Besides, it's just coffee. Dry cleaning exists, you know."
"Miss—" He glanced at her name tag. "Reyes, is it? I don't have time for this." He gestured toward the conference room behind him. "I'm in the middle of a negotiation worth billions, and now I look like I just walked out of a frat party."
Ella opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, a voice called from behind her.
"Damien! We're ready for you."
Damien sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Stay here," he said sharply. "We're not done."
As he disappeared into the conference room, Ella exhaled, her shoulders sagging. "Great. Just great," she muttered. "Day one on the job, and I've already pissed off a billionaire."
She turned to leave, but before she could take a step, a security guard approached her.
"Miss Reyes?"
She looked up, her stomach knotting. "Yes?"
"The boss wants to see you in his office. Now."
Ella blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"
The guard shrugged. "Didn't say. But I wouldn't keep him waiting if I were you."
Ella's heart raced as she followed the guard to the elevator. What could Damien Calloway possibly want with her?
Ella stepped into Damien Calloway's office, her nerves jangling. The room screamed power and wealth—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline, and sleek, minimalist furniture filled the space. A massive black desk dominated the room, and behind it sat Damien, his suit jacket gone, his tie loosened, and his icy gaze fixed squarely on her.
"Close the door," he said, his tone brooking no argument.
Ella hesitated, then obeyed, her fingers tightening on the strap of her messenger bag. "Look, Mr. Calloway, if this is about the coffee thing, I—"
"It's not just about the coffee," he interrupted, leaning back in his chair. "Though that was a particularly disastrous first impression."
Ella bristled. "I already apologized."
"You didn't, actually."
She opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing he was technically right. "Fine. I'm sorry," she said, crossing her arms. "Happy now?"
"Not even close."
He stood and walked around the desk, stopping a few feet away from her. Up close, he was even more intimidating—tall, broad-shouldered, and radiating a cold authority that made her feel like she was being scrutinized under a microscope.
"You're a caterer, right?" he asked.
Ella frowned. "Yes. What does that have to do with—"
"You're also drowning in debt," he cut in, his voice as sharp as a knife.
Her stomach plummeted. "What?"
"I had your background checked."
"You what?" Her voice rose, anger replacing her nervousness. "Why would you do that? You don't even know me!"
"I don't like surprises," he said simply. "And you, Miss Reyes, are a walking liability."
Ella clenched her fists, her face burning with humiliation and fury. "You had no right—"
"I have every right," he said coolly, cutting her off again. "Especially when someone who can barely keep her head above water decides to dump coffee on me."
"It was an accident!" she snapped.
"And this is an opportunity."
That threw her. "What are you talking about?"
Damien's lips curled into a faint smirk, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You're in a unique position, Miss Reyes. You need money, and I need a fiancée."
Ella blinked, convinced she'd misheard him. "You… what?"
"You heard me," he said, his tone maddeningly calm. "My family is breathing down my neck to settle down, and my inheritance depends on it. I need someone who can play the role convincingly. You're… unconventional, but you'll do."
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "You can't be serious."
"I don't joke about business," he said, crossing his arms. "You'll pretend to be my fiancée for six months. In return, I'll pay off your debts and give you enough money to start over."
Ella's mind raced. This had to be some kind of elaborate prank. "You want me to pretend to marry you? That's insane."
"It's practical," Damien corrected. "And mutually beneficial."
"Beneficial for you, maybe," she shot back. "But why would I agree to something like that?"
He stepped closer, his gray eyes locking onto hers. "Because, Miss Reyes, you don't have a better option."
The weight of his words hit her like a punch to the gut. He wasn't wrong. Her bills were piling up, her sister's tuition was overdue, and she was barely scraping by.
But agreeing to this? To become a billionaire's fake fiancée?
"That's blackmail," she said, her voice shaking.
"It's a business proposition," Damien countered. "Think it over. You have until tomorrow to decide."
Ella stared at him, her heart pounding. She wanted to tell him to shove his proposal where the sun didn't shine, but the truth was, she couldn't afford to.
"I'll think about it," she said finally, her voice tight.
"Good," Damien said, his expression unreadable. "And Miss Reyes?"
She paused at the door, not turning around.
"Next time you bring me coffee," he said, his tone laced with dry humor, "try not to spill it."
Ella slammed the door behind her, her cheeks burning.
****
Ella sat at the tiny kitchen table in her cramped apartment, staring at the unopened envelope in front of her. It wasn't just any envelope—it was the contract. Damien Calloway's absurd, insane, too-good-to-be-true proposal written in black and white.
Her head throbbed from replaying his words over and over. "You don't have a better option."
She flinched at the sound of her sister Lily slamming the front door.
"Ella!" Lily's voice rang out as she kicked off her sneakers and walked into the kitchen. "Why do you look like someone stole your coffee?"
Ella snorted, unable to stop the irony from twisting her lips. "Funny you say that. I kind of ruined a billionaire's suit with coffee today."
Lily raised an eyebrow, grabbing an apple from the counter. "Let me guess. He threw a hissy fit?"
Ella hesitated. "More like… offered me a deal."
That got Lily's attention. She sat down across from Ella, her expression shifting to concern. "What kind of deal?"
Ella pushed the envelope toward her. "The kind that sounds like it belongs in a bad romance novel."
Lily's eyes widened as she skimmed the papers. "A fake engagement? Are you serious?"
Ella nodded, resting her chin in her hand. "He'll pay off all my debts, cover your tuition, and give me enough to start fresh after six months. All I have to do is pretend to be his fiancée."
Lily dropped the papers. "Ella, this is nuts. You can't seriously be considering it!"
"Why not?" Ella snapped, the weight of her struggles making her voice sharper than she intended. "Do you have a better idea? Because I'm out of options, Lily. I'm drowning here."
Lily's expression softened. "I know, but… this guy sounds like a total control freak. What's stopping him from screwing you over?"
"The contract, apparently," Ella muttered, pulling it back toward her. "He's got rules. No falling in love, no sharing personal secrets, no entanglements outside of the arrangement. It's all spelled out."
Lily frowned. "No falling in love? Sounds like he's been burned before."
Ella shrugged. "Not my problem. This isn't about love. It's about survival."
"Ella…" Lily reached across the table, squeezing her hand. "You've done so much for me already. I don't want you sacrificing your dignity for this."
"I'm not," Ella said, her voice firm. "This isn't forever. It's six months. And if it means you get to finish school without worrying about money, then it's worth it."
Lily looked at her for a long moment, then sighed. "If you're sure about this, I'll support you. But promise me you'll be careful. Guys like him… they play by their own rules."
"I'll be fine," Ella said, though her stomach churned with doubt.
The Agreement
The next day, Ella walked into Damien Calloway's office, clutching the signed contract.
He looked up from his desk, his expression impassive. "Miss Reyes. Have you made your decision?"
She set the contract down in front of him. "I'm in."
Damien's lips twitched into the faintest semblance of a smile. "Good. I'll have my legal team finalize everything."
"Let's just get this over with," Ella said, crossing her arms. "What's next?"
"Next," Damien said, leaning back in his chair, "you'll move into my penthouse. It's essential that we appear to be living together for this to be convincing."
Ella's stomach flipped. "Living together? That wasn't in the deal."
"It's non-negotiable," Damien said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We'll also need to establish some ground rules."
He slid a separate document across the desk. Ella scanned it, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Wow," she said, setting the paper down. "You've really thought this through."
"I don't leave things to chance," Damien said, his voice cold.
Ella met his gaze, her chin lifting defiantly. "Fine. But you should know, Mr. Calloway, I don't break rules. And I don't plan on starting now."
"Good," Damien said, standing and extending a hand. "Then we have a deal."
Ella shook his hand, ignoring the strange jolt that ran up her arm.
This was just a business arrangement. Nothing more.
At least, that's what she told herself.