Chapter 2

CLARA MYLES

I stared at the computer screen, my heart beat wildly. I zoomed in on the scanned newspaper clipping, praying my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the face was unmistakable.

The swollen eye, the deep cut along his jaw, and the terrified look in his eyes belonged to a younger Leo Drake.

Ten years ago, I was just a sophomore sitting in a diner near town after a late shift, looking out the window during a torrential downpour. I remembered running outside with an umbrella, finding a boy sitting on the cold curb near the highway bridge with blood dripping down his neck. He wouldn't tell me his name, and he refused to go to a hospital. I had bought him a hot cup of tea, wrapped my scarf around his shivering shoulders, and stayed with him until he stopped shaking.

I never knew his name back then, and he had disappeared all of a sudden.

My hand shook as I closed the tab, leaning back in my office chair. Did Leo know?

Was that why he refused to sign the annulment papers, or was it really just about the business merger?

Before I could process the thought, my desk phone chimed loudly, making me jump out in surprise. I took a deep breath, picked up the receiver, and forced my voice to stay professional.

"Clara Myles," I said.

"My office. Now," Leo said, clicking off before I could reply.

I swallowed hard, stood up, and smoothed down my pencil skirt and walked toward the doors at the end of the private corridor.

I knocked twice and pushed the door open. Leo was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the Chicago skyline with his hands resting in his trouser pockets. His jacket was off, rolled-up sleeves exposing his forearms, and he looked every bit the powerful, unyielding executive.

"Close the door," he ordered without turning around.

I shut the door behind me, the latch clicking into place. "I have the preliminary risk report ready for the Sterling Group, but I also wanted to discuss the non-disclosure agreement my lawyer drafted regarding our... situation."

Leo turned around slowly, his expression completely blank. He walked over to his desk and picked up a tablet, sliding it across, toward me.

"Take a look at that," he said quietly.

I stepped forward and picked up the tablet. My eyes widened as I read the red headlines on the screen. A local business tabloid had published a blind item article just twenty minutes ago, claiming that the young CEO of Drake Enterprises had secretly wed a woman in Las Vegas over the weekend.

"How did they get this?" I whispered, the color draining from my face. "We didn't tell anyone. We used a private chapel!"

"It doesn't matter how they got it," Leo said, his voice flat. "What matters is that the Sterling Group's legal team has already called my assistant to confirm the rumors. Marcus Sterling is an old-school billionaire who believes family stability reflects personal leadership. If I deny this and claim it was a mistake, he will view me as impulsive and unreliable."

"So what are you saying?" I asked, my grip tightening on the tablet.

"I am saying we don't sign the annulment, and we don't file a denial," Leo said, leaning his hands on the edge of the desk as he looked at me. "We play along. We tell the board and the press that we have been secretly dating for months, and we got married quietly in Vegas to avoid a massive media circus."

"Are you insane?" I snapped, forgetting for a moment that he was my boss. "Leo, I am your lead risk analyst! If people think I slept my way into my job or used a fake marriage to get my promotion, my entire career is ruined!"

"You earned your promotion, Clara, and everyone on the board knows your numbers are flawless," Leo said, stepping around the desk until he was standing right in front of me. "If you help me keep this story straight for four weeks until the merger closes, I will publicly credit you for the entire risk strategy on the Sterling deal. Your reputation will be untouchable."

I looked up into his gray eyes, searching for any sign of deception. "Why me, Leo? You could easily hire an actress or pay someone off to play your wife for a month. Why are you dragging me into this?"

Leo paused for a second, his eyes darkening slightly before he masked his expression again. "Because I trust you not to sell me out to the press, and because you don't care about my money."

I let out a bitter laugh. "You're right about that. I don't want a single penny of your money."

"Then we have a deal," he said, holding out his hand.

I stared at his hand, my mind racing back to the newspaper clipping on my computer. I wanted so badly to ask him about that night ten years ago on the bridge, but the cold, distant look in his eyes told me he wasn't going to open up easily. If I wanted the truth, I had to stay close to him.

"Four weeks," I said firmly, reaching out and wrapping my fingers around his. His grip was warm, sending a sudden, familiar shiver down my spine. "And the moment the contract with Sterling is signed, you give me my divorce and my promotion."

"Agreed," Leo said softly.

Before I could pull my hand back, his intercom buzzed sharply on the desk. Leo pressed the speaker button with his free hand.

"Mr. Drake," his secretary's voice came through the speaker, sounding panicked.

"Your father and brother are in the lobby. They insist on coming up to your office right now, and security couldn't stop them."

Leo's body went completely rigid. The calm, composed CEO looked completely shattered instantly, replaced by a dark, knowing expression on his face. His jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle ticking in his cheek, and his breathing turned shallow.

"Leo?" I asked gently, taking a step closer to him. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. He turned his back to me, gripping the edge of his desk so tightly his knuckles turned completely white. I watched in alarm as his shoulders began to shake slightly, his eyes fixed on the floor as if he couldn't catch his breath.

He was having a panic attack.

I didn't think twice. I rushed over to the office door, turned the lock, and pulled the blinds down over the panels. I hurried back to Leo's side, grabbing his arm before he could pull away.

"Leo, look at me," I said, my voice soft.

He didn't look up, his chest heaving as he struggled for air. I reached out, gently putting both of my hands on the sides of his face, forcing him to look at me.

His skin was pale and ice-cold to the touch.

"Breathe, Leo," I instructed, keeping my eyes locked on his. "Inhale slowly. One, two, three. Out. One, two, three."

He stared at me, his dark eyes wide and full of a quiet agony that I had never seen in him before. Slowly, his breathing began to match mine, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm.

Outside the locked door, aggressive footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by a loud, demanding knock.

"Open this door, Leo!" a harsh, elderly voice shouted from outside. "We know you're in there, and you have some explaining to do about this ridiculous marriage!"

Leo swallowed hard, his hands coming up to gently cover mine where they still rested on his cheeks.

"Don't let them in yet," Leo whispered, his voice sounding small, vulnerable, and completely broken. "Please."

I looked into his eyes, seeing the same terrified boy from the bridge ten years ago, and I knew right then that I wasn't going anywhere.