Chapter 4 SIX MONTHS AND THE DEAL IS OFF

"No sir," Clara said calmly. "I'm just offering her a better opportunity. One that benefits everyone involved."

Amelia wasn't having it funny at all. She thought of her son, the mountain bills, and her mother's fragile health. Moreover, she just started working in this organization, not even up to three months and she hasn't saved a penny. Leaving the organization and looking for another will be hard on her and also the deal is quite watery. Of course, she hated the idea of being a pawn in Damon's game, but at this point could she afford to say no?

Damon studied her, his expression was a bit confusing. "Fine," he finally said with a cold voice. "If you agree to this, there will be rules. No surprises, and no personal interference. Just think of this as a business deal arrangement, nothing more."

Amelia turned and looked at him eyeballs to eyeballs. "You don't get to dictate the terms, Damon. If I do this, it's on my terms. I'm not some accessory you can control."

For a moment, neither of them spoke, the tension was still hot between them. Then Clara cleared her throat.

"I'll draft the agreement. You both have 24 hours to make your decision. But I'll say this --- if either of you backs out now, the fallout will be massive."

Damon turned away, tightening his jaw as he stared at the window with both hands in his pants pocket. Amelia sat and relaxed on her chair, her mind was just racing everywhere. They were both trapped unplanned In a web of their own making and no easy way out.

As Clara and her team gathered their things and left, Damon finally spoke with a low voice. "This isn't how I wanted things to go."

Amelia just sighed on hearing that, her laugh was bitter. "Since this is a business deal where I play the doting wife while you parade me around to secure some merger, she took a deep breath facing him. Fine." She finally said with a firm voice. "I'll do it. But I have conditions."

Damon's eyebrow lifted slightly, as he felt surprised. "Condition?"

"Yes," she stepped closer, looking at him.

"Firstly, my son stays out of this. I don't want him paraded around for the sake of your business. He's off limits."

"Done," Damon said without hesitation.

"And for the second one," she continued, "I won't be some puppet for you to control. If we're doing this, I want respect. I want boundaries."

Damon's lips twitched, almost as if he wanted to smile. "Miss Amelia Harper, you've never struck me as someone who lets anyone control her. I don't think that will be a problem."

Ignoring his attempt at humour, she pressed on. "And when the six months are up, we walk away. Clean break. No lingering expectations, no strings attached."

Damon's expression hardened again. "Agreed."

"And finally," with a softening voice, she said, "I want assurance that my mother will get the care she needs, no matter what happens between us "

"You have my word," Damon's tone was surprisingly gentle now.

For a second, they simply stared at each other, both acknowledging what they just agreed upon. Amelia felt like a hard lump was in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She couldn't afford to fall apart now. Not when so much was at stake.

"I'll have my lawyer draft the terms instead," Damon said finally breaking the silence. "So that we'll make this official."

"Of course you will," Amelia said with a touch of sarcasm, crossing her arms. "Because nothing says romance like a legally binding contract."

He smirked at that, and for the first time since the incident happened he smiled, but it disappeared quickly.

"Prepare yourself, Miss Amelia Harper," he said as he moved towards the door. "The next six months is going to be... interesting."

Amelia watched him leave together with the team. Her thoughts were just filled with her son's smile and her mother's health, she concluded that she had made the right decision she could.

As they shut the door, Amelia went straight to the bed. She picked up her phone from the light stand and breathed out heavily relieving herself of the stress.

"What just happened now? I sincerely didn't see that coming." She thought.

"This deal is going to change everything around me both positive and negative way. Imagine getting married to my boss, how do I explain this to mum and son?" Amelia thought while she rhythmically tapped her fingers on her phone.

Amelia hated the fact that she's now being tied to someone like her boss even if it's a temporary marriage. But of course what choice does she have? Her present condition calls for desperate measures with a good deal.

Even if it means sacrificing her pride, her son's smile and her mother's health care give her a sense of reassurance. So she isn't regretting her actions, Damon's money and influence can provide a stable life for the treasures in her life at this point.

"Ahhh... But the terms are overwhelming. Shit... Can I do this for six months? She tapped herself on her cheek. "Focus, Amelia," she murmured to herself. "You can do this. It's just six months of holiday with the boss and being rewarded handsomely. "Because thinking of it now ... It's disgustingly annoying to me, thinking about how I'll be confined to that male gender after all the love I showed Delvis... Anyway, I don't want to go into that now. It's a no-strings-attached deal."

Meanwhile, Damon was already stepping into his office, shutting the door behind him with more force than necessary. He leaned against the edge of his desk, as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

This wasn't how he had planned things. The merger was supposed to be simple --- a very smooth transaction to secure his company's future. But this ....has jeopardized everything and now he has to stay married to his assistant for six months.

"So now, Amelia Harper -- my assistant will be my wife." Damon smiled at the absurdity of it all.

"This will certainly be interesting indeed," he murmured to himself.

By the time Damon's lawyer arrived later that evening with the drafted agreement, Amelia was trying to pack her things and leave. She had barely made it out the door when her phone buzzed.

Damon: The contract will be ready by morning. I'll send a car to pick you up for the signing.

She stared at her message, her fingers were just moving around the screen. Instead of replaying, she put the phone back in the bag.

For now, she just wanted to go home, hug her son, and remind herself of why she was doing this.

"Six Months. And the deal is off, I can survive it."