He didn't mention that he’d bought the ring six months ago. He didn't mention that the merger was the only way he could think of to keep her in the same room as him.
Elena looked at the ring, then up at him. The logic was cold, efficient, and utterly ruthless—exactly like the man standing before her. "A pretext," she whispered, testing the weight of the word. "Purely," Julian lied. 3 : A Proposal as a Pretext
Julian leaned back, the amber liquid in his glass catching the dim light. He wasn't looking at the merger papers. He was looking at the way Elena’s jaw tightened when she was bluffing. He didn't mention that he’d bought the ring six months ago
"To the pretext," he replied, already wondering how he would convince her to stay when the twenty-four months were up. Julian leaned back, the amber liquid in his
Should we explore what happens at their as a couple, or should we skip to the tensions of sharing a home?
Elena took it. Her hand was cold, but as his fingers closed around hers, a spark of something that wasn't business flickered in her eyes. She put the ring on, the weight of it anchoring her to a lie they both desperately wanted to believe. "To the merger," she said.