UNKNOWN TERMS : the cold billionaire

At the top of the tower… Lucian stood by the window, a crystal tumbler untouched in his hand. From this height, the city looked obedient. Like it bowed to him without question. It usually did. But Elara Voss didn't bow. Didn't fidget. Didn't simper. She questioned. She resisted. She'd looked him in the eye like she knew how to hurt if she wanted to. That was precisely why he'd chosen her. "She didn't accept," Brandon said quietly, entering the room. Lucian's gaze remained on the skyline. "She didn't reject either." "You're gambling with a woman who hates being told what to do." Lucian smiled faintly. "That's the point." Brandon hesitated. "What happens if she says yes?" Lucian's expression darkened just slightly. "Then everything starts." --- Back in her small but neat apartment, Elara sat on the edge of her couch. The silence in the room was too loud. Her phone buzzed once, the screen lighting up with a number she didn't recognize. Unknown Number: [You'll have the terms before midnight. Read them carefully.] No name. No context. But she didn't need one. Her laptop sat closed on the coffee table like a dare. She opened it. Slowly. Inbox: 1 new message. Subject line: ["Draven Agreement: Terms Unknown."] She stared at it, heart racing. Not out of fear, but something worse curiosity. What kind of man put someone like her in this position? What kind of woman even considered reading it? Her cursor hovered over the message. She clicked. The document opened in silence. Six pages, sharp and clinical, like the man himself. Elara's eyes skimmed the opening lines. > This agreement is between Lucian Draven (hereafter referred to as "the principal") and Elara Voss ("the party") for a contractual, legally binding marriage for the period of twelve months... Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She scrolled. Clause 3.2 – Shared public appearances as requested. Clause 3.5 – Co-habitation required at principal residence. Clause 4.0 – Physical intimacy not required, unless mutually agreed upon. Clause 5.1 – Financial terms to be discussed post-acceptance. She leaned back, eyes narrowed. Of course he wouldn't mention why he needed this arrangement. It was a business transaction. Cold. Empty. Convenient. And yet… it felt like a storm was pacing just outside the walls of her chest. A knock at the door yanked her back to the present. She stood, barefoot, half-forgotten hoodie slipping off one shoulder. When she opened the door, she expected her neighbor's kid or a food delivery she'd forgotten ordering. Not him. Lucian Draven, dressed in a charcoal suit exuding a handsomenes she never noticed until now , making her tongue tied. She was to stunned that she didn't realize she was staring for longer than necessary. With him draped in confidence like a second skin, standing n the hallway of her modest apartment building, looking wildly out of place. Her breath hitched. "I don't recall inviting you," she said, arms crossing instinctively. Try to be on alert because she didn't like the way her body was betraying her. She knew was never one to loose focus or act our of place. But that was before this deal landed on her doorstep or rather the cold looking handsome but aloof man. "I don't recall asking," he replied calmly. She hated how he looked at her not with desire, not with charm but like she was an equation he intended to solve. Fully. "How did you get my address?" she asked slightly alert. "I own this building.