Chapter 5

It’s been four weeks since that one-night stand. I had woken up the next morning to a bright view of a handsome man beside me, and I ended up running out of the place before he even opened his damn eyes.

Clara has refused to quit joking about it. The moment I told her everything, she lost it.

“Damn, the dude must have been so good that you forgot the love of your life and how much he hurt you.” She burst into another wave of laughter as she adjusted her skirt in front of the mirror.

“You’re crazy. Who makes a joke out of such a situation?” I laughed along with her, shaking my head at the memory of my boldness. “…Yeah, it was that good,” I muttered more to myself than to her.

Her mouth dropped open. “Holy shit, you actually admitted it?”

Before I could roll my eyes at her dramatics, my phone buzzed. The humor in the room instantly faded as I checked the notification. My stomach twisted a little when I saw who it was from.

It was a message from the last company I sent a job application to a week ago—Henderson Corp.

“You have been selected for an interview today at 12 PM. Kindly be at our headquarters for further screening.”

I blinked at the screen. It was already 11 AM. What the hell? They really didn’t give a damn about applicants having time to prepare.

“Shit,” I muttered, jumping to my feet. “They literally just texted me now for an interview at twelve.”

Clara whistled. “Henderson Corp? That’s huge. Girl, you better move your ass before they change their minds.”

I was already grabbing my towel. “No kidding.”

By the time Clara finished dressing up, I was out of the bathroom and throwing on my best professional outfit. I barely had time to do my makeup, but hell, I wasn’t going to show up looking like I’d just rolled out of bed either.

I dropped Clara off at her office before heading to the company. Standing in front of the massive glass building, I suddenly felt like it would swallow me whole.

A tiny wave of nervousness hit, but I pushed it down. I had built a whole fucking company from scratch. I knew my worth, and applying for a managerial position here wasn’t far-fetched. I had the experience.

Walking inside, I was greeted by the HR manager. “You are welcome, Ms. Shaw.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Kath.” I responded politely before taking a seat beside a man who looked to be in his late forties.

There were only three of us, and I was the youngest. It had been about twenty minutes since I sat down, but we were told that the President of Henderson Corp himself would be handling the interview.

The man beside me suddenly leaned in and whispered, “Do you know him?”

I shook my head.

“They say he’s a cold, arrogant bastard,” the man grumbled. “The first son of the Henderson family. Hah, this interview is going to be a damn nightmare. That guy has no respect for anyone.”

I swallowed. A cold wave settled over me. Yeah, now I was nervous.

Then came the sound of clicking shoes. The atmosphere shifted.

The President had arrived.

I immediately put my head down unconsciously. His aura was suffocating, demanding attention without effort.

I heard the other candidates greet him, but he ignored them.

Arrogant prick.

Annoyed, I lifted my head to glare at the rude bastard who thought he was too damn important to acknowledge people.

And then—our eyes met.

Everything inside me froze.

No.

No. No. No.

What the actual fuck?

The entire room faded into nothing, and for a moment, it was just me and him.

The same man I had a one-night stand with. The man I ran away from before dawn.

Holy fucking shit.

Panic clawed up my throat. There was no way in hell he’d hire me now. And if the rumors were true—that he didn’t acknowledge women he had casual flings with—then I was as good as done.

Or maybe… maybe he wouldn’t remember me. He had to have been with dozens of women. Why the hell would I be significant enough to stick in his memory?

That fragile hope shattered like glass.

“Hey, you. See me now.”

My legs felt like jelly.

Damn it.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to my feet and followed him inside.

Once I stepped into his massive office, my eyes landed on the nameplate at his desk. Lance Henderson, President.

Well, fuck me.

His cold blue eyes locked onto mine.

“Mrs. or Ms. Diane Shaw?” His deep baritone voice vibrated through the room.

I forced my spine straight and cleared my throat. “Ms., sir. I’m divorced.”

His expression didn’t change. He nodded once before scrolling through my documents.

My heart slammed in my chest.

“Please don’t remember that night,” I silently prayed.

“You ran out of the suite before I woke up.”

Boom.

I swore the air got sucked out of my lungs.

There was no pretending. No playing dumb.

I opened my mouth, then shut it.

Lying was useless.

I sucked in a breath. “I… I drank too much that night. I wasn’t in my right mind.” The words tumbled out in a rush. “I had just gotten a divorce from my cheating husband—who, by the way, knocked up my stepsister. Then I lost my fucking company after being accused of embezzlement.”

I didn’t even realize my voice was shaking.

Whether it was desperation or something else I didn’t know why I blabbed so much and told him everything. Tears burned my eyes, streaming down uncontrollably.

Well, I needed the job desperately.

There was a beat of silence.

Then, in the most casual fucking tone ever, he said, “Marry me.”

I blinked.

“Pardon?”

“You want revenge. I need a wife. Marry me, and I’ll give you what you want.”

I stared at him like he’d just told me to jump off a damn bridge.

“You’re joking,” I said, waiting for him to crack a smirk or say Gotcha!

Nope. Dead serious.

“I need someone unattached. A woman who won’t expect love or commitment. My family will hand me full control of our businesses once I’m settled with a ‘suitable’ wife.” His voice remained flat, as if he were discussing a fucking business deal.

I just gawked at him.

Another marriage? After everything?

“You have a goal, and I have an inheritance to secure,” he continued smoothly. “Two years, and you can walk away.”

My head spun.

“I…” I started, but then my vision blurred.

A sudden, pounding headache slammed into me.

The room tilted, I heard a thudding sound.

And then—darkness.

The last thing I heard was his voice, fading into the background.

“Ms. Shaw. Ms. Sh—”

Then everything went black.