Chapter 7 - An Indecent Proposal
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The study was a fortress of dark mahogany, leather, and bulletproof glass overlooking the crashing ocean below.
Naya stood awkwardly in the center of the room, her apron feeling suddenly like a lead weight. Devan drove his chair behind a massive desk, pouring himself a fresh glass of scotch. This time, he drank it.
“Sit,” he commanded.
Naya took a seat in one of the high-backed visitor chairs.
“You just painted a target on your back,” Devan said bluntly, setting his glass down. “Rossi’s men will try to find out everything about you by morning. They will look for leverage to embarrass me.”
“I’m nobody,” Naya replied, keeping her voice steady. “I have nothing they can use.”
“Everyone has something,” Devan countered, pulling a tablet from his desk. He swiped across the screen. “Naya Walker. Twenty-four. Dropped out of nursing school six months ago due to unpaid tuition. Your mother is currently in a state-run facility awaiting a kidney transplant you can’t afford.”
Naya’s blood ran cold. “How do you know that?”
“I run this city. I know everything.” Devan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair. “Rossi needs a reason to invalidate my seat at the syndicate table. He will argue that my paralysis makes me weak, and Camilla’s abandonment proves I cannot hold an alliance.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“I need a wife.”
Naya stared at him, sure she had misheard. “Excuse me?”
“I need to present a united, unbothered front to the Five Families,” Devan explained, his tone strictly business. “If I replace Camilla immediately, it shows I am in absolute control. It humiliates Rossi and solidifies my power.”
“You want me to pretend to be your wife? I’m a waitress.”
“You are currently a waitress. By tomorrow, you will be Naya Marshall.” Devan pulled a checkbook from his drawer. “Play the part for one year. Accompany me to syndicate events. Smile for the cameras. Do not flinch when men like Rossi bark at you.”
May you like
He slid a piece of paper across the desk.
“In exchange, your mother gets moved to the best private clinic in the country, bumped to the top of the transplant list, and your tuition is paid in full. Do we have a deal?”
