Newfound respect after discovering her past had Ezra's assistant greeting Amelia with a smile when she walked up for the meeting he'd scheduled.

"Mr. King will see you in his office, Miss Foster," he said with a slight bow, guiding her into the office before quietly closing the door behind her.

"Good morning, Miss Foster," Ezra greeted her, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk where he was sitting, "Please."

Despite feeling a bit awkward at the situation, Amelia obliged and sat with a nod.

"How are you doing?" Ezra asked before Amelia could think of something to say, eyeing her leg.

"Improved," Amelia said honestly, fiddling with her cane but trying not to appear awkward, "I have PT for a few more weeks, but I'm already able to do short distances without the cane. Thank you, again, for stepping in that night."

"I did what any decent person would do," Ezra said seriously, adding with a smirk, "besides, you'd already done half the work. I just finished them off for you."

Amelia chuckled, the tension in her shoulders releasing slightly.

"Well, if you hadn't things could have gone a very dark direction. So, thank you regardless."

Ezra nodded, not wanting to linger too much on the incident that led to their meeting.

"I want to be honest with you, Miss Foster," he said seriously, sitting back and studying her, "I was impressed by your presentation earlier this week. I was also impressed by your behavior in the alley, and the hospital when your ex made a scene. I brought you here to offer you a proposition unrelated to your work as my employee."

Amelia flinched slightly at the mention of Ryan, but otherwise kept a steady demeanor as she listened. She raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.

"First, I should confess that I looked into your background," Ezra admitted, "Your professional and academic records are intriguing and impressive. Your personal background, however, was a surprise. I'd like to ask you a few somewhat invasive questions. I will only do so after I've gone over the proposition if you show interest in accepting."

Amelia's eyes hardened and the easy look she'd had stiffened at the mention of her personal background.

How far had he dug, she thought with a tinge of panic.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked lowly, studying him with an intensity that made him fight a smirk.

"I want to proposition you for a contract marriage, Amelia," Ezra explained, gesturing to a file in front of him on the desk, "This is not about your work here, which will remain unaffected and unchanged if you refuse my proposal. Before I could consider you, however, I needed to look into you more deeply than just as your employer."

Amelia didn't reach for the documents, and her face stayed hard and serious.

"I am not interested, Mr. King," she said, moving to stand, "I appreciate your time and I am... flattered, I suppose... by your consideration. However, I am not the one you're looking for."

Fuck, she's perfect, he mused internally.

"You haven't read the proposition," he noted, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't need to," she said without hesitation, "I am not a good fit for the role you're trying to fill."

"Even if I could find them?"

Amelia choked, losing her balance and dropping back into the chair with a hiss of pain at the impact.

He knows.

Ezra gave her a moment to gather herself, before nodding to the proposal.

"Dead or alive, your father and brother will be located over the duration of our two year marriage. If they are deceased and their remains can be retrieved, they will be brought home for proper burial."

"You can't promise that," Amelia rasped, struggling to keep herself composed, "The boat... the boat was never found. We don't even know exactly where..."

"I know," Ezra said respectfully, wanting to emphasize he understood the seriousness of the matter, "However search and rescue has limited funds and resources. It has been three years, so it would take time... but I feel confident that we would be able to get you answers within the two years of the contract."

"Why are you doing this?" she was struggling with her composure, memories eating away at the shields she'd built around herself, and she was embarrassed that her voice warbled under the strain.

"I must bring a fiancé to my grandfather within the next three weeks in order to secure shares that protect my position as the CEO of this company," he said bluntly, his frown deepening, "He believes a CEO without a partner is unbalanced. He believes married couples provide sounding boards for each other, a person that can challenge more openly, and a different perspective that benefits the head of a company over time. I have not found anyone to fill that role so he has been filling that position, and he doesn't want to retire until I have found someone."

"Then he should wait to retire until you're ready," Amelia said tightly, eyeing the paperwork in front of her like it might combust on the spot.

"He is anxious to retire," Ezra sighed, looking out the large windows and over the skyline, "He has pushed for me to find someone for years, but he is tired of waiting and the deadline is approaching."

"I'm not marriage material," Amelia breathed, straightening her spine, "Beyond what you obviously discovered, I'm independent and value that independence. I don't report to anyone, and I have no intention of changing that. I would not be a good wife for you."

"I disagree," Ezra smirked, sitting back and crossing his legs confidently, "in part because I do not want or need a true wife. I do, however, need a partner with a strategic mind and the capacity to help me run this company. You would, for the duration of this contract, be more akin to a business partner than a wife in most senses. The title of which simply happens to be 'wife.'"

"You do realize how crazy this sounds, right?" Amelia asked, throwing her hands up in exasperation, "You must have tons of suitors and suitor... uh... esses? Whatever the lady version is. There are tons of people out there that would actually want to marry you. Why on Earth would you pick me?"

"I do," he chuckled, amused at her reaction, "and they all want exactly what you think they do - money, power, or schemes. I'm specifically interested in you because you don't have an interest in me."

"That... well that's ridiculous," she muttered, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow, "You specifically want a wife that doesn't want you?"

"Or husband," he shrugged, "but yes. Your lack of interest is specifically part of your appeal."

"I'm guessing it's too late to fake a swoon of some kind," Amelia muttered to herself, though it was just loud enough that Ezra heard it.

He couldn't help himself from laughing then - a genuine sound born of a bit of shock and true amusement at the woman before him.

Sighing, Amelia leaned forward and snatched the documents in front of her, then sat back and began to read quietly.

She didn't want to be interested, but she had been struggling with her secrets for years now. His promise alone was enough to spark a curiosity at his proposal.

Could he really help her find them?

Giving her the space and time she needed, Ezra turned his computer and focused his attention on emails and other simple matters that he could easily pivot away from when she was ready. He didn't rush her or interrupt her, adamant that she would have as much time as she needed.

"This is very... generous," she finally muttered, furrowing her brow and looking up at the man across the desk, "and... weird."

"Contract marriages are weird," Ezra chuckled, turning to her immediately, "but I'm afraid many of those clauses are essential."

"What if you or I were to meet someone we were interested in during this two years," she asked, unable to contain the question, "it says no other relationships, emotional or sexual, that could be misrepresented as romantic during the duration of this contract. Are you really going to put your own love life on hold until the contract ends if you meet someone else?"

"I will not have that issue," he said easily, "and based on what I've learned about you, I doubt you will either."

She studied him for a moment, not disagreeing with his statement at all.

"Would you expect me to have sex with you?" she asked bluntly, studying him closely for a reaction.

She couldn't help herself but ask, still reeling from the entire conversation taking place.

"Ideally? Yes," he admitted, "but only because I am human and have basic human urges. However, I am not an animal and I'm perfectly capable of controlling those urges. If I must, I can find other means of addressing my personal needs during the duration of our marriage that do not involve a third party."

"I cannot keep my job if I agreed?" she moved on, not really opposed to having sex with him if they reached a point where they wanted that and the understanding was that it wasn't a requirement.

"No," he said, frowning, "I'm afraid that would be inappropriate. I am the CEO, and dating or marrying an employee would be an abuse of power."

"I have to work," Amelia insisted, "I can't stay at home all day and play housewife. I'd probably end up murdering you long before you found..."

Her joke fell flat as emotions welled up she wasn't prepared to face, and she cleared her throat to give herself a second to try again.

"I have to work," she said simply, breathing out, "Just another reason this couldn't work."

"You working is more than understandable," he nodded, "You simply couldn't work here in a role that falls under my authority. Ideally, I'd like you to serve as an independent consultant that works directly with me. While, technically, you would still report to me, you would not be formally employed with the company and would have the ability to walk away without warning at any time.

We would build in a notice clause that requires you or I notice if the arrangement were to be terminated. No reason required for termination, just time. This is mostly to ensure I cannot fire you on the spot without you being guaranteed some kind of compensation while still ensuring you can walk away at any time."

"What would my role be, exactly?" she asked, curiosity starting to get the better of her now as she seriously considered this crazy idea.

"I believe my grandfather is right in one regard," Ezra admitted, "He and my grandmother were a fantastic team. My mother and father, before they died, were also a good team. They challenged each other, offered opposing perspectives, and made each other better. My goal is to get that benefit without the emotional complications that usually come with relationships.

Your role would be to act as my equal, my partner, and another voice of reason as I lead the company. In other words, you will be empowered to speak your mind so you can challenge my ideas in a respectful and appropriate way to help me be a better CEO."

"I'm not actually sure I'm qualified to do that," Amelia said, glancing down at the contract.

He didn't miss the way her eyebrow twitched slightly, and smirked at her tell. She was testing to see how much he'd learned. He decided to sidestep it for just a moment.

"You hold an MBA, have a background in academia, and are a talented project manager," Ezra said simply, "Many CEOs don't have half the qualifications you do."

Amelia looked up at him for a long moment, before taking a deep breath.

If he could actually help her, this could be the solution to the problem she's been fighting with for three years.

What harm was there in... listening?

"What are your invasive questions?"

--

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