You’re Fired, Said the Millionaire — Because I Want You as My Wife
The Desperate Proposal
Natalie Brooks stared at the hospital bill in her trembling hands. The numbers blurred together, but the total was clear enough: $200,000.
Her father’s cancer treatment had drained every penny they had. Now they needed more, much more. She sat in the hospital waiting room.
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead like angry insects. Her father, Robert, was sleeping in his room down the hall.
He looked so pale, so fragile. He was nothing like the strong man who had raised her alone after her mother passed away.
“Miss Brooks.” A nurse appeared at her side.
“Your father is stable for now, but the doctor says he needs to start the next round of treatment within two weeks. Without it, we cannot guarantee positive results.”
Natalie nodded, forcing a smile. “Thank you. I will figure something out. But how?”
She had already taken out loans and sold everything valuable she owned. Her salary as a marketing coordinator at Sterling Tech Industries was decent, but not enough.
It was not nearly enough. The terrible mistake happened the next morning. Natalie dragged herself to work.
She had barely slept. Her mind was spinning with impossible calculations and desperate ideas. She sat at her desk.
She tried to focus on the presentation she was supposed to deliver to a potential client. “Natalie, the Carter meeting is in ten minutes.”
Her colleague Jessica reminded her. “Did you finish the proposal?” “Yes, sending it now.”
Natalie replied, clicking the send button on her email. She attached what she thought was the final version of the marketing proposal and hit send.
Twenty minutes into the presentation, her phone buzzed. Then it buzzed again and again. Her stomach dropped when she saw the messages from Jessica.
“Wrong file. You sent last month’s rejected proposal. Mr. Sterling is furious. Carter just walked out.”
Natalie felt the blood drain from her face. She had attached the wrong document.
The client had seen an outdated, rejected proposal instead of the new one. The deal worth millions to the company was falling apart because of her mistake.
The summons arrived. “Mr. Sterling wants to see you immediately.”
Jessica’s voice was sympathetic but firm. “I am so sorry, Natalie. Security is already preparing your termination papers.”
Natalie walked through the gleaming hallways of Sterling Tech like a prisoner heading to execution. She had worked here for three years.
She had never made a major mistake until today. What a day to mess up. Her father needed her income now more than ever.
The executive floor was intimidatingly beautiful. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city. Everything was polished glass and steel.
She had only been up here twice before. Damian Sterling’s assistant, an older woman named Helen, gave her a pitying look.
“Go right in. He is expecting you.”
Natalie knocked once and entered the unexpected offer. Damian Sterling stood by the window, his back to her.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing an expensive charcoal suit. At 32, he was one of the youngest tech CEOs in the country.
His reputation was legendary: brilliant, ruthless, and completely focused on success. “Mr. Sterling, I am deeply sorry about this morning.”
Natalie began, her voice shaking slightly. “There is no excuse for my error. I take full responsibility.”
He turned to face her. His eyes were an unusual shade of gray, cold and assessing. His jaw was set in a hard line.
“You cost this company a $5 million deal.” “I know. I will accept whatever consequences you decide.”
He studied her for a long moment. “Sit down.”
Confused, Natalie sat in one of the leather chairs facing his massive desk. He moved to sit across from her, leaning back in his chair.
“You have worked here for three years,” he said. “Your performance reviews have always been excellent until today. Why the mistake?”
Natalie hesitated. She did not want to make excuses. “Personal issues, but that is not your concern. My error is inexcusable.”
“Personal issues,” he repeated. “Would these issues involve your father’s medical situation?”
She looked up, startled. “How did you know?”
“I make it my business to know about my employees, especially when they request salary advances and emergency loans from HR.”
He tapped a file on his desk. “Robert Brooks, stage three cancer. Treatment costs exceeding your annual salary.”
Tears pricked at Natalie’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “Yes, but that does not excuse what I did today. The proposal—”
Damian Sterling leaned forward, his intense gaze locked on hers. “I am going to make you an unusual offer.”
“You can refuse and I will still fire you for today’s mistake. Or you can accept and I will clear all of your father’s medical debts—every single dollar.”
Natalie’s heart pounded. “What kind of offer?” “Marriage,” he said simply.
The word hung in the air between them. Natalie was certain she had misheard. “I am sorry, what?”
“A contract marriage. One year. You will live in my home, attend events with me as my wife, and maintain the appearance of a real marriage in public.”
“In exchange, I will pay off your father’s medical bills, cover all his future treatments, and pay you a monthly allowance of $10,000.”
Natalie felt dizzy. “This does not make sense. Why would you need a fake wife?”
His jaw tightened. “My reasons are my own. The question is whether you accept or not.”
“Is this some kind of joke? A punishment?”
“I never joke about business,” Damian replied. “And this is a business transaction. A fair exchange. Your father gets his life; I get what I need. Simple.”
Nothing about this was simple. Natalie’s mind raced. This man was offering her everything she desperately needed.
But marriage, even a fake one, to her boss? “What exactly would this marriage entail?” she asked carefully.
“A legal ceremony. You will move into my penthouse. We will appear together at social and business functions.”
“You will be introduced as my wife. In private, we maintain separate lives, separate rooms.”
“After one year, we divorce quietly. You walk away with enough money to start over anywhere you want.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You are fired. You leave today with nothing but a bad reference that will make finding another job very difficult.”
It was not really a choice. He was offering her father’s survival, her own financial security, and everything she had been praying for.
All she had to do was pretend to be his wife for twelve months. The decision weighed on her. “Why me?” Natalie asked.
“You could marry anyone, someone from your own social class.”
For the first time, something flickered in his cold eyes. “Because you need this as much as I do. Because you will honor the contract. And because I can trust you to leave when it is over.”
That last part stung a little. He was certain she would not fall for him, that she would take the money and go. He was probably right.
“I need time to think,” she said.
“You have 24 hours,” Damian replied, sliding a thick document across the desk. “This is the contract. Read it carefully. Have a lawyer review it if you want.”
“But if you agree, we sign tomorrow and marry within the week. Your father will be transferred to the best cancer center in the country by the end of the month.”
Natalie picked up the contract with shaking hands. The first page outlined the terms he had described. The second page listed the financial arrangements.
The numbers were staggering and life-changing. “One year,” she whispered.
“One year,” he confirmed. “Then you are free.”
She stood, clutching the contract to her chest. “I will give you my answer tomorrow.”
As she walked to the door, his voice stopped her. “Natalie.”
She turned back.
“Whatever you decide, your job is safe. I will not fire you for today’s mistake. But the offer expires in 24 hours.”
She nodded and left, her mind spinning with impossible choices and desperate hopes. Outside his office, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
Could she really do this? Marry a stranger, even temporarily, to save her father? She thought of Robert’s face in that hospital bed.
She thought of the bills piling up. She thought of the clock ticking down on his treatment timeline. Deep down, she already knew her answer.
She just needed one night to gather the courage to say yes. Twenty-four hours felt like both an eternity and a heartbeat.
Natalie had read the contract a dozen times, each word burning into her memory. She had called her father’s doctor.
The doctor confirmed that without immediate treatment, they had maybe three months.
