Justin's POV
They say I'm cruel. The blogs call me the Devil in a Suit, the Unsmiling Billionaire with the cold aura the Man with a Heart of Stone. They toss my name around like it's similar with destruction. But that's fine. I wear that reputation like a tailored suit. It fits me perfectly, a silent shield against all the nonsense this world tries to throw my way.
My name is Justin Shawn, the name that rings a bell. CEO of JUSH. Companies where mergers are won, empires are built, and debts are paid in more than just cash. People like Mr. Clark come to me because they think they can outsmart the Devil. They think they can take my money and pay me back when it's convenient, as if I'm a bank or a generous uncle. But I'm neither. I'm a businessman who never forgets a debt.
Mr. Clark borrowed from me. I watched him sign the contract with trembling hands because of my cold aura,his sweat dripping onto my mahogany desk like an offering. I already knew then that he'd never pay it back. I could see the desperation in his eyes, the greed that drove him to take money he couldn't possibly repay. But I let him sign anyway. Greed blinds men, and I use that blindness to my advantage.
I'd seen his daughter once Elena at some fancy charity gala where the rich pretend to care about the poor. She was on the sidelines, standing next to her father like a well-trained dog, her eyes big and innocent and curious. She didn't belong in that world of plastic smiles and cold handshakes, and maybe that was what caught my attention. Not that I cared,caring is a weakness I refuse to allow. Love is a trap. It's a weakness I saw destroy my father, the same weakness that turned my mother into a shadow of herself.I didn't learn my lesson, the same love destroyed me too.
But something about her… Something about her made me pause for a split second. That was all.
When Mr. Clark's time was up, he came to me, trembling like the first time. He begged. He wept. He offered to sell the rest of his assets worthless, all of it. He knew that. He knew there was nothing left except one thing. Elena. The precious daughter he'd sheltered all his life.
I didn't force him to offer her. He did that on his own, a desperate man with nowhere left to turn. The irony is that he loved her so much he was willing to break her to save his own skin. Or maybe he thought I'd let her go eventually. But I'm not that kind of man.
I agreed to take her. Because I needed a wife, at least on paper. My investors are mostly conservative old men who believe a married man is a stable man, one who can be trusted with their billions. Love has nothing to do with it. Marriage is a business transaction, just like any other. I never planned to touch her heart, I don't even want it. I just need her to wear my name, to put on the ring and the smile for the cameras, and to keep quiet while I handle the real work.
I knew she'd run. They always run. That's why I sent my men before dawn,to stay around the building and protect her cause I have a lot of enemies and also to pick her up before she could escape and get too far. The idea of her slipping through my fingers even for a second irked me. Not because I cared, but because I hate loose ends and I always want to be in control.
When they brought her to my penthouse suite, she was looking like the perfect doll I needed by my side. She was looking beautiful, I made sure she was prom and proper before coming in to my suite because I hired one of the bloggers to take a picture post about the imaginary woman coming into my suite
She asked me the most shocking question a question that shouldn't have surprised me but did: She wanted to see her father. The same man who sold her to me like a sack of rice. The same man who traded her future for a chance to stay afloat. And yet she wanted to see him again, to say goodbye or to forgive him Icouldn't quite figure it out. I told her no. I couldn't let her see him because she'd probably try to run again, and I was done playing that game.
I arranged for her to be kept in one of my penthouse suites more luxurious than any home she'd ever known. She would be safe there until the wedding. I gave strict orders to my staff no one was to let her out of their sight, no one was to speak to her unless spoken to. I didn't want her charmed by any of my staff or getting any ideas about escape. She was mine now. A pawn, yes but an important one.
As I stared out over the city from my glass balcony, the lights of the skyline blinking like a thousand lies, I wondered if she'd ever understand the way this world worked. Love is a fairy tale, and fairy tales don't build empires. I don't care if she hates me. She can hate me all she wants, as long as she plays her part.
The wedding is in three days. I've already made the arrangements. It's a simple, elegant affair press, investors, shareholders, all the necessary players. She'll walk down the aisle, she'll say her lines, and then she'll become Mrs. Elena Shawn. A name. A ring. A contract. That's all marriage is.
I never wanted more than that. And I pray to God I never do.