The Riverside was the kind of restaurant that didn't need to advertise if you knew, you knew, and if you didn't, you couldn't afford it anyway.
Sophia felt underdressed despite Clarissa's emerald dress and borrowed diamonds. The other diners looked like they'd been born in designer clothes, completely at ease in surroundings that cost more per meal than Sophia used to spend on groceries in a month.
"Breathe," Alexander murmured, his hand warm on her lower back as they approached the private dining room. "You look stunning, and you belong here as much as anyone."
"I really don't."
"You're about to be a Sterling. That means you belong anywhere." He squeezed her waist gently. "Besides, my grandfather will be too busy interrogating you to notice if you use the wrong fork."
"That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be."
The private dining room was intimate a single table, candles, a view of the river through enormous windows. And sitting at the head of the table was a man who could only be Alexander's grandfather.
Robert Sterling was probably in his mid-seventies, but age hadn't dimmed him. Sharp blue eyes assessed Sophia from head to toe in a single glance. His silver hair was immaculately styled, his suit clearly bespoke.
He looked like what Alexander would become in forty years powerful, intimidating, impossible to fool.
"So this is her," Robert said, his voice carrying the hint of old money Boston. "The woman who finally captured my grandson's attention."
"Grandfather, this is Sophia Chen. Sophia, my grandfather, Robert Sterling."
Sophia offered her hand, determined not to be intimidated. "Mr. Sterling, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Robert took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he held it gently and studied her face.
"Sophia. Beautiful name. Greek origin, meaning wisdom. Your parents chose well."
"They did," Sophia said softly. "In many ways."
"Past tense. They've passed?"
"Three years ago. Car accident."
Robert's expression softened. "I'm sorry for your loss. Losing parents too young is a particular kind of pain. You understand that, don't you, Alex?"
"I do," Alexander said quietly.
Robert finally released Sophia's hand and gestured to the chairs. "Sit, sit. I ordered wine a 1982 Château Margaux. If we're celebrating, we should do it properly."
As they settled into their seats, Sophia caught Alexander's eye. He gave her a barely perceptible nod. Here we go.
"So, Sophia," Robert said once the wine was poured. "Tell me how you met my grandson.
Alex was remarkably vague on the phone, which usually means he's hiding something."
Sophia took a sip of wine good god, it was incredible and considered her answer. Be honest, Alexander had said. Not about the contract, but about everything else.
"We met at his office," she said. "He had a business proposition for me."
"A business proposition?" Robert's eyebrow arched. "How romantic."
"It wasn't romantic at all, actually. I was desperate, he had a solution, and we made a deal." She felt Alexander tense beside her but continued. "I needed money for my brother's medical treatment. Alexander offered to help. That's how it started."
The silence around the table was deafening. Robert set down his wine glass very carefully.
"You paid her," he said to Alexander, his voice dangerously quiet. "You paid this woman to marry you."
"Grandfather"
"No, let her speak." Robert's gaze fixed on Sophia. "Is that what happened? He bought you?"
Sophia felt anger flare, hot and bright. She'd agreed to play a role, but she'd be damned if she let anyone even Alexander's dying grandfather make her feel like a commodity.
"He didn't buy me, Mr. Sterling. He made me an offer that solved both our problems. I needed money to save my brother's life. He needed…" She glanced at Alexander. "He needed someone who understood that love isn't necessary for a successful partnership."
"Love isn't necessary," Robert repeated, his voice flat. "Is that what you believe?"
"I believe love is a luxury I couldn't afford three days ago. My brother was dying.
Alexander offered a solution that didn't require me to beg or borrow or compromise my integrity. We made an agreement between equals."
"Equals." Robert laughed, but there was no humor in it. "My grandson is worth billions. You're a what? An architect?"
"Yes. And a damn good one. The fact that I'm not a billionaire doesn't make me less his equal in the ways that matter."
Alexander's hand found hers under the table, squeezing gently. Support or warning, she wasn't sure.
Robert studied her for a long moment, then turned to Alexander. "And you. You think you can build a marriage on a contract? After what happened with Vanessa?"
"Because of what happened with Vanessa," Alexander said firmly. "I'm done pretending there's something magical about love. Sophia and I understand each other. We have clear terms, clear expectations. No surprises."
"No surprises," Robert echoed. "And no joy, no passion, no reason to get out of bed in the morning beyond obligation."
"That's not fair," Sophia interjected. "You don't know what we feel for each other."
"Don't I?" Robert's gaze was piercing. "Tell me, Sophia. Do you love my grandson?"
The question hung in the air like a grenade. Sophia felt her pulse racing, felt Alexander's grip tighten on her hand.
"I respect him," she said carefully. "I admire him. I trust him with my brother's life, which is the most important thing in my world. Is that love? I don't know. We've only known each other a few days. But I think it's a better foundation than the kind of love that comes fast and burns out faster."
"A politician's answer."
"An honest one."
Robert leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Alex, when your grandmother and I married, we barely knew each other. Arranged by our families, very traditional. But I knew within a week that I'd fallen hopelessly in love with her. And every day for fifty-three years, I loved her more than the day before. When she died, part of me died with her."
His voice cracked slightly on the last words, and Sophia felt her throat tighten with sympathy.
"That's what I want for you," Robert continued, looking at his grandson. "Not a contract. Not a business arrangement. Real love. The kind that makes you vulnerable and terrified and more alive than you've ever been."
"I can't do that again, Grandfather." Alexander's voice was rough. "I won't."
"Because of one woman's betrayal?"
"Because I finally learned the lesson you've been trying to teach me my whole life protect what matters. Sterling Industries matters.
The family legacy matters. This arrangement protects all of that."
"At what cost?" Robert shook his head. "You're not protecting yourself, Alex. You're building a prison and calling it safety."
The waiter arrived then, breaking the tension as dinner was served. They ate in awkward silence for several minutes, the spectacular food tasting like ash in Sophia's mouth.
She'd ruined this. She'd been too honest, too defensive. Alexander's grandfather hated her, and why wouldn't he? She was exactly what he feared a mercenary who'd sold herself for money.
Except that wasn't quite true, was it? She'd saved her brother. She'd made an impossible choice in an impossible situation. And she wasn't going to apologize for that.
"Mr. Sterling," she said, setting down her fork. "You're right. This started as a transaction. Alexander needed something, I needed something, and we made a deal. But I want you to know I'm not going to hurt him. I'm not Vanessa. I don't care about his money beyond what we agreed on. And for whatever it's worth, I think your grandson is one of the most remarkable people I've ever met."
Robert's expression didn't change. "Why?"
"Because he could have ignored me. When I walked into his office, desperate and out of options, he could have sent me away.
Instead, he offered a solution that didn't require me to sacrifice my pride or my principles. He's been kind to my brother. He held me while I cried in a hospital waiting room. He didn't have to do any of that, but he did."
She looked at Alexander, finding him watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch. "So no, I don't know if I love him. But I know he's worth protecting. And I'll do my part to make sure this year gives him what he needs."
The silence that followed was different weighted but not hostile.
Finally, Robert spoke. "One year. That's the term of your contract?"
Sophia nodded.
"And after that?"
"We go our separate ways. No obligations."
"Hmm." Robert picked up his wine glass, swirling the ruby liquid thoughtfully. "And if, during this year, real feelings develop? What then?"
"Then we'll deal with it," Alexander said firmly. "But that's not the expectation."