My Boss’s Hidden Heir (Elara and Marcus) novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Marcus stared at the door Elara had just walked out of.

She’d said no.

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No one told Marcus Thorne no. Not the board. Not his competitors. Certainly not his assistant. Yet she’d stood there in his office, turned down one million dollars, and walked out like he’d offered her pocket change.

“Well.” Dante leaned back in his chair, grinning. “That went well.”

Marcus turned to glare at him. “Shut up.”

“I’m just saying, maybe leading with ‘marry me‘ wasn’t your strongest opening.” Dante was trying not to laugh. Failing. “You approached it like a business meeting. Women don’t typically respond well to contract proposals delivered with the

warmth of a tax audit.”

“It is a business meeting.”

“No, it’s a marriage proposal. There’s a difference.”

Marcus walked to his desk and sat down heavily. Three years. He’d spent three years working alongside Elara Vance. Three years watching her handle every impossible task he threw at her without complaint. He’d made her life hell on purpose. Unrealistic deadlines. Middle–of–the–night emails. Constant criticism designed to break her composure.

She never cracked.

Obedient. Efficient. Annoyingly professional.

And now, when he actually needed her to say yes to something, she’d refused.

“You have a backup plan?” Dante asked.

“No.”

“Well, you better come up with one fast. Your birthday is in what, three months?”

“Eleven weeks.”

Marcus pulled out the document his lawyers had delivered two days ago. The will. His grandfather’s final act of control from beyond the grave.

*To Marcus Thorne, I leave sixty–five percent controlling interest in Thorne Dynamics, provided he is married before his thirtieth birthday. Said marriage must be genuine and entered into for love, not convenience.*

Eleven weeks to find a wife. To fall in love. To convince the board and his grandfather’s lawyers that the marriage was real.

It was impossible.

“I don’t understand,” Marcus said quietly. “He knew how I felt about marriage. Watched my father replace my mother in three weeks like she’d never existed. Watched me grow up in a house with a stepmother who wanted nothing to do with

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Chapter 7

1. me. And he still put this in the will.”

“Maybe he thought you needed a push.”

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“A push toward what? A loveless marriage like my parents had? That worked out great.”

Dante stood and walked to the window. “Your grandfather raised you after the accident. Gave you everything. Maybe he just wanted to make sure you didn’t end up alone.”

“I’m not alone. I have the company.”

“That’s exactly his point.”

Marcus didn’t respond. His grandfather had been the only stable thing in his life after his mother died. The old man had taught him everything about business, about control, about never showing weakness. And now, even in death, he was testing him.

The marriage had to be real. Or at least look real enough to fool the lawyers who’d be watching.

“Okay.” Dante turned from the window. “New plan. Marry your assistant.”

“She just said no.”

“Because you asked like a robot. Try again. Better this time.” Dante started pacing. “Think about it. She’s worked with you for three years. She knows the company. She’s smart, professional, and based on what I saw at the gala, you two have chemistry.”

Marcus’s jaw tightened. “Don’t mention the gala.”

“Oh, I’m absolutely mentioning the gala. You disappeared with her for thirty minutes. Came back looking like you’d been in a fight. She had your fingerprints on her dress.”

“Dante.”

“I’m just saying, the attraction is there. Use it. Tell people you’ve been secretly dating. No one will question it. The board already thinks you’re married to your work. A secret office romance is believable.”

It wasn’t a terrible plan.

Elara knew how he operated. Knew the company inside and out. She’d be able to handle the public appearances, the board meetings, the scrutiny that came with being Mrs. Thorne.

And the gala proved she could handle him in other ways too.

Marcus pushed that thought away.

“She said no,” he repeated.

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