Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Liam’s Proposal

The warm morning light streamed through the towering windows of the Crestmore Hotel’s private lounge, casting a golden glow over the dark leather furniture and sleek marble floors. The hum of quiet conversations and the clinking of glasses filled the room, but for Isabella “Izzy” Lakewood, everything else faded into the background. Her mind was still reeling from the events of the night before.

Her brief but unsettling encounter with Liam Stone played on a loop in her head, every detail replaying itself as if she could somehow unlock the meaning behind his cold, intense gaze. His unexpected attention, the way he’d looked right through her, and the abrupt shift in his demeanor when Sabrina West had entered the room—it all left her unsettled, as if she’d been caught in the path of a storm she hadn’t seen coming.

Now, less than twelve hours later, she found herself sitting in a quiet corner of the Crestmore’s lounge, nursing a lukewarm coffee and fighting the growing anxiety in her chest. Her phone buzzed in her bag, but she ignored it. Another bill, another reminder of Ethan’s deteriorating condition—she couldn’t face it right now. She’d come to this meeting to focus on her work, to secure the deal with Alcott Construction, but all she could think about was the mountain of medical expenses piling up, the doctors’ vague but worrying updates, and the helplessness that clung to her every day.

You just need one more project, she reminded herself. One more big contract to keep things afloat, to pay for Ethan’s next round of treatments.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft rustle at the far end of the room. When she looked up, her heart stuttered in her chest.

Liam Stone.

He walked into the lounge with the same cool, commanding presence that had unnerved her the night before. He was dressed impeccably in a charcoal-gray suit that made him look every inch the billionaire CEO, his dark hair swept back, his sharp features unreadable as his eyes scanned the room. For a moment, Izzy thought he hadn’t noticed her—after all, why would he?—but then his gaze landed on her, and the tension in the air shifted.

His steps were slow, deliberate, as he made his way toward her. Her pulse quickened, the familiar knot of anxiety tightening in her chest. What was he doing here? This was a public lounge, sure, but it felt too intentional, too precise, like he had planned this.

“Miss Lakewood,” he greeted, his voice as smooth as silk and just as dangerous. He didn’t smile, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something calculating.

“Mr. Stone,” Izzy replied, keeping her tone steady despite the nerves coursing through her. She straightened in her seat, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Liam’s expression remained neutral as he slid into the chair across from her, crossing one leg over the other with practiced ease. “I find that life is full of unexpected encounters, don’t you?”

Izzy forced a tight smile, her fingers curling around the handle of her coffee cup. “I suppose it is.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them stretched taut, thick with unspoken tension. Izzy shifted in her seat, trying to shake the feeling that she was being scrutinized, evaluated. Liam’s eyes were piercing, as if he could see right through her carefully constructed facade and into the chaos she worked so hard to hide.

Finally, he broke the silence. “You’re an architect,” he stated, though it wasn’t a question. “A talented one, from what I’ve heard.”

Izzy blinked, taken aback by the compliment—if it could even be called that. His tone was flat, as if he were reading from a report. “Thank you,” she replied cautiously. “I try.”

Liam’s gaze didn’t waver. “I did some research on your firm, Lakewood Designs. You’ve handled a few impressive projects for a firm your size.”

Her stomach flipped. He researched me? Why? What could someone like Liam Stone possibly want with her? This wasn’t the kind of small talk billionaires made. There had to be an angle.

“Thank you,” she said again, her voice quieter now, the weight of his scrutiny making it hard to breathe.

“I also learned about your brother, Ethan.” His words landed like a punch to the gut, sharp and unexpected.

Izzy’s heart skipped a beat, her throat tightening. “What about him?” she asked, barely managing to keep the tremor out of her voice.

Liam’s expression remained unreadable, but there was no mistaking the shift in the air between them. He leaned forward slightly, his hands resting loosely on his knees, his gaze never leaving hers. “I know about his condition. The treatments. The financial strain you’re under.”

Izzy’s blood ran cold. How did he—? No one was supposed to know. She kept her personal life strictly separate from her business, and even her closest clients had no idea what she was going through. How did Liam Stone, of all people, know about Ethan?

Her chest tightened with a mix of fear and anger. “That’s none of your business,” she said, her voice low but firm.

Liam didn’t blink. “On the contrary, Miss Lakewood, I make it my business to know everything about the people I’m considering working with.”

Izzy’s mind raced, trying to process what was happening. Working with? What was he talking about? The entire situation felt surreal, like she’d stepped into some alternate reality where she was suddenly on Liam Stone’s radar for reasons she couldn’t fathom.

Before she could respond, Liam continued, his tone calm and measured. “I understand the position you’re in, Miss Lakewood. Balancing your career, your firm’s finances, and your brother’s medical care—it’s an impossible situation. One that no one should have to face alone.”

Izzy’s throat constricted, the knot in her chest tightening. His words hit too close to home, too close to the truth she tried so hard to bury under layers of work and forced optimism. But hearing it laid out so plainly by a man like Liam Stone—someone who had no concept of struggling to pay bills or watching a loved one suffer—it made her feel exposed, vulnerable.

“I don’t need your pity,” she said quietly, her hands tightening around her coffee cup until her knuckles turned white. “I’m doing fine.”

Liam tilted his head slightly, his expression softening—just a fraction. “This isn’t about pity, Miss Lakewood. This is about opportunity.”

Izzy’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short, shallow bursts. She didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust his calm demeanor, his carefully chosen words, or the way he looked at her like he already knew how the conversation was going to end.

She forced herself to meet his gaze, her voice steady. “What kind of opportunity?”

For the first time since he’d sat down, Liam’s lips curled into something resembling a smile—cold, calculated, but a smile nonetheless. “A proposition,” he said smoothly, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous intensity. “One that could solve all of your problems.”

Izzy frowned, her mind racing. What kind of proposition could someone like Liam Stone have for her? And why did it feel like she was about to walk into something she wouldn’t be able to walk out of?

Liam leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. His voice was steady, but there was a sharpness beneath it that sent a shiver down her spine. “My family’s company, Stone Enterprises, is in the midst of a delicate situation. I stand to inherit full control of the company, but there are… complications. Certain conditions that need to be met for the inheritance to go through.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Izzy asked, her pulse quickening. Her mind was struggling to connect the dots, to understand how she fit into this picture.

Liam’s gaze locked onto hers, unflinching. “I need to be married.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and impossible.

Izzy blinked, her heart pounding in her ears. “Excuse me?”

“I need a wife,” Liam continued, his tone as calm as if they were discussing the weather. “And I believe you would be the perfect candidate.”

For a long moment, Izzy couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even breathe. She stared at him, her mind whirling with disbelief. He can’t be serious.

“You want me to marry you?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Liam nodded, as if he’d just asked her to sign a routine contract. “Yes. For two years.”

Izzy’s jaw dropped, her thoughts spinning out of control. “This is insane. You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough,” Liam replied smoothly. “I know you’re in a desperate situation, one that I can help you with. In exchange, you’ll help me fulfill the terms of my father’s will, and at the end of two years, we part ways. No strings attached.”

Izzy stared at him, her mind struggling to catch up with the conversation. “You’re asking me to marry you… for two years… in exchange for money?”

“Not just money,” Liam said, his voice soft but firm. “I’ll cover all of Ethan’s medical expenses—every treatment, every hospital bill. I’ll ensure he gets the best care available. You’ll never have to worry about his health again.”

His words hit her like a freight train, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. The enormity of what he was offering was staggering. Ethan—her brother, her whole world—could have a real chance at survival. All of his medical bills, the endless mountain of debt that was slowly crushing her, could disappear overnight.

But at what cost?

Izzy shook her head, her heart racing. “This is insane,” she whispered again. “You can’t just buy someone’s life like this. You can’t expect me to marry you—”

“I’m not expecting anything,” Liam interrupted, his tone cool but unyielding. “I’m offering you a solution to your problem. I’m giving you the opportunity to save your brother’s life. In return, you’ll help me secure control of my family’s company.”

Izzy’s mind spun, every instinct screaming at her to run, to get as far away from this cold, calculating man as possible. But another voice—the quieter, more desperate voice that had kept her up every night for months—was whispering in her ear, reminding her of the reality she couldn’t escape.

Ethan needs help. And I can’t give it to him on my own.

“What’s in it for you?” she asked, her voice small but steady. “Why me?”

Liam’s eyes darkened, his expression hardening. “Because I don’t trust anyone else. You have no ties to my world, no ambition to be part of it. That makes you… ideal.”

Izzy swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. She wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or insulted. But more than anything, she felt trapped—caught between the crushing weight of her reality and the impossible proposition Liam was dangling in front of her.

“I won’t lie to you, Miss Lakewood,” Liam said quietly, his gaze never leaving hers. “This isn’t a fairytale. It’s a business arrangement. Two years of marriage in exchange for your brother’s life. You help me, I help you. And when it’s over, you walk away with everything you need.”

Her mind whirled with a thousand thoughts, each one more terrifying than the last. She couldn’t do this. Could she?

“I need time to think,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Liam nodded, his expression softening slightly. “Of course. Take the weekend. But don’t take too long. This offer won’t be on the table forever.”

He stood up, his imposing figure casting a shadow over her as he buttoned his jacket with the same effortless grace he’d had when he first approached her. “I’ll have the contract drawn up,” he said, his voice calm but final. “When you’re ready, call me.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Izzy sitting there in stunned silence, her heart racing and her mind spinning.

The weight of his offer pressed down on her like a boulder, suffocating her with its impossible enormity. She had never imagined that her life could take such a turn—that she would be faced with a decision like this.

Two years of marriage. In exchange for Ethan’s life.

Izzy buried her face in her hands, the enormity of the situation finally hitting her like a tidal wave.

What the hell am I going to do?