1. The Offer

One week earlier… 

Harper's heart sank the moment Asia leaned forward, her lips curving into a smirk that spelled trouble. "I'll give you a raise—ten times what he's paying you," Asia said, her arms crossed as she studied Harper like a hunter cornering its prey.  

Harper’s jaw nearly hit the floor. "Ten times?" she stammered, fumbling for her phone to calculate. The number stared back at her, ridiculous and tempting.  

$8,000,000! 

"If you can make him fall in love in sixty days."  

Harper’s laughter was sharp and incredulous. "You’re insane. Sixty days? That’s like two months. He's not even dating anyone right now!" She shot Asia an exasperated look. "Do you even know your brother? The guy’s a walking disaster when it comes to relationships. Women orbit him, but he never lets anyone close. And you want me to turn that into love?"  

"Exactly," Asia said, sliding an envelope across the table. "That’s why I’m hiring you. You know him better than anyone. You’ve been his assistant for two years. Two years, Harper. You’ve seen every woman he’s been with.”

Harper snorted. "Seen? Sure. Kept track? Definitely not. He’s dated every type under the sun—tan, pale, redhead, brunette, slim, curvy. I’d need a spreadsheet just to keep up, and even then, it wouldn’t help. The man doesn’t have a ‘type.’ He’s... chaotic."  

Asia tilted her head, her smile unwavering. "Then create a list. Find a pattern. Figure it out. You’ve got the access and the brains."  

Harper gaped at her, incredulous. "Asia, this is crazy. Why me? Why not hire an actual matchmaker or, I don’t know, let him live his messy life?"  

“It's just two years and in those two, I've seen things that'll make a long franchise if it was turned into a movie.” Harper added. 

This was Eros Lancaster they were talking about. He's not even in the category of the “regular playboys” you might have been used to hearing, Eros was worse. He changed women like he was taking off his dirty boxers and the crazy thing? He never went on dates twice. 

Harper couldn't count the number of messages she had sent on his behalf. Sometimes, it felt like she was the one in the relationship with the women. There were days she'd send gifts and even send breakup messages. 

She cleaned his womanizing mess. It was like the only thing he did was take them out, sleep with them and when he's broken up with them after, she deals with their persistent whining of having them back. 

Asia’s playful demeanor dimmed, her voice dropping into something serious, almost pleading. "Because if we don’t fix this, we all lose. The board’s already losing confidence in him. Too many scandals, too much bad press. They’re starting to see him as irresponsible and unstable. The company needs a leader, not a playboy. And if he falls, Harper, we all fall. Including you."  

Harper swallowed hard, the weight of the situation settling over her like a suffocating blanket. The last thing she wanted was to get tangled in Eros Heartwood’s personal life. He was a storm she’d spent years surviving, not a project she wanted to dive into.  

"I don’t know, Asia. If he finds out, I’m done. He’ll fire me and probably take pleasure in it." Harper bit her lip, conflicted. "You know how he is. He’s heartless, and his tongue cuts like a knife. I’ve seen him ruin people with just a sentence."  

Asia reached out, her bottle-green eyes locking with Harper’s. "He can’t find out. It’ll stay between us. Please, Harper. You’re like family to me."  

Harper hesitated, her resolve cracking under the weight of Asia’s earnest gaze. Finally, she sighed. "Alright. I’ll do it. But not for you. For the money."  

Asia beamed, grabbing Harper’s hands. "You’re the best, Harper. Truly the best."  

Harper rolled her eyes. "Don’t push it."  

***

Mondays were the worst. Harper groaned as the shrill beeping of her alarm clock shattered the fragile quiet of her bedroom. She smacked it off and buried her face deeper into the pillow, but it was no use. The day had started, and it didn’t care how much she hated it.

Dragging herself out of bed felt like climbing a mountain. Her body ached from the weekend that wasn’t nearly long enough, and her mind protested the thought of another week of chaos - and even seeing that monster again made her even hate the way she was feeling. She shuffled to the window and yanked the curtains open, squinting against the early sunlight. The sky was a soft yellow with streaks of orange, too cheerful for how she felt. 

Now it was 7:00, and she was stuck in traffic, trapped between a honking sedan and a bus spewing enough smoke to ruin what little air was left in the world. The sluggish crawl of cars mirrored the slow drag of her thoughts. She had barely slept last night, and the leftover exhaustion clung to her like a second skin.

Her coffee-deprived brain was already grumbling about the day ahead when her phone buzzed on the passenger seat. Eros' text lit up the screen: "Don’t forget my coffee. And don’t be late." Cold. Direct. Typical. Harper rolled her eyes, muttered, “Good morning to you too,” and slammed her head lightly against the steering wheel.

After what felt like an eternity, she pulled up near the café. She grabbed her tote bag and dashed out, only to be met with a line so long it wrapped around the building. Her jaw dropped. “Are they giving out free gold bars or something?” she muttered under her breath, joining the queue reluctantly.

Five minutes turned into ten, and Harper’s impatience bubbled to the surface. The sun was already beating down, hot and sharp, making the back of her blouse stick to her skin. She glanced at her watch, biting back a curse. She didn’t have time for this. Her feet were already aching, and it wasn’t even 8:00 yet.

Desperate, she ducked out of the line and jogged two blocks to another café. Her bag thumped against her side, and her shoes pinched with every step. When she finally reached the second shop, she burst through the doors, panting, and ordered the goddamned coffee. By the time she walked out, cup in hand, her frustration had bloomed into full-blown rage.

Back at the office building, the breeze was not her friend. As she approached the entrance, a sudden gust ripped the top papers from her arms, scattering them across the sidewalk. For a second, Harper just stood there, frozen. Then she scrambled after them, nearly tripping over her own feet.

“Excuse me!” she called out to a man who had stepped on one of the papers. He glanced down, blinked, and walked away without even trying to help. Harper gritted her teeth, clutching the coffee in one hand while awkwardly gathering the papers with the other. “Great,” she muttered. “Really great.”

By the time she made it inside, her blouse was rumpled, her hair was sticking to her forehead, and her mood was in the gutter. 

Harper was already regretting her life choices as she sprinted toward the elevator, balancing a takeout bag, a cup of coffee, and a stack of files. "Hold the door!" she called out, barely squeezing in before it closed.  

She sank against the elevator wall, glaring at the numbers as they climbed. Monday mornings were an unholy alliance of bad luck, bad timing, and bad vibes.

She was already dreading what awaited her upstairs. The thought of Eros raising a single judgmental eyebrow at her tardiness made her stomach churn. Mondays were always bad, but this one had outdone itself. "If this is how it starts," she muttered under her breath, "I don’t even want to know how it ends.”

The ride to the top floor felt like ascending into a war zone. She barged into Eros’ office, panting. "Good morning, sir. I’ve got your—"  

"You’re late." His cold voice sliced through her greeting. He didn’t even bother to turn from the window, where he stood like some brooding king surveying his kingdom.  

Harper swallowed all the anger that was brewing as she set everything down on his desk. "I’m sorry, sir. The line at the—"  

"You should’ve woken up earlier," he interrupted, finally turning to grab the coffee. One sip, and his lip curled in disdain. "It’s cold."  

Before she could react, he shoved the cup aside, spilling its contents all over the meticulously prepared files. Harper froze, fury bubbling beneath her skin.  

She forced a tight smile, her voice trembling with restraint. "Sir, those files took two nights to complete. If you’d just—"  

"Clean it up," he snapped, already walking away.  

"Where are you going?" she asked, her tone sharper than intended.  

"A date."  

Her jaw dropped. "You have a meeting in five minutes."  

"Reschedule it."  

"Sir, this is the third time—"  

"Tell them I’m sick," he said, not breaking stride.  

"Or," she countered, her voice daring, "I could call your mother."  

Eros stopped mid-step, his shoulders tensing. Slowly, he turned to face her, his icy blue eyes narrowing. "You wouldn’t dare."  

"I'm afraid you'd have to try me sir," she shot back, crossing her arms.  

For a moment, they stood locked in a silent battle, the tension thick enough to cut. Finally, he exhaled sharply and returned to his desk, muttering, "Fine! "  

"Thank you sir," Harper quipped, sliding the salvaged files toward him.  

She returned to her desk, her stomach growling in protest. Just as she was about to sink into a moment of peace, a shrill ring pierced the air. She glanced at the caller ID, her blood running cold.  

Asia’s name flashed on the screen.  

She picked up, her voice barely above a whisper. "What now?"  

"Change of plans," Asia said urgently. "We’ve got a problem. Eros isn’t the only one in trouble."  

Harper sat up straight, her heart pounding. "What do you mean?"  

"I’ll explain later," Asia replied, her tone grave. "Just get ready. Things are about to get messy."  

The call ended abruptly, leaving Harper staring at her phone, dread pooling in her stomach. She glanced toward Eros’ office, the man obliviously flipping through papers.  

Messy wasn’t the half of it.