CHAPTER 2- Life Changing Option

After a moment of silence, he replied,

"Money?" Noah sighed, "I should have known...... what exactly do you need this money for? Did mummy and daddy cut you off?"

"What?! Of course not!" I snapped.

"This was obviously a waste of my time," Noah said finishing off his drink.

"Hold on, please just listen to me for a second," I said, "The money isn’t for me."

Noah raised a perfectly sculptured eyebrow, "Go on."

"It’s for my father."

"For your dad? Why would Adam need money?" Noah asked confused, "And why wouldn’t he come ask for it himself?"

"That’s because he doesn’t know I’m here," I sighed.

"Care to elaborate?"

I took a deep breath, "Four months ago, my dad got diagnosed with cancer......and over the past few months, things have gotten worse. He needs medicine and chemo and some other things that we can’t afford. Look I know this is weird and odd for you because we barely know each other but I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t so desperate and I’m only asking for a loan so I can provide my dad with the medical attention he needs.”

"Adam has cancer?" He asked shockingly.

I just nodded.

"What about the company and the trade business?" Noah frowned.

"The company has been broke for the past three years now," I explained, "We're not getting any money out of it."

Noah just narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a good while.

"How do I know you're not just making all this up?" He asked.

"Why the hell would I make up shit like that?!" I exclaimed, angered by his accusation, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Noah just sat there staring at me, unaffected by my outburst.

"Maybe it was a mistake coming here," I said as I stood up ready to leave.

"Hold on, take a seat," Noah finally said.

I frowned in confusion and sat back down, not because I wanted to but because I needed the money.

I pursed my lips.

"Look I'm not asking you to just give me the money, I'm asking for a loan," I began "I'll pay you back every penny, I'm giving you my word. I could work for you or something."

"I don’t need employees, I have enough of those," He said.

"Well there must be some way I can repay you for the loan," I said to him.

There was silence for the next few minutes, and Noah seemed to be in deep thoughts as he stared at me.

A smirk suddenly appeared on his face, "What are you willing to do for your father Isabel?"

"Anything," I scoffed as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"I'll tell you what," Noah began, "I'll pay for your father's medical bills and his cancer treatment. I'll even throw in a specialist of your choice to treat Adam. I'll get the best doctor in the world for him if you that's what you wish."

"Y-you will?" I said in complete and utter shock.I didn’t expect him to accept so easily.

"Of course sweetheart.......but I want you to give me something in return," he said smirking dubiously .

I should have seen this coming, "What do you want?" I asked him fearfully.

"When I attend all those business parties and galas, it's frowned upon to attend them alone and all the flings and models I take aren't cutting it," Noah began, "It would be so much better if I had a wife in my arms."

My eyes widened comically, "What exactly are you trying to say Noah?"

"Robert was a wise man you know. He needed someone to take over his empire when he passed away......that's when he decided to recognize me as his son and leave me everything in his position. Someday I'll also need to do the same." Noah explained.

"I'll give you as much money as you need Isabel," Noah continued, "In return I want only two things.... That you become my wife and produce me an heir."

There was a moment of silence as I expected him to say ‘sike’ or laugh at the ridiculous statement he just made but he just stared at me blankly assuring me that he meant what he just said.

I stared at Noah like he just grew two heads, "What?! Are you crazy? I can't marry you! I don't love you or even know you!"

"So?" Noah shrugged.

"So?! People are supposed to get married for love not money in case you didn't know!" I exclaimed.

"That's not always the case and you should know that Isabela," he said unaffected.

"Don't you want to get married to someone you love?! That person should be the mother of your children, not someone you've not spoken to or seen in years," I said to him.

"I don't have time for love, Isabela. I am 25 years old, I work more than the average person. My life is way too busy for love and it always will be," Noah said uninterested, "Besides, love is for idiots and what difference does it make if we’re in love or not?"

"Are you kidding?" I looked at him in disbelief, "I barely even know you! How could I marry someone I barely know?!"

Noah just shrugged, "If you marry me, you would have the rest of your life to get to know me."

"This is insane!"

Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Those are my conditions, if you really wish to help your father with his treatments."

"Noah-" I began but he interrupted me.

"Look, I'll give you a day or two to think on it," Noah said as he stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "Now if you would excuse me, I have another meeting to attend to......oh and Izzy?"

My eyes met his.

"I wouldn't take too long if I were you," he said, "I despise waiting." With that he stood up from the chair, preparing to leave the office.

I sat in stunned silence as Noah walked out of the office, his words echoing in my mind. Marry a man I barely knew in exchange for saving my father's life? It seemed too outrageous to be real, yet the determined look in Noah's eyes told me he was deadly serious.

My thoughts raced as I tried to process the impossible situation. On one hand, my father's health was declining rapidly without the treatment he needed. I loved him dearly and couldn't bear the thought of losing him, especially when help was available but out of reach. Noah had the means to get Dad the best medical care available and give him a real chance at survival. How could I not take that opportunity, no matter the personal cost?

Yet marrying Noah seemed unthinkable. I didn't love him or even feel comfortable in his presence. The idea of becoming his wife and the mother of his children made me feel ill. People were meant to marry for love and companionship, not business transactions. How could I pledge my life to a man I barely knew under such circumstances? It went against everything I believed in.

Not only that, but Noah himself was an enigma. His cool, calculating demeanor gave nothing away. For all I knew, he could be a cruel, uncaring husband who saw me as nothing more than a means to an heir. The power imbalance in our relationship would be immense. I might be trading one kind of suffering for another.

My mind spun in anxious circles as I considered Noah's ultimatum. On the one hand, my father's life hung in the balance if I refused. On the other, my own happiness and freedom were the stakes if I accepted. Both choices seemed to lead only to heartbreak.

I knew I needed time to properly weigh such a monumental decision. With a heavy heart, I left Noah's office, dreading the conversation I would soon have to have with my parents. How could I explain this twisted bargain being offered without destroying the last shreds of hope in their eyes? We had already endured so much - was this truly our only way forward?

I walked home in a daze, the gravity of Noah's proposal weighing me down with every step. By the time I arrived, my head ached with indecision and my heart felt as if it would shatter either way I chose. My father's illness had already taken so much from our family - I prayed it would not require the ultimate sacrifice from me as well.