Contract Marriage: I Will Never Love You-Chapter 138: Delicious

Marcus

She’s gone before I can say another word, heels clicking against the tile.

I don’t move, still feeling mesmerized.

That was supposed to go differently. Charm her, disarm her, give her the flowers, slide the job offer in there like it was no big deal. Maybe let the tension simmer just enough that she’d start to wonder what if?

But instead, Hailey stood there like a flame I couldn’t hold, blazing with something I don’t know how to name.

Conviction. Disgust. Clarity.

It bruised my ego a bit, not gonna lie.

"Disappointed," I mutter to myself.

She said she was disappointed in me. Like I’m some schoolboy who brought the wrong pencil to class. Like I’m not Marcus Winters—media mogul, branding genius, the man who built Luxe from the ground up.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? She didn’t look at me like I was a god.

She looked at me like I was a letdown.

And somehow, that turns me on even more.

"Not your next challenge," she had said.

I chuckle under my breath, the sound bitter and amused all at once.

I lean back against the counter, staring at the spot where she stood, still half-expecting the air to crackle with her heat. My jaw ticks as I roll her words around in my mind.

Such sharp tongue.

"You should leave her alone, Marcus."

Tammy’s voice brings me back to reality.

I look at her and smile. "Should I?"

"She is a good one. Her skills in photography is unmatched. If she quits because of your..."

"She won’t quit," I say curtly, sharper than I mean to. "She’s not the type to run."

Tammy raises an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. She’s not impressed. Then again, she rarely is when it comes to me. Which is probably why she’s lasted this long.

"You can’t be this sure of yourself," she says slowly.

"Hmm," I hum.

"Seriously, Marcus. Why her? You can literally have anyone you want. So just leave her be. Besides, she is interested in Josh," Tammy says.

I push off the counter, the easy smirk falling from my face. "Josh," I say. "...is a golden retriever. Hailey needs a wolf."

Tammy rolls her eyes. "Give me a break."

"I have nothing against him. He has a natural talent to be a model. Camera loves him. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just give up Hailey to him. Sure, she likes him but since when did something like that stopped me from getting what I want?" I ask.

Tammy lets out a low breath, shaking her head. "You’re unbelievable."

"No," I say, calm and measured. "I’m focused."

She glares at me, unimpressed. "This isn’t a campaign you can out-strategize, Marcus. It’s a person. A woman with boundaries. With feelings."

"I know," I say, holding her gaze. "That’s why I’m not going to bulldoze my way through this like I usually do."

"Oh? That so?" she crosses her arms tighter. "Because five minutes ago you were practically gloating over how nothing’s ever stopped you before."

I run a hand through my hair, frustration clawing at the edges. "Because nothing has. And nothing will."

She blinks. "You are not going to listen to reason, are you?"

"I want her," I say.

Tammy sighs. "Whatever, Boss. Just try not to hurt anyone."

I watch Tammy leave then make a phone call.

I pull out my phone, thumb hovering for a second before I hit the contact.

It rings once.

Twice.

Then a voice answers, smooth and clipped. "Yes, Mr. Winters?"

"Get me everything you can on Joshua Daniels," I say, walking slowly toward the windows of the break room, watching the city buzz below. "Education, family, career—where he lives, what he eats for breakfast."

There’s a pause on the other end. "Understood. Discreetly?"

I smile, dark and quiet. "Of course."

The line clicks off, and I slide the phone back into my pocket.

I need to know what I’m up against.

Because if Hailey thinks golden retrievers are safer than wolves, then I need to show her what kind of wolf I really am.

One who doesn’t just want her.

One who’s willing to earn her.

And make no mistake—I will.

-~-

The next day, I get more intel on Josh.

Initial report on Joshua Daniels: NYU graduate, architectural engineer, parents filthy rich, no siblings, no known scandals. Eats a spinach and egg white wrap four days a week. More to come.

Perfect on paper. Safe. Predictable.

Boring.

I toss the phone on my desk, the soft thud not nearly satisfying enough.

I need to find some kind of dirt on the guy. Something that would turn Hailey off about him.

Because right now, he looks like a damn Hallmark card—clean cut, polite, the kind of guy your parents hope you bring home. And that makes him dangerous. Not because he’s a threat to me, but because he’s safe for her.

My phone buzzes again. New message.

Update: Joshua Daniels—two speeding tickets in the last year. Both dismissed. Also: previously dated a woman named Riley Meeks for two years. She moved to LA after their breakup. More digging underway.

I exhale slowly, tapping the message open.

Speeding tickets? Weak.

But the ex...

Riley Meeks.

I pull up her name on my laptop. Instagram. Public profile. Blonde, fond of filter-heavy sunsets and avocado toast. Cute, in a curated kind of way.

Her bio says she is a social media influencer.

I scoff. Everyone is an influencer these days.

But her posts from five years ago tell me everything I need to know.

Couple selfies with Josh. Beach days. Matching Halloween costumes. And then—nothing.

Wiped clean.

Interesting. Bad breakup perhaps?

I lean back in my chair, fingers steepled, thoughts racing.

There’s a story there. A wound. And wounds mean leverage—if I can find the angle.

I call the number.

"Get me Riley Meeks’s phone number. Actually, no. Call her yourself and tell her an opportunity has come knocking on her door," I say.

The voice on the other end responds without hesitation. "Understood. I’ll reach out within the hour."

I end the call and close my eyes, trying to imagine the look on Josh’s face when he sees his ex girlfriend prancing around my studio.

Oh it’ll be delicious.