"Sir, you have an appointment in half an hour" Jason looked up from the document his father had just handed him and nodded to his secretary. She raised an eyebrow, glancing between her boss and his father, but her face remained expressionless as she closed the door behind her. "If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare for my meeting" Jason put the document aside and looked at Anthony Mallory, his father or rather enemy.

"This isn't the end Jason, we both know there's no way you can fulfill the condition in just a week" his father snapped and Jason let out a sigh of exasperation. He and his father never had a close relationship. Anthony blamed his son that his grandfather had always favored his grandson over his son, and over the years, the feud between them had turned into almost a war.

"What I can and can't do is none of your business, Dad" Jason leaned back and looked at his father with irritation and annoyance. "As you say, son, I'll enjoy this victory" Anthony chuckled darkly and stood up, walking towards the door, but stopped with his hand on the lock and looked over his shoulder at Jason. "Shall I send you some boxes to put your things in?" he laughed and before Jason could answer he opened and closed the door behind him.

Jason sighed and rubbed the base of his nose, shaking his head. Sometimes he wondered who was the father and who was the son. He took a deep breath to calm himself and let it out, picking up the document again. His grandfather's will. "Jason Mallory, my only and legitimate grandson, will inherit my 40% controlling interest in Mallory Investigations in the event that, within one week of the opening of the will, or before, he is already married.The marriage must last at least six months. In the event that he is unable to meet this condition, my assets go to my son Anthony"

"What were you thinking when you made such a condition, grandpa?" Jason muttered, continuing to read the condition over and over. How would he ever fulfill such a condition, his grandfather knew him wonderfully, Jason has never had a problem with women, but work and lack of time do not allow him to commit seriously. Jason could only guess what the condition meant, his grandfather always cared about family, maybe he hoped his grandson would finally settle down, and for him it meant marriage and children.

"Old devil" he thought with a slight smile and left the document face down, when there was a knock on his office door. "Come in!" his secretary, Leila, a pleasant woman in her forties, opened the door slightly. "Sir, Miss Cassidy Thomas is here for your meeting at 10:30" she informed him with a small smile. Layla had worked for Jason for four years, the two easily got used to each other and Jason had her as a friend. He knew from her smile that his meeting wouldn't be difficult and he nodded that Leila could introduce the woman.

"You may come in,miss" Cassidy smiled sweetly at the older woman and smoothed down the light navy blue knee length dress that was all her own making, took her bag and clutched the folder in front of her chest as if it was a shield that would protect her in the event of an attack . "You look lovely miss, I'm sure Mr. Mallory will live up to your expectations" the secretary smiled encouragingly and Cassidy gave her a charming grateful smile as she walked past her and into the office of Mr. Mallory in question.

She approached the desk with lowered eyes, not daring to look at her possible future investor. She knew she was lucky to be received personally by the CEO of such a company, but her nerves were eating her up inside, and she didn't want him to notice that. "Please,sit down" her stomach lurched as his deep voice calmly sounded between the four walls, a stark contrast to what she was currently experiencing.

Cassidy settled into one of the leather chairs in front of his desk and finally looked up to meet the greenest eyes she had ever seen. "Jason Mallory" he introduced himself and stood up, offering her a hand across the desk. "Cassidy Thomas" she muttered nervously, her cheeks reddening that her voice sounded so low and husky. He gently shook her hand with a smile and sat back down in his huge swivel chair, which didn't seem so huge at all with this man sitting in it.

"You don't have to be so nervous Miss Thomas, I assure you the last time I checked, I still wasn't eating humans" he joked calmly and Cassidy looked down, biting her lip. This is not exactly what she expected when she was told that the CEO would be taking her on. She thought she would be talking and presenting her business plan to some old dude who would be thrilled to help her.

And Jason Mallory was anything but an old dude, barely more than five or six years older than her in practice and looking...WOW!, which only added to her nervousness. Cassidy didn't do well around men out of her league. "Can I have a look?" she looked up startled and the man pointed to the folder in her hands. "Y-yeah" she mumbled again and handed him the folder, watching in horror as her hand visibly shook.

Jason watched his interlocutor with a small smile. The girl was definitely nervous and he decided to make a joke to make her smile and relax, but instead it only increased her anxiety. He took the folder from her trembling hands and leaned back, opening it, his eyes running over the neatly laid out, tight business plan and the numbers entered as projected profits for the next five years.

His eyebrows shot up and he looked up to see Miss Thomas who was staring around nervously, her hands in her lap, her knees bouncing in an attempt to reduce her anxiety. The light blue dress fit her perfectly, he had already noticed that when she entered, her light brown hair was tied high in a slight loose bun, her whole posture showed that she was feeling extremely uncomfortable at the moment, but her face was playing here and there smiles when her blue eyes spotted something in his office that she liked.

Her gaze drifted back to his desk, looking absentmindedly at the neatly arranged folders and documents and he followed it until his came across the upside down will and then a crazy thought flashed through his mind and he looked up thoughtfully at the girl, narrowing his eyes appraisingly. "Miss Thomas" she looked at him, her eyes shining with anticipation and nerves. "Can I ask you something?" she nodded curtly.

"What are you willing to do to carry out this plan?" Jason asked and closed the folder, leaving it in front of him and crossing his fingers over it, leaning forward slightly. "On everything!" Cassidy answered without even thinking, one eyebrow twitching in surprise. "On absolutely everything?" he asked again and she tilted her head slightly with a questioning expression. "Within the law of course" Jason chuckled.

"And would you agree to the following proposal" he stood up, walked in front of his desk and, towering over her, sat on the edge of it and crossed his arms over his chest. "Marry me for six months and I'll double fund your brand and studio for the next five years?" her eyes widened and she opened and closed her mouth but clearly couldn't find the right words and just stared at him blinking in shock.

Cassidy was so shocked she didn't know what to say or how to react, so she just sat and stared at him with wide eyes. "Of course everything will be legal" he added calmly, with a slight smile that revealed a dimple on his right cheek. "If you agree, of course" he tilted his head slightly, clearly waiting for her answer. "I...It's...What..." Cassidy couldn't get even a short sentence together and there was a silence she was sure her pulse could be heard from the office next door.

"Miss Thomas" he stood up and returned to his seat, assuming the same position as a moment ago, slightly bent over, hands on his desk. "The thing is, I need a wife for the next six months, and you need funding. It's a fair deal that we both benefit from." Cassidy looked down thoughtfully. Double financing meant double opportunities for her and her dream. A bigger studio and store, a nicer brand. But marrying a stranger to achieve it was, was, what to even call it ?

"I don't know...It's..." she looked up at him, biting the inside of her bottom lip, considering his suggestion. "Miss Thomas, I assure you that you can trust me. You came to ask me for help, but now I am the one asking you to help me" Cassidy was still trying to gather her thoughts. The offer was definitely worth it, he was also a handsome man, in the sense that it would hardly have been so bad if she had been married to him for six months.

Cassidy sighed and looked him straight in the eyes. "How do I know you're not some mass murderer?" she asked and Jason burst out laughing. Pure hearty laughter. "I don't have time to hide the corpses,Miss Thomas,or I'd have at least three names on my list by now" Cassidy blinked in surprise and then she laughed too but only briefly before looking at him seriously again. "And everything will be legal?" she asked and Jason nodded. "Absolutely, we will announce our engagement, we will have a wedding, of course I will cover all the expenses, and for the next six months, we will have to play happily married couple, but it won't be that hard with a nice girl like you, Miss Thomas" he smiled he said and Cassidy blushed, looking down.

"Does that also mean we're going to live together?" he nodded and she thought again. "Of course you'll have your own room, I don't want you to think I'm going to force you to do anything you don't want to" Jason was quick to assure her, noticing how she went from "just agreeing" to thinking again. "Besides, your marriage to me will be an opportunity to meet other investors when you accompany me to dinners and parties" he added another plus to his proposal and her eyebrows sank completely.

"You mean that...that I will be your wife...in every sense of the word?" Jason nodded again in all seriousness. "That is exactly what I am saying, if you agree, for the next six months, I will take full care of you, Miss Thomas, as a husband, naturally, I will expect the same from you, within reason, moreover, I personally promise to help you with the development of your project" Cassidy took a deep breath, that's exactly what she wanted, to make her dream come true, she was going to survive these six months somehow.

She stood up and held out her hand to him. "We have a deal, Mr. Mallory" he stood up and took her hand, giving it a professional squeeze. "Jason, Miss Thomas, from this moment on, I'm Jason to you" he smiled and Cassidy blushed biting her lip. Her eyes stared at their clasped hands, his was so much bigger than hers that she could barely see her fingers. "Cassidy" she smiled softly and looked up at him to meet his genuine smile.