Rejected By My Ex, Desired By His Father

As she walked into the apartment building, Joslyn said coldly, "If you keep following me around, I'll call the police."

The stairwell door slammed shut behind her, but Beverly's sharp voice still carried through it. "Joslyn, you ungrateful little bitch! Sooner or later, karma's going to come for you!"

Joslyn slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

No. If anyone was going to face karma, it would be them.

After returning to her apartment, she kicked off her heels, dropped onto the couch, and let out an exhausted sigh.

She couldn't keep living here anymore. Otherwise, that couple would continue showing up and causing trouble without end. A dull headache throbbed behind her eyes as exhaustion and frustration twisted together.

Just then, her phone rang again. An unfamiliar local number flashed across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Miss Clark, hello. This is Connor Newman. If you have time, I'd like to meet with you."

Connor Newman was the real power behind the Newman family, a legendary figure in Dafson's business world, and Brandon's adoptive father.

Why would someone like him want to see her?

Connor was only ten years older than Brandon. Even though he was adopted, Brandon was a Newman by blood from the very beginning. Joslyn had never fully understood the details behind their relationship.

She remembered how Brandon used to describe Connor. Cold and ruthless. Emotionless. So distant that people were afraid to approach him. A man who never bent the rules and never showed mercy when handling matters.

Someone like him wasn't a person she could afford to offend. She didn't even feel like she had the right to refuse.

They met at a private club. Connor sat by the window in a dark gray suit, every button fastened neatly without the slightest wrinkle.

He looked younger than he did in magazines, yet somehow even more intimidating in person. His features were sharp and refined, his jawline clean and elegant, and a pair of rimless glasses rested across the bridge of his nose. "Miss Clark, please sit."

Joslyn sat across from him. After steadying herself, she finally asked, "What did you want to see me about, Mr. Newman?"

"You broke up with Brandon."

Joslyn lifted an eyebrow. She had already guessed why Connor wanted to meet her. Like most wealthy parents, he was probably here to clean up his adopted son's situation and make sure she wouldn't keep clinging to Brandon afterward.

"Yes. If you're worried I'll keep bothering Brandon, you don't have to be. We've already settled everything between us, and there won't be any contact after this."

Connor watched her silently, his dark eyes impossible to read. "Miss Clark, I'm not here because of him. I have a proposal for you. Marry me."

For a moment, Joslyn honestly thought she'd heard him wrong. "Mr. Newman, that's not funny."

Connor calmly took out a document and slid it across the table. "I'm serious. This is a draft of the marriage agreement. You can look it over."

Joslyn's thoughts immediately spiraled.

Connor Newman was the true power behind the Newman family. A billionaire. Thirty-five years old. Unmarried. The unreachable man countless people in Dafson dreamed of getting close to.

And now he was asking her to marry him? A woman his adopted son had just abandoned?

"Why?" she asked softly.

Connor leaned back slightly in his chair. "I need a wife. My mother has been pressuring me constantly, and you're a suitable choice. You're intelligent, attractive, highly educated, and your professional record is excellent. More importantly, I'm interested in you. I admire how rational and ambitious you are. You know exactly how to use the resources around you to your advantage. The fact that you managed to walk away from a breakup with twenty-five million dollars willingly handed over by your ex already proves you're qualified to become my wife."

Joslyn's heart slammed hard against her chest.

Connor knew everything. He knew her relationship with Brandon had never been built on love alone. He knew how ambitious and pragmatic she was. He even knew about the enormous breakup settlement she'd demanded.

Connor continued in the same calm tone, "Marry me, and you'll have everything you want. Money. Resources. Status. Even the chance to get back at Brandon. In return, I'll gain a suitable wife, and my mother will finally stop worrying about my marriage."

"Is there a time limit to this marriage?" Joslyn asked.

"No," Connor answered without the slightest pause. "The Newman family has never been the one to initiate a divorce. Unless you insist on ending the marriage yourself, it won't happen."

"And what if we can't get along?"

Connor met her eyes calmly. "Then we'll learn how to adapt to each other. As long as you fulfill your role as Mrs. Newman and don't cross my boundaries, you'll receive the respect and support you deserve. As for feelings, those can come with time."

Joslyn stayed silent for a moment before asking carefully, "What exactly does being your wife involve?"

"In public, you'll cooperate with me as my wife. You'll attend social events with me and handle interactions with the Newman family's relatives." Connor paused briefly before continuing, "And there will be a normal married life between us. I'm a healthy man with normal physical needs. Before marriage, I can control myself or deal with it privately, but after marriage, I don't see a reason to continue doing that. I have no interest in a sexless marriage."

"But you're thirty-five, and I'm twenty-five. There's a ten-year age gap between us." Joslyn was trying to remind him that a gap like that could easily make two people incompatible.

One of Connor's brows lifted slightly. "So you're worried I'm too old to satisfy you?"

Joslyn instantly lost her voice. How had he managed to twist an ordinary conversation into something so embarrassing?

Connor watched the faint blush spread across her face, and something darker flickered through his gaze.

"My work keeps me busy, and I travel often for business, so I won't be home much. You'll have complete freedom to live however you want. On top of that, I'll transfer ten million dollars into your account every month, and all of Newman Group's resources will be available to you. You can continue working as an architect, or you can start your own studio. That's entirely up to you."

How could Joslyn not feel tempted? Any ordinary person would've been overwhelmed by terms like these, even if the entire situation sounded absurdly close to some elaborate scam.

"I need some time to think about it," she said.

Connor stood up from his seat. "That's alright. My flight leaves tomorrow night, and I'll be gone for a week. Hopefully, I'll have your answer when I come back."

He walked to the door, and then suddenly paused and turned to look at her again.

"Joslyn, anything Brandon could give you, I can give you ten times over. And the things he could never give you, I can give you those as well. I hope you'll think about it seriously."

After he left, Joslyn opened the document on the table and read through it page by page. The terms were straightforward, and the conditions were generous to the point of being unbelievable. Ten million dollars transferred to her account every month. Full access to Newman Group's resources. Support for opening her own independent studio.

All she had to do was fulfill her responsibilities as Connor's wife.

Joslyn slowly closed the file and turned to look out the window.

The night had already deepened. Neon lights shimmered across the river like a dream, bright and dazzling enough to pull people in without escape.

As long as she signed this agreement, she could completely cut ties with her past. She could gain financial freedom, step across the invisible line separating social classes, and finally stand at the very top of Dafson.

But the cost was marrying a man ten years older than her. A man she barely knew. A man who was her ex-boyfriend's adoptive father.

This was never going to be an equal relationship. Their differences in status, power, and life experience were far too great.

Was it really worth it?

Joslyn thought about her parents downstairs earlier that day, their greedy faces twisted with desperation.

She thought about Brandon sitting across from her in the restaurant, speaking to her as if he were generously handing charity to someone beneath him.

She thought about the last six years, about living cautiously every single day while trying so hard to marry into the Newman family.

She thought about all those nights working overtime until she fell asleep at her desk, only to realize she still couldn't cross the gap between classes no matter how hard she struggled.

She was exhausted. Tired of relying on other people's approval. Tired of carefully watching everyone's expressions. Tired of being weighed, judged, and abandoned the moment she no longer met their expectations.

Joslyn slowly picked up the pen. The tip hovered above the paper as she hesitated one last time.

Was she really going to sign it?