Caspian did not say much when Maya entered his office. He only looked up once, acknowledging her presence before closing the file in front of him, and the silence that followed was controlled, not awkward. Maya stood there for a moment, waiting for him to speak, but when he did not, she broke it herself and reminded him that he had asked for her. Caspian gave a slight nod, then reached for another file on his desk without explaining anything and pushed it toward her in a calm, deliberate motion.
Maya frowned slightly, not expecting that kind of response, and stepped forward to pick up the file. There was a small hesitation in her movement, but she opened it anyway and began to read. At first, her eyes moved quickly across the page, taking in the words without reacting, but after a few seconds, her pace slowed. Her brows pulled together as she went over the same lines again, and this time the meaning settled properly.
The change in her expression was immediate.
She looked down at the document again as if to confirm what she had just read, then lifted her head slowly, her eyes fixed on Caspian with clear disbelief. "What?" The word slipped out before she could stop it, quiet but sharp enough to break the silence in the room.
She glanced back at the file and then at him again, still trying to process it. "This is…" she paused briefly, then said it properly, "a marriage contract?"
Caspian did not rush to answer. He simply watched her, his expression unchanged.
Maya closed the file slowly, her grip on it tightening just a little before she placed it back on the desk. "I don't understand," she said, her voice more controlled now, but the tension in it was still there.
"You will," Caspian replied calmly.
Maya held his gaze for a moment, then asked, "Why are you giving this to me?"
"You mentioned your situation," he said. "I made an assumption."
That answer did not satisfy her, but she did not push further. Instead, she let out a quiet breath and lowered her eyes briefly before straightening again. "Sir," she began, her tone now steady and respectful, "I appreciate the offer."
Caspian did not interrupt.
"But I'm not interested," she continued, firm without raising her voice. "This isn't something I can agree to."
There was no hesitation in her decision.
Caspian remained still, his gaze steady, and simply said, "That's your decision."
Maya nodded once, acknowledging his response. "Thank you."
She took a small step back from the desk, creating distance without making it obvious, then turned and walked toward the door. Her steps were steady, and her expression had already returned to its usual calm, but the moment she stepped out and the door closed behind her, that calm did not follow her completely.
She paused in the hallway for a brief second, her hand resting lightly against the wall as she tried to steady her thoughts. A marriage contract was not something she had expected, and even now, it still felt unreal. She shook her head slightly, as if to push the thought away, and straightened before continuing down the hallway.
By the time she reached her desk, her mind had already moved ahead. She picked up her phone and began scrolling through contacts, then stopped, realizing there was no easy answer waiting there. She placed the phone down and sat back, her thoughts running through possibilities one after the other.
Extra work, additional income, loans, anything that could help.
She opened her laptop and began searching, reading through options, calculating quietly, rejecting what would not work and holding onto anything that might. None of it felt enough, but she did not stop.
Because as far as she was concerned, that option did not exist.
Not yet.