Morally Grey (Grey Morals #1)

3

Isabella

He waits until everyone has cleared the room and shuts the door behind themselves before he says anything.

"I need you to understand something," he begins and he slowly walks towards me. I can't help but back up as he draws closer, feeling as if I'm prey and he's about to pounce.

"I won't marry for love."

"I- what?" I stutter out, confused by his sudden advance. He's directly in front of me now, and I can see the contours of his face close up.

"I don't intend to marry for love," he repeats slowly, gazing down at me intently.

I don't know what to say so I simply stay quiet.

"I need a wife," Kian states plainly. "Someone who won't cause drama or attract unnecessary attention. Someone," he flicks the ends of my hair.  "Like you."

"Me? You don't even know me," I hate that my voice comes out all breathy.

He chuckles, still playing with the ends of my hair, taunting me. "On the contrary Bells. I know everything there is to know about you."

I raise my eyebrows in question, indicating the need for further explanation. What can he possibly know about me? He literally met me an hour ago and has barely managed to speak three sentences to me.

"Isabella Carlisle, 23, occupation Project manager for a Software company, 2 siblings, mother is a single parent, father isn't on the scene, tax code 1250L, never had a pay rise, coaches kickboxing once a week to children. Need I go on?" Kian reels off facts about my life like he's reading the newspaper.

"How do you know all this?" The more this man speaks, the more wary I become of him.

He pins me with a look. "You really think a guy like me would agree to meet a complete stranger? A stranger whose family is plotting to set us up? I carried out a background check and then decided to dig deeper when that didn't give me enough information." Kian's gaze burns into me as he speaks, "There is nothing I don't know about you Bells, and that's why I know you're going to become my wife."

I lean back to get some distance because there's physically nowhere for me to go with Kian's body blocking me from moving past the wall I'm leaning on. This guy is clearly delusional. "What makes you think I'd want to marry you anyway?" I shoot back.

The corner of his mouth lifts up, and my stomach sinks because I think I just fell directly into the bear's trap.

"Why wouldn't you?" He taunts. "By how quickly your aunt set up this meeting, I'd say your family definitely approves of my status. Let's not pretend, you'd be marrying up with me."

Jackass. I scoff and open my mouth to retort but Kian doesn't let me get a word in. "And then there's your mum. Such a lovely lady. Worked hard her whole life to give you and your siblings the best she can. Wouldn't she be so happy to know your taken care of with me? No more money worries, stable home, sexy as sin husband..."

Is he...? Was that a joke?

"Are you kidding me?" I can't actually believe this guy.

"Never been more serious in my life," Kian doesn't miss a beat as he responds. His eyes beat down on me and I have to look away because it's just too intense.

"Can you just like, back up a bit please?" I don't know if I mean physically or this stupid plan of his.

He does neither, peering down at me still.

"Kian-" I start but don't really know what else to say. It's the first time I've said his name out loud and I don't hate how it sounds coming out of my mouth.

"Bells," is his steady response.

The way he says my name makes me look up at him. We hold eye contact, simply standing there with me against the wall and him almost against me. I can feel his body heat as his words replay in my head.

Become Kian's wife. The ways he's describing it makes it sound like a business contract. No feelings, a simple transaction. Except... what does he get out of this?

"Why me?"

"I told you, I've done my research and you fit the profile I need," his tone remains monotonous.

"But, why do you even want to get married? The way you speak of it, it's like a chore you're ticking off a list."

"Perceptive," he says dryly.

"No, I'm just not stupid," I roll my eyes.

We stay like this for a few moments, silent as we try to figure each other out. I'm the first to break and I look down as I repeat myself. "Why?"

He huffs, the first indication of any emotion since we started this conversation. "My father is going to retire soon. My lifestyle... it's not exactly given the board faith that I can take over from him and grow the company. I need them to see me as more than just a bachelor who's had everything handed to him. I need to show them I'm more than that."

"Are you?" My voice is soft when I speak.

Kian laughs but there's no humour behind it. He takes a step back giving me the room I had wanted a few moments ago but I feel cold now that he's moved away.

"Look, Isabella," his voice has changed. I thought he couldn't sound any colder but I was wrong. He says my full name for the first time and I get a glimpse at how deadly this guy can be when in the boardroom.

"I'm doing what I need to do to save my family and our business. You might want to think about doing the same for your family. Being at my side could open up a lot of doors for you and them.  Your mum, your younger brother and your sister. The opportunities are endless for them if you're with me."

Similar to when Kian first posed this to me, I'm silent. He takes something out of his suit pocket and puts it on the coffee table.

"Think about it," Kian says as he resumes his seat from earlier in the evening. Before he had spoken to me and before he had turned my life upside down with his proposition.

We stay in silence, Kian tapping away on his phone and me staring at the card, mentally burning a hole through the table until our families come back into the room.

How has it only been two hours since this man has entered my life?