Chapter 4 - The Proposition
Chloe was getting a cup of terrible vending machine coffee when she felt a shift in the air.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and a sudden, heavy silence fell over the usually bustling cafeteria.
She turned around and dropped her paper cup.
It was the man from the airplane.
He looked even more intimidating standing up, clad in an immaculate three-piece suit that radiated dangerous power.
"You," Chloe breathed out, her mind struggling to connect the dots.
"Hello, Chloe," Tariq said smoothly, motioning for his guards to clear the cafeteria.
Within seconds, the room was completely empty, leaving just the two of them.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, her medical training keeping her voice relatively steady despite her panic.
"I know a great deal about you. Including the fact that your mother's surgery was just successful."
Chloe's eyes widened. "That was you. You paid the two million dollars."
"I did," Tariq confirmed, taking a step closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her.
"Why? I don't have anything to give you. I am heavily in debt and work eighty hours a week."
"I don't want your money, Chloe. I have more than enough of my own."
He pulled out a thick legal document from his briefcase and placed it on the nearest table.
"I need a highly skilled pediatric nurse with impeccable morals to care for my orphaned niece."
Chloe stared at him, bewildered. "You could hire anyone in the world."
"I don't trust anyone in the world," Tariq stated coldly. "But I observed you on that plane. You were exhausted to the point of collapse because you gave all your energy to others."
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"What are the terms?" she asked cautiously, looking at the ominous stack of papers.
"You move into my estate. You provide 24-hour care for the child. And in return, your mother receives the best private post-op care money can buy."
