She wondered why Mr. Cagliari wanted to see her. Mr. Turner pressed the button to open the private elevator.

"Are you sure? I can take the stairs," she suggested, but he stood firm.

As they made their way up, her mind ran in circles, trying to understand why the CEO wanted to see her.

She hadn't received any complaints so far and saw no reason for him to want to see her. She would only know once she arrived. Once again, she found herself on the fourth floor of the company, the executive floor. This was the floor housing the offices of the president and the vice president, although she had never met the latter. They walked past the conference room to the end of the hall where a gold plaque on a door read: CEO.

"You may go in," Turner gestured, opening the door for her. She stepped inside. The space was vast, furnished exquisitely with Italian pieces. She hadn't imagined a room could be so expansive.

Her eyes roamed the opulent space before landing on a seating arrangement near a large window. Her aunt sat on one of the plush couches, Mr. Cagliari on another, and a third man she didn't recognize was seated beside him.

The couches were arranged around a sleek glass center table, upon which sat an envelope and mugs of coffee.

"Aunt," she called out, her voice echoing slightly in the large room. Mrs. Smith looked up, a warm smile gracing her lips. Mr. Cagliari also raised his eyes, as did the unknown man.

"My dear, why are you standing so far?" her aunt beckoned. But Ashleigh remained rooted to the spot, peering at Mr. Cagliari with unconcealed suspicion.

"What's this about, Aunt?" she questioned firmly, her gaze meeting Mr. Cagliari's head-on. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

He looked impeccably dressed today in a beige suit and matching shoes. His dark hair was slicked back, revealing a strong jawline accentuated by a neatly trimmed stubble that lent him a mature air. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, reaching for his cup of coffee on the table and sipping it nonchalantly.

"Won't you come closer? Or must we shout?"

Hesitantly, Ashleigh moved to sit beside her aunt, keeping a wary distance from Mr. Cagliari.

Adrian took a long, assessing look at her. Her eyes were wide with apprehension as she waited for him to speak, her hands clutching her aunt's clothes tightly.

"Ashleigh, your aunt and I have been discussing things before you arrived," he remarked. She turned to her aunt, who avoided her gaze.

"I have a proposition for you—a marriage proposal," he stated, the words hanging in the air, and Ashleigh couldn't mask her shock.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" she asked, staring at him in disbelief.

"I am asking you to marry me," he repeated firmly, and a startled laugh escaped her lips.

This man seemed completely out of touch with reality. Who talks about marriage so casually?

"I'm sorry, it's just... it sounds like a joke. Is it? Can you tell a better one?" Her smile quickly faded, replaced by a serious expression. Her aunt started to intervene, but Ashleigh cut her off. "No, Aunt, I need to speak to him." She held Adrian's gaze.

"Well, Mr. Cagliari," she began, a hint of sarcasm lacing her tone, "why exactly do you want to marry me?" A wry smile touched his lips.

"Miss Hartman, I have a pressing need, and I believe you suit those requirements," he replied, his eyes sweeping over her in a considering manner.

Ashleigh was bewildered by the absurdity of the situation, even more so that her aunt had apparently heard this nonsense and hadn't immediately dismissed it.

"Aunt," she inquired, her voice incredulous, "did you hear what he just said?" Mrs. Smith let out a low sigh.

"Well, Ashleigh dear, I've heard everything, and I want you to consider it as well," she responded, her voice softening as Ashleigh's disbelief deepened.

"Look, Ashleigh, it's not a bad offer," her aunt continued, trying to sound encouraging.

"He has promised to care for you and compensate you when the contract is over." Ashleigh shifted away from her aunt, a sense of betrayal washing over her.

"Miss Hartman, I am Mr. Cagliari's lawyer and legal representative. I have the marriage contract here," the man who had been observing silently finally spoke.

He reached into the envelope and placed a document in front of her. Ashleigh sat silently, her eyes fixed on the bold letters at the top: MARRIAGE AGREEMENT CONTRACT.

"Ashleigh, I know this is a lot to take in," Adrian added, his gaze steady on her still figure.

"I want you to think carefully. During the time you are my legal wife, you and your aunt will be fully taken care of. Consider it a favor." Ashleigh finally raised her head to look directly at him, a spark of anger igniting in her eyes.

"Did I ask you for a favor, Mr. Cagliari? There are a thousand women who would jump at this opportunity, but I am not one of them. And don't you ever approach me with such a proposition again," she said through clenched teeth, turning abruptly to leave.

She had reached the door when Adrian's voice stopped her.

"Miss Hartman... or is that your real name?"

She turned sharply, a fierce glint in her eyes. "What?"

"You think you're just an orphan? Then your aunt hasn't been entirely truthful with you, has she?" Adrian taunted, a knowing look in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in a hushed tone, her heart pounding. He stood up to face her, his presence suddenly looming.

This was the question that had always been a thorn in her side. She longed to know about her birth parents but lacked the resources to find out, a desire buried at the back of her mind, something she hoped to pursue after saving enough money.

She had lived her life day by day at the orphanage until her aunt appeared one day. Until now, whenever she had asked her aunt or tried to broach the subject, her aunt had fiercely shut it down, insisting her parents were dead and there was no reason to discuss it.

Her aunt had told her no stories of her parents, their hometown, or their families, explaining that it was for the best.

Looking at Adrian Cagliari, a chilling certainty washed over her: there was far more to her story than she knew.

"Whatever I want to know about my parents I can find out myself" she retorted and he chuckled at her. He truly admired her courage and naivety, thinking she would be able to find out about her parents so easily.

"My dear..." he drawled, running his hands through her hair playfully.

"Be my guest. You would be dead at the first try. Your Aunty Smith knows this very well, your case is not as simple as you think it is" he continued. Her fiery gaze tugged at his heart string wildly, he liked her little acts of defiance even though she is a shivering leaf.

"I am the only one that can guarantee your safety. You can only walk naively around this world for long but they are lurking in the shadows, waiting for you.

Once you step out of your shell, trust me your head would be in your hands. But don't take it from me though, find out for yourself how long you can survive out there" he drawled, gesturing for her to leave.

Ashleigh was filled with fear at this point, she looked at Mr. Cagliari as he strolled to his office chair, signalling he was done with the conversation, his lawyer followed suit standing up to reach for the papers. She then looked at her aunt who looked slumped on the chair, as if admitting defeat. As the lawyer was about grabbing the last paper on the floor she quickly grasped his hand. Her other hand grabbed her light coloured uniform tightly in desperation as she looked straight at Mr Cagliari who was on the phone calling his secretary to come in and escort them out.

"Where do I need to sign?"

**********************************

TWO WEEKS AGO

"Boss, I have news about Ashleigh Hartman" Turner stood behind his boss, after ensuring the door was closed properly.

Adrian turned to face him, seeing as he came at this time of the night despite asking him to retire already it must be important. Adrian had asked Turner while he was in America to investigate more on Ashleigh's background and since then he had not heard anything about it.

"Sir we tried contacting the orphanage where she was raised in, and we got to know that the only information they had about her was given by the person who dropped her there" he reported, moving to give him the tablet where the details where held.

"The caretakers in charge said they had no idea of who the person was, as they were just employed seven years ago, the older caretakers have retired to live in the a hidden old age home funded by the organization funding the orphanage" Adrian scrolled through the information puzzled.

The orphanage should at least have information on the people who drop children in the orphanage home matter how small, the current people employed have only limited information about her while the ones who do have gone into retirement.

"We were able to cajole them to going through the old archives of information which they spent days doing until this past week where they found a DNA test result from their records..... Her ancestry is 95% Italian" he stated, making Adrian freeze for a moment. Looking at the test results he saw the words in bold: ITALIAN.

"Not only that sir, Her blood type has been tested to be one of the rarest types, but the records on her blood type has been stashed away by the senior caretaker. We made the journey to find the caretaker who had the blood type information and she told us the full story"

"She said they had met a man outside the orphanage home at the time who was severely injured, but clutching a baby wrapped in a shawl tightly, she was only a few days old. He refused in letting any of them touch the baby so they let him in to tend to his wounds, for the next few days they struggled communicating with him as he spoke only Italian but they were able to contact a translator. He said that his last mission was to ensure that the child was safe, he handed them over to them and told them to give her a name; only telling her date of birth. He told them not to tell a soul of the event of the days and then he left despite their pleading to stay a few more days. She said they later received news of his death" Adrian was deep in thought at this point, the identity of this Ashleigh seemed to be a bit troublesome.

"Did she tell you the name of the man?" He spoke up after a while.

"Lumiere was his name sir" he replied, leaving him deep in thought. He seemed to have heard of that name but recall when exactly. He needed to find out more about this name, and where her blood can be traced to. Reaching for his phone, he called his uncle.

"I'm sorry for calling this late but I'm working on something and I need to make some enquiries" he stated.

"No problem Adrian, what can I assist you with?"

"Have you heard of the name Lumiere?" his uncle remained silent for a while on the phone. Pulling himself together, he quickly asked.

"Why do you ask?" He questioned silently, his voice somewhat reluctant. Adrian's curiosity was heightened, his mind running in circles to try and put the pieces together.

"Son, Lumiere is the late steward of the Rossi family" his uncle mentioned and mind instantly clicked. He remembered he was five years old visiting his grandfather one Christmas when the news came of the murder of Lumiere, the head steward of the Rossi family. He recalled vividly as his grandfather shooed him away from the study to receive those guests but he still stubbornly placed his eyes through the peephole and listened closely.

"The story of the Rossi family was probably the most tragic one, they were one of the most affluent families in Italy until the only daughter fell in love with the son a mafia crew. This broke out a cold war between the two families and they were soon eliminated, leaving only Lumiere and the new-born with the mafia on their heels. It was later reported that the both were found and killed abroad. All this happened when you were still a child so you won't have any knowledge on this" he detailed, leaving Adrian speechless.

The Ashleigh Hartman, the girl in America currently cleaning a floor of his building maybe the heiress to the Rossi family that was declared dead for over twenty years now.

"What happened after that uncle?"

"Well, the Rossi family businesses and estate was been handed over to a management firm who they closely worked with and the deeds of ownership has been placed in their care. Her mafia father had tried claiming the business a few times under the rights of marriage but was unsuccessful at each attempt" he concluded, and Adrian thanked him and bade him goodnight. He then gave an order to his secretary to contact his private lawyer, as this matter will be taken carefully.

NOW

He currently sat facing Ashleigh as the lawyer read the terms of the marriage contract loudly: "This Marriage Contract (the "Agreement") is made and entered into as of the [Date] by and between [Mr. Adrian Cagliari] , the first party, and [Miss Ashleigh Hartman] the second party." "WHEREAS, the First Party desires to marry the Second Party, and the Second Party desires to marry the First Party; and WHEREAS, the parties desire to enter into a binding agreement to govern their marriage, including the terms of their financial arrangement and the division of their assets in the event of divorce" "NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein, the parties agree as follows:

1. Marriage: The parties agree to marry each other on xx day, xx month, xx year

2. Financial Arrangement. During the marriage, the parties shall maintain separate financial accounts and shall be solely responsible for their own debts and obligations. However, the first party has takes on complete responsibility of the following expenses: • Housing • Utilities • Food • Household expenses • Academic expenses • Childcare expenses (if applicable)

3.. Division of Assets. In the event of divorce, the parties agree to divide their assets as follows: • Each party shall retain all property that they owned prior to the marriage. • All property acquired during the marriage shall be divided equally between the parties.

4. Premarital Agreement. The parties acknowledge that they have entered into a "Premarital Agreement", which shall govern the division of their assets in the event of divorce. The parties agree that the terms of the Premarital Agreement shall supersede any conflicting terms of this Agreement.

5. Amendment. This agreement may be amended only by a writing signed by both parties.

6. Severability. This agreement will be deemed severable under the conditions of infidelity.

7. Entire Agreement. This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications, representations, or agreements, whether oral or written.

8. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state.

9. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above." [Signature] [Party 1 Name] [Signature] [Party 2 Name]

he finished, placing a pen in front of her. Ashleigh held the pen, looking at her aunt who nodded affirmatively and turned to examine Mr Cagliari who was watching her.

"You promise to tell me about my birth parents?" she asked once more, and he nodded calmly.

She then picked up the pen and signed on the dotted lines, handing over to her aunt to sign as well. The lawyer then passed the papers to Adrian who signed as well and he signed as a witness.

"So in the presence of both witnesses, I declare Ashleigh and Adrian Cagliari husband and wife. Congratulations to both of you" he announced as they all stood up and began shaking hands.

In all this Ashleigh stood helplessly, looking at her aunt who smiled at Adrian warmly like he isn't the bad guy here. She has finally given in and married this man so she can find out about her parents, it sounds somewhat pathetic that she has to sell her rights away to know who her father and mother is.

"Mrs. Cagliari" Adrian drawled, strolling lazily to stand by her side. He looked at her sad face and held her chin to face him.

"Call me Adrian" he whispered in a smoky tone, his eyes gripping her soul. Ashleigh had not imagined that she would ever stand at a 6 feet distance to this man, but she is now staring at this man up close. She pushed him away and stepped back, withe everything that happened in the past hour she needed time to let it soak in.

"If we are done here, I will be taking my leave" she put out, leaving the office immediately with a loud bang on the door.

Mrs Smith pleaded for Mr Cagliari not to be annoyed at her, he just laughed dismissingly.

"Aunt, there's no need to worry. Just inform Ashleigh that we will be going for the marriage certificate tomorrow morning and from there we will discuss living arrangements" she thanked him and turned to leave the office as well.

Adrian stood for a while staring at the door before returning to his work. Ashleigh went back to her assigned work space to continue from where she stopped. This time her break was over at this time but with what just happened, she had no appetite to eat. Grabbing the cleaning equipment from the store room, she trudged to the empty offices and began cleaning the offices.

She was angry, upset and had a million things on her mind so she chose to focus all that chaotic energy into her work, at least she will finish fast and be able to clock out earlier. She went about her work quietly; not noticing someone entering the office and walking up to her.

"Ashleigh!" the voice shrieked and she jolted out of her seat to see James laughing his head off. She hit him repeatedly as she tried to still her heart and after a while he started apologizing when her hits became more painful.

"You went missing after that call from the secretary so I came to find you" he said, sitting on the chair which she finished dusting.

"I'm sorry James, I just have a lot on my mind right now" she muttered as she wiped the desk down with a wet rag.

"Why? What was the meeting about? You just left with the hot secretary and didn't give us the tea after" he complained and Ashleigh stopped what she was doing. She spun to face in him surprise.

"Wait.... James!!" She exclaimed as James scratched his hair sheepishly.

"Well... he looks fine but he's always out of it anytime I see him" he admitted and Ashleigh laughed loudly.

She had only a few interactions with Mr. Turner and they were very polite and short. Now that she is married to his boss, she may interact with him more, as for the charm she didn't see what made him attractive. He was rather a lanky guy with a rather timid personality; that may also be due to being an assistant to such a man, poor kid.

"I'm not seeing it but if you like him then I'm not one to judge" she raised her hands in the air, smiling as she returned to her work. James leaned back in the chair watching her closely, she skilfully avoided his question and focused on him instead.

"You still are yet to answer my question Ashleigh, why did Mr. Turner call you out of lunch?" He repeated, making her still again. She leaned on the table, facing him squarely.

"He just called me to check in on some things for the executive lounge" she lied, and he nodded convinced.

"Lucky you, you had the opportunity to visit that lounge. If only I had an opportunity to work there, I'd be one step closer to achieving my goals " he sighed looking at the ceiling dreamily, Ashleigh snorted in response.

That executive lounge was the bane of her existence from today onwards.

"It's not all that James" she said, bringing him out of his reverie to give her a dumb look.

"Girl stop playing like that, you know that not just anyone is assigned there. The CEO is the one who personally selects the person assigned to clean because he's very particular about his workspace and workshop" he stated, whispering the last part under his breath.

"Haven't you spent like a week and a half here? You already know the office like the back of your hand"

"It helps me get around easily" he shrugged.

"Okay time's up! Leave now, you've slowed my work by two hours" she ordered, pulling him out of the seat and pushing him out of the door.

She felt a bit relieved speaking to him but she doesn't want to lose focus, so she began pick up the speed. After three hours of dusting, rearranging and decluttering the offices on the floor she was done for the day. Exhausted, she made her way to the her aunt's office where workers were to sign out for the day and she entered to see her working on the desk. Mrs Smith raised her head at the opening of the door to see Ashleigh who stood stiff and her eyes softened.

"Ashleigh dear, please come and take a seat let's talk about it" she pointed to the chair across where her table where she sat, Ashleigh was not moving.

"What's the use? It's already been done and settled" she responded flatly.

"It is done, but you haven't heard the reason why I agreed to your husband's.."

"Don't call him that" she interrupted, glaring at her aunt. Mrs Smith held her breath at the anger of her niece, she felt aggrieved so she could only look at her with pleading. Ashleigh eventually sat down quietly.

"My dear, I cannot say I'm helpless to agree with Mr. Cagliari's proposal. I feel so guilty about this entire situation" she started.

"As Mr Cagliari mentioned earlier, I am very much at risk for being here with you, but when I found out you were alive I couldn't stop myself. I had to find you. I knew I could not help you achieve your goals or give you a very good life than the orphanage but I felt you should just stay with the only surviving relative of your family" she said, Ashleigh looked at her confused.

"I apologize for always avoiding the topic of your birth parents, for not telling you but I am sworn to secrecy by someone who spared my life and gave me the opportunity to stay with you. Your aunt is so powerless, I am only a servant to the circumstances of my life" she explained, tearing up in the process. On seeing her aunt cry, she felt bad for not understanding her point of view and reached over to console her.

"When you get like this, I feel bad aunt. I'm sorry for being so rude to you" Ashleigh apologized guiltily.

"It's okay. My dear, you may get angry, upset and even hate Mr Cagliari so much at the moment but you have learn to work with him and be patient. I know you will want to make trouble for him" she chided, making her grumble in response.

"Mr. Cagliari will be more help than you expect" Mrs Smith said in an encouraging tone.

Seeing as her aunt was optimistic about the marriage, Ashleigh decided to give him a benefit of doubt.

"Aunt I've finished my work for today so I will be signing out" she explained, as she stood up to grab her things.

"That's fine. Mr Adrian has asked prepare for tomorrow morning, you'll be collecting your marriage certificate. " she informed, Ashleigh's nodded in understanding.

She then reached for her employee card and scanned it through the electronic system on her aunt's desk and left for home. At the bus stop, dazed, she stared at the cars passing by, only then realizing this was her last day as a single woman.

"What should I do with these few hours I have left?" she thought to herself as she scrolled looked through her social media.

She decided on buying herself a gift with a bit of the money she has saved so far and her eyes lit up at the thought.

She stood and entered the next bus and settled down in a seat closest to the door, after twenty minutes the bus pulled up at the bus stop across downtown mall and she stepped down and began strolling on the sidewalk as she glanced around. She stepped down and walked in; downtown mall is a newly opened shopping complex where luxury items were sold at high-end stores, she knew because she had seen a lot of influencers talk about the place online.

Up till now Ashleigh could only watch videos of others touring the mall but today she stood in the building. The floors were paved with exquisite tiles, that glistened under the sun rays which entered through the glass ceiling, there was chatter in the air as groups of people walked about the place. She walked past various stores and stopped at a jewellery store, entering to see the workers who greeted her warmly and ushered her in. The shop had glass shelf filled with various types of accessories: earrings, rings, necklaces, hair clips, bracelets and much more. There were also show desks decked with accessories as well.

She stood at the desks and peered at the accessories displayed through the glass with the worker at the other side. Her eyes landed on a slim diamond encrusted bracelet and she looked to the attendant and asked about it.

"You have a good eyes Miss. This piece has been the most popular amongst ladies your age, it has matching necklace and earrings but those come at an extra price" she explained, bringing the bracelet to the top of the table for Ashleigh to have a closer look.

She made a decision to buy the whole set upon seeing it closer and asked the worker to pack it up. Walking to counter, she handed her card to the worker who made the payment and her card with the bag to her. On seeing the price, her eyes went wide in surprise in marvel at how expensive it was. She had also liked to get a dress as well that she would wear for tomorrow's event but the total cost of just this set of jewellery had covered her week's worth of expenses.

"So much for gifting myself" she sighed as she left the store, her bank account was probably crying at the moment.

For the rest of the day, she just glanced through the glasses of various departments stores that cared to display their products and took note of some things she would want to buy and when she was tired, she made her way home to prepare for the next day.