Page 23 of Lucas

Curious about what she’ll ask for, I say, “What’s the condition?”

“You said I’m not allowed to be with others during the marriage,” she says. “I want it written that you’re not allowed to be with other women either. I don’t want to read articles about myself as the deceived wife. I don’t want to be humiliated. I’ve read about you since I received this contract, and you show up a lot in the press, just not in a business context.”

“I told you already, I don’t cheat. That’s a hard red line for me.”

“Then you shouldn’t have a problem adding the clause. And if you’re caught with someone, you lose Valeur Real Estate.”

“I what?” I jump to my feet.

“If you’re caught cheating on me, we divorce, and I take Valeur Real Estate with me. You said you don’t cheat, that it’s a red line for you, so there’s no reason this clause should bother you, right?”

“I can’t give up Valeur Real Estate.”

“If I have to spend two years without sex and be committed to this marriage, so do you.”

“I’m not the one who doesn’t want sex.” I spread my lips in a wicked smile.

She crosses her arms, which only accentuates her small breasts, and remains silent.

We stare at each other for several heated seconds.

Fuck. “Okay. I agree to add the clause.”

“Great.”

“There’s one more thing,” I say. “It’s not a clause in the contract, but I want us to move Gant’s offices to this building.”

She furrows her brow, and a small wrinkle appears between her eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because this building belongs to Valeur. The company that was on the fifteenth floor vacated about a month ago, and we haven’t rented their offices out again yet. And since I’m going to be in charge of the company?—”

“You’re not going to be in charge, just have decision-making power.”

“Fine. Since that’s the case, and since I prefer to save the expensive rent on your current offices, considering the company’s dire situation as it is, I think it would be best if you move here. You’ll have an entire floor at no rental cost. Your existing offices aren’t that far away, anyway, so it’s not that big of a change.”

“Fine.”

I raise a brow. “Don’t you have something smart to say? An objection? Cries of outrage against Valeur?”

“Not this time. That proposal actually sounds reasonable and logical.”

“You’ll find I’m a very reasonable and logical person.”

“I doubt it.” She smiles sweetly. “But that’s okay, I’m ready.”

Chapter Eight

LUCAS

“You agreed to two years without sex?” Liam laughs so hard he has to hold his stomach and nearly falls off the chair. “You? Lucas Valeur?”

I narrow my eyes. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”

“Come on, Lucas. You? The notorious playboy? Only fucking your own fist? Hey, I saw an ad for an inflatable sex doll. You know, they make them pretty realistic now. You want one? I can order it for you.” He wipes tears of laughter from his eyes.

“Haha. I invited you to my house to look at the contract, not to laugh at me. You’re good with contracts, right?”

Liam nods, his eyes already scanning the document I've handed him. “Of course. Law is a fascinating field, you know. The intricacies of legal language, the potential interpretations... It's like a complex puzzle.”