The car. I felt the air move. I opened my eyes. Saw the bumper. I was shaking. The door of the limousine. A woman got out. She was wearing shoes, with red soles. She was wearing a suit. She looked perfect.
"Are you okay?" she said. Her voice was cold.
I looked up at her. She was Vivien Sterling.
The name Vivien Sterling echoed in my head like a bell. Every business major in the country knew Vivien Sterling. She was the Ice Queen of the Sterling Empire a thirty-year- woman who had taken her fathers old shipping business and turned it into a big tech and logistics company. Vivien Sterling was currently a guest lecturer at NYU and her Ethics of Power seminar was the class to get into in university history.
Vivien Sterling was really beautiful in a way that felt scary. She had cheekbones, pale skin and eyes the color of a frozen lake. Vivien Sterling stood over me her arms crossed, looking down at me with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
Well she said. Do you have a death wish. Are you just really bad at watching where you're going.
I got up my hands hurting where they had scraped the ground. My voice was shaking. I'm sorry I said. I wasn't looking. I'm really sorry.
Vivien Sterling sighed, a sound of impatience. She looked at a Rolex on her wrist. A watch that probably cost more than my grandfathers medical bills. You're shaking she said. Her eyes looked me up and down noticing my sweater and scuffed boots.
Before I could say anything Vivien Sterling stepped closer. I smelled her perfume. Sandalwood, expensive tobacco and rain. It was a exciting smell. Vivien Sterling reached out her fingers catching my chin tilting my head up so she could look at my eyes. The touch sent a jolt down my spine making my breath catch.
You're in shock Vivien Sterling said, her voice lower. For a second the noise of the city. The shouting drivers, the sirens. Faded away. It was just me and Vivien Sterling.. I am now ten minutes late for my lecture because I almost hit a student with my car.
I'm fine really I said, trying to pull.. Vivien Sterlings grip was firm.
You are not fine Vivien Sterling said. You are a problem. She gestured to the door of the limousine. Get in. I'm not leaving a girl on the sidewalk to get hit by another car. I'll have my driver take you to the campus clinic.
I should have said no. I should have walked away.. My legs were shaking and Vivien Sterling wasn't someone you said no to. I got into the back of the limo. The door shut with a thud and we were silent.
The inside of the limo was black leather and dark wood. Vivien Sterling sat across from me opening a tablet and ignoring me.
I stared at Vivien Sterling, my mind racing. I remembered the news from weeks Wall Street Journal. Something about the Sterling Board of Directors. Something about a morality clause in her fathers will that said Vivien Sterling had to be married by thirty-one to keep her voting shares. The gossip columns were talking about which prince or tech mogul Vivien Sterling would marry.
A crazy thought came into my head.
Miss Sterling I said, my voice above a whisper.
Professor Sterling when we're on university grounds Vivien Sterling said. Miss Sterling when I am firing someone. Choose what to call me
I took a breath. I heard the rumors I said. About the board. About the requirement for you to get married to keep your seat.
Vivien Sterling looked up her eyes cold. And why is my personal business your concern I said. You're a girl who can't even cross the street.
Because I need help and so do you I said. I need money for my grandfathers treatment.. I need to get married. Fast. For him.
Vivien Sterlings finger paused over the screen. She leaned back a smile on her face. Are you proposing to me, student after we've known each other for three minutes.
I'm proposing a partnership I said. If you marry a socialite or a CEO it's a mess.. If you marry me. A nobody. You control everything. I'm not a threat to your empire. I'm a ghost. You pay for my grandfathers care. I'll be whatever wife the board needs to see.
Vivien Sterling stared at me silent. I could see her thinking, weighing the risks. You're smart she said.. You're also a kid.. I don't do business with kids who make big decisions based on panic.
She pressed a button. The locks clicked open. We're at the campus gate she said. Get out. Consider the fact that I didn't sue you for the dent in my bumper as your wedding present.