Match of Equals: Mr. Sterling, Business Marriage Without Love

The day the news of the Jiang family's bankruptcy spread throughout New York, Elena Jiang was sitting in Julian Sterling's office.

She came to "sell" herself.

"Mr. Sterling, although the Jiang family is down, the core technology and overseas channels are still there. As long as you agree to inject capital, the Jiang family can survive." Elena's back was straight. Even in a desperate situation, her eyebrows still carried the pride of a young lady.

Julian Sterling sat in the executive chair, his slender legs crossed, playing with an expensive fountain pen in his hand. He looked at the woman in front of him with leisure.

Elena Jiang, once the most dazzling red rose in New York, now had to bow her head to him.

"Injecting capital into the Jiang family is not a cost-effective deal for me." Julian's tone was cold, "Unless you can give me a reason why I must inject capital."

Elena took a deep breath and looked directly into his eyes: "I can marry you. The Sterling family urgently needs a wife from a famous family with a clean background to deal with the old master's urging for marriage, don't they?"

Julian stopped his movements, his dark eyes half-squinted, "Miss Jiang, are you recommending yourself for my bed?"

"No, this is a cooperation." Elena corrected, "No interference after marriage, and no talk of love. The term is three years. By then, the Jiang family will have recovered, and we will divorce peacefully."

Julian suddenly laughed. He stood up and walked to Elena, his tall body bringing a sharp wind.

"No interference, no talk of love?" He leaned down, his warm breath puffing against her ear, "Elena, do you think I, Julian Sterling, am a vegetarian?"

His slender fingers picked up her chin, his eyes gloomy with a trace of playfulness.

"Fine. In three days, go to the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Elena originally thought this was just a mutually beneficial transaction, but she didn't notice the determined madness in Julian's eyes when he signed the agreement.

Sterling villa, master bedroom.

Elena Jiang came out after showering, only wrapped in a bathrobe. She looked at Julian Sterling sitting by the bed, slowly unfastening his tie, and felt a little nervous in her heart.

"Mr. Sterling, we agreed, no interference after marriage."

Julian put down his tie, looked up at her, his eyes full of thick playfulness, "Mrs. Sterling, no interference refers to living space, but this does not include... marital obligations."

"Julian Sterling, you're cheating!"

"Cheating?" Julian stood up, approaching her step by step. His tall figure completely enveloped Elena, and the air was filled with a male aggressiveness, "Elena, do you think it's necessary for me to cheat on my legal wife?"

His slender fingers hooked the belt of her bathrobe and pulled lightly.

Elena let out an exclamation and subconsciously wanted to cover her chest, but her wrist was grabbed by him and pressed against the headboard.

"The Jiang family now owes me a billion. Miss Jiang, do you think this billion is just to buy a 'nominal' Mrs. Sterling?" Julian's voice was hoarse and dangerous, "Or do you think I, Julian Sterling, am a decoration?"

He leaned down and fiercely kissed her lips.

Elena wanted to resist, but was more deeply demanded by him.

That night, in the luxurious bedroom, Elena truly understood that this man's so-called "no talk of love" was actually built on absolute possessiveness.

And she had completely fallen into his net.

Early the next morning, when Elena Jiang woke up, the position beside her was already empty.

On the table was a share transfer agreement and a black gold card.

"The capital injection for the Jiang family has arrived. With this card, buy whatever you want." Julian Sterling wrote on the message note, his handwriting vigorous and powerful.

Elena looked at the agreement, but her heart was not as relaxed as imagined.

She got dressed and appeared on time in the conference room of the Sterling Group. Her current identity was not only Mrs. Sterling but also the representative of the Jiang Group.

"Mr. Sterling, regarding the development of the overseas market, I think the Jiang family can cooperate..."

Julian Sterling at the conference table, dressed in a suit and tie, with a cold expression, as if the man who frantically demanded last night was just an illusion. He flipped through the documents, his tone flat, "Miss Jiang, business is business, I don't want to talk about personal feelings in the conference room."

Elena bit her teeth, "Don't worry, Mr. Sterling, I didn't plan to talk about love either."

In the following month, the two cooperated seamlessly in the workplace.

Elena's decisiveness and talent made Julian look at her with new eyes. He found that this woman was not just a red rose, but also a sharp sword.

This pull between equals instead gave him a never-before-felt excitement.

However, under the surface of this cooperation, Julian's possessiveness was quietly growing.

Whenever Elena talked more with other men because of work, Julian's performance in bed that night would become exceptionally rough.

"Elena, you are mine. Whether it's business or personal, you can only look at me."

At the Sterling Group's anniversary gala.

Elena Jiang wore a deep red backless long dress, stunning the whole room.

She held a glass of red wine and was talking with a returned business newcomer about the details of a project. The two were chatting quite well. Elena didn't notice that not far away, Julian Sterling's face was already so gloomy that it could drip water.

"Miss Jiang, I heard you and Mr. Sterling are in a marriage alliance?" The newcomer's eyes carried a hint of testing.

"Yes, it's a pleasant cooperation." Elena smiled.

Before the other party could speak again, a large hand had already embraced Elena's waist, the strength so great it almost crushed her bones.

"What are you talking about, Mrs. Sterling?"

Julian's voice sounded above her head, carrying a pressure that could not be ignored.

The newcomer saw Julian, and his face instantly changed. He quickly greeted, "Mr. Sterling."

"Mr. Lin, since the talk is over, I'll take my wife away first." Julian didn't even give the other party a chance to reply, directly leading Elena to the terrace.

"Julian Sterling, what are you doing! That's an important business partner!" Elena angrily pushed him away.

"Business partner?" Julian let out a cold laugh, pinning her against the terrace railing. The night wind blew, lifting her hair, "Elena, do you know the way he looked at you just now, he wished he could swallow you?"

"That's business etiquette!"

"Etiquette?" Julian leaned down and directly left a deep red hickey on that fair back, "Elena, I told you, I don't like others coveting my things. Even if it's business etiquette, it's not allowed."

He declared his sovereignty in public, completely disregarding Elena's shyness and anger.

Elena Jiang's ex-boyfriend, the grandson of Old Master Sterling's family friend—Ethan Shaw—returned to the country.

At a dinner party attended by both families, the three of them met unexpectedly.

"Elena, long time no see." Ethan looked at Elena, his eyes full of unfinished affection, "I heard you got married, I should have sent a wedding gift."

Elena was a bit embarrassed and was about to speak when Julian Sterling beside her had already embraced her shoulder.

"A wedding gift is not necessary." Julian had a provocative smile on his lips, "Mr. Shaw came to see my wife on the first day back in the country, this 'kindness,' I've already received."

Ethan looked at Julian, his gaze also becoming sharp, "Julian Sterling, Elena married you because of the Jiang family's debt, this is not what she wanted."

"What she wants, Mr. Shaw probably isn't as clear as I am." Julian leaned down and bit Elena's ear affectionately, but his voice was loud enough for Ethan to hear, "Am I right, wife?"

Elena's body stiffened for a moment, but on such an occasion, she could only cooperate, "Yes, Julian treats me very well."

Ethan left angrily.

Back in the car, Elena threw off Julian's hand.

"Julian Sterling, you went too far just now!"

"Too far?" Julian suddenly pressed her into the back seat, his eyes churning with crazy jealousy, "Elena, seeing your ex-boyfriend back, do you feel sorry for him?"

"I don't!"

"Better not." Julian tore open her gown, his voice hoarse and ruthless, "Elena, remember, the only person in this life who can make you cry is me."

An important project of the Jiang Group had an accident.

Due to a subordinate's negligence, a huge loss was caused. Julian Sterling directly lost his temper at the board meeting.

"Elena, as the person in charge of the Jiang family, you have to give me an explanation."

In the conference room, facing the doubts of the directors, Elena's back was still straight, "Mr. Sterling, I will be responsible. Give me a week, and I will make up for the loss."

"Make up for it?" Julian let out a cold laugh, "Elena, what are you going to use to make up for it? Your pitiful shares, or your title as Mrs. Sterling?"

Elena bit her teeth. The moment she walked out of the conference room, she felt an unprecedented frustration.

Returning home at night, she took the initiative to walk into Julian's study.

"Julian Sterling, if you want a divorce, I have no objection."

Julian put down the pen in his hand, looked up at her, his eyes deep as ink, "Divorce? Elena, do you think after investing so much cost, I would let you leave so easily?"

He stood up and walked to her, his slender fingers picking up her chin.

"Since you entered this game in my, Julian Sterling's, territory, without my permission, no one can get away."

He pushed her onto the desk, and those expensive documents scattered all over the floor.

"Julian, not here..."

"Right here." Julian kissed her frantically, as if venting some unknown emotion, "Elena, I want you to remember, no matter what happens, you can only depend on me."

That night, Elena truly realized that Julian's feelings for her had already changed unconsciously.

Although they didn't give in to each other in the workplace, in some aspects, Elena Jiang and Julian Sterling were unexpectedly compatible.

For example, when dealing with the opponent who tried to poach the Jiang family's core team, the cooperation between the two was simply seamless.

"Elena, it's a pity you didn't become an actress." Julian looked at the opponent who was tricked out of secrets by a few words from Elena, his eyes carrying a trace of imperceptible appreciation.

"You're not bad either, Mr. Sterling. That move of 'taking the firewood from under the pot' was played quite beautifully." Elena smiled back.

The two drank a lot of wine at the celebration banquet.

Returning home, Julian didn't rush to demand as usual, but took Elena to the terrace to watch the prosperous night view of New York together.

"Elena, if the Jiang family hadn't gone bankrupt, would you have married me?" Julian suddenly asked a very personal question.

Elena was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, "Probably not. At that time, I only wanted to find someone who could let me do whatever I wanted."

"What about now?" Julian turned around and circled her in his arms, "Now, have I let you do whatever you want?"

Elena looked at his deep eyes, and a soft place in her heart was touched.

"Besides being a bit domineering, a bit jealous, and a bit unreasonable... it's okay."

Julian let out a low laugh, leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Since it's okay, then stay by my side forever."

At that moment, the wind was very gentle, and Elena felt for the first time that this marriage alliance might not be so bad.

Elena Jiang was pregnant.

This should have been a happy event, but when Julian Sterling saw that lab report, his first reaction was actually—

"Elena, are you trying to use this child to threaten me and make me concede on the agreement?"

Elena sat on the bed, looking at the gloomy man, her heart half-cold.

"Julian Sterling, in your eyes, am I that kind of person?"

"I've seen too many wealthy family feuds, I have to be on guard." Julian said coldly, but his hand was trembling slightly.

Elena stood up, walked to him, and looked directly into his eyes, "Julian Sterling, you said we wouldn't talk about love, and I did it. But this child is an accident. If you don't want it, I'll go get rid of it right now."

"You dare!" Julian suddenly reached out and held her tightly in his arms, the strength so great it almost rubbed her into his bones and blood, "Elena, dare to touch him and see!"

He didn't not want it at all; he was afraid.

He was afraid that after having a child, Elena would truly become his weakness. He was afraid of this feeling of loss of control.

"Julian Sterling, where is your heart?" Elena asked in a muffled voice in his arms.

"Right here." Julian grabbed her hand and pressed it against his chest. There, a heart was beating violently.

"Elena, for this child, don't even think about leaving me half a step again."

Elena Jiang did not become weak because of her pregnancy.

On the contrary, under the guise of prenatal care, she moved directly out of the Sterling villa and back to the Jiang family's small old house.

"Mr. Sterling, the agreement period is not yet full, but I need quiet rest now, please do not disturb."

Julian Sterling looked at the closed Jiang family door and for the first time experienced what it meant to "lift a stone only to drop it on one's own feet."

In the following days, the people of New York often saw that decisive CEO Julian Sterling wandering around the Jiang family door every day, carrying various expensive nutritional products and baby supplies.

"Elena, today there's your favorite bird's nest."

"Not seeing you."

"Elena, did the baby move?"

"Didn't move."

Julian stood at the Jiang family door for three whole nights, until on the last day, it rained heavily.

Elena looked at the figure still standing straight in the heavy rain and eventually softened her heart.

"Come in."

Julian rushed in with a chill, and the first thing he did was hold Elena tightly.

"Elena, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those bastard words, I shouldn't have doubted you."

He leaned down and kissed her bulging abdomen, his gaze becoming more gentle than ever before, "For the baby, and for me, come back with me, okay?"

Six months later.

Elena Jiang gave birth to a big fat boy naturally in a private hospital under Sterling.

Julian Sterling almost cracked the corridor tiles outside the delivery room. When he saw the nurse coming out with the child, this toughest man in New York had red eyes.

He rushed into the delivery room, held Elena's sweat-dampened hand, and couldn't say a word.

"Mr. Sterling, want a child, no talk of love?" Elena joked weakly.

"Talk." Julian leaned down and kissed her forehead, his voice hoarse, "In this life, I'll talk with you. Talk for a lifetime, talk until the end of time."

The story of the two became a favorite tale in New York.

They were still rivals of equal strength in the market, often arguing uncontrollably in the office over a project.

But whenever the night was quiet, Julian would always pull Elena into his arms and whisper in her ear:

"Mrs. Sterling, for that project today, I'll give you two points. As a reward, you have to compensate me tonight."

Elena smiled and kissed him back, "Mr. Sterling, this deal, I think it works."

Love is never about who depends on whom, but two equally strong, equally proud souls finding a point of compatibility in the game.

Elena Jiang and Julian Sterling were destined to be entangled for a lifetime.

(The End)