Everyone at the construction site stopped working the moment they saw her—
a stunning young woman in a white summer dress, sprinting across the dusty ground like she was escaping a warzone.
But no one expected what she said next.
Not even him.
The late afternoon sun beat down on the Austin, Texas, construction site. Workers wiped sweat from their brows, machines roared, and concrete dust floated in the air like fog. Everything was ordinary—until she appeared.
Running.
Breathless.
Panicking.
Her heels stumbled on loose gravel, her dress catching the hot Texas wind as she rushed past confused workers. They watched, bewildered, as she locked her eyes on one man—
a construction worker in a yellow helmet, steel-toe boots, orange reflective vest, and dusty hands.
Jake.
Quiet. Calm. The kind of man who looked like he belonged to the earth itself.
She skidded to a stop in front of him, chest heaving, eyes shimmering with desperation.
“Will you marry me?” she blurted out.
Jake froze. A hammer slipped from his hand and clattered on the concrete.
Before he could speak, she added, voice trembling,
“I… I will pay you. Anything you want. Just… marry me. Please.”
The entire site went silent.
Jake blinked. “But…”
“I don’t care if you’re a laborer!” she said, grabbing his hands.
“Just marry me. I beg you. It’s the only way I survive this. Please!”
Her voice cracked.
Her hands were shaking.
And everyone looked at Jake like he was suddenly part of a movie.
Jake lowered his voice. “What are you running from?”
She swallowed hard. “Something far worse than you can imagine…”
And just as Jake leaned in to hear her next words—
she turned pale, staring past his shoulder.
Her lips trembled.
Because someone was watching them.
Someone dangerous.
Read from here after Facebook
Jake followed her terrified gaze. A black SUV was parked across the street, half-hidden behind stacks of steel beams. The windows were tinted dark—too dark.
The engine was running.
And someone inside was staring directly at them.
“Is that who you’re running from?” Jake asked.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Not someone. Something.
I made a mistake. A huge one.”
Jake removed his helmet slowly.
“Start from the beginning.”
Her chest rose and fell as she tried to gather air.
“My name is Emily Clarke. My father owns Clarke National Developers—those luxury hotels along the East Coast. I’m supposed to marry someone today. Not out of love… but because it’s a business deal. A merger disguised as a marriage.”
Jake frowned. “Forced marriage? In the USA?”
“Not by law,” she said. “By power. Influence. Money. My father will do anything to protect his empire. And the man I’m supposed to marry…”
She shuddered.
“He’s worse.”
Jake studied her. “So your plan is to marry… me? A random construction worker?”
She nodded. “If I marry someone of my own choice first, the arranged marriage becomes void. My father can’t force me. And choosing a man they consider beneath their status?” She gave a shaky smile. “It humiliates them. It buys me time.”
Jake crossed his arms. “You could’ve picked anyone.”
“You were the only one who looked… safe,” she whispered.
“Not greedy. Not dangerous.”
Jake smirked slightly. “You’d be surprised.”
Her brows knitted. “What do you mean?”
Before he could answer, the SUV door opened.
A tall man in a black suit stepped out.
Cold eyes.
Expressionless face.
A scar along his jaw.
Emily grabbed Jake’s arm.
“He works for my father.”
Jake stepped slightly in front of her.
The man called out, “Miss Clarke. Come with us. Now. Your father is… extremely disappointed.”
Jake’s tone turned sharp. “She’s not going anywhere.”
The man’s eyes flicked to Jake’s vest. “You’re a laborer. This doesn’t concern you.”
Jake cracked his knuckles. “It concerns me now.”
Emily’s voice trembled. “Jake… please. They’re dangerous.”
Jake gave her a calm smile.
“I’ve dealt with dangerous before.”
The man stepped closer. “This is between the Clarke family and their future son-in-law.”
Emily flinched. Jake didn’t.
He stepped forward, face to face with the man in the suit.
“You want her?” Jake said.
“Come take her.”
For the first time, the man hesitated.
Like he suddenly recognized him.
His expression changed.
Eyes widened.
“Wait… you’re—”
Jake cut him off. “Walk away.”
The man swallowed hard and backed toward the SUV.
He signaled the driver.
The black SUV sped off.
Emily grabbed Jake’s hands again, breath uneven.
“Why did he leave? Do you know him?”
Jake exhaled calmly.
“Not him. But he knows me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you really?”
Jake wiped dust off his hands and picked up his helmet.
“I own this construction site,” he said simply.
“Along with the next forty blocks. And a couple hundred more across the US.”
Emily blinked.
“What?”
Jake gave her a half-smile.
“My name isn’t just Jake.”
“It’s Jake Hartwell.”
Her jaw dropped.
“THE Hartwell? The billionaire? The real-estate king?”
Jake shrugged.
“Sometimes it’s easier to work with the crew than sit in a glass office.”
Emily stared at him, stunned beyond words.
Then she laughed through her tears.
“So… will you marry me?”
Jake stepped closer, gently lifting her chin.
“I don’t need your money.”
“But if you want protection—”
He smiled warmly.
“—I’m right here.”
The construction site erupted with cheers.
And somewhere across town…
Emily’s father realized he wasn’t just up against a laborer—
but a billionaire with more power than he ever expected.
