Author's note: This is basically an AU Outlaw Queen story. It will more or less follow Regina's arch just as it was on the TV show but in a modern world (no magic) and without all the killing! I got inspired by the movie The Proposal so if you've watched it you know the basics. Anyway, like always, I do not own anything or anyone in the story. I'm rating it M for language and other adult situations. Other than that, Enjoy!

The Proposal

Every time she walked into that building, people would stare at her. It was almost as if she was stepping into a new dimension… a whole new world where she was the only being that moved while everyone was doomed to watch.

She didn't mind though, not the leers or the hushed voices behind her back or let alone the bad vibes sent her way. No, after years of going over with the same routine day in and day out she was already used to it.

It was simply like this; as far as she was concerned it wasn't like people's opinions about her mattered. She was above them all and no matter the adjectives thrown her way when she wasn't listening, cold, detached… bitter, a bitch, the truth of the matter was that each and every single one of those individuals were irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

They were insignificant and she was Regina Mills; they were nothing more than little ants while she was the one in control. She was the one who called the shots in that company and in the little miserable lives they lead they probably resented her for it.

So yes, they could talk their talk and they could say whatever they wanted to say about her, but the fact remained that she was better than everyone there by a mile.

The thought was satisfying enough to almost make her smirk, but she didn't; instead she kept on the stoic mask she would always wear when stepping into the building and kept walking, flipping at her dark black hair and the corner of her lips slightly upturned.

She did all that without even sparing a glance to those around her, not even to respond to the annoying chorus wishing a good morning to her. She just kept going, walking haughty as ever and loving how the sound of her designer's heels echoed all through the lobby.

By the time she made it into her office, sharp as a knife at nine in the morning, her assistant was already there.

"Morning…" He began to say, but before he could go on with his mandatory morning updates she grabbed the cup of coffee he obviously had for her and before taking a seat behind her desk she started talking on top of him.

"I need you to cancel my ten a.m. conference call with the Boards of Directors and reschedule it for later in the afternoon. It would be even better if you can put it off for tomorrow morning, God knows I can't stomach those meetings after having lunch."

"About that, I'm afraid the meeting can't be put off, not completely anyway because Mr. Gold came by first thing in the morning and called for a one on one meeting with you instead of the conference call. He's as we speak waiting for you in…" The man took a moment to scroll through the iPad in his hands. "Conference Room A."

Arching an eyebrow and sending the bearer of such news an icy cold glance, Regina leaned forward and rested her chin over a closed fist. She was not pleased with what she just heard, first because she didn't like those kinds of surprises and second because having to meet with Gold meant her schedule for the day was going to get a little tighter.

"And why it was that you thought it was a good idea to let me come here unaware of that?"

At the question, Robin Locksley opened his eyes wide as he smiled in that way of his that bordered somewhere between being apologetic and simply amused. "I actually sent you both an email and a phone message earlier on. I did it as soon as he put foot on here. Didn't you get them?"

Quirking her lips, Regina decided to ignore the question and most definitely the insolent glint on his eye. She has indeed received the notifications but she never got to open the messages. She has been caught up trying to score a meeting with a huge potential investor from Milan and that took all her attention.

Not like that was a bad thing because her intents were not in vain and she was going to have a conference call with them at eleven. Then if things went smooth like she knew they would, she could be flying to meet them in person as soon as next Monday and then she was sure she could seal the deal in a matter of nothing.

That was how good she was.

Love her or hate her, with the later being the sentiment she was sure most within the company felt, the truth couldn't be denied and that truth was that without her that business would have crumbled a long time ago; and as if that wasn't enough, now she was going to take things to a whole new level.

Letting her lips curve at how successful her morning was already shaping into, the brunette woman took a sip of the coffee Robin got for her. It was a routine, he got her the dark hot liquid that would make her function every single day and she would drink it.

But for some reason, that morning the taste was all wrong and she had to fight hard against the urge of spitting it out.

"What the hell am I drinking?" She asked while making an exaggerated grimace, her tone more petulant than curious.

"Well that actually would be my coffee."

Frowning and tilting her head up at the easiness in which he told her that, Regina squinted her nose.

Robin Locksley, if her memory wasn't failing her, the man has been her executive assistant for sometime close to two years. He hadn't been the first but he has definitely been the most effective.

Yes, he had that annoying smile that he seemed to like flashing around everywhere he went and more often than not he was too cheeky, more than what she would tolerate in any other of her employees; but she liked that he was not afraid of calling things as they were and well, that he didn't seem to coward at her somehow difficult way of being.

Oh he couldn't stand her, of that she was sure, but because she didn't pay him to like her but to work and he was good at what he did, she put up with him.

"And I'm drinking it because?"

"Long story short, I had a little mishap with yours and it kind of spilled. I could bore you to death with all the little details about it but Mr. Gold is waiting so why don't I let him know you are on your way?"

Groaning at the reminder of the improvised meeting , Regina threw the coffee away and swirled on her chair to look for her own iPad, meaning to grab it and head towards the meeting.

"I could have drink that, you know?"

Standing up and heading out of the office, Regina hummed. "Not if I didn't get to drink mine. Anyway, if I don't come out in ten minutes just walk right in and say I have an urgent call. Or I don't know, make up something to get me out of there, I have a conference call with Milan and I need to make some arrangements for that."

"Milan, why do I smell we are going global? I'll get you a folder on that one with a few pointers you don't want to miss. See you in ten."

"Perfect." Regina said and once in front of Conference Room A she pushed the door open and walked in. "Gold, what do I owe the surprise?"

She asked the question with no other form of greeting and the older man just sighed. He was sitting at the head of the table and she went ahead and sat in the chair by his right.

"Dear… I'm afraid I come as the bearer of some dire news."

"And they would be dire for whom?" Frowning and putting the tablet down, Regina pursed her lips. Ever since she inherited the company, Gold has been some kind of a mentor for her; now mind you, she wasn't mistaken and she knew he has taken the role out of convenience, but because the alliance was equally beneficial for her as it was for him, she just played along.

"You, me, the whole company. As you well know, the daughter of your dear late husband is about to turn twenty-five and as the will specified, she's soon to get the rest of her share of stocks."

At the mention of the person she despised more than anyone else in the world… well at least out of those who still lived, Regina rolled her eyes and her manicured nails dug a little too hard into the palm of her hand.

Yes, she was very well aware of the woman's birthday and what did the whole thing imply. It meant that Mary Margaret along with her were going to be equal shareholders and would have the same amount of power over the company.

She didn't like it, but since the younger woman has never taken an interest in the company while she has been the one running things for several years, she just tried to convince herself that things were going to stay the same and that the Board as a whole would always favor her.

"I knew that already."

"Yes… but what you didn't know is that because you are a foreigner and she is not, she'll end up having more weight than you when it comes to the Board and well, the country."

Regina laughed at that, but only because she found it to be completely ridiculous. But when Gold remained watching her impassively, she had to frown. "You can't be serious."

"Unfortunately, I am not."

Blinking a couple of times as she tried to make sense of what Gold told her, Regina scoffed. She knew the country and it's whole immigration policy was changing and things were getting a bit weird, but she had all her papers on point and… and she was an American, it wasn't like she came from outer space. Besides she has been living there for more than a decade and hell, she has even been married a citizen.

Sure, it has not been her choice to marry him and she has gone through one hell of a nightmarish marriage, but that was a tale for another moment; what was important there was the fact that they meant to give all the power to a little brat who didn't know a thing about the business?

"They can't do that. That girl doesn't know anything about running this company. She'll run this straight to the ground just like her incompetent father did and I can't allow that." Not after she was the one who put the company in the spot it was now.

"I know, I know all that. Trust me, I've invested more in this company that you could imagine so I like this as much as you do."

Chewing on her lips, Regina snorted scornfully. "So what do I do?"

"You, my dear, should have become a citizen long ago, what happened there?"

Blowing out a breath, she shrugged. She has been sent to London to marry a man that doubled her age when she was barely eighteen and she has arrived to that strange country terrified and a little broken hearted. She knew nothing of papers or immigration so it never crossed her mind to make the arrangements.

Then when Leopold died she just focused on getting her work visa and residency and that was it, for years she didn't even took the interest to become a citizen because she actually believed it wasn't needed.

And now it was this. There was no way she could even begin making the arrangements in a quick manner. Not unless she married a citizen and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon…

As if in cue, a knock was heard all through the room and the door opened. "Sorry to interrupt, but Mrs. Mills, you have a very urgent call."

"We are in the middle of an urgent matter ourselves so tell whoever it is to call later." Gold said and Regina turned to tell Robin to give her five more minutes.

This was something she needed to discuss with Gold because unless a sudden miracle occurred she was screwed… unless… unless…

Clearing her throat, Regina motioned Robin to walk in. A sudden and perhaps absurd idea crossed her mind and she just needed to put it out there and see what would Gold think.

"What if I get married, would that help?"

Tapping a finger to his lips, Gold smiled. He probably caught up with her intention because he looked from her to Robin and then back to her.

"It could be. I mean the paperwork could take some time for government's purposes but if said wedding happened before the girl's birthday I could convince the Board to make it legit, at least when it comes to the company."

"Well there it is, I'll get married."

Smiling in satisfaction, Regina looked at Robin. He was frowning lightly, totally oblivious of her plans.

"Well, does the lucky guy here knows it? Because you, Regina, have more than a few enemies hiding in every corner and if any of them knew of this farce everything will get worse. Meaning that if you two are getting married you need to make it look real."

"What do you exactly mean with you two?" Robin asked and at the smoothness of his accent she smiled once more.

Yes, just by listening to him one could tell that he was as native as they came so the Board was going to have no choice than to accept the union.

"Us. I'll explain later."

"What? No… I mean no way." Robin hurried to reply and Regina rolled her eyes.

He looked half horrified and half confused, long gone were the amused smiles and the shine on his eyes.

Now yes, she was aware that even if he respected her wits for business, her executive assistant didn't really like her as a person but who cared? It wasn't like it was going to be a real marriage anyway but she guessed that was something they would have to discuss later on.

"Regina, dear, I think it's time your future husband and I make a deal so leave this one to me." With that said, the older man got to his feet and using his crane, he walked towards Robin. "So, Locksley… why don't you tell me what is it that you really, really want?"

TBC?