Accidentally Engaged To My Ex's Alpha Boss

1

ASTRID

–The cookies were amazing, Astrid! I’m sure he would love them.

I read the text with a smile on my face as I stepped out of the house, on my way to pick Logan up from work.

Everything was already in place. Perfect, like it should be for a day like this.

Everything I had picked, from the Christmas tree, to the decorations, to the cookies I baked were all to suit his taste, and it brought a giddy smile to my face just thinking about it, about him. Logan, my boyfriend and soon to be husband, because I was going to ask him to marry me in less than an hour.

My heart raced with excitement as the elevator made a ding sound, doors opening to reveal the hallways that led to Logan's office.

I had a little skip in my steps, my entire body brewing with anticipation as I imagined his reaction when I would finally pop the question I just knew he was going to say yes to, right under the mistletoe, just as the clock strikes midnight, on Christmas morning.

His office was made of glass walls, so I could immediately tell it was empty as I rounded the corner. I glanced down at my phone screen, a small smile stretching unto my lips at my wallpaper, a photo of us in our Christmas pyjamas from last year.

I finally speed dialled his number like I intended to, and my head snapped up as I heard the little jingle of his default ringtone. Of course, he was close by and still at work, even on Christmas Eve. I shook my head, my heart so full of love and adoration for him.

Logan was so diligent and in love with his job. It was one of the reasons why I loved him so much and was so sure he was the man I wanted to do forever with.

“Mhmm… you're so good with your tongue.” A soft moan echoed down the empty hallway, and my head snapped in that direction.

Without thinking, I followed the sound, and heat crawled up my face as I arrived at a door left ajar. In front of me, sitting on a table, was a woman. She had her back to me, blonde hair falling down her shoulders as she writhed on the table, her legs spread wide to accommodate something, or someone between her thighs.

Oh God. Did I just walk in on co-workers hooking up?!

Just as I swallowed down the embarrassment and decided to slowly back away, Logan's ringtone bounced around the hallway again, deafening in the complete silence and just as I scrambled to end the call that disrupted the silence, I heard a voice.

“Ugh… it’s her again.”

My heart stuttered to a complete stop at that. That was Logan’s voice. And it was Logan's head that just peeked from between her thighs, the light from his phone screen illuminating his features; disheveled hair, thick drawn brows and entire lower face covered in spit and other fluids I couldn't even begin to decipher.

I watched as he ended the call with a groan, “f**k, such a mood killer. I swear if this is about coming home for Christmas again, i’ll f*****g flip. She's so clingy, it's disgusting.”

I felt my knees buckle beneath my weight, a hand slapping over my mouth in terror and disbelief as my heart squeezed in my chest.

“She has an obsession with these annoying Christmas outfits, and ugh, don't even get me started on the so-called treats she bakes. Terrible, terrible cook and she's oblivious to it, like she is about everything else.”

“Stop whining and just f**k me already.” The woman deadpanned as she pushed off the table and leaned against it instead, presenting her ass and arched back to him, “You're still going back to her anyways, so why not just enjoy this without thinking about her, hm? I want to feel you for days after…” her words trailed off as her head lifted and our eyes locked.

The reaction was immediate, her eyes grew wide and she stiffened immediately. Logan must've noticed too, because he followed her line of sight and I watched his lips curl around the letters of my name in a shocked whisper.

Hearing him call my name and looking at me with those eyes that I knew like the back of my hand felt like a slap to my face. This really was my Logan. Saying such vile words about me between the thighs of another woman.

As if on cue, tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision completely as I refused to let them fall for some reason. My throat ached with the effort of trying to keep my tears and possibly screams at bay. I could do nothing but watch, drawing breath after painful breath as I watched his expression morph from one of shock to anger.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He barked, taking a step closer, only to be stopped by perfectly manicured fingers. The blonde had recovered from the shock too as she sat up slightly, looking between us with a pleased smirk on her face.

“If she wants to watch then we should give her a show. Don't you think?”

I watched as he turned to her, features pinched as if seriously considering the offer.

“L-Logan….” My lips trembled as I called out to him, caught between seeking comfort in his presence and wanting to be far, far away from him.

“Oh, don't be so dramatic Astrid. Did you truly not notice anything this entire time?”

It felt like someone had just dug a fist into my chest and yanked my heart out; red, pulsing, and bleeding all over the place. My breathing came in ragged pants and I pursed my lips to swallow back an agonized wail. This was already too much, but Logan was unforgiving.

“Between putting up with your drab personality and awful cooking, isn't it only fair that I get to have this?” He continued to say, his voice devoid of any emotion.

The woman chuckled softly as she looked at me with mock pity, even shaking her head as she watched the scene like the most entertaining bit of a telenovela.

I finally snapped my eyes shut in hopes of forgetting about all of this. This had to be a nightmare. A sick, terrible one, because nothing was making sense. The Logan I woke up with in bed this morning would never look at me like this… he’d never speak to me like that.

But when I opened my eyes, I was still here; standing behind the glass in a corner of the hallway with Logan's sneer aimed at me, and the condescending smile of a strange woman whom he'd probably been f*****g for however long.

My chest heaved and I finally broke down as the memories of every Christmas and good times we’ve spent together flashed before my eyes like a post credit scene.

Was it all a lie? The love? The happiness and the laughter we'd shared? Had he been faking it all along? Did he never love me, or did something just go terribly wrong along the way.

I had so many questions to ask, so much to say to his face, yet, I couldn't bring my feet to move; not a step closer to him, or even away from the scene of my entire life crumbling before my eyes.

“You really are just a pathetic little thing, aren't you?” the woman tsked this time, her eyes raking over me as if assessing a rain-soaked puppy.

“I mean, I always knew you were desperate, but my god, have you always been this slow? Making all the calls, sending all the texts, planning all the holidays and dates, buying him presents and never getting one in return,” she listed cruelly, putting a finger down with each point made, “I'm sorry, but if all that wasn't enough to tell you something then you clearly deserved to find out like this.” She finished with a shrug and Logan ran a frustrated hand through his hair in the background.

The realization dawned on me like I'd been doused in cold water. She was right. Every single thing she'd said was the truth and I somehow managed to miss it. I overlooked all the signs because I was so, so in love with the perfect image of Logan I had in my head.

“And even now, you walked in on him just a second away from f*****g me, and you're still standing there. Do you even know how pathetic you look right now?”

I wanted to scream. To cry and yell, and smash everything in sight but I couldn't even bring myself to do that. My eyes flickered to Logan again and he was just standing there, staring at his shoes with a tired look on his face, like I was nothing but an inconvenience.

The man I'd loved, cherished and made excuses for all this time. The one I'd invested my time, money, emotions and years of my life on, was just standing there, looking almost impatient as if waiting for me to leave.

Absentmindedly, I reached down and felt for the ring box in my pocket and my tears flowed freely. I was going to ask him to marry me. Despite the nonchalance, the lack of enthusiasm he sometimes showed, the lateness to our dates and everything else I somehow disregarded up until this point. It hurt. So much so that I wished I could just end it all, but this was the truth. It was my reality and if I didn't walk out right now, I'd probably push him to force me out himself.

I glanced at him one last time before I forced my stiff legs to move. It took everything in me to walk away, especially as the sound of the blonde’s laughter accompanied every step I took before it turned into moans as they picked up where they'd left off as I rounded the corner.

And then there was nothing; no footfalls chasing after me. No scattered apologies or regrets. No swearing to change or that it was the devil.

He just….. didn’t care.

The tears never stopped as I rode the elevator back down, working completely on autopilot as I put one foot in front of the other. I felt pain like never before, but at the same time, maddeningly numb. There was no word strong enough to describe this feeling, like I was just a hollowed shell, being carried by the wind. My phone buzzed in my hand and I lifted it immediately, completely habitual.

-How did it go? I am sure he loved the ring and would love the cookies even more.

It was past midnight already. If everything had gone according to the plan, we'd be engaged by now, sharing kisses across the table while we had dinner at my place, ring clad fingers laying atop each other. Fresh, hot tears streaked down my cheeks at the mental imagery. Everything that became dust in less than a second.

I held the ring box open in my hand, staring at the ring that carried Logan's birthstone with a sense of loss and longing as I finally left the building, making my way to my car. I doubted I was in the right mind to drive, but I wanted nothing more than to be home right now.

Just as I stepped into the icy night air, the door opened again behind me.

Despite myself, my heart leapt to my throat at that. That had to be Logan. No one else in their right mind would be at work on Christmas morning.

Did he finally come to his senses? Did he run after me after breaking things off with her? Did he want to fix things between us so we could go back to the way things were? When we were happy and in love?

I didn't have to think more of it as I immediately spun around. I could forgive him. I will forgive him. I couldn't loose Logan, the loss would be too much for me to bear.

Just as I intended to do after driving him to my apartment, I thrust the ring at his face with my eyes snapped shut, tears drying on my cheeks.

“Marry me.” I blurted, throwing everything else to hell, “I don't care about anything else, Logan, just…. marry me.”

This was definitely not how I had planned the proposal in my head, but tonight hasn't been anything like that either.

The fact that he'd come after me was enough. We just had to get through this together, I told myself as I sucked in heavy, shuddering breaths, awaiting his response.

“Excuse me?” My eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice, to meet an unfamiliar face.

Okay, so this is definitely not Logan.

The man, wide eyed and looking completely lost in a thick jacket with snowflakes starting to pile on it the longer he stood still, had his head tilted in confusion as he regarded me.

A total stranger. I had just asked a total stranger to marry me.