My Dad's Secretary

The Decision

CHAPTER FIVE

The proposal hung in the air, the weight of its implications echoing in the room. My eyes widened, a mix of surprise and disbelief on my face as I stared at him, trying to know if this was likely, a joke, and he would just say, 'Come on, Sophia, I'm just kidding' but, I didn't hear any of those words as his face was still looking so serious.

I hesitated for a long time. The tension in the room was obvious.

"Mr. Hemsworth, proposing a marriage contract with me, sounds absurd. I'm not sure how that would work," I said, my voice filled with uncertainty.

Mr. Hemsworth nodded to my words "I understand, Sophia. This is not a decision to be made lightly. Take the time you need to consider it, and I'll wait for feedback from you.."

My thoughts raced as I contemplated the unexpected turn of events. This wasn't what I had expected when I made my way inside his office. I had thought we needed to discuss a pending business proposal or something else but, not this at all.

"I appreciate your consideration, Mr. Hemsworth. I'll try to think it through and get back to you as soon as possible, "I said, trying to force a smile on my face.

Liam sighed, "give it some more thought. I value your contribution, and the strong impact you have made on Emily's life and I don't want to lose it...I don't want to lose you." So take the time you need, and we can discuss it further when you're ready."

"Okay sir" I said as I hurriedly left his office and released the breath I never knew I was holding in there.

I didn't know how I found my way to my office, as my head felt like it was going to explode.

I was shocked the moment I made my way inside my office.

"Surprise!!!!!" Oliva yelled loudly while holding on to two cups of strawberry ice cream. My favorite.

It's obvious Olivia noticed something was wrong with the way I was looking when I walked in. Thus, she put down the ice cream on my desk and hurried to my side.

"Sophie, what the hell happened there? Why are you looking this way?"

I sighed as I decided to pour it all out else, I might end up going insane "Olivia, you won't believe what he just proposed. Mr Liam Hemsworth suggested that I become his contracted wife, but only for the sake of his daughter. A secret arrangement, no one else would know."

Olivia's eyes widened with disbelief. "What? That's... that's so out of the blue, to say the least. What are you going to do?"

"I need time to think, Liva. It's a complex situation, and I never expected just a job to lead to such a proposition," I replied with a loud sigh.

Weeks passed, with Mr. Hemsworth attempting to persuade me to reconsider. Olivia joined the campaign, urging me to carefully consider the potential opportunities of being the wealthiest billionaire's wife in New York City.

Finally, I decided to meet with Mr. Hemsworth once more and get our last discussion to its end.

I knocked and when I heard his gruff voice as usual, I opened the door and made my way inside with my heels clicking hard on the floor, nosily.

Mr. Hemsworth's curious eyes looked up at me. "Sophia, thank you for coming," he said as he gestured for me to have a seat. "I've been hoping for feedback from you and now, you're finally here."

"Mr. Hemsworth, I've given your proposition a lot of thought. If we were to move forward with this, there are certain conditions that I believe should be in place to protect both our well-being and ensure the confidentiality of the agreement," I uttered.

Mr. Hemsworth nodded, indicating for me to proceed, since I wasn't done.

"Firstly, we need to establish clear boundaries to separate our professional and personal lives. Our interactions in the workplace should remain strictly professional, and any personal discussions should be kept private," I said, as I didn't plan on quitting my job just because I wanted to be his wife.

"Agreed. Professionalism will be maintained at all times. But, won't you consider resigning and taking care of Emily?"

"No, Mr. Hemsworth. I don't want to be a full-house wife. I still want to work with you." I replied and he nodded curtly.

"I won't force you, Sophia. My conditions are, for this period of time, there shouldn't be any feelings attached. You have no right to be with another man while you are married to me and the same goes my way too. This contract would be for six years, and by then, Emily would be grown enough to take care of herself and I wouldn't have to think much about her. If you agree to all of these, I'll have my lawyer certify the conditions and have yours sent to you." He explained.

Six years was a lot of time to waste with a man. How about me having my own kids? But still, I'm already determined to become his contract wife and take good care of Emily. "I accept, Mr. Hemsworth."

It was like a load I lifted off his shoulders when I agreed to his conditions. I could see his face lit up as he made preparations to get our marriage license. We decided there's no need for a big wedding after all, no one needs to know.

On the agreed day, the next day after the proposal's conclusion, we finally arrived at the registering office to get our marriage license.

The previous day, I couldn't help but ask about his parents, but he had brushed that aside. I just hoped I wasn't making a mistake as I signed our marriage license that now defines me as Mr. Liam Hemsworth, wife.

"Congratulations to us! Emily would be so happy to hear this news", Mr. Hemsworth said with a slight smile tugging at the side of his mouth as we made our way towards his car. But before I could reply, we heard a voice behind us.

"LIAM!"