The Billionaire and His Fake Wife

Chapter Three

-Carson’s POV-

I walk into my large empty house after another long day at the office, going straight to my inhouse bar. “f**k. What a day!” I say, as I pour myself a glass of whiskey. On top of my fourteen-hour day, I had to meet with Sally Stevens, a reporter for one of the biggest magazines in the country. She is known for her stories that expose the secrets and lies of large corporation owners and CEO's.

I don’t have any secrets or lies, but she has always been out to get me. At least since our date a few years ago. I only wanted a night of fun; she wanted something much more intimate. I don’t do intimate. I don’t do feelings and I definitely don’t do relationships. So, I’m sure she will find some way to tear my name down. Sally has ruined many companies over the years. Public perception goes a long way when you are trying to run a family first business. One bad thing said about you or your company, and suddenly everything starts going downhill.

Her article is supposed to go live tonight. I glance at my watch, it’s ten fifty-five. Just a few more minutes and I will see exactly what Ms. Sally Stevens thinks of me this week. This isn’t the first article she has written about me, but she was extra feisty in our interview today.

Making my way to my in-home office I flop down in the office chair, looking at my computer. As if I haven’t stared at a computer long enough today. I go to the magazine’s website and wait. Sally is always precisely on time. That is one of her better qualities.

Eleven o’ clock on the dot, the article pops up on the home page of the website. The article is titled Carson Williams the ‘Family Man’ with No Family.

“Clever.” I say, scoffing. I keep reading, The article starts off professionally with a biography of me, but it quickly turns into a hit piece. I skim through the article. How can you run a family first business when you don’t even have a family of your own? No wife, no kids, no siblings, and MIA parents. He doesn’t even go on dates. Williams is a cold, heartless man focused on one thing and one thing only. Money. He doesn’t care about you and your families, he only cares about the money you dish out to attend his rehabs. Remember that next time you think to yourself ‘Wow, Carson Williams is just a great guy.’

I scoff, taking a drink of my whiskey. The article only gets worse from there, each paragraph making me sound worse. She makes it sound like I go around kicking children or something. I finish skimming through the article, feeling my blood pressure rising by the second.

My phone dings once, twice, a third time. Before I am even able to read the first email I received, my phone has dinged six more times. Board members, each and every email. This is not going to be good.

I open the first one and sigh. Just like I thought, it's about the article. I'm sure every single one of these emails are about the article. The article that makes me sound like some kind of heartless, money hungry monster.

Each email reads almost exactly the same.

From: Evan Smith

Did you see the magazine article? It's already got thousands of views. This isn't good for the company. You need to fix this now, before this article ruins everything you spent years building.

I click on another one.

From: Rena Whit

FIX THIS NOW!

Wow, straight to the point on that one, I click on one more.

From: Jeremy Sanders

This is going to destroy the company's reputation and value. Either fix it now, or appoint a new head of the company. You have one week Carson. Fix it or we will.

I let out a frustrated sigh, running my hand over my face. "f**k!" I say, slamming my fist down on the desk. I down the rest of my whiskey, letting it burn all the way down. How the hell am I am going to fix this?

I stare at the computer screen, that article still right there on the home page just mocking me. I reread it over and over again. Reading it so many times my eyes to cross and blur. f**k. f**k. f**k.

Grabbing my empty whiskey glass and my phone, I walk back over to the bar and pour myself another drink. I down it in seconds, pouring myself another and another. After the fourth one I grab the bottle, and walk over to the couch.

Taking a drink straight from the bottle I go to the Business Mingling app. It's kind of like all the other social media platforms, except it's only for people in the business world. Scrolling aimlessly through the thousands of posts, I keep drinking until the bottle is almost gone.

Just as I am about to call it a night and start fresh in the morning a beautiful young girl catches my attention. She sticks out like a sore thumb in the see of business suits and rambling complaints about other companies.

Her porcelain skin and dark brown hair make her green eyes even more captivating. That smile is almost as beautiful as the girl herself. Wow! I read the post, eyes going wide. Doesn't a girl like that know all that post will do is attract a bunch of weirdos?

I read it again. Ashlyn Durham, business major. In desperate need of money. She is only twenty one years old. So young and beautiful. Most women just blur into a sea of makeup and short skirts trying to sleep their way to the top. Something about her though is just pulling me in.

I sit there clutching my phone, staring at the beautiful girl in the picture, rereading the ad over and over again for I don't know how long. That same line just keeps repeating in my head. In desperate need of money, will do almost anything. I have plenty of money, what I need is a wife. Someone that can make me look like a family man that cares.

Maybe there is a way we can help each other out. I call my assistant, requesting every single bit of information he can find on Ashlyn Durham, the twenty one year old college student.

About an hour later I have an email with every single bit of information he could find on her life. She seems like a really great person, that step mom of hers is a piece of work though. Her dad is loaded, so why is she so desperate to make money?

Around three in the morning I send the email, inviting her to my office for a meeting.

To: ashlyn.durham13@lotsofemails.com

Subject: Offer to your Ad

Come to 1567 West Central Avenue today at three thirty. Do not be late or the offer is off the table.

-Carson Williams

I hit send and take a quick shower, hopping into bed afterwards. I will only get about two hours of sleep tonight, but it's fine I usually only get one. I don't sleep well and I am always busy with work. So, about an hour of sleep a night is all I ever get.

I wake up to about thirty more emails. There is no point in even reading them. They are just going to say different variations of the same things I already read last night. I scroll through the list anyway, looking for an email from Ashlyn. Not that I actually expect her to email me back.

I still feel a twinge of disappointment when I don't see her name in my inbox. What am I going to do if she doesn't show up today? What am I going to do if she refuses my offer? There is a real chance she will just call me crazy and walk right back out of the office today. If she even shows up at all.

Worrying about it won't help anything, I already know it's going to be a long day at the office. Every board member, stockholder and customer will probably want to talk to me today. That is the part I am dreading most. I used to love talking to people, getting to know them, and spending time with them, but not anymore. That all changed a few years ago. Now I am lucky to make it through a day without wanting to strangle someone with my tie.

Going through my morning routine feels almost robotic, like it isn't even me doing it. It's the same thing every morning. Put on a new suit, make my hair look like I didn't just roll out of bed, shave my face, brush my teeth, and fix my cup of coffee before my driver takes me to the office.

I am always the first one there. I like to be early, get things done while I am alone. That way there are no interruptions and no distractions. Not that I am easily distracted. I am always focused on work and what needs to get done.

When I step outside my driver Keith is already outside waiting for me. I'm honestly not sure if he ever sleeps, he is always here anytime I need him no matter what time of day. Keith sees me coming and opens my door for me. "Good morning sir."

"Morning Keith. Take me to the office."

Keith nods his head and closes my door behind me. The second we pull away from my house I go into work mode, using my phone to get started. I start answering emails, the important ones that is. I ignore all the emails from the board members. It's my company, if they think they can push me out just because of one bad article they have another thing coming.

The drive to the office is pretty short, only about twenty minutes. At five thirty in the morning there is hardly any traffic, so there isn't any delays. The security guard greets me when I let myself in. I nod to him in acknowledgement of his greeting and go straight to my office, firing up my computer.

Today's schedule is full of meetings and phone calls. When my assistant gets here he will have to do a little rearranging on my schedule. I want to have an open schedule this afternoon in case Ashlyn shows up. I'm hoping she will. If she doesn't I will have to come up with a different plan.