The Penthouse
347 Words
Noah signed his own name—neat, precise, controlled—and stood. "The car will take you to the penthouse. Your things will be moved from your apartment this afternoon."
"Wait—my things? Today?"
"The merger announcement is tomorrow. We need to establish cohabitation immediately." He moved toward the door, then paused. "And Ms. Williams?"
"Yes?"
"Don't call me husband dearest again. Ever."
He left before she could respond.
Ava sat alone in the conference room, surrounded by leather and mahogany and the faint smell of Noah's cologne—something woodsy and expensive that she absolutely was not going to think about.
She was married. To Noah Blackwood. For six months.
What have I done?
The Blackwood Penthouse occupied the top three floors of the Blackwood Tower. It had floor-to-ceiling windows, a private elevator, a rooftop garden, and more square footage than some small countries. It also had the personality of a museum and the warmth of a cryogenic freezer.
Ava's "separate bedroom" turned out to be a suite larger than her entire apartment, with a king-sized bed, a walk-in closet already stocked with clothes in her size (how had he known her size?), and a bathroom with a tub she could actually swim in. It was beautiful. It was luxurious. It was completely impersonal.
Everything was gray, white, or black. No photos. No books with cracked spines. No clutter. No life.
"This is where you live?" she asked Noah, who was working at a desk that looked like it had been carved from a single piece of obsidian.
"Yes."
"It's... clean."
"I have a housekeeper."
"I mean emotionally. It's emotionally clean. Like you've erased everything that makes a home a home."
Noah didn't look up from his laptop. "I don't need a home. I need a functional living space."
"Everyone needs a home."
"Not everyone gets one."
The words were said so quietly, so matter-of-factly, that Ava almost missed them. When she looked at him, he was focused on his screen, expression closed, walls firmly in place.
She decided to let it go. For now.
- Writer
