A DEAL WITH THE BOSSY BILLIONAIRE

All alone

Sia's POV

A few hours before my entrance to Rowan's office, I was at the manor, bored with no activity, no job, and no Rowan for companionship. Although I thought at first this contract marriage would be easy for me to handle, I wanted more. Damn the contract. I want to get to know Rowan. I want him to fall in love with me.

While having breakfast, I tuned in to the news and saw the announcement of Rowan's engagement with Sasha, his ex-girlfriend. Jealous and pissed, I threw away my meal and hit the television with a mug.

I took a deep breath and brought myself to understand that Rowan and I don't love each other. We are just aiding each other. I need a home, a job, and a life away from my parents, while he needs his inheritance. But somewhere in between, I wanted more.

I was not satisfied being a wife on paper, nor was I comfortable with sharing Rowan with Sasha. I needed to do something. I heard that Sasha would be meeting Rowan in his office. Furious as hell, I asked the cook to prepare lunch for Rowan and me. I planned to interrupt their meeting and announce myself to the world as his real wife.

In anger, I did not wait for the driver. I drove myself to Rowan's office. In a fury and with speed, I drove like an angry wife who had received evidence of her cheating husband. I arrived immediately at Rowan's office and parked my car illegally, not giving a damn about the rules or the possibility of causing an accident. I walked straight towards Rowan's office, avoiding security and the receptionist, guided by the information I had obtained from the Find Me app and a maid who worked for him at the manor.

On my way to his office, I saw a fleet of media men with their cameras waiting by the office door. I knocked on the door, and behold, it was Sasha, my competitor for Rowan's heart. I felt disgusted at the sight of her and wanted to devour her and break her bones into pieces, but I held myself back, refusing to blame anyone but Rowan, who was supposed to honor our contract.

After four minutes of awkward silence, I finally spoke.

"Hi, you must be Sasha."

"Yes, and you are?" Sasha asked in return.

"Sia, Rowan's..." I was unsure whether to say wife or friend. I didn't want to make this more awkward than it already was, since the media would seize on any word I said and it would become a war I was not prepared for. But my hesitation was interrupted by Killian's reply.

Killian barged in and introduced me. "She is Sia Stanton, Rowan's wife."

Before I knew it, the media team heard it, and a swarm of questions flooded in, accompanied by photographs and a slap on Rowan's face from Sasha. I knew coming to the office at that time was a bad idea, and I had placed Rowan in an awkward position from which I wasn't certain he would ever forgive me or even divorce me. I blamed myself, wishing I could sink into the ground, but the ground was marbled and the press camera lights weren't helping matters. The eyes of Rowan's staff felt like those of assassins prepared to take my life. I wanted to cry and run into Rowan's arms to save me from the shame, but he just stood there watching me face the horror until I fainted and he rushed to pick me up.

Aided by Killian, he carried me to the elevator and then to his car. As much as I wished he had left me to die, I was filled with joy when he carried me. I could smell his perfume, feel his strong arms, hear his heartbeat, see his curly hair, and feel his warm smile. It felt like a mini-heaven, and all I could picture was a day when we would become intimate and I could explore the world feeling his whole body for the first time as a virgin.

Hours later, I woke up lying on a hospital bed, and my first sight was Rowan, who lay on my leg. It was beautiful. I never wanted to let him go; I wished he was mine and not Sasha's. I really wished the contract marriage wasn't real, that he saw me as a woman. I didn't care about threats or anything he had on me—I just wanted him.

When all my dreams were almost at their fulfillment peak, I saw a figure I hoped not to see. It was Nolan. I began to wish I was in a coma rather than see his degrading face, but it was too late. Rowan woke up and saw Nolan, and asked who he was.

Nolan replied, "I am her boyfriend and soon-to-be husband."

"Wait, I am confused. You are her boyfriend? I mean, like her lover?" Rowan asked.

"Yes, and I will please ask you to stay away from my girlfriend," Nolan replied.

This was worse for Rowan than for me, as it would be said that Rowan cheated on Sasha with me, and I would be branded a gold digger trying to rob the wealth of the Candler Dynasty.

This time, I wished I hadn't been jealous and had stayed put in the manor as Rowan had instructed me to, because I had just gone from being a wife in a contract to being labeled a slut.

"I apologize, I did not know she was betrothed to..." Rowan stuttered, unsure of what to say. He tried to find the right words, as he was in a global mess with the media and his company, and his family reputation was at stake.

"I understand that you had fun with her and maybe it was a one-night stand. I do forgive you, but I don't want to see you anywhere near her again," Nolan told Rowan.

Rowan, still shocked by the discovery, replied sluggishly, "Noted... I meant, point taken."

As Rowan began to exit my hospital ward room, I called his name and said, "Ro... Rowan, I love you." As soon as Rowan turned back to see me, a heavy punch landed on his face.