A LOVE ARRANGEMENT

Chapter 1 Sofia Ellis POV “I want a divorce…” My husband’s Theo Rhodes voice echoes through the living room. FLASHBACK 9 years ago "Theo what’s going on? Where are we going and why do I need to be blindfolded?” I ask. I walk hesitantly, I was so scared of falling face first or tripping over something. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Theo, it’s that I hate being blindfolded. And the unknown, I truly hate the unknown. "You’ve got nothing to worry about babe, I got you..." Theo always has a way to make me feel at ease even when he doesn’t try to. Though right now, it’s not helping. "When you said you had a surprise for me, I had no idea it included walking through what feels like a jungle, and I would have to do it blindfolded…" I grumble. Theo chuckles at my discomfort. “Don’t worry boo we’ll be there soon then I’ll take you out of your misery.” Theo and I have been dating for a couple of months now, we’re only sixteen but I know he loves me as much as I love him, we’re going to marry as soon as we’re out of high school. That’s what Theo keeps telling me. We made a promise to one another. I wasn’t the shortest person in the world, but I was 5’5 and Theo is 5’11 when he tries to guide me, I keep nearly tumbling over. When Theo stops suddenly, I nearly fall face first, when he pulls the back of my overalls giving me a wedgie. I bite my tongue to stop me from grumbling. "Are you ready to see your surprise baby?" He asks. I nod. He removes the scarf from my eyes, my eyes roam about. I frown, where were we? How did he get a garden? This must have cost a fortune. “Do you like it?” he asks. "Theo..." I say speechless. I told him last week I loved nature. And I wanted to go hiking one time. But I knew Theo wasn’t much of an outdoor person. This must be his way of compromising. This is so thoughtful. “Theo this much have cost a fortune to get in. I don’t want you spending that much money on me.” I tell him. He shakes his head chuckling. “No, it didn’t. This is my mom’s garden; it’s actually my family’s backyard. I wanted to show you, our future. You’ll be able to see this every day. Have your morning coffee out here.” He shows me around the garden. I look around in awe. I knew Theo came from money, but I didn’t expect him to come from this much money. I know they own a couple of hotels in the states. One in LA, one in Boston, and one in Philadelphia. His father is working on getting one in Miami as well. Theo loves telling me about his family’s business and tells me his father is grooming him to take over. I look at the building I thought was a hotel; it is his backyard. I grew up with a single mother, my father died before I was even born a car accident on his way to the hospital when my mother while in labor. My mother works two jobs keeping food on the table and paying for my private school. She wants the best for me, and I work just as hard to get straight A’s so she can be proud of me. “Theo…” I whisper out. I don’t know why but looking around it makes me feel uncomfortable being here. I’m not dating Theo for his money. I plan to work hard to be successful. I don’t want to be a stay-at-home mom like Theo wants me to be. I want to work, like my mom told me. When she married my father, she decided not to go to college and be a stay-at-home mom, when my father died, she quickly realized her choices weren’t one of the smartest things she’s done. Being on her own, with no work experience at 28, she had to take whatever job she could find. I turn to look at Theo again. “Do you think your parents will like me?” I ask him. I’m scared to meet his parents because I come from nothing, and they have all of this. Am I good enough for Theo? “Of course they will, I love you so they will love you too…” he smiles. His long blonde hair almost in his eyes. He sweeps it out of his eyes with his fingers. I always find myself getting lost in his ice blue eyes. “Sofia.” “Sofia!” “Sofia are you even listening to me? I said I want a divorce!” he shouts. I flinched at his tone. I clear my throat trying to push down the hurt. We promised each other forever and now he is breaking that promise. I’ve been with Theo for over nine years now, I’ve given him everything to keep him happy. I’ve given him everything, all of me and he just wanted to leave me with nothing? I’ve given up so much that I don’t even know who I am anymore. He found someone else, and he wants to marry her after everything I’ve given him, I’ve given all of me only to have it thrown in my face. I’ve known about Cecelia for months now. He finally chose her. I work for the company, what will happen now? “What about…” he cuts me off. “As of this moment you no longer work for the hotel, Cecelia will be taking over your position. You’ll move out tonight as well.” he tells me. “You can’t take anything with you either, everything in this house was paid for by either me or my family so you’ll leave this marriage as you did when you came in…” his eyes and voice is ice cold. I swallow the lump in my throat. I have nothing, my mother passed two years ago, I truly have no one I can go to. Theodore isolated me from all my friends. He didn’t like it when my attention was on anyone but him. If I wasn’t helping out at the company, I was here taking care of the family. Now I was all alone. The one person who was supposed to be there for me is kicking me out with nothing. The tears fell from my eyes before I could even stop them. I close my eyes and nod. I can’t force Theo to stay with me. My throat felt like I’d swallowed acid. I reach for the papers and sign my name on them. I was Sofia Ellis once again. I’ve been Rhodes for at least five years. Not that I ever publicly went by that name. Theo’s parents never liked me, they always assumed I was after their son’s money, I signed a prenup, which meant I walked away with nothing. I worked my ass off for the company, yet I never got paid like a normal employee. I got an allowance from Theo every month and this morning when I tried to buy a few things I realized he cancelled my card. I should have listened to my mother, when I married Theo she warned, she was against our marriage. She tried to warn me not to marry him and I refused to listen to her. I married Theo against her wishes. She always hated Theo. I had no idea why, but at this moment I realized why. When Theo told me not to tell anyone at work, we were married I went along with it. I went by my maiden name to keep him happy. Yet nine years of love means nothing to him. After I signed the papers Theo’s mother, and his mistress make their way out of the backroom. Cecelia smiles. “I’ve given him something you couldn’t give him the five years you’ve been married. I’m pregnant…” I watch Macy Rhodes, my former mother-in-law fuss over Cecelia. I’ve known Macy for almost nine years, and not once has she ever treated me like she treats Cecelia. After breaking the news to me the two of them had security escorted me out. I wrap my arms around myself as I walk the streets aimlessly. I’m twenty-five years old, soon I’ll be living on the streets from today onward. I’m divorced without a cent to my name. I let a man rule my life and look where it left me. Tears ran down my face. When rain drops start falling, I groan. Nearly screaming out. How much worse can my life get? I didn’t even have a chance to get a coat and the dress I’m wearing wasn’t made for cold or rain. I was going to freeze to death before I could even make it through the night. I take a seat on the sidewalk. I was so far from any bus station and cabs don’t come to this part of the city. A car stops beside me. I stand and look at the car. It was dark and I couldn’t see. Good God was I going to be kidnapped on top of being homeless? Someone steps out the back, the driver gets out of the car, holding an umbrella for the passenger. I recognize him right away. Rook Hayes. He was five years ahead of Theo and I at school. His family is one of The Rhodes family’s biggest competitors. Though Rook didn’t go into the hotel business, Rook became one of the best surgeons in the city, or that’s what I heard from the rumor mill. Theo always hated Rook. He always tried to beat Rook no matter what it was. “What are you doing out here this late at night Mrs. Rhodes?” Rook asks looking down at me. When I was with Theo, I looked short, but nothing compared to Rook, the man towers over me. I feel like a little kid compared to him. I swallow. “I’m no longer Mrs. Rhodes. Not that I never went by that name anyway…” I shrug my shoulders. He frowns. “You divorced him?” his voice almost trembles. I nod. “Just did as you can, see?” I make a face, I was supposed to feel ashamed, I should stay away from this man. He was Theo’s enemy. The man might not even know Theo’s hatred for him. He created his own path, he didn’t rely on his family’s connections to get a job, he worked for everything he had and built over the years. He tilts his head looking at me. “How about I give you everything you could ever wish for and get back at the man who hurt you?” he asks. I look up at him. His eyes are like a sea green/ blue color, a remarkable shade at that. “What do you mean?” I ask him. “Judging by the look of you, he put you out without a cent to your name. don’t you want to make him pay? You worked yourself to the bone to turn the company around only for them to throw you out without a cent…” his voice is deep, husky, and soothing. I swallow, emotion bubbling in my throat. How could he know that? Tears form in my eyes. “How did you know that?” I ask, my voice trembling. “I may have no interest in the hotel business, but it doesn’t mean I don’t keep tabs on everything from time to time. And no one in that family is capable of half of the things you’ve accomplished in the last five years.” he tells me. I look away from him. “And how would you help me? If I even want revenge that is…” I ask him. I look at him, he’s watching me. “Marry me. I’ll ask my father to get you a job in the company…” I frown. “And what do you get out of this?” I ask him. He smiles. “I get a wife, and a family one day. I get someone to take over the company, an heir, one day when you’re ready. That’s all I want an Heir and you, of course.” He adds. I look at him in surprise. “Me? Why would you want me? I have nothing to give you in return…” I tell him. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You finished school two years before your peers, you finished your business degree and your hospitality degree by the age of twenty. You’ve worked in the company for five years and in those five years you’ve increased sales by twenty five percent.” He tells me. My eyes widen. How could he know all of that? My own husband and father-in-law didn’t believe I was the reason for those numbers. They said it’s Theo’s hard work. I do the craziest thing I’ve done in my life ever. “Okay I’ll marry you…” I tell him. I will give this man everything he wants as long as he doesn’t betray me the way Theo did. If he does help me get revenge from the family who took without giving anything in return. I’ve always felt like I owed them. For letting me marry their son, but now I don’t think I did owe them anything. Rook helps me by shrugging off his coat and wrapping it around me. He then led me into his car. Nerves were kicking in. What the hell was I doing? What have gotten myself into? Sofia Ellis you just got divorced hours ago, now you’re about to get remarried to a man who is practically stranger.