A LOVE ARRANGEMENT

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Theodore Rhodes

POV

She married him. She married the man I hated most in this world. I slam the door of my SUV.

Motherfucker!

“Sir?” my assistant asks getting into the back of the car next to me.

I glare at her. She wrote the damn proposal. Embarrassing me in front of Sofia. I’d spent the better part of the last five years trying to find Sofia Ellis. Only to find out she married the man I hated most in this world. I didn’t love her anymore. But that didn’t mean I wanted her to suffer. I looked for her for years, she’d gone to him, the last man I thought she would go to. She knows how much I hate him.

I clench my fists.

Maybe she went to him because she wanted to make me jealous? There’s no way she loves him. She wouldn’t do that to me… If she did it to make me jealous, she has still love me.

I relax and lean back in my seat. I have to see her again.

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Sofia Hayes

POV

By the time, the meeting is over, it’s lunch time and close to the time I’m supposed to meet Rook. I make my way to the restaurant in the hotel and take a seat at the back of the restaurant.

My husband walks in not long after I do.

“Did you wait long?” he asks kissing my cheek.

I shake my head. “I just got here.”

The menus are placed on the table in front of us before the waitress Cara leaves to give us some space.

“How was the meeting?” Rook asks.

I sigh. “He reacted the way you assumed he would. He was seconds away from attacking me.” I tell him.

He frowns. “I’m going to have someone deal with that temper of his.” He doesn’t look happy.

Rook has been very protective of me since we’ve been married. He hates the idea of me getting hurt. Rook has been my biggest supporter, not once in the five years we’ve been married have I ever felt lonely or that I don’t belong. James and Evelynn have made me feel wanted and loved in a way the Rhodes family never did.

I’m not comparing the two. They don’t come close. Rook was honest with his family about my previous marriage, and I decided to tell them how my marriage ended and how the entire course of my marriage went.

“What are you planning for your birthday it’s coming soon?” Rook asks.

I run my fingers through my hair. “I was thinking maybe we could do a family vacation or just spend the week at home just the three of us. We don’t spend nearly enough time together as a family…” I suggest.

The waitress returns. “Are you ready to order?” She asks.

I smile at her. “I’ll have an orange juice and the steak with a salad on the side.” I tell Cara.

She smiles and nods noting down my order.

She does the same with Rook when he orders a burger and chips. With a Guava juice.

“Why don’t we do something just for you, for your birthday? We should be celebrating your birthday not spending it as family day. We do any of those things without it being your birthday…” he smiles affectionately at me.

He knows how my brain works. He knows why I want this. my birthday isn’t anything special, but we both work nearly every single day. The only time we’re both home is Sundays.

Lunch was amazing and Rook walked me to the elevator before leaving to go back to the hospital.

I nearly faint with exhaustion when I see the mountain of paperwork that needs my attention. It seems I’ll be working late tonight.

I send my husband a text message letting him know.

I get to work. Signing documents that need my immediate attention and then sifting through what I could leave for tomorrow.

I take off my glasses, my eyes are hurting I have no idea how long I’ve been at it.

I close my eyes and try to massage them. They are killing me.

I lean back in my chair resting my head.

{Flashback:

I stand by my bedroom window watching Rook and his staff speak in the garden.

This house was massive for just him to live in. It felt like before me Rook had always been alone.

He didn’t have many friends. We’ve been living together for two weeks now, and I was the only one he interacted with outside of work. For the first week, I thought Rook hated me, but I soon realized it was his bubbly personality.

Like he could feel my eyes on him, he looked up at my window. I didn’t know if he could see me, but I waved anyway.

He nods before turning his attention back to the staff.

Working for his father was a dream, I felt appreciated and cared for all in one. I thought they would hate me because I was going through a divorce, but his parents welcomed me with open arms.

===========

My eyes snap open when I hear a knock on the door.

Rook walks in and I smile.

“Hey, you’re here…” I stand stretching my arms out.

He walks toward me; he pulls me into his arms. “I know you said you’d be working late I was just bringing you dinner, before I get Jamie from my parents.” He placed the bag on my desk.

“You’re the best…” I kiss him on the lips.

He stays for another five minutes before leaving. I have the Thai food he gave me before getting back to work.

I have a bunch of paperwork to get through. Maybe I could sleep in tomorrow if I get this done.

There’s a knock on my office door.

“Come in…”

“I didn’t expect you to be working here…” Theo’s voice has my head snapping up.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in here?” I ask. My voice trembling...