Betrayed But Reclaimed by Her Boss.

Chapter 7

Aria Vale.

My chest hitched from his announcement after the dinner at his family house earlier; I ran to him as his strides were faster than mine. I was about to reach out to him when my ankles twisted and my joints flared up in a sharp pain. I tried to reach for Nathan’s clothes for support, but I could only make a scratch on his vest.

“Ow!” I winced, hissing in pain.

I was about to fall from my weight resting on my good leg, but an arm quickly supported me. It was Nathan.

I chewed on my lips timidly. “I’m sorry it’s these stupid heels. I can manage.” I tried to convince him when I knew for sure I couldn't make it past the door.

He said nothing as usual, his emotions barely visible, and dropped into a squat, lifting my ankles delicately to rest on his hands as he stared at it.

I swallowed at the darkness in his eyes and tried withdrawing it, but he held it back rather strongly. “Stay!” He ordered, slightly pissed.

“We are already at the house; I would just order an Uber and get it treated at Jessica’s home. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.”

He stood and stared at me like I had dirt on my face; I felt insecure and swallowed. “Is there anything on my face?”

“Yes, it shows you are a terrible liar.” Without warning, he scooped me up in his arms.

I gasped in shock as my arms automatically swung around his neck. “I am not lying."

He turned to me with those piercing blue eyes of his. “I should drop you then?”

He attempted to put me down, but I resisted, smiling awkwardly. “A little trip in your arms into the house won’t hurt?”

“You seem to be enjoying it?”

“I’m sure many women will be disillusioned with the fantasy that it is wholesome to be carried by you and might be jealous of me, but I wish I could tell them it’s nothing truly special.”

He said nothing more, while I feared I might have injured his ego by going too far with my boss. He settled me on a lounge chair as an uncomfortable silence settled between us. He soon disappeared into the kitchen cabinet and returned holding a first aid box.

He folded his sleeves to his forearms, revealing a dangerous set of biceps. Why does it appear so sl*tty? I can bet on my life; he is trying to seduce me. This wasn’t part of the script; we were supposed to be strangers after fake dating. A part of me was willing to peel off my panties, though.

I snapped out of it. He twisted the sprained foot, and I moaned out in pain. A smirk appeared on his lips.

“Why is that on his face?” I said to myself.

“I heard that.”

“You looked scary.”

“A mischievous thought popped in my head. I was curious…”

“Don’t tell me," I tried to plead, but it fell on deaf ears.

“If that’s how you also sound during sex.”

He was so foul-minded. “And why is that a thought you should have?” I gasped.

“We might have to practice what we lie about.”

I withdrew my ankle abruptly as Jane’s voice reechoed in my mind.

“It is just for a few months. I’ll be out in one piece.”

“He is deadly attractive and just as dangerous. I’m not sure if you’ll be. Brace yourself.”

“About living with you, I might have to decline.”

His gorgeous blue eyes rested on my face, searching for my face, but I kept it averted; I looked at the ceiling and found an interesting chandelier. The floor appeared decent as well. I was hell-bent to keep doing so till I felt his index finger gently tucked under my chin. I swallowed, and he forced my gaze to meet his.

“I make the rules here.”

“Then I might have to cancel the agreement….”

He chuckled. “You don’t have a choice, Ria. What are you so afraid of?” He asked. How could he ask me that? He was a sly one, dangerous. The type of chocolate cake you get warns you it is a drugged brownie, yet you are tempted to take a slice.

“Your niceness, I would rather you be mean to me. It’s suspicious."

“What are you afraid I’ll do to you?”

I chewed on my lips, refusing to reveal my ridiculous worries.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Vale, I’ll try as much as I can not to get your panties off your legs.”

I gasped and further withdrew from him; he was beyond audacious. I just have to endure three months, and I will finally be free.

He turned his back to leave. “About my refusal to live here?”

“It’s a no.” He responded without turning his back to look at me and strode up the stairs.

***

I lay on the comfortable bed, a chandelier dangling above my head; every damn room looked like a five-star hotel.

“You can’t come home tonight?” Jess asked, alarmed.

“Well, he is my boss, and even if I wished to escape, I couldn't; my ankle was caught in a bad sprain earlier.”

“I’m so worried about you.”

“I can avert his attempts to seduce me.”

“You fall in love so easily, Aria; you can’t win even if you try your hardest.”

"Well, hate is stronger than any love, and there’s no one I hate more than this boss of mine. I won’t be so easy, I promise you.”

"Well, hate is more addictive. It transforms into something deeper than love if you are not careful.”

I would never fall in love with him. He's more than an annoying prick; he's the biggest a**hole I know after Caleb or Dave. Men are so annoying; I buried my face in my bed.

If I hadn't been duped by Caleb, I would have tried a bit to escape my boss. Now I’m in an agreement entangled with him.

***

The sun rose quite early, and I found myself walking down the stairs with a gentle limp as my stomach rumbled further. My ankle was doing much better this morning; whatever ointment Nathaniel had sprayed on it the night before worked some wonders. Once I stepped into his condo’s living room, I found him seated, his MacBook atop his thighs. He appeared to be busy in a video call. His eyes only spared me a glance as I timidly limped across the room to the kitchen. It was his lawyer, who was also his close friend; he knew the scope of our relationship.

“How long do you intend to keep it going?”

“Three months should be enough time.”

"Should, but I doubt it would be enough?”

I almost voiced a protest. I can’t do this more than three months. Living a day with him was already arduous; lying for three months straight would require some work.

“Any updates?”

“We are yet to find the source of laundering. It was in my name, and it was through a decentralized financial network."

“Cryptocurrency?” His lawyer became more alarmed.

Nathan had dressed up later in the morning. He cast a look at me. “Your work as my secretary doesn’t stop simply because you are my fiancée. I'll forgive you because you had a minor injury.”

I huffed internally; he stared at me for a moment. “I’ll send some documents to review and summarize. We’d go through it once I get back.”

Nathan

Julius stared at me, sipping a little. “Do you think your father believes you?”

I let the drink in my glass swirl like a tornado. “No, but he is giving me the chance to prove otherwise. He knows there’s a possibility this might be Adrian doing.”

“Your brother stole the company funds and pointed a finger at you. It’s quite easy to prove with his enmity and constant provocations directed at you, except there’s no actual trace of his actions."

He has been my lawyer and my best friend for some years now. He was the tactful solution when I needed to get out of tricky situations.

“Adrian finally grew smart enough to be worth an enemy; I’d give him that.” I might have underestimated him all these years; he failed quite woefully in the past pitting against me. He appeared to have gone back to his drawing board.

“You didn’t have a better option for the lady?”

“I wanted drama, not another boring expected romance between a rich man and his modelesque socialite woman. It is enough to keep up the intrigue about our relationship because she appears undeserving of me. It’s what I need—something strong enough to push the damage off the media.”

“Aria Vale, she is pretty, smart, but strong?”

“She survived under me for years; she is strong, strong enough to hold on for some months.” Strong enough to beat her ex into a funny state, I chuckled internally.

“You appear to have a soft spot for her.”

“If it seems that way, we are doing something right.”

***

I walked through the door of my condo; Aria was seated at the dining table going through her laptop and was startled upon sighting me; her mouth was full. She chewed quickly, almost choking.

“Eat slowly. You don’t need to speak.”

Her eyes lowered slightly, embarrassed; her face turned a bright shade of red.

She cleared her throat. “I wasn’t expecting you, so I was startled.”

I spread my arms for her to take my jacket off. It was a habit I was used to as she tended to my needs during long hours of working together.

She stood and peeled it off. I noticed she wore a large old t-shirt with some visible shorts underneath.

“You have become comfortable.”

She noticed my long stare at her thighs.

She lowered her eyes, a bit embarrassed. “I should have worn something decent; it skipped my mind I’m not at home. I apologize.” She tugged the shirts down to make them longer.

I reached for her arm and drew her closer; a gasp escaped from her small lips. I stared into those hazel-green orbs of hers, always anxious around me. She looked different without makeup, freckles scattered in little dusts around her nose bridge. Her parched lips, stained with some creamy cheese, were a bright rosy pink, small but plump and inviting.

“This will be your home for the next months, Aria Vale. It’s best you feel at home as much as you can.”

My hands itched to clear the strands of fine frizzy hair scattered across her face, but I pushed her away gently, wondering what had gotten into me.