Betrayed But Reclaimed by Her Boss.

Chapter 14

Aria.

I entered the premises of the condo; Julius asked me to meet him there. I was worried Nathaniel would be around, but I couldn’t ask Julius about it. About to enter the house with the worry of Nathaniel being there, I halted my steps and sent a text to Julius.

“I can’t make it to the house. Can we meet in the café across the street?

***

I sat anxiously going through my second cup of matcha, watching through the door, hoping the next person that came through was Julius.

The door swings open, and finally Julius walks in. He scans the café and catches sight of me waving eagerly for him.

A smile spread on his lips. I noticed a second figure behind him, and my heart skipped. His blue eyes met mine with no trouble. His expression was blank and hard to decipher. I tried to look away, but he held my gaze.

I cursed underneath my breath as Julius drew a chair. “Why is he here?” I asked him.

Nathaniel drew up a seat beside me; I could tell he was amused. “We are changing important details in the contract. Why won’t I be here?”

I heaved a soft sigh. “The contract is null and void, remember. You don’t want me anymore. I have also been laid off by the company, and this isn’t going to work anymore.”

“Yet you came,” he retorted.

Julius heaves and sends him a stern stare. “Can you stop provoking her so I can brief her?”

I chewed on my lips; my mind flashed back to that night. I wondered if he could recall. I hoped not; if he could, why would he be here? Nathaniel absolutely hates me. It was never real, the acting and the kiss.

“We are reviewing the terms of the previous contract. Nathaniel admitted he acted rashly and had clarified things with you.”

I blinked, turning to stare at Nathan. Clarified things?

“Marriage…” He started, but I cut him off.

“I wasn’t briefed on anything. There was also no clarification.”

Julius gave Nathaniel his hard stare.

"You wouldn’t agree if I didn’t lie to you.” They appeared at loggerheads with each other lately, but it wasn’t intense; there was some lightheartedness to it. Julius was the only one able to hold the untouchable Nathaniel accountable. Nathaniel appeared less monotonous around him.

“You said you met up with her.”

My eyes darted, praying the meetup wasn’t on the other night. There’s no way he recalled us… no. I kissed him back; he would take offense if he knew.

I stared at him, and that grin was unmistakable.

“We didn't meet up.” My voice broke, but I cleared it, avoiding meeting stares with Nathaniel.

“You are a bit flustered,” he pointed.

“I’m not.” I huffed, patting my warm cheek. They always betray me; I knew I was a burnt tomato.

“Nathaniel is proposing an actual marriage between you two.”

I read it, but hearing it from Julius's mouth was surreal. “An actual legal marriage?”

“Only for a month.” Julius pushed the document towards me. The compensation is twice the initial amount. I had two options: take my payment for the earlier one and choose not to go further, or it was enticing. My feelings for Nathan Anfield will be over in two or three months, and I’ll become financially stable.

The second option wasn’t as appealing, but I was drawn to it, not the doubled compensation, but to him. I wanted to be with him. I oddly wanted to see this war won. I want to root hard for him.

With every second it felt like I was falling deeper; it was obvious, and Nathaniel could see. I flash back to our conversation.

“You are starting to think this is real.”

I chewed on my lips for a second. “It’s not real, true, regardless of whatever false relationship we have. I’ve grown to consider you as someone close to me; I’ve always learned to put you first; it’s my job.”

“It’s not the same.”

He wasn’t banking on the doubled compensation but on my feelings for him, and I was going to let him use me, whatever.

He once told me, “I can use you whenever, however. You are getting paid; you don’t set the rules.”

***

I turned in the signed document; Julius appeared worried for me. “You are certain you’ll be fine with this prick for a month; it might span longer than that. If the mission needs it.”

“I’ve worked with Mr. Anfielde for years; I catered to his needs. There’s no one best fitted for it,” I smiled.

Nathaniel sent a smile at me. “I can’t imagine looking for another woman. We’ve played both our parts very well; it would be giving it up to stop halfway.”

My look turned serious. “Why do we need to be married? It wasn’t needed earlier.”

Julius and Nathan shared a stare. “Well, a bail condition was needed for his release, and that included a strict watch over his movement. His father influenced it.”

“Without a tangible reason, like a marriage, movement would be very difficult, and it would raise the suspicion of Adrian. He lost keeping me in jail for as long as he wanted; he knows how close we are to finding the truth.”

I let the information settle for a while. “So what you are saying is the marriage is a farce but still legal. Why can’t we just fake it.”

Julius sighed. “It seems pretty straightforward in theory but fails in reality. For reduced surveillance, there needs to be legal proof of your marriage. Or it ends up…”

“Like the earlier agreement exposed by my mother," I filled.

Julius nodded.

I chewed on my lips. “When is the wedding?”

"Tomorrow," Nathaniel answered; that deadly grin sat at the corner of his lips. Why is he so pleased with the idea of us being married?

“It is not tomorrow, right?” I asked Julius, but the hesitation in providing an answer confirms it is indeed.

A wedding tomorrow.

“It’s a civil legal marriage, Ria. It’s not going to be a grand affair. I’ll provide whatever preparations you need to make before noon.”

Ria, he had not called me in a while. “Is it going to be just the two of us? Will your parents be around, or were they not informed?"

“Not invited either. They’ll find out through the news.”

“They will be no guests.”

“Quite disappointing.”

I lowered my eyes. “No, I like it. It is only for a month; it’ll be best not to make it memorable.”

“I’ll be present.” Julius raised his hand. “As your witness.”

“Can I invite someone? A witness from my side.”

Nathaniel

“I can’t believe she really tried to avoid me?” I settled on the couch; my house has seen her absence. A part of me relished that she was coming back.

We could see her approaching the condo before she turned on her feet and walked away.

Julius stared at me, pouring himself a drink. “You appeared offended; have you forgotten how many terrible things you said to her? She is the only woman who is crazy enough to get married to you."

I huffed, slumping to the sofa. “Aria is not avoiding me because of our previous arguments.”

He narrowed his stare into piercing slits. “You two really met. She is really a smooth liar.”

A smile lingered on my lips. “To you. You are not that bright when it comes to women.”

He leaned in closer. “When did it happen? What happened? Let's begin from there.”

“Well…”

Julius blinked. “I have never seen you reminisce about any other woman in this way. For the longest time, I thought you were going to retire as a monk.”

I threw a pillow at him. “Worry more about yourself. I’m going to be married soon; your mother's whining about you giving her a wife and grandson will get worse.”

“You’ll be a divorcee in a month; it is not something I’m jealous of.” He stuck his tongue at me. I hope his mother’s calls ruin his night. I wanted to prove him wrong, but he is right; Aria is not going to be my wife for a lifetime.

Aria.

I watched Jessica wipe her tears, and I settled beside her. “It’s okay if you don’t feel good enough; you can skip the wedding.”

“It’s your wedding; how can I be absent?”

“It’s a fake one, and you are going through heartbreak. You should not push yourself.” Her boyfriend ended their relationship; his trip was to meet up with his ex, apparently.

She held my hands. “I won’t kill myself over him, Aria. If I’m lucky enough to meet a new man today, he’ll be a forgotten past.”

I chuckled at her resilience; she would never let any man hold her down.

“Fine. We’d visit the beauty saloon Nathaniel prepared for us and get ready there. There’s a car ready to drive us to the wedding venue.”

“Are you nervous about the wedding?”

I chew my lower lips in thought. “A little." Swim the murky waters with him but don’t let him drown you.

***

It was a simple A-line white satin gown; the slack, sleeveless shoulders made the dress a bit more ethereal than I expected. It was simple, but it had a refined charm. A single bud pearl earring was worn on my ear.

My neck bare and my hair up in its waves, bounded up in a sophisticated hairdo, tendrils fell down my face. The makeup was gentle as well, nothing too much.

Jessica walked in, and her mouth dropped. "Oh my goodness, Aria, you are so pretty; you have always been, but today you embody the beauty and sophistication of the wife of a billionaire.”

I smiled. "It's the designer clothes and the very expensive services of the talented stylists. It is weird he is spending so much money on a fake wedding.” I looked different; like Jessica said, I had the charm of sophistication.

“Your boss is a hard nut; he pretends he doesn't care, yet he is ready to throw hundreds of thousands for a fake wedding. If it is a real wedding, the whole country will be talking about it for years.”

Nathaniel was indeed a very confusing man.

I nudged Jessica playfully to stop her from inserting ideas into my head; it was almost noon. “We need to get going; the ceremony will commence soon.”

A curt lace veil that fell below my chin was worn over my face. I stepped out of the car and entered the court, the sound of my heels hitting the tiles echoing. It drew the attention of Nathan and Julius, standing beside a bench. They shared a look together, and a smirk drew sharply across Nathan’s lips.

I'd never seen him this pleased before.