HIS SUBSTITUTE WIFE

Chapter 4

The next day came very quickly, of course the night was very long for a lot of people there, but for Anna she just wanted to get out of the house and go somewhere she felt at peace, and even safe. Anna didn't even wait for people to wake up in her house, and was already packed to go to her penthouse that same night. Her mother though, she was awake before Anna, and wanted to talk to her, but Anna completely ignored her and got out of the house, heading towards the office.

There were multiple things rushing and running in her mind all night and all this early in the morning. Anna's mind was now puzzled, at the same time she felt very strange in her body as well. The conversation, the question, the...... everything. It all came back to her, suffocating Anna.

However, Anna felt the house, and after a long while of driving Anna was finally at a place she actually loved. Immediately she walked got out of the car as her car was taken away to the parking lot under the building. Anna stood there for a second, looking up at the large building that her father made for both the sisters. Ruth was to be the next CEO, but she wanted none of that. She wanted to become the model for the company. However, Ruth was in marketing of the company while Anna was in the advertisement. She just loved her field, and had excelled in it as well. Anna was only helping her father build the Empire as well.

Immediately, Anna fixed her blue pant suit and walked into the building in all her grace.

Of course, the people in the office were all looking at her, this time not because it was their boss, or his daughter but this time because of the news that had already spread all over the newspapers and the world as well. The big wedding that supposed to be was now suddenly stopped and no one knew why and people were already talking about it.

How ever, Anna wasn't bother about it, because she couldn't hear them. Rather she could see it all going on in front of her. It was very clearly seen by her. Nevertheless Anna got up to the 27th floor of the building, and as the elevated door opened, she looks to her right to see her friends were standing right there, both Romi and Autumn were waiting for her. Romi was pushing her brunet hair out of her face, and the frustration was looking amazingly well in her green Hazel eyes. However, Autumn, she just looked plain angry, and she was tying up her blond hair into a ban. She seemed frustrated as always, but this time more than ever.

Quickly, the glanced at Anna, and were surprise to see she was already here. Anna then walked up to both of them.

"Where have you been? and what is going on?" Autumn asked, and now confusing Anna.

"You already know what is going on? What are you talking about?" Anna asked, not quit understanding Autumn's question all over again.

" not about this." Romi let out.

"Why is Arthur sitting in your office?He has been waiting for you for one hour now." She said, and this felt like a tight punch in Anna's stomach. Her face scrunched and there was a frown on Anna's face as well.

"He is here?" She asked, stunned. Once again wanting to know if she heard her best friend right.

"He is? He said he is not going to leave until he meets you Anna, and I didn't know what to do ?" Romi said.

"You are not going to go talk to him. Your sisters anger he might take out on you." She said, and Anna realized they knew very little about what happened in the house.

Anger was dripping out of Autumn .

"So what, I just leave him there and don't go into my office?." Anna asked.

"I don't care." Autumn said, shaking her hands around. Anna then slapped her hands on her face, trying to breathe and think this through.

"I am going to go talk to him." Anna said. However Autumn did not like this idea one biit. But also understood there was no other way to this.

Quickly Anna walked right past them and towards her large office. She stared at the white, enormous, double doors in front of her and took in a deep breath one last time, filling herself up with courage to talk to a powerful man like him. And Anna then placed her hand on the door, immediately pushing it open only to have bright enormous light coming at her. She adjusted herself to it, but right in front of her Anna saw Arthur standing there, and his back facing the door.

He was watching out at the skyscrapers through the large windows, that went from ceiling to the floor. This room was too big, bigger than a meeting room. This was once her father's room that name gave up to her. This office had a large library on her right, and washroom as well. On her left was a large sitting area for Anna to rest. But right in front of her there was a large table.

Arthur was not phased by her at all. Walking into her room Anna was anxious.

"I didn't expect you to come to the office today, but I have heard about your work ethics. You are very punctual with people's time and money and that is good of you." Arthur said, and truly speaking as well.

Slowly turning he look at her, and his sharp brown eyes just went deep into her soul. She could feel his power as this large man stood there, and yet far away from her. Anna was still a bit shaken up.

"What are you doing here? what more would you have to do?" Anna asked. She had no idea where this courage came from but Anna did not care for once. However, he smiled at her softly when suddenly Arthur looked down on the table, indicating something. As suspicious as Anna was, instantly she walked up to the table only to see it was the contract that her father had signed and so did Arthur, and that too many years ago. It also involved the family coming together.

"You think I am the bad guy, Anna." He said, looking only Anna and she had no idea what to do or say.

"But you Anna, you know I am not trying to force anyone into anything, there was a contract, a deal that you are breaking." He said, as slowly she looked up at him, meeting his eyes and feeling a sudden punch in her gut. But all Arthur could see was the innocence in her eyes, there was massive difference in the way she looked at him and the way her sister looked at him. In Ruth's eyes there was confidence, such openness and even arrogance her eyes, but in Anna, he was a little taken a back. Standing too close to her now, Arthur was reading her. He was very good at reading people even before knowing them, but for once it was just difficult to read her. Although her eyes very much matched the way her father's did. Like his eyes, they never lied. And now it looks like Anna's eyes weren't lying either. She looked so innocent to him.

"What you want? what do you want to from me now?" She asked, and now the man had to pull himself out of that trance and that pull that she had on him. It was harsh as he seemed stuck there for a second or so. That he was he understood that Anna was definitely difficult to understand.

"I am not asking for something that is too difficult. This contract will not mean anything if there is not a wedding. Your sister has left your house, and again I understand it is difficult. But the humiliation has passed down to our family as well." He said, and Anna was freaking out now. She was going red.

"But right now it's not the time to think emotionally but rationally." He let out, and Anna knew what he was talking about. She just couldn't believe that the same conversation that she was running from was standing right in front of her face. There was no running now. She fell almost immediately.

"You have to be joking," Anna let out, frustrated.

"I don't think I have the time for it." He said, a small smile falling on him. However, there was no emotions on his face and he meant it for real. Although, Anna quickly backed away as she was a bit shaken up, yet again.

"My sister will be back, she will have to come back and you can go back to getting married to........."

"I want nothing to do with her, and I want you to make sure you heard me right." He said, stopping her almost immediately. And his toughness in his voice was scaring her. She knew he was not kidding around.

"You cannot force me into this." She whispered, freaked by his words, his intentions. She was completely attacked by his statement.

"I am not going to........."

"You will have to do this, and on your own. Nobody is going to force you but your company will fall, and we have invested a lot in this." He said, as his voice and smile fell.

"We cannot let this happened." he told her the truth.

"Are you listening me?" She asked, but he simply said that, staring at her blankly. This time his face had this anger flowing through.

"I have never given anyone a second chance Anna, and your family wasn't going to be the one where I start it off either. If anyone crosses me, I make sure that they don't have a chance to ever do that to anyone else. And contract is done by trust and if I cannot trust.............. then there is no contract. But for your family, for the first time I have decided to give a second chance, and it is not for you or the company or the girl I was supposed to marry. But it is for your father, the man I have trusted and the man who built all this. The respect that I have for him is the only reason I are not going to let your company fall, not yet." He said, standing up straight and picking up the coat that was on her chair.

Anna watched it all happened, as he put on his coat making his way across the table and towards her. Anna was a little stunned because he was getting close to her and now into her personal space. Her breath was bigger, her breath getting heavy and her steps going back slightly from there. Anna never took her eyes off of him as he got to her and started to walk closer. Immediately, Anna felt resistance in her back, when she felt the foot of the chair that hit her leg.

Anna lost her balance ever so slightly and immediately she stumbled a little bit.

"Huuuhhhh.." She gasped, as she tripped.

However ,Arthur did not let that happened. He grabbed on to her arm holding her there steady with his rough grip..

"Huhhh.... shit." She gasped in horror, her eyes going wide open. And that was only because they both were standing too close to each other. the heat between them was massive, strong and it came out of nowhere.

"I told you, I am not going to let you fall. But I am not going to ask this ever again either. We do this marriage or we don't and if the answer is no, I cannot help this company. If it sinks, I will watch it sink and I hope you have a good life after that Anna. But there will be nothing I can do." He said, whispering it to her. But at this moment it was Anna's heart that was beating so fast. Everything was making her do this and the fear of him and his words and of the future, she was freaking out. But, mostly it was the fear of what was going on. Slowly, Arthur pulled her body up, forcing herself to stand straight and helping her out as he backed away from her, and turned around, leaving her there all alone.

Anna had no idea what was going on anymore. But she watched him walk away from there, completely disappearing. It was just so strange. Because Anna was afraid of this man, the entire she was thinking of him, freaking out. But this one second that he was so close to her, that fear in her completed disappeared and now nothing scared her like before. But she knew she should be scared of him, because even her sister was afraid of this man, and Ruth was very strong, mentally, emotionally.

As of now Anna felt like she was falling, her head was a big mess.

She was immediately letting her body loose. And Anna simply sat down on the chair behind her. Defeated now.

However, outside of the room Arthur was walking out. People clearly afraid of him and the power as they started to back away from the most powerful man in the world. He wasn't thinking about them or even looking at them, his mind was trapped into Anna's thoughts. He couldn't forget those large, so brown eyes of here that were filled with wonder, fear, happiness. It was far from what he normally saw in people, she was very new to him, and that made him feel strange in his chest, in his mind and the heart that he didn't seem to have. How ever, the palm of his hand were still numb. His hand that he held her with, held on to. Immediately, he put his hands in his pocket, wanting to forget what just happened. As it was not supposed to be that big of a deal.

This contract was supposed to be in his mind and nothing else. It wouldn't be that difficult for him to think otherwise.