Trapped By The Billionaire Deal

EPISODE4:FRIENDLY CAUTION

Madeline

I sat up in my office chair, unable to meet Ray's gaze. She shook her head, some strands of hair flickering over her face. She pushed them to her temples with a finger.

"How could you agree to such nonsense?" Ray snapped again.

"It was our only choice, Ray."

"No. It was what you discerned as your only choice." She retorted, and then her gaze grazed over my shoulders. "I've only seen contractual marriages in movies. It never occurred to me that it was a real phenomenon."

"It's not a contractual marriage." I blurted out, trying to justify myself. "At least, I like to think of it that way."

"Keep telling yourself that." She snickered.

This was the problem I had when sharing my issues with Madeline. She tried to push the guilt and blame on me, making me look like s**t and never looking on the bright side. Aside from the fact that I accepted the invitation to marry Lucas, this was the biggest breakthrough we've been looking for.

We could not only recover from bankruptcy but also walk out of the current economic ditch and sail in financial freedom. There would be no need to borrow from financial companies and worry about paying them. But Ray seems not to detect all of that. She only rambled on how I don't get a say in the marriage and that I've got only a few days to learn Lucas and grow love for him.

"Is he handsome?" Ray's voice snapped me back.

I c****d my head to the side. "What?"

"You heard me." She insisted. "Is he handsome?"

I looked away. Lucas was not exactly charming, but he was handsome. The brown eyes that bore into me at the ball and those small grins he made when I said something funny came back to memory, and a little heat grew on my cheek.

"You're blushing."

I met her gaze, the heat on my cheek growing hotter. "What?"

"You're blushing." She repeated. "I take that as a yesanswer."

"No!" I shook my head. "Stop it, Ray."

"Stop what?" She c****d a brow, "why did you have to think about the answer and blush?"

"I wasn't thinking, I was just—"

"No wonder you agreed to marry him in such a hurry."

"No!" I protested. "Ray, enough!"

She dismissed my protest with a wave. "Whatever. Even if you're so desperate, didn't you notice the approaches of Mr. Hardman? He's surely a good person to give a chance to. I mean, you've been seeing him for a while."

"When Penelope wants him all for herself? No, Ray, but I don't do office romance."

"So, that's why you accepted Tanner—hell, you agreed to marry him after talking for a few minutes?"

"Hey!" I cried. "You're such a bitch."

"And your sanity, admit it." She added, leaning back in her seat. I scoffed, not sparing her a glance. Then my phone buzzed. I slid it out and glanced at it. A banner notification with my father's name was on the screen. I tapped on it to reveal a text from him.

Meet you downstairs. We don't have to be late for our meeting with Mr. Hayes.

I glanced at the digital clock on my desk, which displayed 09:07, and my heart skipped a beat. At the same time, my door swung open, and a dark-haired woman stepped in, carrying a clipboard.

"Ms. Holt, Mr. Hardman would like to see you."

I nodded at her, and she left. Ray snickered. "Maybe that's another chance for you, baby."

"Mr. Hardman would have to wait." I hushed, grabbing my phone from the desk and rounding my desk chair swiftly to snatch the blazer off the hanger. I then rounded the desk.

"Where are you going?" Ray's pitch rose slightly.

"Holt's cosmetics need salvation, and humans are going to have to make it happen." I strutted out of the office and into the hallway, froze, and stepped back, shooting back at the wide-eyed Ray. "Don't forget to lock my door."

Not waiting to hear her argument, I walked off briefly towards the elevator. In a moment, I was downstairs. Scanning the streets, I noticed a black SUV waiting just as the glass of the passenger's seat slid down to reveal my dad's beaming smile.

"Over here," he mouthed.

I nodded, then crossed the road to join him. Moments later, the car drove us across Washington, D.C., sliding to a stop before a towering building overhead. I slid out of the car alongside my dad, taking in the skyscraper. Above the double-door entrance that led into the building was a board holding 'SOFTCORE' in shiny letters.

"This is it, I nodded at my father."

He returned my nod. "C'mon now, we don't want to keep him waiting."

"Right." I followed him as he led the way into a large lobby, busy with men and women in corporate dresses breezing from one side to another. My father made a beeline for the elevator, and I followed him closely. Soon, we were in a smaller lobby, with a dark-haired lady sitting behind a desk ahead. We approached her.

"How may I help you?" The woman's gaze drifted from my dad to me as we crossed the room to meet her.

"We do have an appointment with Mr. Harper this afternoon, " my father said. Her eyes left us for her monitor before she nodded slowly, gesturing to the side with arms outstretched. "Please wait a moment here."

My father nodded, and I followed her hand. I noticed a set of chairs tucked away in a corner that I hadn't noticed when we walked in. I shook my head at her, and we crossed the room to the chairs.

As I sat down, she stood up and picked up a clipboard, then slipped out from behind her desk and walked to a door, pushing it open and disappearing inside. My eyes drifted back to her desk—simple and elegant. A few stacks of folders lay beside her monitor, and a folder lay open on the other side.

Overhead on the wooden wallpaper wall was 'SOFTCORE' hanging in bold individual letters across the wall. The door opened later, and the woman appeared.

"Please, wait a moment. He'd be ready to join you soon."

My dad nodded and asked. "Please, where can I find the restroom around here?"

"There." The woman pointed at a door, and I followed her gaze to see another door tucked away in what seemed like an alcove. Does everything here seem to be hidden?

My dad stood up and walked toward the door. I watched as his figure disappeared, and then my phone buzzed. Turning on the backlight to see a notification, a small snicker left me at the text from Mr. Hardman himself. I guessed the situation was getting a little more serious than I thought.

After a moment, the woman's voice came back. "You can join him now, please."

I stood gingerly, my eyes going to the door my father had walked through. Unable to tell what was holding him. I took a few tentative steps towards the door and pulled it open to the largest, lavish office I've ever seen.