CHAPTER TWO: LEVERAGE
1239 Words
NORA
It was not until my eyes fluttered open the next morning that I realised that I had fallen asleep beside Gabriel.
My mind was alarmed as I rushed up. How had this happened? I planned to get him sober, not sleep beside him. Now, to salvage the situation, I had to find the right way to get out of here without making a big deal of sleeping next to him.
“Are you in a hurry to get somewhere?”
My fingers stilled before they could grab the handle, and my entire back froze. How had he woken up before I could make it out? I turned to him, already seated in bed. I had taken off his jacket last night, so he didn't feel uncomfortable.
“Good morning, Mr King.” I tried to maintain a professional voice. No matter what had happened here last night, we couldn't allow it to ruin our business relationship.
I stared at this man, his eyes back to being impersonal, professional and controlled. The man who kissed me last night was gone. This was the Gabriel I knew, who would never spare me another glance.
“I didn’t mean to sleep here; I was just taking care of you because you seemed drunk yesterday, and I must have fallen asleep. I am on my way out now, and you don’t have to…”
“Let’s talk,” he cut me off.
It didn't sound good to hear those words. It sounded like he was going to fire me, but it wasn't even my fault; he was the one who kissed me first. I could hang onto you and make sure I didn't lose my job.
“You can’t fire me, sir; you are the one who…”
“Who said anything about firing you?” He picked each word gently. The Gabriel King I had known was surfacing again.
“I just thought that…” I trailed off and stopped myself from rambling nonsense; I had to hear him out before I dug a pit larger than I intended for myself.
He gestured to the couch in the room, and I walked toward it, my clutch and shoes in hand as if I were ready to do the walk of shame out of here.
He sat beside me, and I sat straight at the edge of my seat, feeling the tension in the room. I looked at his face, and for someone who was causing me to forget how to breathe, he was sure calm.
“Be my fiancée.”
Those words sounded like a piece of heaven wrapped in the clouds. As beautiful as they sounded, I knew I couldn't touch them.
I blinked multiple times; my mouth opened and closed as I tried to make sense of what I had just heard and what I was supposed to say back.
“I am not asking you to take responsibility for the kiss.” My voice was gentle. In case he had mistaken my words earlier. “I was just saying that it wasn't my idea and…”
“I never knew you talked a lot.”
I gulped. It was one of the things I had hidden about myself to stay by his side. “I am sorry, sir.”
“I never said it was a bad thing,” he smiled.
He was fully sober, and yet he smiled. What was happening to my perfect man?
“I think I like it,” he said. My mind was spinning with what that could mean when he continued. “I need a fake fiancée for the holidays.”
Finally, his words made sense. I was going to stand beside him as a fake fiancée, but why me?
“I think you’d be perfect for the role; we complement each other very well,” he added, the ending too serious. I was almost convinced it was true.
Did I compliment Gabriel well, or was this a ploy just to get me to do what he wanted?
“Just think of this as an extension of your duties.”
“Over the holidays?” I asked, and he nodded.
“I will pay you extra for overtime. Twenty times more than you are getting paid now.”
I wasn't asked for payment; I just wanted to be sure if I had the right details. I shook my head; as much as I wanted to do this, I could see how wrong it was and how we would get caught. I was not on his level. Who would ever believe that he was dating his assistant?
“Are you going to at least tell me why you need me to play that role?”
He shifted as if he hated that he was about to go down that road, but he knew it was only fair. I wasn't listening to make my choice; I had already made a choice. I know it was wrong for me to stand beside him.
My crush on him was enough for him; getting greedy only made things worse.
“My father is willing to sign an investment deal with us.”
“Congratulations, sir,” I said with a smile. We had worked constantly on getting that approved, and now it was happening; it felt like my hard work and late nights were finally paying off.
“He is going to sign the agreement over the holidays, but only if I agree to remarry my ex-wife.”
Evelyn Pierce – the heiress of the Pierce Corporation. The only woman who could give Gabriel all the leverage he needed in the world. Instead of trying to get out of it with her, why didn't he marry her and grow bigger?
She was a legend, the woman who held Gabriel’s heart in her hand and still managed to let it go. This wasn't even a competition because next to her, I was just a girl who fetched the coffee. She would win now and always.
No one knew the full truth behind their relationship; all that was known was that they were married for one year and then had a messy split-up, which led Gabriel to this city.
“Remarriage?” The word seemed to choke in my throat.
“I can't remarry her, so that is the reason I need a finance and you are…”
“I can’t.” I got up and shook my head. “I just can’t,” I added before he asked for a reason.
“I'd better go now.” I hurried to the door and pulled it open. Evelyn stood with her hand up in the air, ready to knock. She looked more like a doll than a human. I had seen her in pictures before, yet she looked even more ethereal than she did in the images.
This was it, the perfect woman who was the perfect match to stand by his side.
“Gabriel?” She called, and her eyes fell on me. “Who is this?”
Gabriel walked towards us and put his hand over my shoulders, pulling me in. I didn't need to look up at them to know the intensity of the stare passing between them; it made my toes curl, and my stomach clench. This wasn't some kind of love confession; it was control, and I couldn't escape it.
“My fiancée”
- Writer
