Coming Home

Chapter 7

Venice choked on her food as Max tapped her on the back, pushing a glass of water in her hand. "Are you all right?" she nodded before taking a sip of water.

Max frowned at his father. "Why did you have to surprise her like that?"

George stared at his son in astonishment. "I'm merely asking a simple question, son."

"Well, neither one of us are ready to get married yet," her boss answered.

Surprise flickered in the older man's eyes. "You need to get married in order for you to inherit your share in the company, Maxwell. That's the only way I can transfer the company to your name."

Wait, what? Max had to get married for him to inherit his share of the company? But wasn't he the president already? Surely the Smiths Incoporation would go to Richard being the eldest?

"I'm not in a hurry to get my share, Dad. I'm sure you can hold down the position when I'm ready to take over."

George's brows furrowed as he placed his elbows on the table, leaning toward his son. "I've put down your name as the CEO of the Smiths Incorporation but none of the board members know it's just by name." Venice almost gawked at the revelation. "You know the majority of our employees are family men. I want you to follow the same path. That's what our company is all about; working together as a family."

"But Dad," Max interjected. "Richard didn't marry until he found Bridget and you handed his share of the company before he was thirty."

"That's because I was in a serious relationship and I've always known Bridget is the one." Venice felt her boss tense beside her, as if he'd taken offense from his older brother's remark. Then he relaxed. "I haven't found the right person I want to spend the rest of my life with, Rich. We're not all like you. I need to meet a lot of women in order for me to meet the one.

"What's wrong with having Venice as your fiance?" Eunice said.

Venice choked for the second time in less than an hour. She took another sip of water, waiting for her pounding heart to return to its normal rate. Was this the reason why he'd dragged her here? To use her as his fake lover or something? Surely, Shirley would be the one to play that role.

Silence fell as all eyes turned to her direction, and she tried not to fidget anxiously. She'd never liked having people's attention turned to her. It made her feel uncomfortable, and that was what the Smith family were making her feel right now.

Janine was the first to break the silence. "Would you consider being my son's fiancee, Miss. Zane? I'm sure you two would make a great couple, and if you can excuse my son's womanizing lifestyle, I'm sure you two can make a great marriage."

Her mouth fell open as her mind went blank. His family wanted her to be his next flavor of the month, and instead of asking her to be his faux wife, his parents wanted her to marry him for the sake of inheritance. Suddenly, she felt the gazebo close in on her, making it seem tiny. She was claustrophobic, something she'd hidden from everyone ever since she got her job at the Smiths Incorporation. And right now was one of those moment that Venice felt her throat constrict, her lungs burning as she fought for air.

Max's face appeared before her, eyes searching her face in worry. "Are you all right, Venice?"

"She looks like she's about to pass out," Caleb chimed in.

"Get her another glass of water," Janine ordered.

She heard the scratch of chair before strong arms enveloped around her, pulling her into an embrace that made her feel safe. "Take a deep breath, Venice. In. Out. Good."

By the time her breathing came back to normal, someone had already called the ambulance out of panic, which she suspected was her boss's mother and everyone had gone into a frenzy. She could barely make out Eunice's voice in the background as she called for a doctor. While Caleb and George fussed over Janine and Richard and his family remained seated. It was only Max who stayed beside her, arm never relaxing until she'd returned to herself.

He was towering over her by the time her vision cleared. His face was an inch away from hers that should have made her feel suffocated. But having him near her had her heart skipping a beat, her breath stuck in her throat as his gaze ran over her.

"You're not going to pass out, are you?" Max teased as he pushed a lock of hair into her ear.

She shivered at his touch. "I'm okay."

He searched her face before nodding, letting her go. She felt the loss of his presence when he retreated back to his chair, facing everyone who froze in their spot. They all stared at her in concern, looking uneasy when they'd all finally sat down.

"I'm sorry for dropping something like that," George uttered.

Venice shook her head. "It's fine. I understand."

"No, you don't." Max chimed in. "This is not something you can understand without my explanation." He dragged in a breath and let it out sharply, as if explaining caused him a great pain. "Come on. Let's go into the terrace. Please, excuse us."

He leaned down and reached for her hand, pulling her out of the gazebo and into the house. They ascended the stairs and walked right into the terrace, looking out into the beautiful view that Venice wished she could see every morning.

She leaned over the balcony as the wind whipped her hair, the birds chirping in the trees as the large, blue pool shone brightly against the sunlight. The mountains were incredibly tall amongst the trees that surrounded the house. The sea buzzed with its strength, as the waves crawled gently to the shore.

She saw Max stir beside her in the corner of her eye. Then remembered why they were here in the first place. Venice wasn't going to lie. She was nervous with what he was about to tell her. What if he proposed right here with the beautiful scenery, ask her to be his wife for him to put a stop to his parents nagging about marriage? It was impossible. She didn't know why she was considering things that would never happen.

"Miss. Zane," he called.

All thoughts of marriage vanished from her mind at the use of formality of her name. They'd agreed to talk casually with each other, but that seemed to only work during the company of his family. She turned to face him, taking in the tight line of his lips and the grim expression.

"I brought you here with me because I wanted you to know what my family is like," Max began without looking at her. "Do you remember when I asked you to be my date at the gala?" he didn't exactly ask her but she wasn't about to correct him. "Well, that's not because I don't have anyone to take with me, but because I wanted to introduce you to my family."

She didn't understand where this was leading to. "Where is this going, Mr. Smith?"

Max looked up to catch her eyes and held it. "I might not be the greatest man on earth but I'd like for you to marry me, Venice."

He proposed to her just as she'd imagined he would. But without confessing his undying love for her, which was something she'd always visualized since she was a little girl. But her life was not a fairy-tale. He wasn't proposing to her out of love and commitment, but rather out of responsibility and tribute to the Smiths Incorporation. And as she stared at her boss, could she really share the rest of her life with this man? Unloved and only wanted for what benefit it could bring him?

She'd rather live and die alone than to suffer through a love-less marriage. Besides, it would kill her if Max found another woman while they were married. She might be naive but she wasn't completely stupid.

"Well?" he asked after a moment, eyeing her carefully as if to gauge her reaction.

She regarded him in return, her mind working as she foolishly considered his offer. "Out of all the women out there, Max," she didn't miss the flare of surprise in his eyes at the use of his first name. "Why me? I'm not particularly pretty nor do I own a big company." And I'm certainly not a supermodel, she wanted to add.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I don't care about those things, Miss. Zane. You know my routine, my technique when it comes to running the company. But most of all, you know my schedule and what happens behind the scenes of my life. And I don't think anyone have known me that well apart from my family."

"So you think that's enough to ask me to marry you?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded. "I don't make mistakes when it comes to women I date, Miss. Zane. So what made you think I'm wrong about you?"

She was speechless. She'd never known anyone to say that to her. Most times, she'd been considered as nothing special, nothing out of ordinary as some of her ex-boyfriends had described her. There was no need for her to read into his words.

"I'm your secretary, Mr. Smith." She'd put her foot down on this to make him realize this was a bad idea. "I didn't sign up to be anyone's fiancee when I handed in my resume, Mr. Smith. So you can forget about your proposal."

She turned on her heels before a hand curled around her wrist, yanking her back to him as their bodies collided. She gasped as he pushed her against the wall, caging her with his body, as his eyes ignited heat and desire. He pressed against her, feeling his erection probing her stomach. She bit back a delicious moan when he thrust once, shooting fire to rush in her veins.

"Max," she breathed.

"Say yes to my proposal," Max responded with another thrust of his hips. "Stay married with me for two years, Miss. Zane. That's all I'm asking."

"Two years?" she repeated blankly.

"You only have to stay with me for two years and we'll get a divorce." His words sank into her brain, killing the heat of the moment.

She pushed against his chest, but he didn't budge. "Please let me go. I can't think when you're doing that to me." She fought the urge to throw caution out the window, to give into the temptation and just act. But she had to remind herself that he would never be hers, that whatever he was proposing to her was nothing but an agreement. An agreement that might possibly ruin her for life.

"You get a promotion shortly after we wed, Miss. Zane." Max continued as she hadn't spoken. "I'll transfer you to another branch of the Smiths Incorporation where you can get a better position than being my secretary. I'll increase your salary rate as well by twenty percent."

"That's tempting," she said as she pushed off the wall, fixing her dress. "But I'm not going to be bought, Mr. Smith. I don't want to fool your parents into thinking we've fallen madly in love with each other and now we're getting married."

"They're very fond of you, Miss. Zane. They know it will take time for you to warm up to me, but you'll get there eventually."

"I don't want to warm up to you, Mr. Smith." She couldn't believe he was pushing this through. Marrying him might be just a nightmare!

He stepped closer to her, trapping her against the wall once more. A look of desperation crossed his eyes when he pleaded, something she'd never seen him do before. "Please, Venice. Marry me."