He walks towards me, and my body feels like it’s in ice water. My skin aches, and my muscles refuse to move.
“Kayla, you haven’t changed at all,” he says smoothly. His voice is low and husky, and I notice how his eyes take their time to roam over me.
I bite my lip and tell myself to ignore how gorgeous he looks.
The same.
Better.
In my head, I’m at war with myself.Leave. You can’t work here. This is insane. Stay. He’s so beautiful. Do you remember the way his lips felt on yours.
In the end, it’s logic that wins. Because I am a different person.
“Josiah, I’m sure you realize that seeing you is unexpected. I had no idea you were the CEO I would be working with. Due to this new information coming to light, I must respectfully withdraw from the contract.” I speak clearly, sounding confident and strong, which I’m indescribably grateful for.
“Yes, I thought you might say something like that. Which is why I've taken some extra precautions.”
His eyes are cold as I stare into them, wondering what in the world he might be talking about.
“I don’t follow,” I snap, taking a step away from him. “I am not interested in working here, and I will no longer be accepting the contract.”
“The thing is, Kayla, that you and I are married.”
It’s such a ridiculous thing to say that I burst out laughing.
“Fascinating idea, but I am one hundred percent certain I would have remembered marrying you, Josiah,” I huff.
He walks over to his desk and picks up a piece of paper, handing it to me.
I glance at it, confused, bewildered, and wanting nothing more than to escape this room.
In my hand is a marriage certificate. On crisp white paper. With my signature at the bottom in thick black gel ink. The document clearly states that I am married to Josiah Belov.
The date is not today, though. It’s a month ago.
“What is this?” I demand, waving the document at him. “This isn’t real!”
He chuckles. It sounds dry, low, and edged with something dangerous.
“Oh, I assure you, it is very real and legally binding. I’ve already had the system doctored so that we are officially married and have been for a month. You can try and contest it, but I’ll let you know ahead of time that I own this city, and nothing happens here without me allowing it to happen,” he says coldly.
“Josiah,” I gasp. “What are you doing? What is the point of this?”
Chapter 3 - Josiah
Her face has lost that cool, controlled calmness that has been consistent since the moment she walked into the interview room. She looks panicked now. Scared.
I never wanted to play dirty with her. I didn’t want to have to blindside her like this, but I didn’t see any other way of making this happen.
As soon as I heard her ask that question in the interview about benefits for single mothers, I told HR to hire her and give her whatever she wanted or needed to make sure she accepted the contract.
Then I called my private investigator. It didn’t make sense. With all the alerts I had on her, I should have been told the second she was admitted, for any reason, to any hospital in the city. I’d also have been notified if she got married, bought a house, or had anything major happen to her. It was the only reason I was content to leave her be, knowing that if she ever needed me, I’d be alerted. It was my peace of mind.
I should have been notified of her pregnancy the second it got punched into the systems.
But I wasn’t.
The thing is, I never expected her to leave Chicago. She loves this place. She told me that there was nowhere else in the world she could picture herself living, and while she had dreams of traveling, she made it clear she would never move away.
