?Arranged Marriage?♀️
To
a
?complete ?
? stranger?♀️?
By: worthy stories
Chapter 19
Hailey’s pov ?
Today, I attended my first partner meeting. All the senior partners welcomed and congratulated me and I gave my buy-in cheque.
My family was so proud of me, that I had accomplished my goal. Good wishes, messages, flowers and gifts were pouring in from clients, colleagues, well wishers, fans.
It was supposed to be the most exciting thing and yet I felt a bit upset, my husband wasn’t celebrating with me.
But I masked my sadness with a huge smile. I was never in need of a husband to lift me up and I don’t need one now. Even though, just him showing a bit of appreciation would make me really happy.
‘No, you don’t need to rely on anyone for happiness, be strong Hailey’ I tell myself.
‘Who are you kidding, you want him to acknowledge your achievement, for him to tell you he’s proud of you,’ my subconscious talks back to me.
‘No, what he thinks doesn’t matter. Why would I make him proud? I don’t feel anything about him,’ I argue back.
‘Keep telling yourself that and maybe one day you’ll believe it,’ my subconscious teased.
I tuned her out and did what I do best -ignore what I didn’t want to deal with.
I bottled it all up and forced myself not to think about my husband who I was growing attached to.
The last thing I needed right now was unrequited feelings and messy emotional stuff. I am on my way up the ladder of success and don’t have the time for dealing with it all now.
I left the conference room and started walking back to my office when I was intercepted by the one and only Harry Lawrence.
“Welcome to the big people table, Hails,” said Harry.
“Why, thank you Harry,” I responded to his jibe. “Hope there’s no hard feelings.”
“Hard feelings? No, I was always taught to be gracious and respectful to my juniors.”
“Excuse me? Are you saying that I’m your junior?” I asked faking offence.
“Well I did make senior partner much before you did,” he shot back.
Oh, I see. My promotion got your P@ŋtîēṣ in a twist,” I continued our playful banter as Harry led me towards his own office. “You feel thr_@tened!” I gasped.
“What makes you think so? I was just congratulating you. Stop flattering yourself so,”
“That’s not how you congratulate someone you’re genuinely happy for,” I told him.
“No?” He asked with a mischevious smirk. “How about this then?”
And before I knew it, he lifted me in his arms, his hands clasped at my waist and he had propped me up so I was leaning against his upper body.
I screamed for him to put me down and hit his shoulders with my fists while he just laughed and stalked into his office.
We were both laughing so hard as he spun around with me in his arms. I shrieked.
The two of us were so caught up that we didn’t realise the presence of the other man in the room until he cleared his throat.
My head snapped to the direction of the noise and I was shocked to see Nathan standing there in all his glory, glaring at the two of us.
He was definitely going to get the wrong idea!
Harry put me down and straightened himself, obviously shaken to be caught off guard in such an unprofessional manner by a client. But he quickly composed himself and greeted Nathan.
“Mr Rodriguez,” he started. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“An emergency came up and I wasn’t able to reach you, your secretary said you were in a meeting,” Nathan said professionally. “Since it was urgent I came here myself, but I am sorry if I disturbed anything.”
“Oh no, it’s nothing,” I responded quickly. “I’ll be in my office,” I told Harry.
Alright,” Harry said looking at me. “Let’s have lunch later? Our usual place. We can continue this then,” he said with a smirk.
This guy! From the corner of my eye I saw Nathan clench his jaw and look away frustrated.
“Sure. Pick me up at 1:00,” I told him.
“Mr Rodriguez,” I nodded to Nathan ever so professionally and left Harry’s office.
———————
Nathan p.o.v ??
Ever since our little trip to London, my life hasn’t been the same. It’s all messed up. And the cause of it? A little vixen who went by the name Hailey Anderson.
My mind keeps going back to our last night in London where we almost ended up sleeping together.
True, I don’t remember the details of the night clearly, but I very well remember that kiss we shared.
The feel of her soft lips on mine. It keeps haunting me.
I have slept with many different women in the past, but this has never happened. It’s one night and done, and then I don’t recall anything. But the one kiss with Hailey isn’t letting me rest. I want more.
And it’s not right. I already have a girlfriend who I’m deeply in love with.
I now feel guilty even thinking about Hailey. I almost ended up cheating on Hannah because of her.
It didn’t help that when I was making love to Hannah, all I could think of was Hailey.
Yup, I’m completely messed up. I try to tell myself that it’s because I’ve been around Hailey for so long and that shared moment,
awakened my mind to think of her in a segzual way, making me want to want her. But in my subconscious, I know that it’s not true.
The way we bonded in London, I never had that bond with anyone else.
It was like an instant connection. I enjoyed her company a lot. I have never felt as comfortable in anyone’s presence before as I felt in hers.
I experienced the freedom to let my walls down, to let go of my stress and worries and just be myself and it was because of her. No woman has ever made me feel that way.
Yet I wonder if any of it was real or was she just playing me. I seen the way she moves around men.
They just can’t seem to resist her. She has something going on with Harry Lawrence, that is for sure yet she was shamelessly flirting with Mr Russo at the party and even danced with Ethan Knight.
God only knows how many more men she has trapped in her charm. No, I won’t be another man fallen for her tricks.
Hannah has been the love of my life since highschool. When I saw her for the first time during freshman year, I knew I loved her. I wanted her since then.
But she was already taken. She was a cheerleader and was dating the star footballer.
A popular cheerleader as pretty as her would never date the brooding bad boy in the back of the class.
It was only after many years when I was well settled in life that I was finally able to pursue her and she gave me a chance. I can’t let Hailey screw it all up.
And yet, whenever I see her with another man my blood boils. I h@ťě seeing her with someone who isn’t me.
When she attended that party with Harry at her arm and all men were eyeing her, I had this urge to pull har away from his arms and into mine and show everyone watching that she was taken. Yeah, it’s all very confusing.
————————-
I was in Harry’s office waiting for him. His secretary told me that he was in a partner’s meeting and would be back soon. As I waited, I looked around his office. It was decorated with certificates.
As I looked around the office I heard voices just outside and footsteps approaching and turned just in time to see my wife in Harry’s arms as he spun around with her as they both laughed and she asked Harry to put her down. They didn’t even notice my presence until I cleared my throat.
The look on Hailey’s face was one of pure shock but Harry only seemed a bit flustered. He wasn’t fazed by the little show he put up with my wife in front of me. But it was all I could do to conceal my outrage.
I was seething in anger. I couldn’t even explain it. All of a sudden I was feeling very possessive as they talked about getting lunch together. They looked the part of a perfect couple, all loved up and it was driving me crazy. How could she put up such a display in public, despite being married to me? Does he know she is married? From the look on his face when he saw me in his office, most probably not.7
Oh, me and her were going to have a good little talk when we get back home. Seems like she didn’t understand what I told her last time in her office. Now I had to get it through her brain.
—————————-
Hailey+
I was having lunch with Harry at our favorite place. We were laughing and chatting happily. At first I was shaken up by the Nathan incident in Harry’s office, but then I realised that I didn’t owe him any explanation. I wasn’t the one cheating.
“Can I ask you something Hailey Bailey?” Harry asked suddenly serious.
“Yea sure,” I said.
“What is it with you and Mr Nathan Rodriguez?”
The sudden question made me stop, set my fork down and look at him properly.
“What do you mean?” I played dumb as I wanted to know what exactly Harry knew or guessed.
“Every time you’ll are in a room together, there is this uncomfortable air around you’ll,” he started slowly. “It’s like you’ll are trying to be professional but there’s still a lot of tension between you two.
” I’ve seen you work with clients. You always try to get comfortable with them in a respectable manner so that you can create a better working space.
But with him you aren’t even trying.
It’s always to the point. Even after today’s encounter with him, there was a weird air around.
“You two have a relationship that goes beyond our professional one, that I’m certain of,” he declared.
Harry was a brilliant lawyer and it was only a matter of time before he caught up to my and Nathan’s behaviour.
There was no point of lying to him now. Nathan already suspected something to be happening between us and as his lawyer, Harry had to know the truth if they were to work together.
“You’re right,” I sighed. “We do have a relationship.”
I knew it,” Harry exclaimed as he picked up his wine glass and put it to his lips. “Let me guess, you two had a one night stand and he still hasn’t gotten over your segzy body?”+
“No. Um… he’s my husband,” there I said it.
Harry spit out the wine from his mouth and began coughing loudly. Ok that was a tad dramatic response, but this is Harry we’re talking about.
“You ok?” I asked him handing him a napkin.
“Nathan Rodriguez is your jerk husband?” He asked in disbelief. “Wow, he’s hot!”
“Seriously, that’s the first thing on your mind?”
“Sorry, but…wow! This is um… I can’t believe it,” he was stammering, something Harry never does. If it were any other situation, I would have teased him about it.
“But wait, he has a girlfriend,” his eyes went wide. “Oh..holy freakin $h|t!”
“Harry, please don’t say or do anything to him,” I pleaded with my best friend. “Just act normal. Don’t let him know that you know about us.”
“Why?”
“Well, for starters, he’s your client whom you can’t afford to lose. It would complicate your working relationship. Second, he suspects something between us,” I answered sincerely.
“Now isn’t that interesting,” Harry smirked.
“Harry please,” I said. “Promise me you won’t do anything foolish.”1
“Alright,” he gave in. “I promise.”I knew it,” Harry exclaimed as he picked up his wine glass and put it to his lips. “Let me guess, you two had a one night stand and he still hasn’t gotten over your segzy body?”
“No. Um… he’s my husband,” there I said it.
Harry spit out the wine from his mouth and began coughing loudly. Ok that was a tad dramatic response, but this is Harry we’re talking about.
“You ok?” I asked him handing him a napkin.
“Nathan Rodriguez is your jerk husband?” He asked in disbelief. “Wow, he’s hot!”
“Seriously, that’s the first thing on your mind?”
“Sorry, but…wow! This is um… I can’t believe it,” he was stammering, something Harry never does. If it were any other situation, I would have teased him about it.
“But wait, he has a girlfriend,” his eyes went wide. “Oh..holy freakin $h|t!”
“Harry, please don’t say or do anything to him,” I pleaded with my best friend. “Just act normal. Don’t let him know that you know about us.”
“Why?”
“Well, for starters, he’s your client whom you can’t afford to lose. It would complicate your working relationship. Second, he suspects something between us,” I answered sincerely.
“Now isn’t that interesting,” Harry smirked.
“Harry please,” I said. “Promise me you won’t do anything foolish.”1
“Alright,” he gave in. “I promise.”
————————-
I knocked on the door of Mr Kane’s office and entered when I heard the gruff ‘come in.’
“You asked for me, sir?” I asked him as I entered.
“Ah Ms Anderson, please take a seat,” he motioned towards a chair and I sat down.
“I have something important to ask of you,” he started.
“The son of a really close friend of mine has been caught in some legal trouble and is seeking my assistance. But the thing is, I’m leaving to look after my office in London as soon as this week’s party is done.”
“And you want me to take the case, is it?” I asked.
“Mr Brown and Mr Smith have a lot to say about your abilities and ensure me you’ll do a good job. This is really important for me, I hope you understand,” he said seriously.
“I understand,” I told him. “I’ll do my best sir.”
“He’ll be at the party this weekend, I’ll introduce you to him and we can go over the details of the case then, will that be alright”
“Ok”
I nodded my head and got up to leave as he signalled the meeting was over.
When I was at the door, I realised something and turned back to ask him,
“Why me?” I asked
“Huh?” He seemed confused at the question.
“Everyone knows that Harry is your right hand man and he hasn’t lost a case in years.” I explained. “Why not let him handle the case in your absence?”
“That’s because my client specially requested you be the one on this case,” he told me. “You have made quite a name for yourself Hailey, don’t be so surprised.”
I nodded and left the office but there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
—————————-
When I got back to Nathan’s mansion after work, I saw the kitchen isle was full of flowers, cards and gifts. These must have been sent the other offices and the penthouse and brought over here by Josh since no one knew that I lived here.
I was reading the cards congratulating me and looking at the flowers when one particular bouquet caught my attention.
On the centre of the table, there was a beautiful bouquet with white lilies and blue roses. My favourite…. They were just like the ones he used to get for me. Memories flooded my mind but I shook them all away and read the note attached to the flowers.
“Congratulations on your success” It read.
There was no name, nothing to identify the sender. It made my heart beat faster. No, it couldn’t be him. It was just a coincidence, I tried to tell myself. But still I was not convinced.
“Oh Ace, if this is one of your pranks, you’re so going to regret it,” I murmured to myself.
Yea, it was someone playing a prank. He could not be back and it wasn’t him sending me flowers.
Just as I finished convincing myself, Nathan walked into the kitchen. He was wearing his suit pants and a dress shirt with the top two buttons open. It seemed like he just got back from work.
How was lunch with your lover?” He mocked when he saw me. “Did you get time to fit in a quickie after lunch was done, or did you’ll just skip lunch and have a go at it the whole time to make up for being interrupted by me earlier.”
I flinched at his tone and words but succeed in not getting angry and giving him what he wanted.
“Harry is not my lover,” I told him in a neutral voice and emotionless face. “He’s just a good friend. There’s nothing going on between us as you’re implying.”
“Why do I have a hard time believing that,” he sneered.
“I couldn’t care less what you believe. Your opinions or takes about my life are irrelevant to me,” I told him. “I am not answerable to you, Nathan. I don’t owe you of all people any answers or explanations.
“And why does it even bother you who I am seeing?” I asked
“It bothers me when it interferes with my buisness. Harry is my attorney and I don’t want to have to drop him because of you. Michael Russo is a very important business deal I’m seeking to seal and I don’t want you in the middle. Ethan Knight is a shareholder and so is a major figure in my professional life.
“I don’t care who you sleep with as long as it isn’t one of these people.”
“Ethan Knight,” I asked amused. “Where did that one come from?”
“I saw how you were behaving with him at Davis’ party. All over him, and smiling and laughing and talking,” he spat. “How can you shamelessly move from one man to another is beyond me.”
“Says the man who slept with different women every night for the first month of our marriage,” I scoffed. “Yeah, spare me the morality code, Nathan.”
“They meant nothing to me except segz and at least I never did so publicly,” he protested.
“No you just did it in front of your wife,” I snapped at him.
“Paper wife,” he corrected
Then listen up, paper husband. I will sleep with whoever I like and you have no say in it whatsoever,” I growled out to him.
“Why are you doing this?” He asked.
“Doing what, Nathan?” I yelled at him. “You are trying my patience! Just because you are one hell of a cheating bastard, doesn’t mean I am too. We are not the same. I am not some cheap woman who goes out with every man who makes a pass at me.
“As for the men you mentioned, Harry is an old friend with whom I once had a relationship that ended years ago. Russo is someone I just met a few days ago and is now my client. I don’t mix professional and personal life. And Ethan Knight? Well…never mind him.
“I don’t know what got into your head, but I’m telling you for the last time. I don’t have any sort of a love affair with either men!”
There was a pause after I finished my rant. Nathan was staring at me with no emotion on his face as I caught my breath after my out burst.
“So I take it, you’re not seeing anyone,” he said finally.
“No,” I sighed. “I’m not in any sort of a relationship.”
He walked towards me until he was right in front of me.
He got close, too close as I was rooted to the ground. He lifted his hand and moved my hair behind my ears, then brought his mouth near my left ear and whispered,
“Good.”
His voice was soft but it had an edge. I stood frozen, unable to move.
Nathan moved back and left the kitchen, leaving me to stare at his retreating figure.
‘What just happened?’ I asked myself but came up with no answers.
TBC
Congratulations Paper husband you’re in love ?