ARIEL POV

I watched as the doctor examined me. She took my pulses and also checked my breathing. I could not help but pray silently that I would finally get discharged.

It had been two days since I had been in the hospital, and the thought of leaving soon always crept to my mind. I tried not to think of my response to Mrs. Selina proposal, which I gladly said yes to.

A lot of What's and Why had been on my mind lately especially at my rushed decision. What was I thinking about to the extent of agreeing to a marriage proposal,especially to someone I had never seen in my life. I had always wanted to marry the one I love, not a marriage of inconvenience.

I groaned inwardly at my thought.

But I still couldn't help but nudge a grudge at my family,the thought of revenge slowly creeping into my mind. I doubt if I will let them go scot free, especially my stepmom. Every time I thought about it, I felt overwhelmed with emotion. It was the greatest betrayal I had ever received in my life. It was like a slap to my face.

“Miss Ariel, you will be discharged today,” My face tilted to face the doctor, as a smile crept to my lips.

If I wasn't on the hospital bed,I would probably be doing a happy dance now. She adjusted her stethoscope as she looked at me.

“Your bills have been paid. Please do well to take care. Avoid any stressful job for now, and also take a lot of rest.”

“Thank you ma. I will do everything you ask me to do, as long as I can get out of here today. I need fresh air,” I groaned, as she chuckled.

“Alright. Take care. Bye for now,” She exited the room as I leaped up with joy.

I walked to and fro before settling on the bed. My smile widened, as I felt happy and grateful to Mrs. Selina for taking good care of me and even paying off my hospital bills. It really touched my heart.

I glanced towards the right side, as I saw the file she left while she visited last night. It contained some information about her son, which no doubt confirmed that she really meant business when she said she wanted me to get married to her son.

I peeked at the file, as I scanned through his profile.

“Ryan Ackers, CEO of AK Corporation.” I read out as my eyes suddenly got glued to the picture attached to the file.

There was no doubt that he looked dazzling, especially in those black suits on him.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, as the person I assumed to be the driver walked in.I had often seen him with Mrs. Selina.

“Hi Miss Ariel, young master requested I bring you to his office today,” My eyes widened, trying to take in his words.

It felt as if cold air passed through me. Today?' I asked myself, as I had forgotten all about it. I was asked by Mrs. Selina to meet him after getting discharged.

“Um, okay. I will be out in the next five minutes,” I said to the man, as he nodded and left.

I picked up some of my belongings as I arranged them properly in a bag. There were few, as I quickly left for outside. Each step I took reminded me how I was free from the pungent smell of the hospital.

I said a silent prayer, as I passed through the lobby before I was directed to a car by the driver. I got inside the Black Mercedes-Benz as I inhaled the beautiful scent that accompanied it, as if it was brand new. Furthermore, I placed my stuff beside me, battling with different thoughts, as soon as the car started moving.

It felt as if my life had suddenly changed overnight. More like a Cinderella story. But all I could pray for is a happily ever after. I tried to block the possibilities of rejection from the person I would be meeting: Ryan Ackers, one of the top Billionaires in the USA CORPORATION COMPANIES LIST.

Marriage will be lovely,' I thought. It doesn't matter whether he likes me or not. I just wanted to live another life, opposite what I wanted for myself. From a simple and reserved lifestyle, to a rich and classy lifestyle.

The car stopped at the front of an immense building as I stepped out. I was putting on a floral design pink gown that reached my knee and a pink and black sandal, which was quite decent. All this, gotten by Mrs. Selina. My heart suddenly leaped with gratitude for all she had done for me.

I was awed at the exteriors of the skyscraper, but the moment I stepped in only left me speechless. The interior look took my breath away.

I glanced around at the busy lobby, quite amazed at how everywhere was. The way the sun shone through the glass walls gave the whole place some sort of light and elegance.

I was soon led by the driver to what I assumed to be a private elevator, as I noticed that we passed by the crowded ones. We both stepped in, as the elevator closed.

“What's your name, sir?” I asked as he smiled at me.

“Walter,” I nodded and returned his smile, finally glad I knew someone close enough to the Ackers family.

The elevator dings open, as I move out. Mr. Walter waved at me after pointing to the office in front of me to be that of Ryan. My heart leaped, as the elevator closed, as I turned to face the door. I moved gently towards the office, breathing in and out and finally developed the courage to knock on the door.

“Come in,”

I stepped in, closing the door gently behind, as the office looked more beautiful, with gold and black imprints as interiors.

My eyes came in contact, landing on the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I had ever seen.

“Hello, Ariel.” His voice came out slow and calm.

I froze in place as I met his gaze. He even looked better in person than in the pictures I saw earlier.

He looked breathtaking dressed in a black suit. His blonde hair combed smoothly in place, as his long dark lashes framed his eyes. He looked like a wonderful Adonis drawn out from the pages of one of the Historical Romance books I read.

“Ahem,” he faked a cough, jolting me out of my reverie.

“You should really stop staring and take your seat,” he offered, as my face flushed.

I need to work on my subtle ogling. I was not good at it. I gently found my seat in one of the chairs in front of him, as I looked sideways.

“Ariel. Why do you want to marry me?” His question came out of the blues, shocking me.

I looked up at him, as his eyes bore into mine, and for some seconds, I confessed inwardly that I was beginning to get attracted to this man.

Noticing my lack of response, he further urged:”Are you after my money?”

My face turned grim. Just great! Just when I thought he wasn't like those typical cold Billionaires I always read about, he proved me wrong. His question was like a dagger.

“Definitely not. I am not a lover of money. I only want to get married.” He chuckled at my statement, creeping me out the most.

“You can't fool me, Ariel, even if you had managed to make my mum fall for you. Listen.” He folded his hands, resting on the table, as he moved closer to me.

“I will pay you any amount. Just mention it, and it will be yours. Tell my mum you are no longer interested. You can possibly leave this country or start a new life somewhere,” He proposed, as I felt my hand itching to hit him in his face.

It was his sheer audacity for me. Does he think every girl can be bought with money?

“I think you got the wrong idea, Mr. Ryan Ackers. I accepted the marriage proposal, not because of any material benefits. I only wanted to get married. But if you do not accept this, I will gladly inform Mrs. Selina about it.”

I brought out my phone, pretending to put a call through, but his next action caught me off, as he took away the phone.

“You are not calling anyone. I just need to ask you more questions.”

He looked intently at me, making me feel a little flustered. I really wanted to leave here soon. At least for now. His gaze were not helping, I thought.

The knock on the door made him look up, as he requested for the person outside to enter.

A short petite lady with short blonde hair entered, as she looked shocked slightly as she glared briefly at me, before turning to I'm not sure we had met.

"Sir, your meeting with Mrs Samantha Delerosa is in five minutes, as she is available now. She is the owner of Sam and Lucille Corporation,"The lady states, as I felt my body tensed.

"I will be there,"Ryan stood up, as he looked at me one more time, handing back my phone to me.

"I will be right back, Ariel Peterson,"He mumbled, as they left, leaving me with my thoughts.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to calm the nerves twisting inside of me.

'They can't possibly be the one,'I thought.

My heart had started to warble inside my chest. My breaths suddenly quickened. My nerves kicked up into high gear again.

"It can't be possible. She can't be here," I mused

I shook my head, closing my eyes, as I kept quiet for a short moment, during which a deluge of apprehension fought for dominance in my forebrain.

The shadows of that night clouded my mind again.

RYAN POV

I shook hands with Mrs. Samantha as we finalized our partnership. Her company will be providing us with construction materials, and so far so good, they have been the best for the past 30 years of existence. She happened to be the new CEO of the company, and seeing our partnership worked out would make things easy for our company.

“It was so nice doing business with you. We promise not to disappoint you,” She smiled warmly at me.

“Thank you for the partnership. I would like you to meet the other stakeholders, as they are yearning to meet you. And since you are one of us now, we will have our quarterly meeting today,” She nodded, as we walked side by side.

We proceeded to leave the meeting room to another meant for the company's quarterly meeting.

I walked into the meeting room as Mrs. Samantha entered after me. We greeted each other warmly, as I sat at the end of the table.

The meeting started with the progress of the company so far, and I was glad things were turning out really well. We only have one, or two lapses, to work on. It was a good way to start the new year.

Putting on a smile, I said: “I really appreciate everyone for their efforts so far. As we continue to work, may we continue to put in our earnest efforts in it. Mrs. Samantha, you are also welcome.”

We were about to call it a day, when I began hearing murmurings.

“Ahem. There is still something the board of stakeholders wants to talk to you about,” Mr. Ronald, one of our executive stakeholders, spoke.

I nodded, as I relaxed on the chair.

“Well, it is about the scandal recently,” My forehead creased into a frown, as it became obvious what it was all about.

It was about the gay propangada flying around recently.

I scanned the whole room, the scrutinizing look of every one of them towards me. It was as if they planned it together.

“The truth is, we stakeholders are in support that you should marry soon.” Mrs. Harrison, another esteemed stakeholder, spoke.

I simply nodded, acknowledging it all. I guess they want an answer.

“Thank you for your concern. I will get married soon. I already have a fiancée.” I announced, as they began staring at each other.

I lied, and I felt slightly guilty too. But there is a high possibility of getting a fiancee today.

They must probably be wondering if I was joking, but I wasn't. I will be getting engaged to Ariel Peterson then,' I concluded in my mind.

“We are so sorry. We didn't know,” Mrs. Harrison looked slightly guilty, as she spoke.

“No problem. If that is all, let's call it a day.”

I waited, as they all left, except Mrs. Samantha who stopped by the door. I stood up, meeting her gaze.

“Happy marriage life in advance, Mr. Ryan.” I smiled warmly at her words.

“I would have given you my daughter. She is just twenty-four. But since you are getting married soon, I guess that will pass.”

“Thank you ma. I am sure your daughter will find a more suitable man than me,”

She smiled, as we both walked out. Shaking our hands once again, we departed in opposite directions. At that moment, different thoughts about Ariel Peterson began clouding my mind.

I smiled, remembering how simple and beautiful she was. She reminded me of the love of my life, Evelyn Grande. I let out a sigh, trying to dissolve the sad notion as I continued walking.

My mind went back to Ariel, as the picture of her face clouded my imagination. She has a beautiful gene, with long flowing blonde hair with bright brown eyes, and pink lips that remind you of delicate flower petals. Not to talk of her light skin body, which complemented her slender self. She was a beauty to behold.

Ever since Evelyn had died, I never felt attracted to any lady as I had towards Ariel. I had never even held a second glance, talkless of thinking about the opposite sex. But Ariel seemed to be an exception.

'Maybe because she shared some attributes as that of Evelyn,' my subconscious came in, as I snickered at my thought.

She looked beautiful, no doubt, but I wasn't going to make her know that. And I am definitely not going to fall for her. She will grow confused with my personality with time.

I shook my head. I can't believe I was describing her in my head.

On the good side, she even looked decent and also like someone that could be tamed easily. We are just getting married, but my heart belonged to my beloved.

I gently touched my pocket, certain the small box I brought along with me this morning was still with me. Time to meet Ariel Peterson," I whispered.

I walked into my office, as she turned to look at me. She turned back to the book she was reading, drawing out my amazed look.

“Aren't you afraid that I will be angry for invading my space?”

She simply sighs, not sparing me a glance. I decided to sit beside her, as she peeked at me.

“If reading those novels on your desk is a sin, then I will likely die as a sinner,” I chuckled at her joke. It felt as if we had known each other for quite a long time. She is good with communicating,' I confessed inwardly.

I picked up one of the books I got, as I stared at it. She had her head buried in one of the books by Ellen Cover.

“I apologize for touching your stuff without your permission. I am just a freak for Romance, especially those written by Ellen Cover. Her novels are dope.” She stated, as her brown eyes met mine. I shook my head.

I guess we have something in common then. I love reading, especially novels.It was one of those ways to create a peaceful atmosphere for myself.

“Not a problem. But you seemed quite confident about the previous issue we were battling with,”

She raised her head, glancing at me.

“I have amnesia. What is it about Mr. Ryan?” She tilted her head, her eyes gazing at mine.

I could feel sarcasm in her voice. I smirked, as I leaned closer. Two can play a game,' I thought.

My eyes cut to hers and I found her watching me with a peculiar kind of focus, at least for some seconds, before turning her eyes away from mine.

“Interesting Ariel. But can you repeat that to my very face?”I whispered, as she was still, a smile crawled to her lips? Her bright round eyes twinkled above her sun kissed cheeks. It was difficult to put into words the charm and allure written over her face.

I shook my head, trying to break the trance I was slowly falling into.

She gently peeked at me and said: “Please remind me, Mr. Ryan,”

“Let me remind you then,”I drawled out, letting out a puff of air. It was time I changed my mood.

“Mother said you agreed to marry me,” I stared at her deeply in the eyes, as I took in her beautiful features.

“Yes, I did,” Her sultry voice replied.

“Good. We will get married, but only for a year,” Her face wore a confused look as she blinked.

Taking her wrist, I allowed my thumb to gently sweep up and down.

“Make me fall in love with you within a year, and we will live forever,” I let the words in my heart out

“What if I fail?” Her gaze met mine.

“Then we will end the marriage and part ways. Worse still, you will lose everything you have,”I replied icily, as her wrist slipped off. She looked at me with disdain.

“Do you agree, Ariel Peterson?”

ARIEL POV

To mention that my astonished look wasn't obvious to Ryan would be an understatement. We kept looking at each other, as my gaze was filled with anger, anxiety, and confusion at the words he spewed earlier.

A year of marriage, and that was all? Divorced if I do not make him fall in love with him. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever heard, especially from someone like him. He had this confused notion, which only piqued my interest about who he really was.

“Yes, I agree to your terms and conditions, Ryan Ackers.” He smiled as I gently let out those words.

His next course of action stunned me the most. He stood up, before getting down on one kneel. He brought out a small box, as he opened it.

Unable to sit still, I immediately stood up, wondering what this was turning to. He was going to propose, and for a split second, my heart skipped a bit.

“Ariel Peterson, will you marry me?”

“Yes, I will,” my voice came out small, as he chuckled.

Without further ado, I stretched my left hand, as he gently slid the ring into one of my fingers.

He stood up, as he stared at me deeply in the eyes. My breath caught in my throat, as I watched him lean forward and brush his lips against mine. It was a soft, gentle kiss. The sweet scent of his cologne wafted through my nostrils. When he pulled away, I thought he took my heart with him.

That was my first kiss.

I felt completely dazzled by this man. He raised a brow and grinned at me. I blushed as I tried to hide it with my hair.

“I hope you succeed in making me fall in love with you.” I simply nodded, as he went over to the side of the table, where he really belonged.

He had his head down, as he began working on the files in front of him, silence clouding the atmosphere in his office.

It felt weird. And I felt I was no longer needed around him. Are we engaged? Yes, but it isn't real. I still had a Herculean task ahead. And that was to make him fall in love with him.

I sat for a while, trying to capture the brief event that transpired in my head. I sat down, as I just kept staring at him for a while. As if noticing my gaze, he lifted his head, as our eyes met.

“Staring at me? I thought you would want to leave by now.”

I shook my head, before picking up one of the files on his table.

“Let me help you sort out these files. That's if you don't mind.” I requested, as his forehead creased slightly.

“I studied Business Administration. And if you do not mind, I would like to relieve my fiancé from stress.” He chuckled, as he leaned back on the seat.

“Go on. You will not just be getting paid.” He teased, wearing an amused smile.

“Nah. Not a problem.”

I helped with sorting out the files, as I attended to the simple ones. By the time we were through, I was feeling hungry. The work was done in no time, as relief flashed through Ryan's face. I think he should get a Personal Assistant.

“Thank you for the help.” He appreciated it.

“You're welcome.”

The knock on the door interrupted my next set of words, as the secretary walked in after Ryan requested for her to come in. She glanced at me for a while, before dropping three bags she brought along on the table. She looked tired, but did her best to hide it.

With a smiling face, she looked at Ryan. I could sense she was harboring feelings for her boss, by her countenance.

“Here is what you ordered. Some men dropped it and I thought of bringing them here.” Ryan simply nodded, before standing.

“Thanks Chloe. You can leave now.”

With a final glare toward my way, she left.

Turning to look at me, he said:”Ariel, try these clothes out. And I ordered some meal for you,”

“What is the occasion?” I quickly asked, as it was getting a little weird for me.

“You will be meeting my family by 7pm for dinner. They would like to meet you.”

I stared at him, bewildered. Oh! no! My heart didn't just flip. It pined. It was as if cold water were poured on me, as I felt goosebumps.

“What? It is too sudden. Can't you shift it to a day or two?We just got engaged.” His lips curled into a smirk.

I felt my heart beat rise, as I was getting frustrated already.

“You got yourself into this mess in the first place, Ariel. We are now engaged. We are meeting my family today and that is final.” He stated curtly, as my mouth went dry.

My palms suddenly got sweaty, as I gently rubbed them on my gown. I felt a fluttering nervous stomach feeling.

“You….” I felt words stuck in my throat. I felt furious. It was too sudden.

He leaned towards me, his eyes twinkling with mischief. I could tell he was doing this on purpose.

“Those bags contain everything you will be needing for tonight. There is a bathroom at the right end of the office. Get ready before 6: 30 pm. I hate tardiness.”

This man had successfully pissed me off. I picked up a pen and threw it at him, which he dodged.

“You're so inconsiderate and annoying.” I huffed, folding my arms.

“Are you done?” He lifted his eyebrow, looking bored. I ignored him, looking sideway.

He left his side as he moved to where I was.

“If you really want to make me fall for you, you might start pleasing me. I hate lateness. I will be back to pick you up before 7pm.” Our eyes met again, his blue eyes pierced into mine,as his words registered into my brain.

I shouldn't have been angry with him. I should really work on being gentle towards him.

He opened his drawer as he brought out a phone. Opening my hands, as I allowed him, he placed the phone into my hand.

“You are my fiancée now, and we should start acting like a couple. See you soon, Ariel Peterson.”

Saying those words, he left the office . I felt speechless, nervous and anxious. 'This is not good," I mumbled, resting my head on the table.