"Are your eyes at the back of your head or what?" The woman hissed. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, but her tone and the fire in her green eyes made me unable to dwell on that.

I bowed my head, ignoring my burned hand that was stinging by the second. "I'm sorry." One thing I'd learned was that I was always at fault if I didn't want further problems.

The woman kept on staring at me, and I stared back in confusion. Didn't she learn that when a sincere apology was given, especially in situations where both parties were at fault, such apologies were to be accepted?

"I'm sorry?" I said again, wondering what else she needed.

She ignored me and stepped towards my boss' office, and I remembered one of the instructions I'd been given at my orientation. If there was no fire, and it didn't involve something I was told to do, or I hadn't been called to his office, he wasn't to be disturbed.

"He's currently not in." I said quickly, using the lie most people bought when they didn't have anything important to do in his office.

She snickered and looked at the door to his office, as well as the file in my hand. "Oh, are you Nathan's new secretary? No wonder." She said harshly and entered 'Nathan's' office without knocking, and I could only stare at her back. Wow. Who was she anyway?

I went into the powder room near my cubicle, something I was so grateful for, and placed my burning hand under running water, planning my strategies. Should I tell Lucas what I'd done? I could already hear his yells of outrage in my ears, and I ignored that suggestion. I turned off the water, ignoring my still reddened hand when I remembered the file I'd left on my table, I left the room and went back to my cubicle. I may have weaseled my way into marrying the man, but I was still his secretary.

JONATHAN'S POV

I looked up when my door opened, wondering what else my secretary needed, and glared at the figure that walked into my office like she owned the space. I bent down to continue my work as she stalked towards me.

"Babe." She whined when she got to my front.

I raised my head and gestured to the chair in the middle of the office. "I'm a little busy now. Is it important?"

She glanced at the chair that hadn't been set well after Danielle had gone, and she caressed the chair with her well-manicured finger. "Did she sit here?"

I huffed out a breath. "What is it this time?"

She dropped a cup of coffee or what had formerly been a cup of coffee on my table. "I brought this for you after carefully brewing it like you love, but she just had to bump into me." She brushed her shoulder and glanced at me.

"Well, that sucks. I appreciate the gesture." I nodded towards the cup that was still leaking, knowing from experience if I needed her to leave as soon as possible, I needed to cooperate with her.

Her nose rose in a familiar, disgusting gesture, and she sat down in front of me. "It's lunchtime. I was told you have not been taking your lunch hours."

I saved the file I'd been working on. "I'm not hungry. Enjoy your lunch." I knew exactly who had given her that information. It wasn't enough that I had fired the last secretary that had made it a job of reporting me to her; she still had her people in the company that reported my every move to her.

"Babe." She whined again, and I couldn't take it again.

I stood up and grabbed her shoulder, dragging her to the door. "Julia. We broke up two years ago. Can you give this a rest?"

She removed my hands from her shoulder. For someone who pretended to be so classy, she was so strong. I glanced at her, from her perfect hairdo to the gold and blue sundress she had on and the blue heels I'd bought for her. I narrowed my eyes at the shoe; I couldn't really remember what I'd seen in her. Her fakeness hadn't been obvious at the start, and it had only been when I'd seen her pining after Ethan after his death that I'd come to know the truth. I had been the middle way to getting Ethan, but now that Ethan was gone, I was a good prospect again, I could imagine. It was women like her that had made me have no plans towards marriage. Unfortunately, I didn't have another chance if I didn't want to break my mother's heart, and after losing Ethan like that, I couldn't really do that to her.

She glared at me. "It's been two years, Nathan. Are you still hung up on Ethan? I'm getting tired of waiting for you."

I saw red. "Don't ever refer to him, ever again."

She glanced at me. "Fine. I'm sorry. I'm leaving. I just wanted to bring you coffee, I swear."

I nodded, tired. "I know, Julia."

She narrowed her eyes, looking at me. "Is your secretary even effective? Why do you look so tired?"

"She's very effective; don't worry about me." I'd had a terrible night after hearing Danielle's call. The mere word 'suicide' was strong enough to get me on my knees.

"How about dinner? I'll cook your favorite. For old times sake."

I shook my head. "Don't bother. I just need to sleep." I grabbed her shoulder again, steering her towards the door. My head was pounding, and it felt like it was going to burst into two.

She detached herself. "I'll leave on my own. Don't drag me out."

I nodded and watched as she left the office, and I let out a sigh, placing my hand on my head. I went back to my seat, and my eyes went to the picture I'd turned upside down after that fateful day. I considered opening it, but I ignored that urge and powered my system again. Nothing like work to get me out of the funk Julia always managed to put me in. The conversation of yesterday and my awful night wasn't making anything better.

DANIELLE'S POV

I closed the box of case files and newspaper clippings, all regarding murders in the home, a way I'd tried to track my father's murderer's MO, and checked my wristwatch. Shit, I was going to be late to work. I ran towards my room to get my shoes on. I was already dressed in a red flowery blouse and black pants, as opposed to my normal dull and colorless fashion; my outfit a direct reflection of the great mood I was in.

"I heard wrong, right?" Lucas repeated, his shaky voice betraying his anxiety, and I sighed and removed my phone from mute. I didn't think he had any reason to react to the news like that. I hadn't even told him the real thing. I'd just announced my marriage ahead of time.

"Dude, I'm already late as it is, and I don't have time to listen to your lecture."

He sighed. "Why didn't you talk to me? You don't have to talk to me or anyone else for that matter to realize how much of a terrible idea this is. You know that, right? In a relationship with your boss? And now you're moving out." He scoffed. "Who is this man anyway? You've never told me anything about him since you started working for him. Danielle" He groaned, "This is such a horrible idea and I don't know why you're even considering it."

I picked up my phone and my keys and headed towards the door of my house, leaving packed boxes lying around. "How exactly did you find out?" I asked, ignoring his pessimism.

"Your neighbor told me. I went to your place last night, and she asked why you got so many boxes and if you were moving out."

I sighed, then I spilled the tea when he didn't know. Damn my nosy neighbor, anyway. "Fine. Yes, this may seem like a terrible idea, but it's not. He's a good man." I lied. What did I actually know about him?

I opened the door I'd just locked and ran inside to get my signed copy of the contract we'd signed yesterday at dinner. Great, now I was going to be even late to work. Something I hated with all fiber of my being and rushed back into my car, if it could still be called that. At this point, it was a short step towards a road terror, and with the noise it made and the number of broken down parts, I needed to change it. I just needed time and money to fix them that I did not have. At least, it could still take me to work. I sped up towards my office.

"Let's have lunch today so we can discuss this stupid decision of yours." Lucas said, and I frowned. I didn't appreciate him calling my decisions stupid.

"I can't make it for lunch, and why are you even reacting like this? It's so unlike you."

I heard him take a deep breath. "Why not? I... never mind. It's not like you will understand with you being so dumb."

I took a deep breath, there it was again. Another insult. "I'll try to make it for lunch or dinner, but I have to go." I said, pulling into my parking space and coming down from the car.

"Danielle." He snapped, and I paused. "Lucas, I'm late. I'll call you back." I said and dropped the call, took a deep breath, and entered the gigantic building that housed my office. Hopefully, my boss would also be late today.

************************************

A hand grabbed me, and I nearly let out a scream. "What the..." I didn't finish the words as my boss' slid to my front. "I'm sorry." I apologized and looked around, hoping no one could see us. I wasn't completely delusional and even though I'd convinced myself I didn't care what others thought of me, that wasn't completely true.

"What are...?" I wasn't allowed to finish my question as he pulled me into the stairway. I looked up at him in confusion to find him glaring... at me? Was this because of my lateness? What exactly had I gotten myself into then, if he was being this sensitive about me being a few minutes late to work?

"Haven't you checked your phone?" He demanded in a whisper, and I shook my head. He sighed. "I forgot yesterday to exchange numbers with you."

I nodded and texted my number into the phone he slid towards me, and he did the same on my phone. Why did I need to check my phone? I collected my phone when he was done and opened it, my eyes going wide at the number of unread messages that were on the employees group chat.

He just watched me silently as I opened the chat, and my face went pale and then flushed. I turned the phone towards him. "What happened?" Why were there different rumors about me, and why was his name with mine? All between the closing hours of the day before and today, and the gossip mill had already gotten busy. Had they already found our secret?

He wiped his face with his hand, a little aggressively, and gave me his phone, and I let out a gasp, my shock quickly turning into humor as I tried to control my laughter at the post.

"Is this funny to you?" He asked, and I couldn't exactly pinpoint what his tone had meant.

I nodded and then shook my head. The comments from the employees were a little funny, if I was being honest, with how ridiculous some of them were. The one that had made me break was someone saying they had seen me hanging around him in a club, and that was how I'd seduced him. I didn't even remember the last time I'd entered a club, and the thought of my boss being in a club had seemed so funny. "A little. How did it get on the company website? I don't have access there, and I doubt you posted it there."

"I didn't post it there, but I can get who did it, and I'm not going to take it lightly. Did you tell anybody what we discussed?" He asked, voice filled with doubt, and I shook my head.

"I'm a new employee here, and I have no friends. Who could I have told? Besides, didn't we agree not to outrightly announce it since it was fake anyway?"

I studied him. Why exactly had he gotten angry, though? If anything, I was the one that was meant to be furious. Had he gotten angry because my name had been mixed with his? I didn't want to know the answer to that, so I didn't ask.

"Well, there's nothing more we can do since it's already out. We just need to move up our timeline and work on our acting." He said, and I nodded. That, I could do.

We'd met for dinner to further discuss the terms in the contract and our roles, and he had brought it out that we act like a couple for a couple of months so we would be able to fool our parents and his employees. Now that the employees knew about our 'relationship', it was only a matter of time until his parents found out. As for me, there was no way, absolutely no way that my mother was going to find out since I knew very well that was going to be the day I would die.

"We'll also need to put things in place now to get married as soon as possible." He said, and I internally sighed. Where had that come from? What happened to discussing things together?This was exactly what I had wanted, but now that it was glaringly obvious I had no idea what went through his mind, I was beginning to doubt my safety.

JONATHAN'S POV

I grabbed Danielle's hand and felt her take a deep breath against me. This wasn't how this was supposed to work. I knew how cruel people could be, and the comments I'd seen on the group chat about her were making my blood boil, since I was the one that had suggested this.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded, and I opened the stairwell and stepped out, aware of the multiple eyes on us and particularly on our joined hands. While I would have gone with my personal elevator, I ignored Danielle's protest and entered the general elevator. There was no point in dragging it out.

We entered the elevator amidst shocked looks, and the whispers began. I looked down at Danielle to see how she was taking the reaction, and smiled when I saw how relaxed she was. I watched the floors move from the ground floor, and the elevator stopped and opened to the third floor, where Julia was standing with three other women. Most of the employees in the elevator came out, leaving two women who had not bothered to hide their curiosity. 

The feeling of tension immediately enveloped the elevator, and I knew people were curious about what drama was going to unfold. It wasn't a secret that Julia could turn crazy in the blink of an eye.

She continued staring at me without a word, and I pressed the button for the doors to close. Just as the door was closing, and I started feeling relieved, she stopped the door and entered with the women. Danielle, having noticed the change in environment, had also gone tense beside me.

"Good morning, boss. I wasn't aware a special event was holding today." Julia said, pointedly staring at our still joined hands.

Danielle tried removing her hands from me, but I held it tighter. "I guess you missed the memo. Not sure how that could have happened, since someone specially helped me announce the good news." I replied. There was no doubt she was the one that had posted the announcement, even though it had been posted by an anonymous account. She was the only one vindictive and brave enough to have done it.

She smiled, "I don't know what you're talking about. Posted what? What announcement?"

Thankfully, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and the remaining two employees that were still in the elevator with us came out. I could recognize them as part of the planning team. The door was closing when their voices flitted to me.

"Isn't this so interesting? That's the ex and the new girlfriend."

The other woman laughed. "Did you see her face? If looks could kill."

Now that the three of us were alone, Danielle made another move to remove her hands, but I held her firmly, none of which Julia had missed. "You're kidding, right?"

I looked at her, putting on my best uninterested stare. "About what? Us?" I asked.

Julia turned to Danielle, hate very obvious in her face. "Who do you think you're deceiving? I give this your arrangement two weeks max."

Danielle stiffened, and the elevator dinged for the last floor. Danielle removed her hands forcefully and went out of the elevator with no last look at us. I turned to Julia. "What's your problem? I don't need your interference in my life; what part of that don't you understand?"

She laughed and pressed the button for the already closing doors to open. "I think this conversation should be held somewhere more comfortable, don't you think?"

Seeing no other help for it, I followed Julia to my office, noting Danielle wasn't at her table. I entered my office and sighed when I saw Julia already seated at the corner I had for important conversations. I went down the stairs and sat down, crossing my legs.

She scoffed. "Why do you look like you're doing something great? I heard both of you talking yesterday. What kind of foolhardy arrangement is this?"

I let her continue to talk, but couldn't remain silent as her reprimand to me turned to insults to Danielle. "Don't talk about Danielle like that. Since you said you overheard our conversation, you should know I was the one that brought it up."

She narrowed her eyes. "If you're that desperate to be in a relationship or get married, I have nothing against that, but not that woman. I'm not going to allow it."

"Allow it?" I laughed mirthlessly. "Who are you to allow or not allow it?"

She stood up and walked closer to me. "Have you forgotten so soon? You don't want that precious piece of information I have entering the world, do you?"

I stood up. "You won't dare it. You also have a lot to lose if you reveal that. Have you forgotten that? This involves both of us. You think I will allow you to do anything funny and go scot-free?"

"Not that woman. What do you even know about her?" She asked, breathing heavily.

"What did I know about you when we started? This isn't my first rodeo, anyway, or yours." I said, gesturing to her. "You should know more about that."

With one last look at me, she stalked out of my office, her heels making a clicking sound with her movement, leaving a sad, bitter taste in me. If I could, I would go back to rewrite my history with her, starting with when I first met her. I couldn't believe she had even thought of threatening me.

Determined to remove her from my mind, I could think of what to do later, but for now, there were more important decisions to make. Like, where exactly and when to get married to my secretary?

JULIA'S POV

I was going to make that woman regret this. Before she came, everything had been okay, and now she was trying to take everything from me, and I couldn't allow that to happen.

I walked to her front, waiting for her to acknowledge me-something I knew she was doing on purpose. After a few minutes of silence I couldn't take again, I tapped her table, and she looked at me, removing the AirPods in her ears. I narrowed my eyes; I wasn't buying that crap.

"Whatever agreement you have with him, break it immediately." She continued staring at me, and I broke. "You don't want to mess with me. I'm that person dear daddy should have been warning you about from your birth, understood?"

She dropped the AirPods she had been holding. "Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to, as he was murdered when I was younger."

I laughed. "No wonder. You didn't have someone to teach you what and what not to do. You don't want to cross me. Nathan is mine, and anyone that tries to take what belongs to me, I will destroy."

She nodded and put her AirPods back in, and I laughed. I was going to show that silly chit, I wasn't to be messed with. I pressed the button for the elevator and entered, bringing out my phone as soon as the door closed.

Before I could dial the number, my phone started ringing. I sighed when I saw who was calling.

"What?" I snapped.

The voice on the other side laughed. "Looks like my daughter isn't in a great mood. Just what I like to see. How is the assignment going?"

I calmed myself down. Getting worked up in the presence of this man had never brought me anything good. "It's going well. It will be finalized very soon."

"You'd better make it as soon as possible; I'm running out of patience." He said and dropped the call. Taking a deep breath didn't help my anger, and so I flung my bag against the wall. I wasn't going to allow anything to stop me. I'd worked way too hard for this to suddenly lose control like this.