A normal person would have said no but Leila stopped considering herself normal the moment she signed the contract with Kelvin McKenna. They only went on two dates for God’s sake. Her best friend didn’t even know because he convinced her to do it before telling Freya. And she agreed.
She said yes.Did she make a mistake?Leila was still thinking about this as she entered her work building, she pulled the door to her office open and paused.Everyone was here.She stole a peek at her wristwatch, she wasn’t late. It was only five minutes past eight. She walked briskly to her table and set her bag and files down.Her head raised when someone sat on her desk. Lily. They were not best of friends but she preferred her to that witch staring at her from across the room. Samantha’s mission in this office was to make her life miserable but Leila was bent on avoiding her as best as she could. Already, it was working. Last month, she received the best staff of the month award for the third time in a row.“Did you hear?” Lily asked.Leila chewed on her lips. If this was another round of office gossip, she wasn’t interested. “Hear what?”“About the merger.” Leila sighed. Lily was talking in riddles but she wasn’t too interested in the conversation to want to find out more about this merger they weren’t notified about. “We have a new boss.”Her eyes jerked to Lily’s face and the woman curled her fingers in her long strawberry blonde hair. Aside from her long hair, she envied Lily’s flawless face and her composure. Unlike her, Lily didn’t have that annoying tiny birthmark on her jaw that called attention to it. People wanted to look at Lily because she was pretty not because she had a weird birthmark.“Sarah has been fired?” Leila asked.Each department in Tech valley had its own leader. Sarah, sometimes, got unbearable under pressure but she was one of the few heads of departments Leila liked. Lily shook her head with a small smile.“No.” She bent over Leila’s laptop, turning the screen to Leila so she could input her password. “The boss’s boss. Sarah has a new boss.”“Oh.”“Yeah. You should have received an email.” Her eyes swept over the room before finally coming to rest on Leila. “I got mine today.”Leila was quiet as Lily typed away on her laptop. Almost immediately, she snatched the device from her colleague when Lily opened her email without notice. An apology tumbled out of Leila’s lips at Lily’s frown. Her marriage certificate was there. Kelvin emailed her a soft copy alongside a copy of the contract that held the future of their marriage.Two years.If she wasn’t satisfied with the state of things between her and Kelvin, she could walk away with their house, a car of her choice and a million dollars in her account. A part of her hoped she never had a need for the contract. Today was the second day of the marriage but she was willing to make it work or at least try.“Do you know who this new boss is?”Lily shook her head. “Sarah didn’t say much but we have to welcome him today. That’s why that one…” Her voice held a hint of annoyance as she threw a look at Samantha’s table. They both disliked her. Samantha was in the news department, so they never got to engage often. So it was a bit of a surprise to see her in the production department. “...is here. She’s interviewing him today.”Her eyes met Samantha’s and Sam hissed. If Leila was as callous as the pretty lady on bangs, she would have switched Sam’s script long ago so she could be fired. But she was far too kind for that. Sam might be a terrible person but she was a great reporter, one of the best in Tech Valley.The door to their office opened. Sarah stood in the doorway, her sharp eyes going over everyone. “Lily Boom, you are not paid to sit on other people’s desks.” Leila heard the sound of muffled laughter, she looked up right in time to see Sam giggling. “Get up or get out of here.”“I’m sorry,” Lily offered as she scrambled to her seat.“Save your useless apology for the dead,” she thundered.Lily’s lips twitched but she didn’t say a word as she settled down. Leila offered her friend a small smile and she winked. This was Sarah for them.The office grew quiet as Sarah barked out orders. “Samantha.” Sam stood. “Do you have your script?”“Yes, Ma.”“Good. Sit. You’re just to introduce him to the world and that’s all. Ask him questions people want to hear. Do your job.” Sam nodded again. She was a bit nervous and it showed. “Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes tops. Anything more than that and you will spend the rest of your life looking for a new job. Got it?”Lily and Leila shared a look and a smile broke out on their lips as Sam’s face grew red. Already used to Sarah’s attitude, they didn’t think twice of her threat but this was Sam’s first time in their department. Good for her.The phone in Sarah’s hand rang, she shoved the notepad under her armpit and took a breath. “He’s here.” Her eyes lingered on everyone. “Sam and the rest of the news crew will conduct the interview but he will be here to inspect the team behind the wonderful scripts.” Shoving her hands into the pockets of her suit jacket, she said, “If you are not cut out for this job, now is the best time for you to quit.”Some of them snickered and Sarah softened. “Good luck, everyone. Our future depends on this.”The department was as quiet as a temple after Sarah and Sam left. Lily wiggled her brows but didn’t dare to leave her seat. Leila stretched her arms and yawned. She didn’t sleep well last night. It would take a while to get used to sleeping on a new bed or being a married woman.She resumed typing on her laptop at the same time a gasp echoed in the office. Susie, the loudest staff among them, raised her phone and screamed, “He’s hot. He’s so fucking hot.” To buttress her point, Susie licked her screen. Leila cringed. No one was disturbed by her act, this was typical Susie behaviour. “I want to marry him.”Leila paused. If she asked who, she would be drawn to the gossip Susie was ever willing to dish out. But she was curious to know, it might be her boss. She might be off the market but she was allowed to admire handsome men. Though she didn’t think she would be doing that often, her husband was hot enough for her. Leila stared at the script on her screen. She had to vet it.Tech Valley was a media outlet that combined tech and entertainment. Most times, they had to find a way to incorporate tech in fun ways to keep most of their younger viewers glued to the TV. All the scripts from the scriptwriter had to pass through them before it was sent to the news department. In her line of work, there were no mistakes, so she couldn’t afford to make one.Lily beat her to the question. “Who?”“The boss. Check your WattsApp. Mark sent a picture.”Mark was one of the videographers. Everyone could count on him to supply the right information. She reached for her phone and tapped on the group chat of Tech Valley staff. They had two groups, one for serious messages and the other for gossip, chats and hook-ups.The picture took a few minutes to load and when it did, her world crumbled. Her phone slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor. Her heart beat against her chest as she picked it. She set it on the table and forced a smile to her lips when Lily threw a worried glance at her.This could not be happening.Leila momentarily forgot about the cracks on her new Samsung phone and swiped right. The picture was the same. She placed the phone face down and grabbed her head in her hands.Why did he have to be her new boss?The department was louder than before as male and female staff discussed her husband. Leila was mortified as Susie broke down into a commentary about his looks.Bile rose to her throat and she forced herself to take a sip of water from her flask. One of the rules of their firm was this: No inter-staff relationship. It was forbidden and highly frowned upon, so most of what they were saying would only happen in their dreams.Still, their thoughts nauseated her. She wasn’t breaking the rules by being married to the boss but she felt like a criminal as she listened to them ogle and try to picture Kelvin without a shirt. He was her husband and she hadn’t even seen him shirtless yet.Susie was the loudest of the gossipers, her comment about Kelvin’s lips between her legs bothered Leila and she scowled at their backs when they laughed at her remark. Her cheeks warmed when she remembered their near kiss from this morning.Kelvin was perfect as he was.Lily dragged a seat close to Leila’s tabl
“Carlson,” Leila breathed out.“Leilani.” He smiled. Those familiar emotions of anger that she had buried since their failed date bubbled inside her. “I didn’t think I would be seeing you anytime soon.” Neither did she, she should have looked first before hopping into his car like a rabbit. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”“Oh.” What was the kindest way to tell someone she blocked him? Her fake smile became faker. “I changed numbers. Might be why you couldn’t reach me.”“Sweet. Can I have your new number?”“What?” she squeaked out.“Your new number. I’ll give you a call later.”Today he was wearing a beanie so she was spared the sight of his thinning hair. When his head tilted to get a fuller view of her, she froze.“Look, we got off on the wrong foot. I apologise.”“It’s okay. Can we just go?” she asked.“Where to?”“Straight ahead. I’ll let you know when to stop.”Carlson burst into a string of apologies as their ride began. Leila cursed her fate over and over again. She should have
Minutes later, the food was ready. Leila set the tray on the table, her smile, big and bright as she marched to the study to get her husband. She met him on a call. His voice was so low she barely heard a word he said. She leaned on the doorframe, a small smile on her face as she watched him massage his forehead. Even when disturbed, he looked cute. They might get along.The call ended and he turned to her. Leila smiled, ready to speak but he cut her off. “What do you want?”Wow. His words were like ice poured over her, she took a subconscious step out of the study. Her hand curved in the direction of the dining.“Dinner is ready.” She tried and failed to smile but his reaction hurt her. Here she was, trying to be a good wife and he was being rude. “I came to tell you that.”She was a few steps out of the study when he called her. “Leila.” She stopped but didn’t turn. If he would be rude to her, she didn’t want to be around him. “Sorry for raising my voice.”Hiding a smile, she nodded
Leila’s heart jumped to her throat. Masking her fear of the unknown, she nodded. Kelvin’s gaze swept over her and she hid her hands under the table. For once, she didn’t want to know what he was thinking. Her mind slowed as she replayed the events of today. She had done nothing wrong.“Today at the office...” Kelvin started.“I get it,” she interrupted. “We should remain a secret.” Her cheeks burned when she remembered how he acted towards her and she shrugged. Too bad she wouldn’t be able to exchange husband tales with Freya. “I understand. I can do that.”After four rigorous years at Tech Valley, she didn’t want her success to be attributed to him. Most importantly, she didn’t want him to go out of his way to please her. Only real couples did that and their marriage was one of convenience.Kelvin smirked at her discomfort. “I was about to say… I didn’t mean to make you nervous.” Oh. She stared at her feet, embarrassed by her forwardness. “I didn’t say anything about us because we ha
Leila rose to her feet slowly. Her husband had not moved an inch, he was staring at her like he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t joined him on the bed yet. They might be getting along now but she wasn’t ready to be intimate with him.He was still a stranger to her, a familiar stranger.Her heart beat faster, she found it difficult to breathe as she dragged one foot in front of the other. Kelvin’s phone rang before she reached the bed, they stared at each other and she sent him a soft, pleading smile to leave the room.Furrowing his brows, her husband shot out of the bed. “I have to take this,” he said. “One second.”The words to reply to him failed her, he gave her a curt nod and her chest deflated with relief once he stepped out of the room. After one last look at the door to be sure he wouldn’t be back soon, she hurried to the wardrobe to get her pyjamas.A polka dot long-sleeved pyjamas. Scowling at her nightwear, Leila questioned her fashion choices. The pyjamas made her look li
“Yes. But I need to go get ready.” Leilani rushed to the door of the bathroom, then stopped. Her eyes closed, she took a deep breath. “I need to make breakfast first.”She felt a presence behind her and her spine stiffened. He was so close to her she could smell his cologne. She didn’t turn, she couldn’t. Her body was reacting to his presence in ways that were unfamiliar to her. She held onto the door frame for support when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She had to get a grip.“Don’t worry about breakfast. I made something.” She cocked her head a little to get a glimpse of him. He made what? Kelvin nodded and her heart clenched in fear and surprise. “I’ll wait for you so we can eat together.”A smile broke out on her lips, she hopped into the bathroom without a reply to him. As soon as the door closed, she leaned on it and placed a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating so fast, so hard. Her husband was making her feel things, things she didn’t want to feel.Laughter from outside
Leila was almost done with her toast when Kelvin’s phone pinged. “The driver is here,” he told her.Kelvin stared at the new Samsung phone on the table for a minute or two, then slipped it into his breast pocket. The short conversation they had about the phone already told him she wouldn't accept it. She was still as dogged.She finished the rest of her food in silence and he watched, doing his best to cover up the discomfort brought by her presence. She was pretty. The kind of pretty that you appreciated better after a second look with a tiny birthmark on her jaw he wanted to kiss. He didn’t expect her to agree so easily to his proposal. He had been prepared to use other means to entice her but he was glad he didn’t have to go that far.“All done.” Leila’s voice broke him out of his trance.Kelvin looked up and the table had been cleared. In his opinion, his beautiful wife stressed too much but that was a conversation he wasn’t willing to have with her.“Let’s go.”“Together?” she sq
So far so good, Leila thought until her husband’s hand slipped into hers. She almost dropped her hand bag. For a split second, she had no idea what to do. He squeezed her hand and something warm exploded in her chest.She was near her floor when he released her. The elevator pinged when she arrived at her floor. Lily stepped out before her and Leila delayed getting out. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do or say to him and they weren’t alone. In the end, she walked out without saying anything to him.If the Uber driver had not taken a different route that made them stuck in traffic, she would not have met him here. Who was the lady with him anyway? She was pretty. Too pretty and Leila wasn’t sure if to be jealous.“He’s not so bad,” Lily was saying to her as they turned into the corner of her office. “And he’s sexy.”“Yeah,” she answered because she was required to say something.The office was calmer than yesterday, only now, Susie was at her table. Susie looked up at the sound of