Novel-novel oleh Ayisha

Three weeks into the marriage and they’d established a routine.Alison woke at six, made coffee, and was out the door by seven fifteen. Eric worked from home until nine, then headed to the office. They passed each other in the hallway sometimes, exchanged polite good mornings, and pretended this was all perfectly normal.At work they were flawless. Professional, efficient, no indication that they went home to the same address every night. She still called him Mr. Harrison in front of others. He still gave her instructions in that clipped business tone.At home they were polite strangers who happened to share a kitchen.Separate bedrooms on opposite ends of the penthouse. Separate bathrooms, as promised. She had the east wing, he had the west. They met in the middle for meals sometimes, mostly they didn’t.It was working. Sort of.Alison had learned his patterns. He stayed up until two am most nights working in his home office. Drank his coffee black in the morning, switched to green t

Alison called him the next morning at eight am. “I’ll do it.”Silence on the other end. Then, “You’re sure?”“No. But I’m out of options and you’re offering me one. So yes. I’ll do it.”“Okay.” He sounded almost surprised, like he hadn’t expected her to say yes. “I’ll have my lawyer draw up the contract. We can review it together tomorrow.”“Fine.”“Alison.” He paused. “Thank you.”She hung up before she could respond, before she could second guess herself into changing her mind.Three days later, she signed a forty page contract that outlined every detail of their arrangement. Separate bedrooms. Separate finances except for shared household expenses. Public appearances as needed. Duration of one year minimum. And that penalty clause, two billion dollars, staring at her from page thirty two like a warning.Two weeks after that, they stood in a courthouse on a gray Wednesday morning.Alison had taken the day off work. Eric had cleared his schedule, told his assistant he had personal bu

Alison made it exactly four hours before she had to leave the building.She told herself it was just for lunch. That she needed air, needed space, needed to think anywhere that wasn’t within fifty feet of Eric Harrison and his insane proposal.Marriage. He’d said it like he was suggesting they grab coffee.She walked three blocks to the small park near the office, the one with the fountain and the old oak tree that had probably been there longer than the skyscrapers surrounding it. Her usual bench was empty. Mrs. Mary was there too, feeding the pigeons like she did every Tuesday.“Alison!” The old woman’s face lit up. “You’re early today. Usually you come at one thirty.”“I needed some air.” Alison sat down on her usual spot, pulling out the salad she had no intention of eating.Mrs. Mary had been a fixture in this park for as long as Alison had been working in the area. Retired, widowed, living in the rent controlled apartment building across the street. They’d struck up a friendship

Alison’s visa expired in ninety two days.Not that she was counting. Except she was, obsessively, the number burning in her mind every morning when she woke up and every night when she couldn’t sleep. Ninety two days until she got on a plane back to a country that had nothing left for her. No family, no job prospects, no life.She smoothed down her pencil skirt and knocked twice on Eric Harrison’s office door. “Come in.”His voice was clipped, distracted. She pushed open the door and found him exactly where she expected him, behind that massive desk, eyes locked on his laptop screen. He didn’t look up.“Your ten o’clock is here, Mr. Harrison. The contracts from the Singapore deal are ready for your signature, and your mother called. Twice.”That got his attention. His eyes flicked up to hers, sharp and blue and currently annoyed.“What did she want?”“She didn’t say. Just that it was urgent.” Alison kept her voice neutral, professional. Four years as his secretary had taught her exact