Chapter Three

Isabella's POV

It was some time before I got home, and I met Rose waiting by the door. Her arms were crossed and her eyes went round as though she was waiting to question me the moment I approach her.

"You are just coming back?" She asked, her brows drawn up.

She walked in with me. 

"You went missing on your birthday, Bella. You think I wouldn't notice?"

 I threw my purse on the nearest bench and massaged my forehead. My limbs ached, my head ached and my chest was aching with the burden of all that I was not ready to release at the time."I do not feel like discussing it, Maybe later. Ok?"

Rose sat down beside me, and her voice became softened. "Fine. But can we speak about this at least, how is your mom doing?

The question itself weakened me even more. I pulled my knees to my chest. "She is not doing well. The Doctors want to do something different but it is costly. And I don't have the money."

"Isa..." Rose touched my hand. "You know I will help. Let me help pay some bills."

I hastily denied shaking my head, nearly desperate. "No. You already do too much for me. I can't put that on you. She is my mother. My responsibility."

Her lips drawn into a slender line and I could read frustration in her eyes. She would have liked to argue with me, but only pressed my hand.

My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen

Email notification.

I opened it in a hurry thinking that it was another overdue bill. Instead, my eyes widened.

Congratulations, you have been shortlisted for an interview at Anderson innovations. Please, report to the executive office tomorrow morning by nine.

I stood still, I was not sure what to do. Anderson innovations. The largest technological corporation in the city.

"Rose." My voice trembled. "I just got an interview."

She was practically squealing and gave me a bone crushing hug. "Are you serious? Isa, this is huge!"

I said yes, and continued to look at the message.

"Tomorrow morning. At Nine o'clock."

"Then we need to get you ready, no excuses." Rose pacing, already thinking of things in her mind. "Outfit, hair, makeup... Leave it to me."

Her enthusiasm was infectious and I was smiling so hard.

~

The following morning, I was standing in front of glass building of Anderson innovations. My hands were clammy, and I adjusted my blazer for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Rose made sure I looked the part, black pencil skirt, fresh white shirt, and heels unnecessarily high in my opinion.

I checked the time. 8:05 am. Early. Good.

Upon entering the lobby, I went to the reception desk. The lady in the background smiled amicably.

"Good morning. My interview with Mr Daniel Harper is scheduled for nine." I said, and I maintained a rather steady voice trying not to betray the nerves I felt, this was my shot for a better life for my mum and I.

She entered something fast on her keyboard computer and shook her head. "Yes, Ms. Duncan. His office is on the executive level. Get into the elevator up to the top and go along the hall. It will be on your left."

"Thank you." I replied with a smile.

I sighed as I got into the elevator and was trying to relax myself.

~

The office of Daniel Harper was not too huge or intimidating. There was large brown desk with two chairs opposite the one he was on and two shelves on either side crammed full with books. A middle-aged man of early forties, with kind eyes and a placid smile.

Isabella Duncan? he questioned and looked towards a folder lying before him.

"Yes, sir." I sat down carefully.

"I've gone through your resume. This is indeed very impressive. You are twenty-three, right?"

"Yes." I nodded.

He leaned back into his chair. "Tell me why you want this job?"

I swallowed, and made my nerves go down. "I am a hard working person who is willing to develop. I might not have many experience yet but I do not give up easily and I can assure you that."

His eyes examined me some time, and then he smiled. "I like that answer. You will do well here."

My heart skipped a beat. "Does that mean..."

"You have the job." He interrupted me. You will be working under me as my secretary. You start work tomorrow by 8 AM."

I felt so much relieved and glad. "Thank you so much sir."

He nodded. "Ms. Duncan, Welcome to Anderson innovations."

I nodded.

I went out of the room, and felt lighter than I have been in years. But I froze the moment I came out of the office.

He was there .

The man from the club. The man whose name I still did not know, the man who kissed me like there was no tomorrow, the man that left me in the early hours of the morning like I meant nothing to him.

Is he Kieran Anderson?. I immediately recalled that I had already seen his photograph on the TV some time ago as the new CEO of Anderson innovations.

Our eyes met.

He looked right at me, and my heart slammed hard against my rib cage.

But there was nothing. No sign of recognition. His gaze was cold, as if I was just another face in the hallway.

My stomach dropped.

I forced myself to look away and walked past him, my nails digging to my palms. It shouldn't hurt, but it did.

I waited until I reached the elevator before pulling out my phone and calling Rose.

She answers almost immediately. "Well?"

"I got the job." My voice wavered between excitement and disbelief.

Rose screamed into the phone, but her joy couldn't make me forget the dull ache in my chest. Because while I had gained something, I had also lost something I never had.

~

Kieran Anderson's POV

I didn't let my thoughts linger on her.

The girl in the hallway, there was something familiar about, but I dismissed it as coincidence. I have too much on my plate to be distracted by a random employee.

I walked into my office, slumped into my chair, and barely had a chance to exhale when my phone buzzed. The screen lit up Elijah Reyes, my late foster dad's lawyer.

I answered. "Yes?"

"Kieran," his steady voice came through, "we need to finalize the terms of Logan's will. There is one last property, a prime estate. That you can't access yet."

I leaned back, finger tapping my desk. "And why is that?"

"Because," he paused, "your father made it a condition. To claim it, you must be legally married. Married for at least a year. No shortcuts."

A humorless laugh left me. "That sounds like him." Always strategist, even while in the grave.

"You understand the stipulation?" Elijah asked.

"I do."

"Good. The moment you are married, we will proceed."

I ended the call, staring at the city skyline beyond my window. Married. For a year.

My first thoughts went to Olivia. We could've been married easily if she hadn't betrayed me. If she hadn't reminded me that love was nothing but a weakness.

I shook the thoughts away. There was no point in reopening old wounds.

This wasn't about love. It was about business. About what was mine.

So I would make it simple, find someone willing to pay the part. Someone who needed me as much as I needed them.

A contract marriage. Clean. Temporary.

I picked up the phone and called Elijah back. "Draft the agreement. A marriage contract. For a year. I will find the woman and handle the rest."

"Understood." He said.

I set the phone down and leaned back in my chair. The contract was the easy part. The hard part would be choosing the woman.

Who?

It couldn't be anyone from my close circle. Too much risk, too many strings.

Doris would ask questions, Julia would meddle, and Lucas would never let me hear the end of it.

Olivia crossed my mind again. Uninvited.

I buried the thought immediately. She had cheated on me, lied, and left a bitter taste I wasn't willing to swallow twice.

So who, then?

I rubbed my forehead, scanning the names of women that floated through my mind, and each one failed the test. Either too complicated, messy or close.

And then the image of the girl returned.

The girl from the hallway. The one with the guarded expression. The one who looked at me like she knew me and remembered something I didn't.

I frowned. She was a stranger, an employee, someone I shouldn't even be thinking about. 

I was intrigued, I couldn't deny that fact.

Maybe it was her silence, the way she didn't beg for attention unlike most women. Maybe it was the flicker of something in her gaze that mirrored my own.

I didn't know her name. I didn't know her story. But for some reason, she stayed in my mind longer than she should have.

I told myself it was nothing. Just coincidence.

Still, when I thought of who might sign that contract, I thought about her again.

I have made up my mind, I need to know more about her.