Chapter Six

“W-what?!” He spluttered. 

As she made for the door, he ran after her. “Dakota, wait!"

She walked on ahead, ignoring him. “Hold on, D. What do you mean you're breaking off the engagement? You-you can’t do this. The wedding is in two weeks. Whatever it is, we can work it out.” He begged profusely.

Dakota laughed derisively. “It’s over, Ryan. We’re done.”

To her surprise, he went down on both knees. “Please don’t do this, D. Whatever it is, we can fix it. I know you still love me!” 

She stopped in her tracks, infuriated by his certainty. “I don’t think I ever loved you, Ryan. I pitied you in the same way you pitied me all this time!” She felt nothing but a searing, relentless fury. He repulsed her in a way she hadn’t thought possible.

He clasped his hands together. “Please, babe. What are our families going to say when they find out?”

“Hmm, let me think about that. Yeah, I wonder what they’re going to say when they find out you’re in love with my sister and you’ve been cheating on me with her right under my nose!” She fired, her words laced with heat.

He froze.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue now, huh? You didn't think for a second that I'd find out?" She mocked.

 “I-I…It just happened one time, D. I’m so sorry. I was going to come clean about it before the wedding. I know it’s something we can get past. Please, just give me a chance to make it up to you.” He continued.

Something we can get past. She stared at him in revulsion. How could she have loved someone like him?

“You’re pathetic, Ryan and I never want to see you again!” She spat, seething.

And with that she sauntered off, leaving him on his knees.

***

Dakota fussed over her dress. It was a long and stylish lilac gown with long sleeves. She thought it was perfect for a business proposal meeting. Elias had texted the time his driver would arrive to pick her up. She glanced at her phone to check the time. It was ten minutes to 5pm. His driver was going to arrive soon. 

She still hadn’t told her family she had called off her engagement with Ryan. Frankly, she didn’t care if they found out before she did. There was nothing they could do to change her mind. Ryan had called her countless times and when he realized she was not going to pick his calls, he resorted to sending text messages. Some were threatening, while the others were filled with him pleading with her to take him back. It was clear he had been drunk while sending some of the messages, judging by the amount of grammatical errors in the messages. 

Her phone began to ring. It was Elias.

She answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Are you ready? My driver is waiting outside.” His voice was low and deep.

She nodded, although he couldn’t see her. “Yes.”

“Good.” With a click, he ended the call.

She stared at her phone, surprised by his abruptness. Didn’t the man know anything about phone etiquette? As she was about to open the front door, her mother appeared.

“Where are you going?” She demanded.

“I'm going out with a friend." Dakota answered curtly. She owed her no explanation, whatsoever.

Without waiting for a response, she closed the door behind her. A black Lexus was parked a few feet away from the house, with a man waiting by the door. 

“Good day Miss Stone. My name is Bayley, Mr Persson’s driver.” He bowed, opening the car door for her.

She smiled at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Bayley. Thank you.”

As she settled into the car, he drove off.

***

The restaurant Elias chose was located in a five star hotel, The Ritz-Carlton. She noticed him at the far end of the room, seated by the window. He was dressed in a white button down shirt and black pants. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing big strong arms. Dakota swallowed as she teared her eyes away.

“Thank you for coming.”

His eyes took in her appearance. “You caught my attention the other day, I had no choice but to see it through.” He confessed.

Dakota nodded slowly in understanding. “I’m sure you have other important things to attend to, so this won’t take long.” She assured him.

Elias shook his head at her statement. “It’s alright, Dakota. Take your time and tell me what this is about.”

“I heard your family has been pestering you to get married, especially your mother. Is this true?” She inquired.

Elias groaned softly. “Unfortunately, it is true.” He wondered where she was going with this.

Dakota smiled to herself. If she played her cards right today, her plan might go off smoothly.

“It’s obvious our families are trying to bring you and Diana together in the hopes that you get married to her. And I’m sure you hate feeling like you have no control over the situation.” She said, not breaking eye contact with him.

Elias looked on, quietly. His expression was hard to make out.

“So to get your family off your back, why don’t we get married instead?” She finished and clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking.

He cocked a perfect eyebrow. “Aren’t you engaged to Ryan Miller?”

She had expected this question. “I was, but not anymore.”

“And why do you want to get married to me?” He asked instead. She was mildly relieved he didn’t ask about the reason for her break up with Ryan.

“Let’s think of this as a business transaction for both of us. There are no feelings involved, obviously. You get your family off your back and I get what I want.” She added, convincingly.

“And what is it you want, Miss Stone?” He questioned, genuinely curious. 

She shifted in her seat. “I can’t tell you right now, but I promise it’s not something that’s going to hurt you.” 

He nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “A business transaction. I’m impressed, Miss Stone. I was expecting a lot of things, but certainly not a marriage proposal.”

She shrugged. “Everyone is full of surprises. And since this won’t be a real marriage, we can get divorced in six months.”

“Make it a year. Sounds more believable.” He suggested.

“Fine by me.” She shrugged. “So do we have a deal, Mr Persson?” 

Elias wasn’t sure if she was trouble or brilliance—but either way, he felt drawn to her. And of all things to propose, she had brought to him the one thing he didn’t expect. He brought out a black card from his shirt pocket and placed it on the table. Bemused, she glanced at the card and back rat him.

“What is this?” She quizzed, suspiciously.

“It’s the key to my hotel room.” He revealed.

Her eyes became huge as saucers. “And what does that have to do with me?” 

He curled his lips, amused. “That’s where we’re going to spend the night and then we have a deal. You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?”

She studied the card, contemplating. 

“What the hell is going on here?” A voice demanded.

Diana stood before them, disbelief etched across her face.