Chapter Four: THE BOND

As the morning light streams down to Emily's right eye on the giant bed, she opens her eyelids gradually; her sight is still blurry, and her head still hurts with a headache from burying her mom 6 feet underground. It was like she hit her head with a brick.

Her phone began to ring, the reggae ringtone piercing the air of the dimly lit room. At first she ignored it and tried to regain her strength after weeping continuously since her mom died.

Then it rang the second time. "Who could that be?" She questioned herself inwardly. While the phone continues to ring, it seems the caller means business and is ready to keep calling until the speaker of the phone bursts if not picked.

"Ah, geez!" She exclaimed after she forced her hand under the pillow beside her on the bed. "Hello!" Emily spoke,

"Wakey wakey, angel! The mourning is over." A deep voice said, "She tries to project the caller in the membrane, but the continuous uttering helped out, 'It's time to fulfill your part of the contract.'"

"Mr. Richard Grey," she asked rhetorically; his voice pierced through her ears, and her eyes widened in shock as he acknowledged.

"Yes, sweetheart," he asserted in a serious tone. "Emily, you need to resume work today, as signed in the contract."

Her eyes narrowed; her eyes darkened. "I never agreed to work for you; it's all a contract marriage!" She backfired at him, but he just burst into hysterical laughter.

"It was stated after the contract marriage that you work for me as I deem fit," he declared strongly, and one could tell that he meant each word.

Although it's been a week after the death of her mom, Emily has forgotten she has signed a life contract marriage. Unknowingly to her, she didn't notice she also signed to work with the pervert.

"Mr... Mr., Mr. Richard, I'm..." She stammered in every word from her mouth.

"I'll be expecting you at GREYSONS COMPANY LTD. Bye!"

She fumbled through her drawer to find the contract, flipping through pages. One line stood out in fine print she'd never noticed before: “Employee shall perform all physical, personal, and professional obligations as required by the CEO.”

Richard hung up the call on a loud beeping tone.

Emily's jaw dropped; her heart sank in anger. She jumped out of bed, walked up to the bathroom, and turned on the shower tap to cool her hot head.

“If this contract was only about marriage… then why does it feel like I've walked into something far more dangerous?”

This wasn't about marriage. It was about control.

"I got myself in deep shit; if I want to terminate this contract, I need to go there!" She whispered inwardly. "I have a feeling there's more to this contract than just me." Her suspicion heightened. As she took her cool bath.

****

Emily arrived at GREYSONS COMPANY LTD maybe exactly at 10:19am. Feeling a mix of nervousness and anger. As she approached the reception desk, it was a new face from the one she met a while ago.

She stared at the new young lady in her 30s with a warm smile and greeted her. "Hi, can I help you?" The receptionist asked, her eyes cunningly friendly. Emily took her time to glance at the name tag on her chest.

"Hi, Miss Julia Roberts. I'm here to see Mr. Richard Grey. I came here a few days ago. I want..." Emily replied, her voice confident, but her words were cut short.

Julia nodded, her eyes scanning the schedule like she's checking her name, which is definitely not there.

Meanwhile, Julia Roberts happened to be the secretary and personal assistant to Mr. Richard Grey, but she was relieved of her post because of Emily Asher.

Secondly, "This is the same lady that bumped into Loving Alex the other day." Julia Roberts mused thoughtfully to herself, "She's going to pay for it; she'll pay for everything." Julia declared and gave her the direction.

What if she was misdirected to the wrong office intentionally? What if Mr. Richard Grey has another plan for her?

"Ah, yes. Mr. Richard Grey is expecting you. His office is just down the hall, on the third floor. Enter the first door on your right."

“Enjoy the office sweetheart, let's see how long you survive in Richard Grey's world. I'll be watching.”

Julia watched Emily walk away with a sly smile. “You stole what was mine. He promised me marriage, a future…”

Her fingers clenched around the schedule sheet. “But he threw me out the moment you showed up.”

Without hesitation, Emily proceeded to an elevator before, just as told, she pressed the 3rd floor button, and her curiosity heightened on how she's going to terminate the contract or how to go ahead with the contract.

As Emily entered the elevator, Julia reached for her phone and typed a quick message.

“She's in his office. Let the game begin.”

Then she smirked to herself.

“This time, I'll make sure she's the one who gets discarded.”

After a few seconds, "Ding dong!" The elevator stopped, and she stepped out into the dimly lit corridor. Checking the first door to her right. Emily entered the office, noticing the eerie silence. She wandered, taking in the decor, and her eyes landed on a small shelf with a violin hung on the wall. Her fingers itched to play, and she couldn't resist the urge. She carefully took the violin, tucked it under her chin, and began to play.

The music flowed from her fingers like a river, filling the room with a melancholic beauty. Alex Grey entered the office, unnoticed by Emily, and stood still, entranced by the sound. His heart swelled with emotion, and he felt an experienced connection to the person playing the violin.

“That song… the way she held the bow… it is her.”

Alex's memory flash back to university nights where he would sneak behind the theatre just to hear her play.

“I knew her before all this, and now she's married to my uncle?’

"This can't b possible; she's back to playing her violin, just the way she played it while in school." Alex whispered inwardly to himself. "Same note, same rhythm, same stance. I've finally found you!" He asserted to himself, his voice laced with excitement.

But fate had played a cruel trick - she belonged to his uncle.

As Emily finished the piece, Alex applauded softly, not wanting to startle her. She turned, violin still in her hand, and their eyes met. Alex's gaze locked onto hers, and he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. It was Emily Asher, the same lady who had bumped into him a week ago in the same company.

Emily's eyes widened in surprise, and she lowered the violin. "I'm here to see Mr. Richard Grey," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alex's eyes never left hers. "You're the one who's been playing my violin," he said, his voice filled with emotion. The more they gazed at each other, the stronger the bond between them became.

Emily's cheeks flushed. "I guess not; I was told this is my office, prepared by Mr. Richard Grey." She explained briefly. "I think you are in the wrong place." She declared strongly,

Alex took a step closer, his heart racing. "I don't mind at all. But I think you are the one in the wrong place, taking what doesn't belong to you." Immediately he said, Julia showed up at the door.

"Miss, who gave you the audacity to enter into Mr. Alex's office?" She asked and pretended she wasn't aware.

Emily's eyes darkened in anger. "But you... You are the." Her words were cut short.

"Don't even dare put your lies on an innocent person; Julia has been working for us for five years now." Alex uttered sternly, sending a shiver down Emily's spine. "Who the fuck are you looking for?" He asked.

Emily walked away from the violin shelf towards the door; as she wanted to explain in detail, Julia stepped in. "She's the new assistant to your uncle, sir. She's Mr. Richard's assistant." She declared strongly, then giggles continued.

Alex's mind reeled on what his uncle had told him earlier on. "I'm getting married soon!" He remembered. "So, this is the lady he was referring to, his contracted wife." Alex whispered inwardly.

But as they stood gazing at each other, their bond never stopped growing, the air thick with unspoken emotions. But Alex's mind was a jungle of conflicting feelings.

He was drawn to Emily, even though she's now contracted to his uncle. A contract that could complicate things, as he's now torn between finding who killed his father and also if Emily is the same person he's been searching for.

"What's going on here?" Richard Grey uttered sharply behind them, sending a shiver down to their spines, as the all directed their gaze towards him and froze.

But Richard's eyes were fixed on one thing only - the look in Alex's eyes as he stared at Emily.

And that look… was dangerous.

Richard's jaw clenched as he stepped into the office.

He didn't look at Julia, didn't even blink at the violin.

His eyes were on Alex.

“I see you're enjoying your new office, Nephew,” he said coldly voice like a knife.

After Richard left, Alex remained in the office, staring at the violin.

Emily turned to leave. “I'll get out of your office.”

“Wait,” Alex said. “There's something I never told anyone.”

She stopped.

“The night my parents died… the last message I received was from a blocked number.”

Emily tilted her head. “And?”

Alex turned to her.

It said: “it ends when she returns to the company.”

Emily's blood ran cold.

“And now you're here.”

She hadn't signed a contract. She just walked into a prophecy.