NONE OF THAT MATTERS

Emma returned to her office. Immediately, the hotel President, Mr. Michael, stood up, anxious to know the outcome of her meeting with the CEO. Genna was anxious too. Suddenly, Emma smiled at them, and they knew it was good news.

"Sir," Emma walked closer to her boss, who was waiting for answers. "You can go back to see him. I promise you, you don’t need to worry about this matter anymore." She smiled and nodded.

Mr. Michael held her hand and, with a smile, said, "Thank you, dear. Let me go and see him now." He left her office.

"Just like that?" Genna, who was also waiting for a miracle, was shocked. "What did you do? Did you have sex with him in his office? Please, just tell me and stop putting me in suspense."

"Sex?" Emma chuckled. "Genna, your mind is so dirty. Of all the things you could say. Sex? No way. That will only happen in your dreams," Emma stated.

Genna was dissatisfied. She wanted something good to happen between those two.

"Well, I’ll see you tonight. I need to get back to work," Emma said, already back at her computer working. As Genna was about to open the door, Emma called her back.

"Wait, Genna." Genna turned to face Emma. "I won’t be available tonight. Can you please help babysit my daughter?"

On hearing that, Genna rushed back to Emma. "Tell me, do you have a date?"

Emma replied, "Yes. And no more questions."

"Wow, so he’s taking you out tonight, right? Oh, I am so happy for you, my friend." She giggled and kissed Emma's temple.

"Wait, we shouldn’t be here now. We need to go shopping, girl. You have to look your best tonight. Moreover, you’re not just going on a date with a random man but with the most eligible bachelor, and a billionaire at that. Girl, you need to look your best."

Emma was surprised at Genna's reaction to the whole thing. Though Genna is full of life, she is kindhearted, straightforward, and blunt. She says things the way she sees them and has a pure heart, which is why Emma loves her. They are best friends and share secrets.

Genna is almost Emma's height. She has a tan skin. Botton nose. And short blonde that is cut into a pixie. She is very playful and hardworking.

"I can manage with what I have. There’s no big deal in meeting him tonight. It’s not a date. Wait, I don’t even know what to call it."

Genna held her hand. "I know you’re scared because he is Ethan Williams, a billionaire. It must be hard for you to accept it. But look at me." She raised Emma's chin with her fingers. "I think there is a reason for everything. Just be yourself, nothing more. But for the shopping..."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. A man in a black suit walked into the office with some shopping bags.

"Ma'am, this is for you." He dropped the bags on the coffee table in the small lounge area of her office and left immediately. Emma and Genna looked at each other and rushed to see what was in the bags.

They saw two dresses. One was a deep blue sequinned floor-length dress with an open back, and the second was another sequinned short dress from Armani. What? Did I just say Armani? Wow, this is huge.

They also found a pair of deep blue and off-white studded shoes from Gucci. In another bag was a box of jewellery, and in another was a clutch.

Immediately, the women guessed. They utter his name together. "Ethan Williams!"

"How does he know my size?" Emma asked, and immediately her phone rang. She quickly rushed back to her desk to grab her phone. She checked the caller ID. It was an unknown number.

"Unknown number," she whispered to her friend, who told her to answer.

"Hello?" she said.

"Did you receive what I sent you?" Ethan's husky voice vibrated from the phone speaker and it tingled.

Emma recognized Ethan's voice. "Yes, but why did you do that? And how did you know my size?" Emma was anxious to know.

"None of that matters. Make sure to wear one of the dresses tonight. I will pick you up by 7 p.m." He disconnected the call, leaving Emma speechless. She thought, "Why was he so rude?"

____

Ethan was in his office, going through some files. He wanted to quickly finish up his work. There was a knock on the door, and he responded, "Come in." His eyes were glued to the files he was working on.

Liam walked in and sat down on a single sofa in the office. "Hey, boss. What's up?" he said.

"I'm good, Liam," Ethan replied, still not looking at him.

"I have other good women's pictures to share with you. They are gorgeous. It will be difficult to choose." He smiled.

The twenty-nine-year-old man has been busy looking for a good match for his friend and boss.

Ethan raised his head to look at Liam, whose brown hair was falling to his face. He noticed that he got lean. And his green orbs are looking darker. He shook his head and went back to his work.

"You are overworking yourself, my friend. But, you do not need to worry yourself again. You can stop searching now. I have found my woman," he said subconsciously.

"Did you say 'your woman' just now?"

Ethan stood up, from his swivel chair. He walked over to Liam and sat across from Liam. "You heard me, Liam. My woman, I said. Maybe not now, but she will be. So, stop searching for women. I'm taken already."

"OK, slow down," Liam chuckled. "Who is she?" Liam asked.

Liam is Ethan's good friend. They went to school together and started working together after graduation. Though Ethan took charge of the company after his father's death, since then, the company has grown to another level.

Liam has been working with Ethan all these years. He cares about him like a brother and is the only one who understands Ethan. Sometimes it seems as if he is overprotective of Ethan.

He is 6"2 tall. Green eyes, brown hair. Slim frame. But, very handsome.

Ethan gave him a lot of power, allowing him to make many decisions on his own without consulting Ethan. And Ethan always agreed with most of his suggestions. Except for this marriage thing. Ethan feels it is entirely his responsibility, and it is his right to choose a woman for himself.

But Ethan, who has been captivated by Emma's beauty, has also forgotten that the whole marriage thing is just a contract and not a love marriage. However, he is taking it seriously, and for the first time, he wants to make this decision by himself.

"She is the same woman who insulted me, Liam."

"No way. The one with a child?"

"Yes, that one."

"No, you can't be serious now. Let me get you a good woman, one from a good wealthy family at least. Not some gold digger."

"Watch your language, Liam. And for your information, she is not interested in my money. And she is not interested in me. She has not agreed to marry me yet. My meeting with her tonight will decide what's next."

"Really? Why? Every woman out there wants you, for Christ's sake. Which woman in her right mind would refuse to marry you? That's a joke, man," Liam said, laughing.

"A joke I wish, but it is not," Ethan concluded. "Liam," he called.

"Yes, I'm with you."

"There is something that amazes me. No woman dares to look at me directly. But Emma did. She looked me in the eyes and told me straight to my face. She said she was not scared of me. And right there, she walked out on me," he narrated.

"Really?" Liam asked. And there was silence in the office.