SIX

‎As we left the room, Elijah's mother was waiting in the hallway. 

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‎"Elijah, we need to talk about…"

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‎"Not now, Mom." He cut her off and held me close to him. "Breanna's exhausted. We'll talk tomorrow besides Grandfather wasn't to speak to you now."

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‎"But…"

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‎"Bye mom."

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‎She looked like she wanted to protest but decided against it. She nodded and her eyes went to me with that same suspicious look.

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‎I forced a polite smile and let Elijah guide me back to the elevator.

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‎★★★★

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‎The car ride home was silent and I stared out the window, not really looking at anything in particular.

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‎Elijah's scent filled up the whole car as he drove. I could feel his gaze on me.

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‎"You've been quiet," he finally said.

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‎"I'm tired." I quickly said.

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‎"You're a terrible liar."

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‎ I turned to glare at him. "What's up with your grandfather asking about babies? Where did that come from??”

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‎He kept his eyes on the road. "He's old-fashioned.. He doesn't mean any harm by it."

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‎"Old-fashioned," I laughed. "The contract said nothing about birthing babies."

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‎"Why do you sound so appalled by the idea of children?" he asked.

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‎I scoffed. Was he really asking me that? "I'm not ready for children, and even if I wanted to have a child now, it definitely wouldn't be with someone like you."

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‎He put his free hand on his chest like he was actually hurt. "Ouch."

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‎ I wasn't amused.

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‎"My grandfather believes in stability," he said seriously. "The same reason why he thinks I should be married before I turn thirty in order to inherit the company completely."

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‎"And when do you turn thirty?"

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‎"In three months."

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‎So this whole thing was on a very tight timeline.

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‎ I turned back to the window. "And in the meantime, I get to play happy housewife while your grandfather asks when we're giving him babies."

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‎"I'll handle my grandfather. All you need to do is stay by my side and look pretty." He smirked, and I wanted to punch him.

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‎"You're such an asshole."

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‎"An asshole who's paying you very well," he reminded me. "Two million dollars, remember? Plus all your father's medical bills. That's what you signed up for."

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‎I clenched my jaw. He was right. I had agreed to this. I'd signed the contract and I'd taken his money.

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‎I didn't get to complain now.

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‎"Just don't forget your end of the bargain," he continued. "One year. That's all I need from you. Play the part, don't embarrass me in public, and when it's over, you walk away with enough money."

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‎"I won't back down," I said.

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‎"Good." He glanced at me. "Because backing out now would be very expensive for you."

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"What about your mom though. She doesn't seem to like me." I pointed out. The look bis mother gave me told me that she wasn't going to be as welcoming towards me as his grandfather was to me. 

"Don't worry about my mother. I'm the one you're married to..not her." 

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‎I rolled my eyes and remained silent for the rest of the drive.

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‎When we pulled up to what looked like his home, I had to physically stop my jaw from dropping.

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‎He lived in a freaking penthouse!!! It was in one of those glass towers that I'd only ever seen in movies. 

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He even had a doorman. ‎"Mr. Washington," the doorman greeted with a slight bow. "Welcome home."

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‎"Thanks, Marcus."

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‎We took a private elevator that required a key card. I'd never seen one of these before.

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‎The elevator opened directly into his penthouse. ‎The living room alone was bigger than my entire apartment. Everything looked so modern from the marble floors to the expensive-looking furniture.

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‎Whoa. I could see the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 

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‎"This is..." I said looking all around the room like a kid in a candy store. 

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‎"Home," Elijah finished, shrugging off his suit. 

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‎"Your things have already been delivered," he said, walking toward what I assumed was the kitchen. "They should be in your room."

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‎"My room?"

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‎"The guest room, it's down the hall." He loosened his tie, and I tried not to notice how the movement made his shoulders flex. "I'll give you the tour."

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‎He led me through the penthouse, pointing things out as we went.

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‎"I don't really cook so someone comes in to prep meals and stock the fridge. They also handle laundry and cleaning."

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‎"There's an indoor pool on the lower level and an outdoor one on the terrace," he continued. "Gym is down there too if you use it. The H

home office is off-limits unless I invite you in."

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‎I nodded. 

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‎He stopped in front of a door. "This is you."

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‎He opened it, and I stepped inside.

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‎The guest room was bigger than my bedroom at home. The was a king sized bed with the softest looking sheets and my own bathroom.

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‎I walked into it the bathroom and almost gasped. It was so magnificent. I'd never seen anything like it before. It even had a jacuzzi.

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‎"Holy shit," I muttered.

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‎"Is it acceptable?" Elijah asked. 

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‎"It's... fine," I said, trying to sound unimpressed even though I was completely blown away.

"Um.. where's your room?" I asked. 

"It's directly across yours." He gestured to the door opposite mine. Why was his room so close to mine?

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‎"Someone will be here at seven tomorrow to make breakfast," he continued. "But there's some food downstairs that you can eat for the night.”

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‎"Someone makes your breakfast?" I asked. 

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‎"Every morning."

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‎He couldn't even make his own breakfast. Such a spoiled brat.

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‎“Thanks but I'm not hungry.” I said. 

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‎He didn't even argue he just simply nodded and closed the door giving me privacy and I finally let myself breathe.

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‎I walked over to the closet and found all my clothes already unpacked and hung up. Someone had even organized them by color.

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‎This was insane. All of it.