Married to my enemy CEO

Adele sat on the bed, fingers curled tightly around the knife hidden under the pillow. She watched as her husband entered the room in his robe and night trousers, her gaze following him as he shrugged off his robe, dropped it in a corner and lay on the bed. He didn’t seem to give her much attention.

He just covered himself with the duvet and turned off the night lamp. She slowly slipped the knife from beneath the pillow, immediately lunging at him. Unfortunately for her, he caught her wrist in time before the knife could reach his chest.

“You shouldn’t be playing with sharp objects, Adele.” He was strangely calm about it. He sat up and took the knife away from her hand, dropping it in a corner.

Adele angrily yanked her hand away from his grip. “Why won’t you just die?” Her eyes were filled with spite and her words carried venom, yet he still maintained a calm demeanor, meeting her gaze and not breaking eye contact.

“I won’t just die because you want me to,” he calmly told her, which seemed to annoy her even more. She frowned, snatching some pillows and sheets before storming out of the room.

Adele Laurent had been married to the seemingly obnoxious Julian Hayes, CEO of Hayes Empire, for a month now.

This was the last thing she wanted: to be arranged into a marriage with a man who was responsible for her brother’s death. All she wanted was to get revenge for her brother, but now she ended up marrying the very man she wanted dead.

The worst part of the entire arrangement was that her father agreed to this, knowing that Julian was responsible for his son’s death. She wondered what her father had been thinking when he gave his consent for the proposal; was he only thinking about the money he’d get once I married Julian? The thought clouded her mind as she sat on the couch in the living room.

The television was on and played in the background; she wasn’t paying any attention to it. Julian walked in; he had put his robe back on.

“Do you seriously plan to sleep here tonight?” His voice was low and calm.

Adele didn’t even bother glancing back at him. “I’d rather sleep here than with my brother’s killer.”

Julian took in a deep breath before speaking again. “I would like to propose a deal to you.” She still didn’t glance back. “I’ll let you leave. We’ll get divorced.” Her head spun back in surprise.

“What exactly are you playing at?” Her gaze narrowed at him.

“Six months. Just give this marriage six months and I’ll let you go.” His tone was unhurried. He walked to the couch opposite her and sat there. He could sense the discomfort in her movements as he faced her. “You don’t have to do anything much, just act like the perfect wife.”

She scoffed. 

“Are you just naïve, or are you now being delusional?” He knew she wouldn’t accept so easily.

“I’m aware of how much you hate me and want me out of your life. So, I’ll give you your freedom and money to help you live your life. All I need is for you to pretend to be happy in this marriage for just six months,” he added.

His words seemed to infuriate Adele more. In the end, she just stood up and returned to the room, slamming the door shut.

The next morning Julian had already prepared for work and was about to leave when Adele stopped him. “Is there something you want to say to me?” His attention was completely focused on her. She kept glancing around as if looking for somewhere else to stare at except him.

“I accept your proposal.”

She had stayed up late thinking it through. If she tolerated this marriage for six months, he’d give her freedom and money. She would use that money to then finish him off. He gave her a half smile as if knowing she would agree to it in the end. “That’s good. I’ll get a contract ready before the end of today.” He turned to leave again.

“But why do you want this? You must have a reason for asking this of me.” She tried to pry, but her attempt only got her a vague reply. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in my thoughts on this.” He gave her a knowing smile before leaving. She just stood there in the middle of the living room like she had missed something. It just suddenly felt like Julian Hayes knew a lot that she didn’t.

And now she made it a mission to investigate him.

That afternoon she searched through his cupboards and drawers, looking for something that would explain the reason why he wanted this marriage that badly. He might not have shown his desperation, but she knew.

Library, she remembered.

She remembered that was where most businessmen hid confidential documents. She made her way to the library, scouring through every corner that she suspected.

Then she came across an old newspaper. It seemed to be dated back to five years ago, the caption: “Hayes and Laurent partnership cancelled due to distrust.” What even was that?

Did her family once partner up with the Hayes?

“What are you doing here, Mrs Hayes?” The butler was standing at the doorway with a tray of glass cups balanced on his right hand and the other tucked behind.

She was startled and immediately shoved the papers back into the drawer, straightening up. “Nothing,” she quickly answered. “I just thought Mr Hayes’ drawer looked a bit tattered.”

“But I clean here every now and then.” His eyebrow was slightly raised.

“Then you must have missed this spot,” she spoke curtly. This man had always struck her as very cautious yet hard to read, mostly just like his master. “I came to tell you that the contract Master Hayes spoke of earlier today has arrived.”

Adele walked away from the desk as if trying to escape a crime scene. “Oh, great. Then I’ll be heading downstairs.” She walked past him and made her way downstairs.

In the living room, a woman sat there. She was dressed in a suit and she didn’t look much older than Adele. “Good day, Mrs Hayes. Mr Hayes has sent these over for you and says you should sign it.” She held out the document, and Adele snatched it from her hand, eyeing the woman up and down before looking down at the documents.

She flipped through it, scanning the pages. “He says the agreement was drawn up with you in mind as well.” She rolled her eyes and continued to scan the files. The write-up mostly consisted of rules that would guide the marriage until the six months were over. Suddenly, one particular rule caught her eye.