Chapter 4 First Assignment

I was still trying to process Alexander's insane proposal when a knock interrupted our conversation.

"Mr. Sterling, your lunch reservation is confirmed at Eleven Madison Park," he announced.

Alexander nodded, his eyes never leaving my face. "Miss North, would you like to join me for lunch?"

I hesitated, weighing my options.

"If you haven't decided by the end of lunch, I won't bring it up again," Alexander added, his tone surprisingly gentle. "I'll also inform your parents that the arrangement won't work out."

Well, when he put it that way...

"Fine," I sighed. "But just lunch. I'm not agreeing to anything else yet."

Twenty minutes later, we were seated at a prime table by the window at Eleven Madison Park.

"Order whatever you like," Alexander said, not even glancing at his menu. "The duck is exceptional here."

I nodded, still scanning the offerings.

I was debating between seafood and steak when I noticed a stunning woman approaching our table. She had glossy dark hair, a perfect hourglass figure, and was wearing a green dress. The predatory gleam in her eyes was unmistakable as she zeroed in on Alexander.

"Hello, handsome," she purred, completely ignoring my existence. "I'm Layla Brown."

Alexander didn't even look up from his phone.

Undeterred, Layla continued, "I graduated from Yale with honors in business management. I'm 5'6", 118 pounds, and I've been single for 1 years now."

I nearly choked on my water. Was she reciting her dating resume? I glanced between Alexander and this Layla woman, fascinated by the train wreck unfolding before me.

Alexander finally looked up, but instead of acknowledging Layla, he turned to me with a pointed expression that clearly said: Your job starts now.

I pressed my lips together, suddenly irritated. But if this was what he dealt with regularly, maybe his proposal wasn't so crazy after all.

"Miss Brown," I said, my voice sharper than intended, "do you have any idea who you're hitting on?"

Layla finally deigned to look at me, her smile condescending. "I don't need to know his name. The Brown family is quite prestigious in New York's business circles now."

I couldn't help myself. "Prestigious how? What ranking?"

Her smile faltered. "I don't see how that's relevant."

"Little sister," she continued, her tone patronizing, "I understand your protective instinct toward your brother, but I promise I'm quite a catch."

I nearly laughed out loud. "Brother? I'm Emma North, the daughter of the North family."

Her eyes widened with recognition. "Hurricane?"

I smirked. "Yes. And you only needed my name to know exactly who I am. That's what being prestigious actually means, understand?"

Before she could respond, I stood up and walked around the table. With deliberate slowness, I circled Alexander's chair before plopping myself directly onto his lap. I draped my arm around his neck and faced Layla with a triumphant smile.

"And furthermore," I continued, "he's my man. So no matter how good you think you are, you're wasting your time, sister."

I turned to Alexander, my free hand gently stroked his jawline as I asked, "Isn't that right, Alexander?"

For a moment, I felt a flash of panic. What if he pushed me off? That would be mortifying. But then I felt his arm slide around my waist, securing me against him. My heart, which had been hammering in my chest, began to slow. "Absolutely, darling."

Layla's mouth fell open in shock. "I'm so sorry—I had no idea he was taken."

Layla mumbled more apologies as she backed away, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Bye, Miss Brown!" I called after her, waving cheerfully. "No hard feelings!"

I was feeling pretty smug about my performance when I heard a familiar voice exclaim, "Uncle Alex? Emma?"

Shit.

Megan stood a few feet away, staring at us with wide eyes, her mouth forming a perfect O of surprise.

"It's not—Megan, this isn't—" I tried to explain, but Alexander's hand on my waist had tightened briefly before I stood, making me stumble back onto his lap. I quickly got up again, my face burning. By the time I was standing properly, Megan's shock had transformed into delight.

"Emma!" she squealed. "If you're going to be my aunt, I'm one thousand percent supportive!"

"No, Megan, you don't understand—" I started, but she was already bouncing on her toes with excitement.

"Uncle Alex, I was actually coming to find you," she said, pulling an envelope from her purse. "Grandpa asked me to give you this contract. He said you'd know what it's about once you read it."

Alexander opened the envelope, scanned the document inside, and let out a soft laugh before signing it with the pen Megan provided. He handed it back to her with a nod.

Megan looked between us, clearly bursting with questions. "So... are you two...?"

Alexander gave her a look, and she immediately backed down.

"Right! None of my business!" She grinned, clutching the contract. "I'll just... go now. Bye!"

She practically skipped away, leaving me mortified and Alexander looking oddly satisfied.

"Have you made your decision yet?"

Just then, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and grimaced when I saw the name: Brian Foster. I declined the call and turned my phone to silent mode.

"Ex-boyfriend?" Alexander asked.

"Yes," I confirmed as the phone lit up with another call. "Brian Foster. We dated for a year, but it was nothing serious. Just hand-holding, nothing more."

Alexander nodded. "Everyone has a past."

My phone lit up for the third time. Annoyed, I answered it on speaker. "What do you want, Brian?"

"Emma, why haven't you been answering my calls?" Brian's voice filled the room. "Emma, I made a mistake. Can we start over?"

I rolled my eyes. "Brian, when shit comes out, it's out. Would you eat shit? No? Then we're done." Without waiting for his response, I hung up.

"Charming analogy," Alexander commented dryly.

I took a deep breath, making my decision. "I agree to your proposal."

Alexander nodded, standing up. "Let's go then."

"Go where?"

"To your house. We need to get your passport and birth certificate."

After lunch, we headed to the parking garage where my purple Ferrari was parked. I pulled out my keys, but Alexander held out his hand.

"I'll drive," he said simply.

I snorted. "Yeah, right. Nobody drives my baby but me."

Bill followed us in Alexander's car.

When we arrived at the North estate, I parked a block away from the property.

"We'll have to walk from here," I said, leading the way through a side street.

"We're going to climb up that drainpipe?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yep," I confirmed. "I don't want my parents to know about the marriage thing yet."

"Why the secrecy?" Alexander asked, removing his suit jacket and folding it carefully. "Your parents are the ones who arranged this in the first place."

"Let's just say I have my reasons." I shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "Can we focus on getting in without being spotted? The guards change shifts at 2:30, which gives us about a five-minute window."

"Where are your documents?" he asked.

"I don't know exactly. I'll have to look around."

"I'll come with you." He rolled up his sleeves, revealing muscular forearms. "Two sets of eyes will make the search faster."