Daunting Fate

Gabriella watched as Alexander’s face relaxed into a calculated smile. He had won. Not like he gave her much choice on the matter. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

She felt anger towards him for using her financial situation against her, but at the same time, she couldn’t expect anything better from an obnoxious, selfish man like Alexander.

“Great.” Alexander clapped his hands triumphantly.

“You’ve made the right choice. I’ll have a contract drawn up as soon as possible so we can be clear on the terms.” Alexander said it as if it were a casual business matter. As if he had not just forced her to agree to marry him for his own gain.

“Do people like you always take advantage of the less fortunate?” Gabriella asked, her eyes accusing him.

Alexander’s brows drew together. “What’s that supposed to mean? People like me?”

“Yes. Rich, privileged men like you.”

Alexander seemed to ponder over what she said before replying.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he replied without emotion.

“Right, desperate,” Gabriella mumbled. 

She couldn’t believe this was really happening to her. All she wanted was a decent job to pay her debts and survive. Now she was agreeing to some fake marriage to her boss. Getting married to a man who just wanted to use her. She felt like she was selling her soul to the devil.

“You may leave,” Alexander said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. 

“I’ll let you know when the contract is ready tomorrow.” He got up to make a phone call.

“Yes sir,” Gabriella said, her voice coming out like a whisper.

The rest of Gabriella’s day went by in a daze. It was like she was in a trance as she carried out her duties, and when it was finally time to go home, she texted Khloe to let her know she would spend the night at her house.

Getting to Khloe’s house, she knocked on the door and waited a few minutes before she heard her friend approaching on the other side.

“Hey Gabby,” Khloe said after she opened the door, smiling from ear to ear.

“Hi Khloe,” she forced a smile back at her friend. She didn’t want her to notice she was sad. All she needed was Khloe’s bubbly and chirpy charisma to comfort her and take her mind off the events of the day.

Khloe’s apartment smelled of muffins and vanilla. She had beige curtains and a couch with fluffy pillows that felt like clouds. A rug with a soft grey tone added texture to the living room, while the silver chandelier cast a warm glow, adding to the cozy ambiance.

Gabriella kicked off her shoes at the entrance and headed straight for the couch, collapsing into it and letting out an exasperated grunt.

Khloe laughed at her friend's antics and walked over to the kitchen to check on the muffins she had put in the oven.

“Long day at work?” Khloe playfully asked.

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Gabriella said, sinking further into the couch.

Khloe brought her some muffins and milk and set them on the coffee table, then she settled down on the couch beside her.

“Well then, don’t keep me waiting, spill the tea, girl.”

Gabriella sat up and looked at Khloe. Her friend’s eyes shone with excitement and anticipation as she waited for her to fill her in. She really wished she could tell Khloe about the contract she had just agreed to. How she was basically being forced into a loveless pretend marriage, but deep down, she knew she couldn’t tell her. If Alexander found out she was blabbing to people about his plan, he would definitely ruin her for good.

“Just normal work stuff,” Gabriella finally replied.

“No, no. No way you’re giving me that.”Khloe shook her head in disagreement.

“You just started a new job at THE Kingston Enterprises, and you’re just going to give me that?”

Gabriella laughed, amused at her friend's eagerness for gossip. 

“Okay, fine.” She succumbed to her plea.

“But I don’t know what you want me to say, there’s nothing much to tell.”

Khloe suddenly landed a slap to Gabriella’s thigh, making her flinch in pain.

“Owww…What was that for?” Gabriella whined, rubbing the spot she had hit.

“Tell me about Alexander. Duhhh.. You’re literally the secretary of the dreamiest and most handsome man in the whole city.”

Gabriella rolled her eyes. She definitely didn’t see him as any of those things. In her eyes, he was cold, obnoxious, and annoying. She couldn’t see him any other way.

“He’s not that handsome.” Gabriella snorted.

“Oh please Gabby, you’re definitely blind if you don’t find that man attractive.”

Gabriella thought about it for a moment. He did have striking features. She recalled his perfect, sharp jawline that could probably cut through steel, his hazel eyes with flecks of amber that danced around his pupils, and how the way he said her name on the first day they met made her blush like a little girl, but she would never admit it. Under all of that, he was just a cold-hearted, obnoxious jerk.

“Nop. Definitely not attractive,” Gabriella said and took a large bite of her muffin, savoring it as she ignored Khloe’s appalled expression.

“Fine then, you win,” Khloe said and threw her hands up in defeat.

“But don’t you have to go to work tomorrow? Why did you suddenly want to spend the night?”

The heavy feeling in Gabriella’s chest came back. This secret may just eat her up.

“No reason, just wanted to hang. Hey, can I borrow some clothes for tomorrow? I came straight from work.”

Gabriella tried to change the subject, hoping Khloe would take the bait.

“Sure, you can. Let’s go check in my closet.” Khloe said and got up, pulling Gabriella from the couch.

Gabriella and Khloe spent the rest of the night trying on clothes and laughing over old memories. It was just what she needed to take her mind off the pain she was feeling deep inside, and as she fell asleep that night, she prayed that when she woke up, it would all be a silly dream.

The next day, Gabriella’s mind kept drifting to Alexander. It was already 2:00 PM, and she had heard nothing from him. She wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

She had been worried since she got to work that morning, and her eyes kept glancing at the intercom nervously.

‘Maybe he’s found someone else to help him with his crazy plan,’ She thought.

Still, she knew that was only wishful thinking. Alexander had made himself very clear. He wanted someone who had as much to lose as he did if the company folds up.

Anxiety swirled in the pit of her stomach all morning. Each minute that passed stretched her nerves thinner, and by noon, she had already developed a headache.

Gabriella closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingers, sighing deeply. She grabbed her purse, searching for some aspirin to relieve her headache, when suddenly the intercom rang, and she froze.

She could hear her own heart beating in her chest, her palms began to sweat, and she took deep breaths while she just stood there staring at the intercom as it rang menacingly, urging her to face what was to come.

With shaky hands, Gabriella finally picked it up and answered.

“Yes sir,” she said, barely audible.

“My office, right now.” Alexander’s voice was cold, sending a shiver down her spine.