The Countdown Begins

8 PM arrived in the twinkling of an eye. The sun had gone down, and the faint sound of crickets and nocturnal insects could be heard in the distance. Gabriella had just changed into her nightdress when a gentle knock came from her door.

Throwing on her robe and securing the belt around her waist, she walked to the door and opened it.

“Mr. Kingston has asked that you join him for dinner,” Stephen said politely.

“Right. Just a minute.” Gabriella replied.

She turned back into the room and grabbed her phone from the nightstand before following Stephen down the stairs to join Alexander.

Entering the dining room, Gabriella was stunned by the long glass dining table and elegant chairs. The table setting was perfect, and the glass reflected the soft light from the large chandelier above.

There were only two seats prepared, and Alexander sat at the head of the table, patiently watching her take cautious steps and settle into the seat beside him.

Gabriella sat nervously eyeing the plate of pasta and meatballs before her. The food looked exquisite.

“Eat,” Alexander said plainly and dug into his food.

She picked up her fork and began eating. It tasted even better than it looked. The meal was clearly prepared by a professional chef. For a few moments, they enjoyed their dinner in silence before Alexander started.

“Do you like your room?” He asked before taking a sip of orange juice.

Gabriella hurriedly swallowed her food before responding.

“Yes, it’s very nice. Thank you.”

Alexander hummed a response and continued eating. He studied her quietly, stealing subtle glances as he observed the way she carefully held the utensils as she ate. It was obvious she was nervous, but something about the way she sat calmly despite the awkward tension intrigued him.

“So..” He started, and Gabriella turned to look at him.

“I was thinking we should keep things simple. If anyone asks, we can just say you came to the office for a job interview, and it was love at first sight. I asked you out, and our relationship took off from there.”

Gabriella nodded in understanding.

“That sounds good. Complicated lies are difficult to keep up with,” she said.

“Exactly. If we keep things as simple as possible, our plan will go perfectly.”

Gabriella wasn’t very convinced. She had been skeptical about this whole idea from the very beginning, but she didn’t have a choice at this point. She signed a contract; the evidence sat upstairs in her nightstand. All she could do was go along with whatever Alexander said.

“The gala will be in two weeks.”

Gabriella looked at him in shock. She wasn’t expecting it to be so soon.

“There will be a lot of top business officials in attendance, but our main target is Mr. Patrick Manchester. We need to impress him. Make him want to partner with the company.”

For a while, she was silent, letting his words sink in.

“What if this doesn’t work? What if I make a mistake?” Gabriella blurted out. He kept putting pressure on her, and she felt like she couldn’t handle it.

“You won’t,” Alexander snapped, holding her gaze with hard eyes.

“Because in my world, mistakes have consequences. We have one chance, Gabriella. We need to make this work. You’ll have practice sessions to prepare you for the occasion and make sure you’re ready.”

“Can I ask you a question?” Gabriella said.

He raised a brow at her. “Go ahead.”

“Why did you really choose me?”

“I already told you. You’re the only one with so much to lose.”

“Well, I don’t believe you.”

She couldn’t understand why he had to drag her into his mess. The company had dozens of employees, and she was just a secretary. He could have gotten someone with more experience in the company to carry out his plan.

“Well, I don’t care if you believe me or not. None of that matters. You signed a contract, and the sooner you accept this reality, the better for all of us.” His eyes were angry, and Gabriella noticed a vein threatening to pop out of his forehead, so she decided to drop it.

“Fine.” She said plainly.

“Now, can we focus on things that actually matter? Tell me about yourself. We should know the basics of each other.”

“You read my files on the day of my interview, so you should already know everything about me.” She was no longer in the mood to talk after Alexander’s tone towards her and started playing around with her food while he eyed her. She was really testing his patience.

“Tell me about yourself, Gabriella.” He seethed, trying to control his brewing anger.

Gabriella sighed, tired of all the orders he kept barking at her. How was she going to survive an entire year with this insufferable man- she wondered.

“I have no family, as you already know, my best friend’s name is Khloe, my favorite color is purple, and I love small dogs, roses, and dark chocolate.”

Alexander listened attentively as she listed facts about herself, hanging on every word.

“Happy now?” She asked 

“Satisfactory.” He said plainly, and she rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t you going to tell me about yourself then?”

Alexander cleared his throat like he was about to give a speech.

“ I have one elder brother. My best friend is Mason Grey, and my favorite color is black. I love my privacy, a good tailored suit, and being in control, of course,” He said proudly, sticking his nose in the air.

“Of course you do.” Gabriella shook her head and took a sip of water to hide her laughter.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked

“Nothing. It’s just that you’re sooo…” Gabriella thought about the right word to use.

“Generic,” she concluded.

Alexander looked at her, fascinated. A small smile played at the corner of his lips. He found it interesting the way she always said what was on her mind.

“I’m generic?” He asked, amused.

“Yup.” She replied, nodding fervently.

Alexander chuckled. No one had ever described him like that before. Gabriella caught a brief glimpse of those dimples that threatened to appear again on his cheeks before he suddenly got up from his seat. All traces of playfulness disappeared in a split second.

“I should head upstairs. It was nice having dinner with you. You should probably get some rest too. You’ve had a long day,” he said.

Gabriella got up as well. “Thank you for dinner, it was lovely,” she said sincerely.

They went up the stairs in silence, and when they reached the top, Gabriella suddenly recalled something he said earlier.

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” she said.

Alexander stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

“I do,” he replied, turning to face her.

“You’ll meet him soon enough.”

“When?” She asked curiously.

“Tomorrow. When we have dinner at my parents' house.”

Gabriella’s mouth fell open in shock. How could he just drop a bomb on her like that? He never mentioned anything about having dinner with his parents, and it was such short notice.

“Have a goodnight Gabriella,” he said nonchalantly and walked to his room, disappearing around the corner. 

Gabriella stood there long after he was gone, staring blankly. Anxiety and disbelief kept her rooted to the floor, unable to move. Finally, she managed to drag herself back to her room, shutting the door behind her and sighing deeply. 

‘Tomorrow is going to be a loonngg day.’