Chapter 4

Fiona’s POV

“Hello?” I say, sitting up and turning the bedside light on.

“Good, you’re awake. Where are my pajamas?” Micah’s gruff voice slides over my skin, causing goosebumps.

Did he just call to ask me that? I shake my head, exasperated.

“In the last drawer of your closet.” I reply, slowly.

“And my black and white tie? I want that for a meeting tomorrow.”

“We sent it out to the dry cleaners. You still haven’t asked anyone to pick it up.”

For a moment, he is silent. Then, almost as if irritated about something he says, “Well, we are out of tea.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, pushing my hair out of my eyes.

“The tea, Fiona, we don’t have any. That weird one you make,” Micah says again, and I almost laugh at the absurdity of this conversation.

“You woke me up at 3 AM to tell me you’re out of tea? You don’t even like my tea.”

When the marriage contract first started, I made my own tea. It was not made of the finest ingredients, but I liked it. Micah was a snob about it, saying something made with such cheap ingredients could not be as good as the high price teas that he had in his cupboards.

I had just shrugged and kept drinking my tea. Before I knew it those fancy teas stayed in the cupboard and Micah was drinking the one, I made.

“You have tea in the cupboard tins and tins of it.” I whisper, feeling my heart pound.

If he asks me to come make him some, am I going to be able to resist?

“I know what is in my cupboards, Fiona. I don’t want that tea; I want the one we usually drink. Also, where are you living anyway? Is it a tiny, shabby room somewhere? You know you could cut this drama and come back. I’ll take you in for the sake of all the years we have spent together.” There is a growl in his voice as he says the words and I can’t help but sigh.

“And, while you are at it, you can bring some tea with you.” He says like it’s the most logical thing in the world.

I can hardly believe what I am hearing.

“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to come fill teabags for you in the middle of the night. Goodnight Micah.” I end the call and turn my phone to silent.

I don’t need to hear his excuses.

I punch my pillow and lay down willing myself to sleep. Micah might be the Prince and I might have been the submissive wife but those days are in the past.

____________________

“Fiona, can I see you in my office please?”

I look up as I get off the elevator and see Raulf standing in front of his office motioning me to come inside.

It looks like it is time to pay the price for the way that I spoke to Amorak yesterday.

Taking a long drink of my double expresso, I follow Raulf into his office and sit across from his desk.

“Look Raulf about Amorak….” I start and he frowns at me.

“What about Amorak? He was just in here singing your praises. Said that you had one of the best noses he has ever seen and the talent to recreate one of his recipes so that it was indistinguishable from his.”

I raise my cup and take another long drink. If he doesn’t want to talk about what happened in the lab yesterday, then what does he want?

“I think that he is going to be a great asset to our team. The other creators can learn a lot from someone like him. And we have other matters to discuss” Raulf looks down on the papers spread across his desk.

“We are in a bidding war with the other top companies.” He says and I sit up straighter in my chair.

“Bidding war for what?” I ask, trying to sneak a peek at the papers on his desk.

“A large company has decided to invest in one of the top perfume companies. They have narrowed it down to three. Silver Moon Scents, Tamed Passions, and Scented Dreams.”

“Okay, how can I help?” I ask, bringing out a notebook from my bag.

“I need you to work with Amorak and create a new line. Something that will make them want to invest their money with our company.”

“When is the deadline?” I ask, looking up from my notebook.

“Next Friday.” His voice is firm, brooking no argument.

“You want me to come up with an entire new line and produce in a week and a half?”

He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“There is quite the carrot for you if you can pull it off.”

“What kind of carrot?”

“Amorak is going to take the head of the perfumery lab.” He holds his hand out to stop my protests.

“You have done excellent work, Fiona, it is not about your work or your leadership abilities.”

“You have begged me for years to let you open a lab and dedicate to body scent perfume. If you can get this company to invest their money in Silver Moon Scents, I will give you the money to start the research on the body scent perfume.”

I sit back in my chair and blow out a breath. Raulf is a miserly boss, and despite the both of us knowing he has plenty of money for this research I could never get him to agree.

That is until now. All I have to do is work day and night for a week and a half and convince some arrogant billionaire that we are the best. That won’t be hard, we are the best.

“Challenge accepted.” I get up out of my chair and shake hands with Raulf.

“We will show them that there is no alternative to Silver Moon Scents, that we are the only choice.”

Raulf nods, “You better because if you don’t, you will no longer work here. You know how it works, Fiona, every carrot must come with a stick.”

Raulf sits back down in his chair and I walk out of his office, stopping at the door.

“Raulf, what company wants to invest? I would like to do some research on them.” I ask.

“The Lycan Corporation.” He says, not even looking up from his paperwork.

His answer slams into my chest like a freight train.

Raulf doesn’t know Micah, the boss of the Lycan Corporation, is my husband. I married Micah in a secret ceremony. Only our close family members and friends were informed. The public only learns that Micah is married, but no one knows who his mysterious wife is.

But I know. I have to sell Micah on our new perfume line?

I somehow manage to make my way out of Raulf’s office and to mine on autopilot.

That is Micah’s company. I must fight for the business of my soon to be ex-husband’s company.

I pick up my phone and then put it down. Then pick it up and put it down again.

Finally, I gather my courage and make the call.

It only rings once before Micah picks it up.

However, before I can speak, a loud moan comes through the phone’s speaker.

My heart freezes and the greeting I had is stuck in my throat.

“Yes, Micah, touch me there, you know how I like it.” A growl comes from Rowena’s throat, a sound of pure pleasure.

I end the call and drop my phone as if it bit me.

How am I supposed to be professional and land this deal if the CEO is the man that broke my heart?