Chapter 2

DAWN

"Oh, did you see the new CEO? He's so goddamn hot." Julie, my colleague who sits at the desk next to mine, tries to get my attention while I stare lazily at my computer screen. "You should see him, Dawn. Your jaw will literally hit the floor."

"So, that's the new guy, right?" I ask without looking up. "The new head in the management? Why did they change the old CEO? He was kind of nice. Disagreeable, but nice."

"Well, the old head in management got caught redhanded embezzling millions from the company, but he did it quite smartly over the period of five years, so the chairman of the Waugh Industries decided to move him to a different sister company." She bares her teeth as she smiles. "It was a quick move to keep matters hush and utilize his talents for free till he pays back the company every cent he owes." Julie shakes her head, rubbing the tip of her nose. "I've also heard that it was an inside settlement, and he agreed, so he doesn't go to jail."

"I can't believe it." I lick my lips, finally looking up to meet her eyes. "That sounds straight from an episode of the show Law, Order, and Punishment."

"Well, whatever that is," she scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I walked in this morning to Mr Waugh's office to submit files for my annual appraisal, and oh my god, he has the most handsome blue eyes I've ever laid my eyes on." She sighs dreamily. "And his business suit accentuated his muscles, and that smile, oh my god, that smile, it really killed me. I almost couldn't breathe, Dawn."

Yawning big, I put a hand over my mouth.

"Catch a hold of yourself, Jules, before you fall for this man and get ignored in the end like you did the last time with our project manager." I run a hand over my forehead. "I'm so sleepy. So sleepy that I can't even keep my eyes open."

Jules hits the top of my shoulder playfully over my remark before resting her face on the palm of her hand while she talks to me.

"What were you busy doing last night?"

Smiling from ear to ear at her question, I shake my head.

"That's none of your business."

"Come on, tell me." She bats her eyes comically. "You have to tell me things too, you know?" Julie stares at my face. "Since I tell you everything."

I shrug my shoulders.

"I was just up late reading last night." I offer her a small smile. "There's nothing to tell."

Julie puts her hands up defensively, nodding her head.

"All right, whatever." She smirks. "I am going for a coffee refill. Do you want me to bring you some?"

I give her another nod.

"Thanks, Jules."

"Sure thing."

I watch her walk outside of our office room, sashaying her hips.

Maybe the new CEO will take an interest in her.

She's pretty.

She might even have a decent chance with him.

But only if she keeps her big mouth shut.

Then I slowly release a harsh breath. Shaking my head, I think I was this close to divulging everything to her.

I don't have to come clean to anyone.

I can definitely keep a secret since it's my private life.

Fiona, our new project manager, knocks on the door before barging into the office room. She walks straight up to me and starts talking.

"When are you going to submit the files for the annual appraisal?" Her eyes dance around the room. "I think Julie is done with hers. Why don't you go around noon when Mr Waugh is free for fifteen minutes? Just make sure to show up before he breaks for lunch. I'm trying to ensure that everyone on our team gets done with theirs before lunch."

I nod at her, agreeing with her suggestion.

"Oh sure, I'll go see him right before lunch." I check the time on my computer's digital clock. "So I still have like an hour before I have to see him?"

She hems and haws before she comes up with a reply.

"Oh yeah, right. Patrick is seeing him in his office right now."

"All right then."

"Why don't you finish the graphics for our new marketing strategy? I need to present that during our afternoon meeting with the CEO." She smiles sharply at me with an air of arrogance about her. "Not going to lie. I want to leave a good impression on our CEO. He seems like a man who appreciates his coworkers. And I want our team to be in his good books."

I scoff in my mind, but in front of her, I genuinely nod with a soft smile.

"I'll do my best."

After saying that, Fiona disappears from the office room. So I open another file in the graphic design editor tool on my computer and start tinkering around with this faint idea in my head.

There are a series of knocks on my door, and I don't look up from the screen as I'm still trying to adjust the right tone of greyscale on the editing screen. I hear the person step in, and I take it as Jules stepping back from her break. I wait for her to put the steaming cup of coffee on the desk, but she doesn't do so. As I'm about to question her about my coffee refill, a familiar voice makes me almost jump in my seat.

"Excuse me, weren't you supposed to see me in my office for your annual appraisal?"

The voice belongs to the same person I had spent the entirety of the last night with and ended up marrying at the beginning of this weekday morning before coming to work. I close my eyes for a long minute, wondering if I'm hearing noises rising from deep in my subconscious.

The person clears their throat again as they stand next to me.

It can't be him.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I pray for divine intervention.

No.

No way.

It can't be my new husband.

There's no way it's Kyle.

He can't be here.

He said that he's going to work at his firm, and as far as I know, the chairman of this firm is a wrinkly-faced old bastard.

It's not him.

It can't be him.

No.

No way.

Chanting the mantra in my head, I pivot my back on my ergonomic chair and slowly open my eyes, only to have my jaw hit the floor. Literally and figuratively. Just like Julie had mentioned not more than fifteen minutes ago.

Standing in front of me is my day-old husband, Kyle. No, scratch that. It's only been a few hours. He stares at me with kind eyes, passion burning behind his blue orbs. I can do nothing but hold his gaze, sighing softly.

For a long minute, that's all we do.

He stares at me, and I stare at him.

Am I really on an episode of Bamboozled?

Finally breaking the stare, I immediately look around for hidden cameras. But I'm disappointed to find my office the same as when I left work last Friday. Kyle keeps staring at me like we are in some staring contest. He doesn't back down. As I'm still trying to wrap my head around the situation, Jules appears at the door with two hot coffee mugs in hand.

"Dawny, you won't believe what I had to do for the extra whipped--"

She stills in her steps as she registers who is standing in the middle of our office room. She stops talking and gazes at Kyle's silhouette, her eyes widening in surprise. Then finally, she steps into the room and again stops in her tracks. This time she notices Kyle is looking straight at me as if he's in a trance.

Putting my gaze back on Kyle's face, I clear my throat. Our eyes meet, and I'm confident mine holds a thousand questions in them.

If he really is the new fucking CEO, then we have to sort out some things.

I'm dying to hear if he thinks marrying an employee of his company is some kind of a pathetic joke.

Or is it a genuine mistake?

Maybe he didn't know that I work for his company.

Finally, Kyle breaks our staring match and pivots on his feet to take notice of Julie standing near the entrance. He looks at her and gives her a curt nod before pivoting back to face me.

"Ms Brooks, right?" He asks with a poker face. "You need to join me in the office for the annual appraisals. Come see me in ten minutes."

I nod.

"Yeah, sure." I clear my throat. "I'll be right there."

Then, Kyle pivots on his feet again without another word and makes his way to the entrance of the office room, ignoring Julie with two hot mugs, who steps out of his way quickly.