Unexpected Fiancée

What the hell had he just done?

Jordan maintained his composure, refusing to let the surprise he knew his announcement had caused, show on his face.

He wasn't particularly fond of impulsive decisions. In fact, he despised them.

He was a man who preferred to think things through, examine every possible outcome and make decisions based on facts rather than emotions.

Yet here he was, announcing an engagement to an employee he barely knew.

An employee he had never had a personal conversation with outside the occasional professional exchange.

Zara Johnson.

He knew her name, her position and that she was competent at her job. Beyond that, he knew practically nothing about her.

And yet, he had just announced that they were getting married.

Well, engaged.

His eyes briefly moved to the woman standing beside her. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and outrage.

He couldn't say he blamed her.

But he had seen the way she'd struck Zara. He had seen the girl's attempt to hold back her tears and the humiliation written all over her face.

He hated bullies.

And he hated people who used their position, authority or relationship with someone to make them feel small.

Perhaps he had overstepped.

Perhaps he had made a mistake.

But he wasn't about to take back his words now.

Besides, there was something else.

His mother's voice echoed in his head.

You cannot keep running away from marriage forever, Jordan.

He almost sighed.

His mother had made her position perfectly clear. If he wanted to take over the family business and secure his inheritance, he would have to get married and eventually start a family.

It was ridiculous, in his opinion.

He was thirty-one years old, the CEO of Harvey's Inc. and perfectly capable of running a business without having a wife.

But his mother was stubborn, and the conditions attached to the inheritance were not negotiable.

He had been putting off the matter for months.

Perhaps longer.

And now, standing in the middle of his own event, he had somehow found himself announcing an engagement.

To Zara.

He glanced at her again.

She looked as though she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

Interesting.

Zara was going to kill him.

She didn't know how, when or where, but she was going to kill Jordan Harvey.

What kind of person announced an engagement without so much as consulting the other person involved?

And to his employee, of all people?

She stared at him, hoping that somehow, by some miracle, he would look at her and admit that he was joking.

But no.

The man looked perfectly serious.

Her mother was the first to recover.

"What sort of nonsense is this?" she demanded.

Jordan turned towards her.

"I'm not sure what part you're having difficulty understanding."

"Are you telling me that you're engaged to my daughter?"

"That's precisely what I'm telling you."

Her mother let out a short, incredulous laugh.

"That's impossible. Zara would have told me."

Zara nearly choked.

Told her?

Since when did her mother need to know anything about her personal life?

And more importantly, since when had she been interested enough to ask?

"Mother," Zara began, finally finding her voice.

Her mother's attention snapped towards her.

"Don't you dare tell me this is true."

Zara looked at Jordan.

He gave her a brief glance, his expression unreadable.

She had absolutely no idea what he expected her to do.

But one thing was certain: she wasn't going to stand there and let her mother dictate another aspect of her life.

So she lifted her chin.

"Actually, Mother, I've been meaning to tell you."

Her mother's eyes narrowed.

"You're lying."

Zara forced a smile.

"Believe whatever you want."

Her mother's face hardened.

"You expect me to believe that you and this man are engaged?"

Jordan stepped closer, positioning himself beside Zara.

"Is there a reason you find that so difficult to believe?"

Her mother looked him up and down.

"And why would a man like you want to marry my daughter?"

The question struck a nerve.

Not because Zara cared what her mother thought of her, but because she had heard variations of that question her entire life.

Why would anyone choose her?

Why couldn't she be more like Zach?

Why did she always have to make things difficult?

She felt Jordan's gaze shift towards her, but she kept her eyes on her mother.

"Well, Mother, I'm glad you asked."

She slipped her arm through Jordan's before she could change her mind.

"Perhaps it's time I started making decisions about my own life."

Her mother looked as though she had swallowed something unpleasant.

"Zara, we're going home. Now."

For once, Zara didn't move.

"No."

The single word hung between them.

Her mother stared at her.

"What did you just say?"

"I said no. I'm not leaving."

She could feel her heart pounding, but she refused to back down.

For the first time in a very long time, she wasn't going to apologize for choosing herself.

Jordan glanced down at her hand resting on his arm.

He said nothing.

But he didn't pull away either.

Jordan looked at the young woman beside him.

He had to admit, she was doing a surprisingly good job of keeping up with the performance.

Although the slight tremor in her fingers suggested she was nowhere near as composed as she appeared.

Her mother, on the other hand, looked ready to explode.

"You're making a huge mistake, Zara."

Perhaps.

Jordan wasn't entirely convinced that announcing an engagement to an employee was the smartest decision he had ever made.

But he had made it.

And he had no intention of allowing the woman standing before him to intimidate Zara into backing down.

He turned towards her.

"Come on, sweetheart."

The endearment rolled off his tongue with practiced ease, although it felt unfamiliar.

Zara looked up at him, momentarily startled.

"We have guests to attend to."

Before she could respond, he gently guided her away from her mother.

And as they walked further into the ballroom, Jordan found himself wondering just how complicated his life had become in the space of five minutes.

He had come to the event expecting another tedious evening of handshakes, business conversations and insufferable small talk.

Instead, he was apparently engaged.

To his employee.

And if his mother ever found out, he had a feeling she would be absolutely delighted.

For the first time that evening, Jordan almost smiled.

This was going to be interesting.