Married to my suspect

JONATHAN'S POV

I pressed the button I used to summon my secretary and watched as she entered my office, bringing with her a file I'd given her less than thirty minutes ago.

"You called for me, sir." She said and dropped the file on my table.

I picked it up and opened it, seeing how organized she had arranged it. Since this company had been founded, she was the best secretary I'd ever had, very efficient, and she wasn't as nosy as the other secretaries I'd fired had been. I couldn't really blame them, I had allowed Julie to recommend them to me, and I still regretted that decision. But that wasn't what I called her for.

"Have your seat." I said, gesturing to the chair in front of my table. She sat without a word, but I could see her confusion. This was the first time I was talking to her without involving an administrative duty, the way I would have loved for it to be, but I needed to have this conversation with her even though I would prefer she rejected my suggestion.

I opened my drawer and brought out the file I'd prepared and slid it towards her. She eyed it suspiciously but didn't touch it.

She took a deep breath. "Did I do something wrong, sir?" I watched as she fiddled with her fingers.

I shook my head, wondering for the first time what she thought of me. So far, I'd not given her any chance to imagine. "No. Open the file."

She continued eyeing the file suspiciously. "Are you firing me?" She asked again, and I hid my smile. Perhaps I should have told her directly rather than drawing it out like this, but I was glad I did since it gave me the chance to see what she was like when she got flustered.

I slid the file back to myself and opened it, taking out the contract I'd drawn the day before. "I couldn't help but eavesdrop on your conversation yesterday."

I watched as she cast her mind back and, remembering what I was talking about, she paled. 

I quickly put my hands up to calm her down. "You didn't do anything wrong. Like I said yesterday, you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't interfere with my work, and so far, I've been very satisfied with your work."

She smiled slightly and then, letting the curiosity take over, leaned towards me. "The conversation." She reminded me, and I nodded.

"I couldn't help but hear that you needed to get married, and you sounded so distressed about it. I came up with a solution, but you can always say no."

She nodded and flushed, looking down, so I could guess she was embarrassed. "There's no need to get embarrassed. I understand trying to please your parents." I could understand it really well. There were just some things I couldn't say no to my parents about. "I'm also in the same boat you are, and I need to get married. We can make a sort of arrangement where we both please our parents and give them what they want while not bending ourselves down."

Something suddenly occurred to me, and I glanced sharply at her. "Do you have a partner? Someone you are already planning marriage with?"

She shook her head, already looking hopeful. "Not at all. I've not really been interested in the dating scene, as I wanted to take time to focus on my career." She glanced at me quickly, as if she had shared more than intended.

"Then that's good. This is a contract I drew up, go through it and let me know what you think."

She nodded and slid the document closer to her, squinting her eyes to read it. Watching her, I couldn't help but ask. "Do you use glasses normally?"

She nodded. "Sometimes, but only when I've strained my eyes. I can see well without it most times."

I nodded, taking that in. That meant I'd made her strain her eyes more than normal. With the fact that I kept to using physical files in addition to cloud storage, I could imagine how. "Wear your glasses next time when you're working. There's no point in straining your eyes."

She glanced at me, searching my eyes, and I stared at her while she searched. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she went back to reading the document.

I turned on my system and continued what I was working on while she read the document, and after a while, she tapped the table. "What if I don't agree with some of the terms?" She asked.

"Then you'll tell me what you want, and we'll come to a negotiation. Does my offer seem reasonable to you?"

DANIELLE'S POV

I pretended to be lost in thought, all the while my mind was doing somersaults because of how excited I was. My plan had worked. I'd seen his behaviors towards his employees that had hinted that maybe he wasn't as cold and aloof as he liked to carry himself, and thankfully, I'd been right.

I realized he was staring at me. Right, the offer.

"It works for me." I said in a forced bored tone. I'd tried to get a read on him, but he was perfect as keeping an expressionless face. "Do you do this for every damsel in distress?" I tried to joke, but my voice came out flat.

He glanced at me, his fingers hitting the marble table in a non-rhythmic motion. I noticed he did that when he was thinking. It reminded me of the way I clicked pens when I had one with me.

"I don't see you as a damsel in distress. I'm a businessman, and when I see a business opportunity, I grab it. I see this as an opportunity for us to do what we need to do as well as still keep our independence. We'll be working together, you're not doing anything for my good, and if you don't see it as a favorable opportunity, you can choose to reject it."

Reject what? When this was what I'd worked for. I kept my bored expression and nodded, trying to come up with a question. Going through the contract, he'd covered everything. From how the wedding would be to how the marriage would be, especially in relation to our roles as employer and employee, and with how thorough he'd been, I couldn't ask for more.

How soon would I find out what he was hiding because I was 100 percent sure that pen was related to my father's death, and I was going to find out, but I couldn't ask that. "According to the contract, you mentioned that we'll have to live together, what happens to my home then?"

"You can keep it. It doesn't stop being yours. Even though this isn't the traditional arrangement, I put a plan for at least a year. It will be better to keep it so you have a place to go when the contract is over."

I nodded. I should still be able to pay the rent, even though I hated the fact that I would be paying for a space I wouldn't be using, but that meant I had to get whatever I needed before a year was over. "Alright." I glanced through the contract again and could only appreciate the terms and conditions stated. They were all things I could live with. The separate bedrooms made me the most happy, though. The only downside was the fact that I had to accompany him on business functions, but I could use that to my advantage as well. There was nowhere better to get good gossip than at rich people's events.

"I would like to sign a prenup." There hadn't been anything about that, but there was no way there wouldn't be wagging tongues. I just needed to figure out his connection to the pen and my father, and the contract would be over, hopefully. I wasn't delusional that it would be that easy.

He nodded. "Fine. But during the course of the marriage, I will take care of your financial expenses."

"I can take care of myself." I protested.

"I don't doubt that. Let's meet for dinner after work to work out the details."

"Alright Sir."

He brought out a file from his cupboard. "Give this to the design team and schedule a meeting with the suppliers for tomorrow."

I nodded and went out, knowing I'd been dismissed. Ecstasy and guilt were running through me, but I ignored the guilt, I DID IT. I felt my eyes water. "I will find your murderer and make sure you get the justice you deserve, Daddy." I promised. This was just the beginning, but I wasn't going to give up.

I closed the door and bumped into a woman, wincing as the cup of coffee she'd been carrying splashed on me. I looked up at her to find her glaring at me.