Imprisoned by the CEO
“You will have to marry me and bear me a child.” “What the fuck?!” Logic flew out of the window when Grace heard him say that. “Excuse me, what did you just say?” Maybe, she was the one who had heard him wrong. It could have been anything except marrying him and giving him a child. “You heard me,” Christian tsked, “but I’ll repeat it. Marry me and have my child.” Her mouth opened and gaped at me. In her mind, she was trying to make sense about what was going on. How in the world had it come to be? What in the world could make the situation come to this?! “No?” Grace replied, but then realized that the word was not firm enough. “No.” she said again. Christian frowned, and it seemed so innocent like he had not asked her the most unbelievable thing. “Why not? I thought you wanted to help me. You offered.” “I offered my help, my brain, my support not my,” she hesitated, “stomach!” What was the word for it? “Womb,” he provided. “Yes!” She slapped her hand on the table. “You don’t get my womb!” “I don’t?” He challenged. “No!” “What if helping me out means Lorelai coming out of a coma?” Grace felt her heart drop. “What?” Christian nodded. “What if helping me out, agreeing to what you have to do for me, means bringing your grandmother out of the, that she is in?” ******** Grace was one strong girl and with the people she put her trust in, that was only a small number, she knew she could conquer the world, or at least she thought to herself. When her best friend proposed a deal that could change their lives, she made a decision that was going to be mutually beneficial to both of them. But one renovation led to many and everything has been just a game, a manipulation from him. Everything was full of deceit, lies, planning and plotting against her. Every single thing, right down the fact that only he had been her friend… Everything was a lie and she had been living it, willingly. Tropes; Friends to lovers, office romance, best friends, frenemies, marriage of convenience, possessive villainous and morally gray heroes!
A small detour - I
Grace had many friends in college, most of them were from Christian's group but at the end of the day, she found some good ones that she had kept contact with even now.
One of them was Mia.
"I swear to god," Mia groaned as she slumped on the waiting seat, "I don't have anything to wear."
"You never do," Grace muttered under her breath. Miya's problem of not finding the right cloth in her closet which was filled with them was very old. She had the entire room dedicated as a closet.
Grace walked out with the Skirt for Mia to see. "How is it?" She twirled around. It was a skirt with Leopard printing and it looked pretty.
"Take it," Mia said with a firm nod, "anyway, do you wanna come to a party at my place?"
"Party?" Grace repeated subconsciously as she continued to find the correct belt to pair it with. "Why are you having a party?"
"Meh," Mia shrugged, "I have too much money?" She offered an explanation, making Grace laugh.
"I will think about it."
"Uh huh," Mia stood up, shaking her head. "Don't even think about ditching me. Get ready by 7pm at least. I'll pick you up!"
******
Grace was stress baking.
She no longer had any idea why should be doing this but apparently, with jars filled with Gelato, not to forget the 36 cookies that she had made and the cupcake icing that she was currently working on.
"Kill me why don't you," Lorelei grumbled as soon as she walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
"I can't eat something sweet so she makes something sweet. I go to sleep, she tries to raid the kitchen!" She continued to grumble. "Just kill me!"
"Nonna, Please." Grace sighed tiredly and let her hands continue to whisk the batter. "I am stressed."
"So are a million other people," Lorelei snapped. "Be more specific."
"I—" The ringing of a phone cut her off and when grandma moved to get it. She once again focused on whipping the batter in her hand.
"Oh, uh huh," Lorelei Exited the kitchen, leaving Grace alone with her thoughts once more.
With two batches of cupcakes ready, Grace now sat on the shelf, wondering what she was supposed to do with all of them until she finally figured it out.
Her eyes went over to the clock, they were still time to the party. At least two hours before go time and that was more than enough for her.
****
Living in New York, she hardly ever used her own car when the driver was provided for her. But today she made sure to do it on her own especially when there were sticky goods to be carried.
And she wanted to know when else to witness the moment.
She came in front of a familiar building. The building where she had spent two weeks of her life grieving alone until someone found her.
For a moment she kept on sitting in her car and did not move outside. She stayed at the building and the abandoned swings before her had tightened over the steering wheel.
Bad things happened in almost every place and here that thing happened to her too and that happened in the course of two weeks.
A knock on the window made her jerk up and look towards it only to find the same admin she had met once staring down at her.
"Are you alright, miss?" The woman asked before she glanced at the building, "are you here to meet someone?"
Her eyes flickered over to the building before she closed them and shook her head. Today she was not strong, but maybe some other day she could actually go inside.
Grace picked up the boxes containing the cupcakes from her passenger seat and rolled down the window to its full content. She handed them over to the administrator.
"I do not have the time to come inside today. Could you please make sure this is distributed to the children?"
The happiness over the woman's face was visible and after profusely thanking Grace, the woman almost ran inside with them.
She kept on staring at the building and tried to calm her breathing. It was one problem one day.
And she still had a party to go to.