THE CEO'S CONTRACT MARRIAGE

CASSANDRA'S POV

"You don't seem very happy. Penny for your thoughts?" Juliet, my best friend and my boss' sister says to me waving a hand in front of my face.

I turn to her and see her run a finger through her unruly hair. In all honesty I'm not quite sure she's even had a chance to properly look at a mirror today but by some cosmic miracle she stands out like a polished gem, attracting stares of appreciation from each person that passes by.

The intricacies of having a hot friend...

Clearing my throat, I reply, "There's no need for me to be elated after all, I'm not the one who's getting married."

She peers at me. "Not exactly, but you are the one who orchestrated this entire fiasco. You're the one that managed to accomplish the impossible."

"Oh come on... now you are simply exaggerating. It wasn't that bad."

As though what I had said had answered her suspicions, she leans forward to me across the table. "Now I know that something is most definitely wrong with you. What happened? Are you sad Jarred is getting married? Cassandra Lilly Day!!! I told you not to fall for him!..but then again...there really isn't much to fall for anyway. So I repeat what happened?"

Sighing, I use my left hand to pick at non-existent lint on my dress. The yellow color bright against my skin, making me seem happier than I actually am. "I...I just got an email saying that I didn't get the position at Hemingway. I don't know what to feel at the moment."

"Oh no...I'm so sorry Cass," Juliet says, scratching the back of her head uncomfortably. "I know how hard you worked on getting that interview. Hell, I was right beside you when you kept on googling different slides on balancing ledgers."

It had been four long months that I had spent every living day working on the presentation for the Archer company's human resources department, yet they still rejected my job transfer. It honestly hurts a lot more than it should. I mean I know that I wasn't exactly trying to get the best HR position, I still felt that I deserved to get it. I had hoped and dreamed of taking the company to heights never seen before and showing them what I've got, but I guess that I'll never really be able to.

Better luck next year... I guess

"I guess I wasn't cut out for the job," I say with a resolved sigh.

"Excuse me if I sound crass but that's a load of steaming horse shit," Juliet says so matter-of-factly that I start laughing.

"If it's any consolation, you still get to work alongside the man who runs Archer corporations."

I roll my eyes at my best friend. "Yes because I've been foaming at the mouth to continue to work with the country's coldest and most arrogant CEO."

"True...big brother does tend to be far more conceited than your average male."

"Hence the theme," I say, waving around the room with a shit-eating grin.

Juliet glances around, taking in the pink decor, napkins that are folded in the shape of a swan, and a very questionable flower arch that bore the flickering neon sign "It's my engagement bitches!" and raises an eyebrow. "If he doesn't love it, then it only proves my point that he's a monster."

Batting my eyes with faux sweetness, I ask, "Why wouldn't he love it? I only planned the party like he asked me to. If he wanted a different kind of party, then he should have said so."

Juliet shakes her head at me. "You my friend are the spitting image of the word lethal. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

I reach out and grab her hand. "The day you do, sweetie, I'd suggest you rent an underground bunker in some third world country because the repercussions won't be funny. "

Juliet contemplates on my words for a second before fake shivering and yanking her hand out of mine. "So... where's our blushing bride-to-be?"

"Jared said he wanted to go over the ground rules with her, so he decided to meet her before the announcement."

Her eyes widen just a fraction. "What?!" She exclaims so loudly it attracts a couple of stares to our table, which she shoos with a wave of her hand and a muttered sorry that I'm pretty sure was not heartfelt but because she's beautiful she somehow gets pardoned for it before turning to look back at me again. "What I mean to say is... why ever in the world would you let him do that?!" She whisper-yells at me.

"Uh... because he hasn't met her yet and I thought it wouldn't hurt anyone if the soon-to-be bride and bridegroom are on a first-name basis."

Juliet parrots my words in a sarcastic tone. "He hasn't met her yet...of course he wasn't supposed to meet her yet. It's a terrible idea."

"You think he's going to make her change her mind, don't you?"

"Knowing big brother...I have a feeling that that poor girl is probably on her way to New Mexico."

"Relax, Jules...she signed a contract. It's pretty much a done deal. She wouldn't try to run away."

"Come on, Cass, you know what Jarred can be like," Juliet says with a shrug of her shoulders.

My eyes dart between the closed elevator doors and my best friend. Julia's words have made me rethink my earlier decision.

What was I thinking...Jarred is a nightmare and more especially to the opposite sex.

"Maybe...maybe I should go check on them."

I try to bring myself to my stand, but Juliet quickly pulls me back onto my seat. "Nope! I won't allow it. Besides, tonight you are taking tonight off."

"But, you said-"

"I know what I said. Look, I'm probably wrong. Jared wouldn't risk losing everything just because of something stupid. My brother might be a complete moron at times, but I'm sure he knows when to hold back."

"Oh, now I know you are lying," I say, completely unconvinced.

Jules tosses her head back and laughs for a full minute before lifting me up and linking arms with me. "Come on, girl. You worry too much. Jared will be fine." She steers me in the direction of the main hall. "Now tell me, in the course of your party planning, did you add mini hors d'oeuvres to the catering? And if so...what kind?"

"Cassandra!" A booming voice calls out from a distance, causing Juliet and me to freeze in our steps.

We both simultaneously turn around to see Jarred walking briskly to us.

His deep, cold voice seems to have cleared out the room because the room that had initially been teeming with waiters had now been cleared out in a matter of seconds.

"Boy sure knows how to make an entrance," Juliet mutters under her breath, causing me to involuntarily smile, but I soon wipe it off on Jarred's arrival.

The air by now has morphed into something akin to tension as Jared's cold, icy glare was clearly offsetting global warming. His well-built body blocks my view of the lobby.

He comes to a halt in front of a spotlight. The harsh lighting would normally sallow one's features, but in his case, it seems to enhance it by bringing out the sheer darkness of his eyes and his sharp jaw.

Unlike Juliet with her "I probably was prom queen but I could totally pass off for the girl next door look" with her very long strawberry blond hair and light blue eyes, Jarred's kinda reminds of an ocean at night, dark, ominous, and could consume you with one false move.

He was the very embodiment of dread, and he made everyone that encountered him run for the hills without a second glance.

Well...not everyone.

Everyone except me, that is. For some reason, I'm the only one who was able to see through his BS and cohabit with him. My colleagues might have claimed that my hefty salary was the main reason I stuck around, but they'd be wrong - Jarred's presence at the office made the money barely tolerable.

The thing is, after our initial rocky few months together, he and I had somehow managed to have a somewhat (keyword being somewhat) working relationship and grow to have mutual respect for each other.

Although we were very different in all ramifications, we still managed to make things work.

Stepping in between the two Archer siblings, I ask, "Jarred, why the heck are you here? Or could it be time for the announcement?"

I raise my hand to look at my wristwatch in order to check the time. "Nope, we've still got a couple of minutes. So I repeat, why in the world are you here?"

Jarred focuses his full attention on me, his eyes never leaving mine. Most people would probably buckle under his gaze, but I stare at him head on.

"She's gone."

"What?"