17. Candice

CHAPTER 17

CANDICE

W hen I get back to my office, I'm surprised to find Kelly still there, sitting in the corner chair, playing on her phone. "Give me a moment," she says, not looking up. "I've nearly finished this level of Jewel Bash."

Wordlessly, I circle my desk and sit down, letting the noise of her fingers on the screen fill the silence, holding the envelope in my hands, toying with one of the corners of the flap until it starts to peel away.

"What you got there?" Kelly asks when she looks up from her phone.

"It was Aiden," I say, not really answering her question.

"Fletcher?" She raises both eyebrows high and shoves her phone in her pocket. "What did he want?"

I glare at her, throwing the envelope on the desk. "Don't act like you're that surprised; I know you suspected it was him as much as I did."

She shrugs, throwing up her hands in casual surrender. "Okay, so what if I did? I still want to know what he said."

"He really, really wants us to merge with Fletcher Tech."

"Awesome. But you said he said they couldn't buy us out?"

I shake my head. "No, and I'm not giving my company away for free."

Kelly hums in righteous agreement. "So, what's in the envelope?"

We both stare at it, gleaming white on the desk, the corner dog-eared from where I was fiddling with it. I don't want to open it. I don't want its contents to make sense.

I don't want to marry Aiden Fletcher.

Pretending to be cool and not at all bothered by anything that's happened in the last half hour, I shrug, adopting what I hope is a casual, unaffected expression. "Oh, I don't really know. Some boring legal information about mergers, I expect."

"Because," says Kelly, grinning like I've walked into her trap, "it sounded a lot to me like you were yelling at him about marriage ."

All the blood drains from my face. "You heard that?"

"Sweetie, I think the whole building did."

Burying my face in my hands, I let out the loudest wail I think I can get away with in public. This is quickly turning into the very worst nightmare I could imagine, or else my own personal hell. But, unlike a dream, this isn't something I can wake up from. I should have moved as far away from Olympus City as I could. I should have blocked Aiden's number and got a restraining order against him and laughed as Fletcher Tech fell apart in his hands.

I should never have gotten involved with him in the first place.

Kelly gets up and lays a cool, calming hand on top of my head.

"He's such an idiot," I mumble into my palms, not wanting to look up at her smug face. To be honest, if I could curl up under the desk and sleep my embarrassment off for the next six years, I would.

"And so you're going to let him win?"

"Huh?" I tentatively peek out through my fingers, my eyebrows knotting together. What the hell is she talking about?

She hops up to sit on top of the desk, letting her feet dangle over the edge, swinging them back and forth like we're not in a professional setting right now. "Look at it this way. You want to prove him wrong by being the best, yeah? Like a big go fuck yourself ?"

"Yeah," I say slowly, slumping back in my chair to stare at her suspiciously.

"But without his help, we're pretty much failing too, so it's kind of hypocritical to stick a middle finger up at him."

"God, we're so fucked," I groan as I slam my face back down onto the desk. The chipboard is still hard enough to hurt. I let out another groan, this time at a different kind of pain.

At least Kelly's fingers massaging my scalp are a reprieve from my stress headache. She's so reliable like that — she always takes a chunk of the world off my plate. Usually, anyway. Her words today aren't exactly comforting. "So, what I'm saying is, maybe we should listen to his idea."

The huff of disbelief I let out sends a warm wave of moisture up my face, making me sit back up again. I'm like one of those stupid, confused birds that go round in circles and looks like they're about to break their own necks. "You want me to marry him? You don't hear how completely, totally ridiculous that sounds?"

"It's weird, yeah, but you did say you had a crush on him once."

"We had a single night together, eight years ago! We don't even know each other at all anymore! Sure, he's still attractive, but you can't marry someone on some crazy whim because he's rich and I'm desperate. You do see how insane that is, right?"

Kelly folds her arms. I'm really in for it now. She's got an idea in her head and once she has that, there's no stopping her. The last time she was this insistent on anything was three or four years ago when we were faced with half a dozen rich businessmen and a casino. Yet somehow we managed to get out of there with more money than we came in with, a fate they weren't lucky enough to share. We also got a pretty good deal out of that one.

I adore her, and most days, her being stubborn is useful, but right now it's going to make me scream.

"Candice, listen to me. I'm not saying you have to marry him tomorrow, or, like, make a big show of it. Negotiate with him, tell him you refuse to have a wedding. People have arranged marriages all the time."

"Your line of argument here really is that arranged marriages are a great idea?" I raise the most dubious eyebrow it is possible to raise.

She sighs. "No, I guess not. My argument is, you need him, he's not bad to look at, and he wants you. You marry him, take his stuff, live your own fabulous life — and boom ! Problem solved."

"I'm glad you're so confident," I mutter. "I think he probably would want to see his wife more than once a year."

"Look, give him a go, yeah? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Do you want the complete list or the abridged one?"

We lock eyes, entering into a silent duel, drawing our guns. Whoever flinches first loses and has to ride out of town on a horse of shame. At least, that's what I'm telling her in my mind. In her mind, she's telling me, " For God's sake, stop being so proud and accept some help for a change!"

It's kind of more complicated than that, but — even though it is absolutely agonizing to do this — I have to admit that she's right.

"Okay," I concede, grabbing the envelope and tearing it open. Whoever put this packet together did a damn good job, considering how fast they must have done it. Everything looks incredibly crisp and clear. "Let's say I choose to go along with this madness. I still think it's crazy to marry a man I barely know."

"So, go out with him," says Kelly like that was an obvious point I somehow missed.

"I'm not dating Aiden Fletcher. The last thing I want is to get ripped to shreds in the media. Imagine if my face got on TV! I'd never live that down."

Kelly gives me the deepest frown she's ever given me, swiveling on the desk to face me, legs crossed. "Candice, I'm not saying you have to actually date him. Go somewhere. Do something. Chat. Catch up. Maybe he's changed."

"Maybe he hasn't."

"And how would you know that?"

We lock eyes again, but I have no more argument left in me. The truth is, seeing Aiden again has created a storm in me and I don't think it's going to quiet down until I put this whole situation to rest one way or another. "Okay, what do you suggest, then? Weekend in Rome? Walking the Great Wall of China? Getting smashed at a luxury hotel?"

She rolls her eyes but can't contain the grin of victory. "Too dramatic. Invite him to Desert Cove." I give her a blank look until she elaborates. "The oasis? Don't you know it?"

"No, actually," I say, intrigued.

"Oh, well it's super pretty, not that far away, and really quiet and secluded. Plus there's this spa that does retreats for couples and businesspeople, designed to get you back in touch with your true self and release your inner spirits or whatever."

One weekend. I can manage that, right? One weekend of vaguely couple-related activities. I can be in his vicinity for two days and not kill him or, worse, let any old feelings get reawakened. I just have to take the personal out of this. It's a business trip meant to secure a business deal. I'm good at business. It's why I'm here in the first place.

"Fine. Can you book it all?"

Kelly grins so hard it looks like she's about to give herself a headache. She jumps to her feet and says, "Awesome. Maybe call him first, though? Let me know what he says, and I'll get right on it."

"Get out, then," I say lightly, shooing her with my hands. I might as well get this over with.

Kelly shoots a wink at me as she prances out of the room, clearly walking on the high of winning a battle. As she shuts the door, I sigh and lean forward. Aiden has left his number right on the top of the packet, clearly expecting a call.

I hate how much this feels like giving in.

Still, I pick up my phone and, with a shaking hand, dial the number.