A Marriage in Name Only

Synopsis

"Design me a ring." Elliot Harris's voice was as cold as the man himself. I was hunched over my desk revising a draft and didn't even look up. "My schedule's full," I said. That wasn't a lie. I might carry the title of Mrs. Harris, but in reality, I was just the most invisible and most indispensable chief designer in Elliot's company. More than half of his bestsellers were born in this very study. "Clear it," Elliot said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He plucked the stylus from my hand—not hard, but invasive enough to irritate. "This one's urgent." Only then did I lift my head to look at him. "How urgent?" I asked. "Urgent enough for a proposal?" "Her birthday is next week." He sidestepped the question and slid a card across the table. "Double your usual fee." I stared at the black card and almost laughed. Three years ago, we got married. No wedding. No guests. Just a signature on a piece of paper. On the day we registered it, he slipped out of a meeting halfway through. The whole thing took less than thirty minutes.