Chapter 2
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?"
Claire and I spoke up almost in unison, our voices full of shock and accusation.
Her gaze swept over me from head to toe, finally landing on my face, which must have looked pretty stunned and bewildered from the shock. Her frown deepened.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" She asked. Her voice was even icier and more guarded than it ever was at the office.
I was so exasperated. I nearly laughed out loud.
This was my house.
How did I get in? I used the code, obviously.
Shouldn't she be the one explaining herself right now?
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" I asked as I grabbed the baseball bat and waved it at her. "Ms. Sullivan, trespassing is illegal, you know. Or do you think being the CEO means you can just do whatever you please?"
Claire glanced at the baseball bat in my hand, a hint of mockery flickering in her eyes.
"Trespassing?" Claire let out a cold laugh, her smile even colder than if she hadn't smiled at all. She said, "Ethan, are you sure you're not mistaken? Take a good look around; whose place do you think this is?"
As she spoke, Claire grabbed a file from the shelf by the bathroom door and flung it at me.
I caught it instinctively, and the words Prenuptial Agreement stared back at me in big, bold letters.
My heart sank.
Why did this thing look so familiar?
My hands were shaking as I opened the file and pulled out the papers inside.
When I saw what was written on them and the signatures, I froze, completely stunned.
It was a contract drawn up by the elders of both our families. The gist was simple. To cement the business alliance, Claire and I were expected to honor the childhood betrothal arranged for us and get married when the timing was right.
And this riverside penthouse was the wedding apartment our families bought together, with both our names on the deed.
At the end of the agreement, both Claire and I had signed.
The handwriting was messy, like a kid's, but it was definitely mine.
It suddenly hit me.
About ten years ago, when I was just a clueless kid, my dad dragged me to some fancy event. I was barely paying attention and ended up signing a stack of papers. He promised I'd get the newest gaming console if I signed everything.
Turned out, one of them was this.
And Claire was that legendary childhood fiancée I had only ever seen in old photos.
I remembered rolling my eyes at the time, saying, "Come on, arranged marriages? What is this, the Middle Ages?"
After that, nobody ever mentioned it again, and honestly, it vanished from my mind completely.
Who could've guessed that ten years later, this fiancée I had totally forgotten about would crash back into my life in such a dramatic way?
She became my boss, and on her very first day, she fired me.
And now, somehow, we ended up as roommates.
Seriously, what kind of messed-up situation was this?
It was like everything in the universe hit me at once; my mind was spinning, and I could barely process it all.
When Claire saw me frozen in shock, the mockery in her eyes only grew stronger.
"Remember now?" she asked. Claire folded her arms, the towel accentuating her figure, but she was like an ice sculpture, radiating a cold vibe. "I own half of this place. Of course, I live here."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over me again, full of scrutiny and disdain.
"But you, Ethan," she said. "I remember there was a clause in the agreement—both parties are supposed to stay financially independent and actually work hard before the wedding.
"Is that your idea of working hard? Being a total slacker at the office, and when you got fired, you acted like it was no big deal. Do you really think you're worthy of me?"
Every word out of her mouth was like a frozen blade, slicing straight through my pride.
Yeah, I was slacking off, but having someone call me out right to my face like that really got under my skin.
Especially when the person doing it was my so-called fiancée.
I gave a sarcastic grin and tossed the agreement onto the coffee table.
I mocked her tone, letting out a cold laugh, and said, "Ms. Sullivan, aren't you the one who's confused here?
"First off, this whole agreement was set up by our parents. I never actually agreed to any of it. And second, what makes you think I even want to marry you? Are you really worthy of me?"
Since we were not pretending anymore, didn't expect me to hold back.
When it came to talking smack, no one could outtalk me.
Claire's face instantly darkened, and it felt like the temperature in the room dropped a few more degrees.
"You're so mouthy," she said through gritted teeth. "Ethan, I don't care what you think. The contract stands. Until we call off this engagement, you'd better behave yourself.
"I'm taking the master bedroom, you get the guest room. We mind our own business, no interference, no crossing lines.
"And another thing. Since you got fired, you'd better hurry up and find a proper job. I don't want my so-called fiancé turning into some jobless bum; if word gets out, it'll make me look pathetic."
With that, she didn't even bother to look at me, just marched straight to the master bedroom and slammed the door shut.
I stood in the living room, staring at that slammed door for what felt like forever, completely out of it.
Seriously, what kind of messed-up situation was this?
The laid-back life I had been dreaming of crashed and burned on day one.
And to top it off, now I had an ice-cold roommate who was also my ex-boss and my fiancée.
I scratched my head in annoyance and slumped onto the couch, sinking deep into the cushions.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I pulled it out and saw a message from my right-hand man, Mike Williams.
Mike sent: [Mr. Carter, everything's going smoothly with the plan. Ms. Sullivan wasted no time firing you, just like we expected. So, should we let her keep running the show, or do you want us to make a move?]
When I read the message, a cold smirk crept across my lips.
Claire, you really thought you were running the show?
You thought I was some worthless loser?
You had no clue that I had my eyes on everything you were doing.
On paper, my dad was the chairman, but in reality, I was the one pulling the strings.
My dad had been itching to retire and hand the company over to me, but honestly, running a business was way too much work. I wanted to kick back and relax.
So, we came up with a plan.
I kept my real identity hidden and started out at the lowest level in the company, calling it getting some life experience. Truth was, I was searching for a super-capable manager to take care of everything.
Claire was the one we finally picked after sifting through countless candidates.
She was super talented, her resume spotless. The only catch was that she was really full of herself, totally career-driven, and emotionally distant.
My dad always said that was exactly the kind of person we needed, no soft spots, never sidetracked by emotions, just someone who could throw themselves into the job.
To make sure Claire could really spread her wings and run the show without any restraints, we deliberately pulled off today's firing of the boss's son stunt, so she could cement her absolute authority.
But for all my careful planning, I never expected my so-called tool to be my arranged fiancée from childhood.
And now, she moved into my place with every right, like it was her own home.
I picked up my phone, fingers flying across the screen as I typed out a reply.
I sent: [Pause the plan. Let's just wait and see what happens.]
After sending the message, I tossed my phone aside and slumped onto the couch, letting myself sink deep into the cushions.
This was getting interesting.
Claire, you wanted to play games? Fine, I would play right along.
Just waited till she realized the useless loser she looked down on was actually her real boss. I couldn't wait to see her face then.
I closed my eyes, already imagining the moment when that day finally came.
I would watch her perform, flaunting her superiority like a clown right in front of me.
And when she felt on top of the world, I would shatter her pride myself.
That was going to feel amazing.