The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

Iwalk out of the lift to find my entire team giddy with excitement. They’re smirking at each other and avoiding my eyes. “Morning, boss,” Luke calls, his eyes firmly pasted to his screen. I nod and frown at their odd behaviour as I walk to my office.

I freeze in front of my office door, my cheeks slowly turning crimson as I realise why they were acting so weird. I stare at the photo stuck on my door. The print quality is shitty, but it’s obviously Daniel and me, wrapped up in each other on his yacht. I’m straddling him while his hands are buried in my hair, our lips on each other. I drop my forehead to the door in embarrassment. It looks like the tradition that used to apply to Daniel has now been extended to me. I grab the photo and rip it off before walking into my office with blazing cheeks.

I’m not even sure what that was. He and I are over. He’s gone out of his way to avoid me over the last couple of months, and he’s made it clear that he’s done with me. So why couldn’t he keep his hands off me? Why did he invite me out on his yacht? Why did he ask me out on another date after months of radio silence? I’m reminded of the way he looked at me when he told me that there’s no one but me. Could it be true?

I try my best to focus on my work for the rest of the day. It’s the only thing that keeps my mind off Daniel. It was so hard to get over him, and now I’m back at square one. All the feelings I thought I buried have resurfaced, stronger than ever before.

I’m startled when someone knocks on my door. My staff usually walk in, and I’ve never minded that. The door opens and my eyes widen when Daniel walks in. He glances around the room and smiles as though he likes the changes I’ve made.

He approaches my desk and sits down opposite me. I stare at him before snapping out of it. “What are you doing here?”

Daniel grins and slides a folder towards me. “I want to hire DM to implement the project I told you about a while back. I want to tighten Devereaux Inc’s internal controls.”

I shake my head instinctively. “No,” I snap. I must’ve lost my senses in the last couple of days, but there’s no way I’m going down this road again. I barely survived the damage he did when he walked out on me. I’d be stupid to let him back in so easily.

“It’s a multi-million pound project, Lyss. Are you sure you can afford to say no? I know you have the resources and the knowledge to pull this off.”

I grit my teeth in annoyance because he’s right, but shake my head. The project would be great to have, but it’s not like we aren’t doing well enough without it.

Daniel crosses his arms over his chest and stares me down. “Saying no to this project would mean destroying shareholder value. Is that something you should be doing as the CEO? You’re not one to let emotions cloud your judgement.”

I sigh and cross my own arms, mirroring his stance. “I personally own 51 percent of the shares. I am the biggest shareholder. I’m fine with losing a bit of value.”

Daniel looks down, his lips raised up in a tiny smile. “Hmm, I wonder if the board will feel the same way. I spoke to Christian the other day, and he seemed to think the project was a great idea and told me to run it by you.”

I glare at him through narrowed eyes. He went behind my back and presented this to the board? That means my hands are tied. If they already know about this project, I won’t get away with declining. Not without getting into trouble. I can’t have my leadership questioned only a few months after being appointed.

I grit my teeth and look at the documents he’s presenting me with. It’s a highly valuable project that we usually would’ve had to bid for. We’re lucky Daniel is offering it to us without even having to submit a proposal. I bite down on my lip and nod tersely.

“Very well. It looks good. I’ll have a team over it and get back to you.”

Daniel grins and points out a specific clause. He looks smug and triumphant, and I’m already annoyed before I even look at it.

I frown and then glare at him. “Why would you need the CEO of a company to work with you directly?” I snap.

Daniel shrugs. “It’s an expensive project. I need you to oversee it personally. Gotta make sure I’m getting my money’s worth.”

I close my eyes and try my best to remain calm. What the hell is he thinking? He’s the one that walked out on our relationship. So why is he now the one that’s asking me on dates? Why is he forcing me to spend time with him?

I grit my teeth as I read over the contract, beyond pissed off. He’s got me backed into a corner. “Asshole,” I mutter under my breath. Daniel grins but otherwise ignores the way I’m cursing him. I grab my pen, my limbs heavy with dread, and sign the contract.