The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

I step through the doors of DM Consultancy with a wide smile on my face. This place is like home to me and I’ve been away for too long. I hum all the way up to the top floor, giddy with excitement. It feels like my first day all over again. I forgot how much I love being here.

“You’re back!” Linda says, hugging me tightly.

Luke nods at me, silent as ever. The guy is brilliant with numbers, but not so much with words. The three of us are the only ones in the executive office. Others come and go, but the three of us have lasted. Throughout the last couple of years, we’ve become good friends and allies. We quickly learned to put up a united front to survive Daniel’s rigorous training.

Daniel walks out of his office with his secretary on his heels. I hate how handsome he looks today. The suit he’s wearing looks sexy as hell on him, and my eyes linger on his body far longer than appropriate. Much to my dismay, a guy I know all too well follows behind Kate, Daniel’s secretary.

I stare at my ex in surprise. What the hell is he doing here? My eyes slowly drop to the name tag around his neck. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I murmur.

Daniel smiles when he sees me. “Alyssa,” he says. “Meet Jake, your new colleague.”

I stiffen. I was hoping I was mistaken. Out of all the people that could’ve joined, it had to be Jake. He turns to Jake and hands him a stack of documents. “Alyssa will be your senior and mentor from now on. She’ll help you get started and she’ll be the one you can reach out to if you have any questions.”

Jake and I stare at each other. Our breakup was messy, to say the least. Jake was the guy I thought things might actually work out with. I attended university using my mother’s surname. I never told Jake about my family and never gave him any indication that we were even remotely wealthy. It’s what my father wanted. He wanted me to learn what it’s like to grow up as a regular kid as much as possible. It’s the reason he told me to use Alyssa Carter at work too. Our top executives know who I am, but beyond that most of my colleagues are blissfully unaware, as was Jake.

Right when our relationship got serious, he told me we’d never have a future because I’d never be good enough for him and would never fit into his life. He said that his family was rich and they wouldn’t ever accept a Cinderella into the family. He told me that the two of us could have fun until we graduated, but it’d never be more than that. I’m glad he showed me his true colours a few months into our relationship, rather than stringing me along even longer. I was furious nonetheless. I dumped a cocktail on his head and threatened to castrate him if he ever dared show his conceited face again.

“Alyssa,” he murmurs, surprised. “I didn’t know you worked here. The executive programme, as well. You’ve done surprisingly well for yourself.”

I barely manage to keep from rolling my eyes. This asshole. Surprisingly well? DM’s executive programme is one of the toughest in the country, and my dad would’ve kicked me off without remorse if I wasn’t good enough. He warned me beforehand that he’d fire me and make me work for someone else if I couldn’t cut it at DM. I worked harder than anyone else here to make sure that never happened.

Daniel looks at me. “You two know each other?”

I sigh and nod, part of me too embarrassed to admit I dated this douchebag. Daniel looks at me with raised brows but Jake answers him before I can.

“Yes, we attended the same university. We dated for a while.”

Daniel looks at me coldly and I almost want to take a step back.

“Hmm, really now?” he says, his voice low.

I nod. “We broke up because he said I’d never be good enough for his rich family,” I tell Daniel, a mischievous grin on my face.

Daniel stares at me in disbelief and then starts laughing. “Must not have been that serious then.”

I nod in agreement. It was never serious enough for him to even find out my real name. It’s not like I go out of my way to hide who I am. I do have social media profiles and all that, it’s just that I keep them relatively private and usually pretend I don’t do social media.

“Join me in my office for a minute, Alyssa.”

I nod and follow him, pausing at the threshold. My father’s desk is still there, untouched. Daniel closes the door behind us and I blink away the tears that have gathered in my eyes before he notices.

He walks to his desk and shakes his head. “That guy?” he says. “Really?”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t judge. I’ve seen some of the girls you’ve been with.”

He leans back in his chair and shakes his head. “No, Lyss. You’ve seen some of the girls I’ve been photographed with.”

I blink in surprise. Surely he isn’t insinuating that not everything I’ve seen is real. I know the media likes to twist things to get a juicy story out, but there’s often a grain of truth to it. Daniel pushes a folder my way before I can overthink it.

“Luxe. One of our oldest clients. Out of everyone, they are the one client I thought would stick with us, no matter what. But now they’re threatening to terminate our contract after we deliver the new packaging designs and our proposed marketing strategy, unless we give them twenty-five percent discount. They’re saying they don’t have faith in us without your father here.”

I shake my head. “Impossible. We need them to let us implement the marketing strategy. We can’t afford to give them more discount because we’re barely making any money on them as it is. If we give them more discount. that’ll set a precedent I’m not comfortable with.”

Daniel nods at me. “Exactly. Can you handle this?”

“I’ll try, but if they’re intent on leaving us, then they’ll do so.”

Daniel sighs and pulls a hand through his hair, messing it up. “Are you doing okay?” I ask. I walk around his desk and lean against it, looking down at him. I haven’t actually stopped to wonder whether he’s doing all right. He’s doing my father’s job now on top of his own, and he’s constantly confronted with his loss in this office.

“We can remove the desk, you know. You shouldn’t leave this all here. I can pack it all up. Looking at it all day will just be hard for both of us.”

Daniel stares at the desk opposite him, looking so lost that my heart breaks. “Hmm… I’ll get someone to do it this weekend. I don’t think it’s something you or I are ready to do so soon, but it needs to be done.”

I stare at him, unable to determine whether he’s really okay or whether he’s putting up a good front. It’s been over a month since my father died. Has he been staring at my dad’s desk all this time? We’ve been married for two weeks and he never once showed me how much pain he’s in, but the agony I’m seeing in his eyes as he stares at my dad’s desk tells me everything I need to know.

“Okay, all right,” I murmur. I comb through his hair with my fingers, carefully straightening out the mess he made. I smile when I’m done and pull back to find Daniel staring at me with wide eyes. I realise what I did and cradle my hand.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Daniel. I didn’t mean to…”

I feel mortified. In the last couple of days, the lines between Daniel and I have begun to blur. I’ve gotten so used to him throwing his arm around my shoulder or playing with my hair that I didn’t think much of it. I forgot that we’re at work and that my behaviour isn’t appropriate.

He shakes his head and smiles. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. Thanks for fixing my hair.” The way he smiles at me is sweet and almost shy. It makes my heart skip a beat and I step away from him, feeling flustered.

I all but run out of his office, praying my cheeks aren’t flaming. Jake is standing at my cubicle when I walk back and I sigh. I really can’t be bothered with this guy.

“You can sit there,” I say, pointing at the empty cubicle next to Luke’s. He nods, but rather than going to his cubicle, he hesitates and lingers at mine.

“Lyss, we’re good, right?” he asks.

I groan. “Yeah, we’re fine. Get me all the data on Luxe. They’re one of our oldest clients. I need summaries of the information we have. I need details of our past contracts with them, employees who have worked with them most frequently, details on our key contacts there and a copy of our latest proposal, including a full breakdown of costs.”

Jake looks startled. “I won’t repeat myself, Jake. You’d better have gotten all that. I need it on my desk within the hour. If one of the interns hasn’t shown you how to use our systems yet, then I recommend you learn quickly.”

He looks angry and I can’t wait to see what kind of bullshit is going to come out of his mouth now. “I’m not your little bitch, Alyssa. I get that you’re still bitter about our breakup, but you can’t take it out on me at work. That’s unprofessional. I’ll let it slide this time, but I’ll be reporting you to HR if you pull this shit again.”

I roll my eyes. “Are you an idiot? Did you get into uni the same way you got into DM? Didn’t you hear the way the CEO introduced you to me? I’m your senior, so yes, you are my little bitch. Now get to work or get the fuck out.”

Linda whistles while Jake’s face keeps getting redder and redder. He looks at Daniel’s office as though he wants to storm in and demand retribution, but he probably knows Daniel is just as likely to throw him out. His father might have gotten him in here, but he won’t be able to keep him here. After stewing for a couple of minutes, he finally stalks off and gets to work.

“Fifty-three minutes,” I yell. He clenches his jaw and starts typing furiously.

Luke chuckles. “Don’t worry,” he says. “She’s been here longer than any of us. She’s everyone’s senior, not just yours. And yes, she’s just as tough on us. Don’t take it personally.”

Sadly for me, but fortunately for Jake, he actually gets the information to me in time, robbing me of an excuse to get rid of him. I mull over it and draw up a plan, but I’m not a hundred percent confident.

I knock on Daniel’s door with the outline of my plan. He’s on the phone when I walk in, so I stand and wait in front of his floor to ceiling window. The skyline looks stunning as the sun slowly sets.

Daniel joins me when his call is done. He stands next to me, his arm brushing against mine.

“I think they’re bluffing,” I tell him. “I’ve gone over the data and calculations over and over again. None of our competitors can afford to give them the rates we do. I’m eighty percent sure they’re bluffing.”

Daniel turns to face me and nods. “I agree.”

I look away and try to gather the courage to tell Daniel my plan.

“Would it be okay if I request a meeting with them?” I ask, my voice soft. Daniel looks at me and tilts his head in question.

“I want to talk to them in person. Remind them of the relationship they had with my dad and how much of a betrayal it is for them to do this to us right now. I’m a Moriani, after all.”

Dan smiles at me and nods. “That might just do the trick. Have your ex sign an NDA and bring him with you.”

I hesitate. “Are you sure?”

Daniel nods. I sigh as I walk back to my cubicle to print the non-disclosure agreement and set the appointment with Luxe. I don’t want to bring him, but since Daniel suggested it, I have no choice. I slap the NDA on Jake’s desk. “Sign this. The boss told me to bring you to tomorrow’s meeting with Luxe.”

He frowns. “I already signed an NDA when I signed my contract.”

I shake my head. “This NDA is specific to me. Read through the terms. It states that nothing you hear during meetings you attend with me can be revealed. Not even intra-company. The NDA you signed only covers sharing information with those outside of DM.”

Linda jumps up, dismayed. “Seriously? I had to wait three months to attend a meeting with you and he gets to go in his first week? What kind of bullshit is that, Alyssa?”

I run a hand through my hair and shake my head. “It’s not me, Linda, I promise. I don’t want to take him either. It’s the boss’s orders. Go take it up with Daniel.”

She grits her teeth and sits back down, and I sigh. She’s going to sulk all day without a doubt and nothing I can say is going to convince her that I’m not playing favourites.

“We’re meeting Liam Evans on Friday,” I say, pushing a post-it his way. “This is the address, you’d better not be late.”

Jake grins like he’s got the upper hand. “I know Liam. I’ve met him a couple of times. We’ll be fine. He’s a great guy.”

I roll my eyes. Everyone knows everyone in the same social and business circles. That doesn’t mean shit, but whatever. Let him find out the hard way.