Chapter 2 Alexandra's point of view

"Can you start talking already? Trust me, if you continue to keep me in suspense, I am going to ask you to leave, and I'm not even kidding," I told Julian.

I wasn't comfortable with his silence. It would have been better if he hadn't said anything rather than putting me in a state of expectancy.

Julian sighed and stood up, approaching me.

"Stay back

I can hear you from a distance.

I am not deaf," I stopped him with an upraised arm.

"If that's what you want. I would just respect your decision," he retreated and returned to his seat.

"How would it feel like getting married to me?" He popped the question at full speed.

"What did you just say?" I stood up in shock and slammed the desk in annoyance.

I didn't realize my voice was so loud until Rachel showed up in my office looking so worried.

"I heard you scream from outside. Would you mind me calling for help?" She inquired enthusiastically.

I glanced at Julian before processing my response. He wasn't even looking in my direction.

"No, it's fine.

I can handle this.

Thank you for reaching out," I told Rachael and allayed her fears.

She was a bit skeptical about leaving.

"Why do I have a feeling that something is wrong? If you ever need help, I am just one call away," Rachel assured me. She kept glaring at Julian awkwardly until she was completely out of sight.

"Wow! Good to know that you could still defend me in that manner. I thought you didn't want me around?" Julian bragged. He didn't bother to show remorse for his actions.

"This won't happen next time if you don't speak up this minute," I warned him. To show that I was indeed serious about my threat, I reached out to the company's landline, pretending to be dialing some numbers.

"Are you ready to speak, or should I proceed?" I narrowed my gaze at him.

"Put that down.

You don't have to.

Look, five minutes and I will be out of your life for good," he vowed.

Reluctantly, I dropped the landline. However, I still had my doubts.

"I got a proposal for you." He started the conversation.

"What proposal are you talking about?" I twirled my auburn hair.

"Listen, promise me you won't panic if I tell you?" He asked me for clarification.

"Can you quit the long talk and spill already? Your five minutes are on the verge of elapsing," I reminded him. I was getting bored with the conversation. Had I known, I would have walked him out the moment he showed up.

It's difficult for me to kick him out. He just put me in a complicated situation filled with suspense.

"There's this deal I've been keeping tabs on for a couple of months now. It's worth $ nine billion. The investors wouldn't assign the contract to me unless I provided evidence of my marriage," Julian finally revealed, without hitting the nail on the head, hence isolating me in a state of confusion.

"What do I have to do with this," I answered rudely. I looked unbothered, but inside of me, I cared so much to know why he had to come to tell me when we hadn't spoken in years.

"That's where you come in, Alex.

I want you to become my wife," he disclosed.

"Is this a joke?

Come on, Julian.

I don't want to believe you came this far to pull my legs. Where's the camera? I know for sure this is a prank," I argued and doubted him.

It didn't even make sense to me. The same Julian that cheated on me now wants me to get married to him. How ironic could that be?

"I hope that was a joke, Alex." He affirmed. He went mute for a minute, took out his phone, and kept typing.

A few minutes later, he returned the phone to his pocket and asked me to check my mailbox.

I obeyed him and, behold, I received a non-disclosure agreement contract.

"What's this about? So is it true? You want us to get married?" I cried.

"Yes, Alex.

Please, don't say no.

It's only going to last for six months. Much isn't expected from you.

Just pretend to be my wife and that's it," he buttressed.

"I still can't believe this.

Why me? What about Mabel?"

"Mabel? Who's that?" Julian refused, without blinking his eyes.

"Don't act like you don't know whom I'm talking about, Julian. Have you forgotten the so-called cousin you cheated on me with?" I yelled at Julian to rejuvenate his retentive memory.

"We broke up a few months after you caught us making it out on the couch," he confessed.

"Wow!" I widened my mouth astonishingly. It took me a while to realize that.

"Can we stop talking about Mabel? I don't want her to spoil what we are about to do. I chose you because the investors requested that my wife be the CEO of a company. We both know Mabel has got nothing in her name." He added.

"What if I was married? Did you ever consider that? I hope you weren't expecting me to leave my relationship or marriage just to accept your ridiculous demand, right?" I questioned him. His level of confidence needed to be studied at university.

"Come on, Girl.

I've been keeping tabs on you for a while and I discovered that you've stayed single ever since we broke up," he disclosed the shocking revelation.

"Are you stalking me now?" I flared up. He laughed and didn't see it as a big deal.

Julian wasn't wrong after all.

Despite what he did to me in the past, there's a part of me that still wants to be with him. Regardless of the past, he was still the best thing that ever happened to my love life.

I still have my fears. A leopard never changes its spot. It would have been better to begin as friends, but certainly not as couples. I wouldn't get married to Julian for a billion dollars, let alone for six months.

I gave him five years of my life, and it ended in tears for me. Breaking up with Julian was the best thing that ever happened to me.

It took me almost an eternity to move on from the horrible past. Just when I thought my life was on the verge of experiencing another turnaround, he showed up out of the blue and opened the can of worms.