Married to my enemy CEO

Adele sat on the bed, fingers curled tightly around the knife hidden under the pillow. She watched as her husband entered the room in his robe and night trousers, her gaze following him as he shrugged off his robe, dropped it in a corner and lay on the bed. He didn't seem to give her much attention. He just covered himself with the duvet and turned off the night lamp. She slowly slipped the knife from beneath the pillow, immediately lunging at him. Unfortunately for her, he caught her wrist in time before the knife could reach his chest.

"You shouldn't be playing with sharp objects, Adele." He was strangely calm about it. He sat up and took the knife away from her hand, dropping it in a corner.

Adele angrily yanked her hand away from his grip. "Why won't you just die?" Her eyes were filled with spite and her words carried venom, yet he still maintained a calm demeanor, meeting her gaze and not breaking eye contact. "I won't just die because you want me to," he calmly told her, which seemed to annoy her even more. She frowned, snatching some pillows and sheets before storming out of the room.

Adele Laurent had been married to the seemingly obnoxious Julian Hayes, CEO of Hayes Empire, for a month now. This was the last thing she wanted: to be arranged into a marriage with a man who was responsible for her brother's death. All she wanted was to get revenge for her brother, but now she ended up marrying the very man she wanted dead. The worst part of the entire arrangement was that her father agreed to this, knowing that Julian was responsible for his son's death. She wondered what her father had been thinking when he gave his consent for the proposal; was he only thinking about the money he'd get once I married Julian? The thought clouded her mind as she sat on the couch in the living room.

The television was on and played in the background; she wasn't paying any attention to it. Julian walked in; he had put his robe back on.

"Do you seriously plan to sleep here tonight?" His voice was low and calm.

Adele didn't even bother glancing back at him. "I'd rather sleep here than with my brother's killer."

Julian took in a deep breath before speaking again. "I would like to propose a deal to you." She still didn't glance back. "I'll let you leave. We'll get divorced." Her head spun back in surprise.

"What exactly are you playing at?" Her gaze narrowed at him.

"Six months. Just give this marriage six months and I'll let you go." His tone was unhurried. He walked to the couch opposite her and sat there. He could sense the discomfort in her movements as he faced her. "You don't have to do anything much, just act like the perfect wife."

She scoffed.

"Are you just naïve, or are you now being delusional?" He knew she wouldn't accept so easily.

"I'm aware of how much you hate me and want me out of your life. So, I'll give you your freedom and money to help you live your life. All I need is for you to pretend to be happy in this marriage for just six months," he added.

His words seemed to infuriate Adele more. In the end, she just stood up and returned to the room, slamming the door shut.

The next morning Julian had already prepared for work and was about to leave when Adele stopped him. "Is there something you want to say to me?" His attention was completely focused on her. She kept glancing around as if looking for somewhere else to stare at except him.

"I accept your proposal."

She had stayed up late thinking it through. If she tolerated this marriage for six months, he'd give her freedom and money. She would use that money to then finish him off. He gave her a half smile as if knowing she would agree to it in the end. "That's good. I'll get a contract ready before the end of today." He turned to leave again.

"But why do you want this? You must have a reason for asking this of me." She tried to pry, but her attempt only got her a vague reply. "I didn't think you'd be interested in my thoughts on this." He gave her a knowing smile before leaving. She just stood there in the middle of the living room like she had missed something. It just suddenly felt like Julian Hayes knew a lot that she didn't.

And now she made it a mission to investigate him.

That afternoon she searched through his cupboards and drawers, looking for something that would explain the reason why he wanted this marriage that badly. He might not have shown his desperation, but she knew.

Library, she remembered.

She remembered that was where most businessmen hid confidential documents. She made her way to the library, scouring through every corner that she suspected. Then she came across an old newspaper. It seemed to be dated back to five years ago, the caption: "Hayes and Laurent partnership cancelled due to distrust." What even was that?

Did her family once partner up with the Hayes?

"What are you doing here, Mrs Hayes?" The butler was standing at the doorway with a tray of glass cups balanced on his right hand and the other tucked behind. She was startled and immediately shoved the papers back into the drawer, straightening up. "Nothing," she quickly answered. "I just thought Mr Hayes' drawer looked a bit tattered."

"But I clean here every now and then." His eyebrow was slightly raised.

"Then you must have missed this spot," she spoke curtly. This man had always struck her as very cautious yet hard to read, mostly just like his master. "I came to tell you that the contract Master Hayes spoke of earlier today has arrived." Adele walked away from the desk as if trying to escape a crime scene. "Oh, great. Then I'll be heading downstairs." She walked past him and made her way downstairs.

In the living room, a woman sat there. She was dressed in a suit and she didn't look much older than Adele. "Good day, Mrs Hayes. Mr Hayes has sent these over for you and says you should sign it." She held out the document, and Adele snatched it from her hand, eyeing the woman up and down before looking down at the documents. She flipped through it, scanning the pages. "He says the agreement was drawn up with you in mind as well." She rolled her eyes and continued to scan the files. The write-up mostly consisted of rules that would guide the marriage until the six months were over. Suddenly, one particular rule caught her eye.

The two parties involved will have to act intimate in the public eye?

She stared at the words blankly.

The thought of acting all lovey-dovey with Julian made her annoyed. She just breathed in, closed her eyes, let out a breath before opening them again to read on.

Both parties have to attend important social or family events together.

Both parties cannot separate at public events without a reasonable explanation.

And lastly:

No information regarding this agreement should be disclosed to anyone else other than the two parties, even if they were family.

With me in mind? Tch, she thought. He had obviously drawn this up thinking only about himself and his public image. Adele took the pen from the woman and signed the contract. After all, this whole façade would end in six months' time, then she'd strike. "Take this back to your master," she said, handing the contract back to the woman.

"Your wife is quite the insolent type," the lady in the suit remarked.

Her hair was packed neatly in a bun and she wore thin-framed spectacles. Her hands were folded behind her and her expression was faintly unimpressed. The corner of Julian's lips curled upward, and he let out a quiet chuckle. That was the first time she had seen him laugh, even more so genuinely. She glanced away for a second before turning back to him.

"She doesn't seem to like you very much," she stated again.

Julian sighed a heavy one. "What can I say? She's probably mad at me for not bringing her to work with me." Then he looked up at Naomi. "I was wondering if you could help me find something to cheer her up with. She's quite the stubborn type."

She stared at him blankly, wondering if he was joking or not.

She had no idea he could be this way, and even worse, overnight. Since he had gotten married to Adele, he had never spoken of her at work or even let any of his business partners meet his wife. It almost felt like he was hiding her, but now this?

She wasn't sure if he had been like this for a while and she just hadn't noticed, but the one thing she knew was that she had definitely started noticing it from that morning. That morning, when she read the reports to him, he seemed a bit distant.

"Are you okay, sir?" she asked to confirm if everything was fine. He only nodded. Though she had her doubts, she still continued reading the report. She even noticed that he had been staring at his phone occasionally, which made her think he had some appointment, but when she asked, he only gave her another vague reply.

Was it his wife who had changed him? If so, then why hadn't she noticed these changes before? Why was she only noticing them now? Did something happen between them that he couldn't share? Normally, he wasn't the type to talk about personal things at work, but knowing him, his attitude would have given him away.

"As much as I would've loved to help you with that, I don't really know much about things like that." Her face remained calm.

She was lying. Julian knew that but he still decided to brush it off.

From what he had seen so far, he could tell that Naomi didn't quite approve of his wife, so he concluded that he would watch her from now on to make sure she didn't do anything to provoke Adele.

"How is my wife doing?" His eyes returned to his phone screen, where her contact was still open. "I don't know why you would ask me that, but she seems to be doing quite alright." She paused for a second. "Though your butler, Vincent, told me to inform you that he had seen her snooping around your library."

Snooping? He thought. What could she have been looking for, and was she able to find anything? He would have to go home to find out what she was up to.

Julian looked up again. He suddenly stood like he had made up his mind about something he had been contemplating for a while.

"If I still have any meetings today, move them." He took his coat from the hanger that hung beside her and made his way to the door. Naomi was a bit startled by his abrupt movement but maintained composure.

"Where are you going, sir?" For a second there, her tone was a bit desperate. She wondered why he was suddenly leaving and cancelling all his meetings. Did he have something urgent that came up? She would've been glad to accompany him.

He tilted his head slightly backward, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm going to see my wife."

Julian was back home earlier than she expected.

She had been hoping to use the time he was away to find something incriminating about him, but she always knew that Vincent had been keeping an eye on her since finding her in the library. She wondered if Julian was also behind that.

"Why have you returned so early?" she snapped.

Julian threw himself on the couch, spreading out his right arm along the backrest and crossing his right leg over the left. It was the first time she had noticed just how long his legs were. She stole a glance at his face before diverting her gaze to a table in a corner.

"I just decided to come back early to see my wife. Is there any harm in that?" His voice was calm, deep, and almost annoyingly smooth. She found herself almost distracted by it. No, she told herself. This man in front of me is responsible for her brother's death.

"We are at home now. You don't have to pretend that we're happy." She rolled her eyes.

His piercing blue eyes scanned her from top to bottom and up again as if he was preparing to feast. She frowned. "Would you stop staring, you creep, or are you planning to kill me too?" She sounded pissed. His unwavering gaze was unsettling to her, but she had to maintain her cool. He arched his brow, the corner of his lips curving up to a smirk.

"Kill you? Why would I bother doing that?" he joked.

Her hands twitched in anger. "Because you did the same to my brother. Who knows, you could see me as an obstacle and decide to take me out." Her voice tried to stay calm.

He stood up and moved toward her. She instinctively moved back, but Julian kept moving towards her until her back met the wall. His hand slowly picked a strand of her blonde hair, moving it closer to his lips and kissing it. Her heart skipped a bit from the proximity.

Is my heart beating this fast because of him? No. It can't be. I'm just scared.

Her hands moved to his chest, attempting to push him away. He caught her hands, pinning them above her head. Julian leaned in closer until there was barely an inch left between them. Her eyes traveled down his dark hazel eyes, to his straight nose, then lingered on his lips. His jawline was sharp and his dark raven hair looked unexpectedly soft. Julian was far more distracting than she wanted to admit. His face leaned even closer and her heart hammered against her chest.

Is he going to kiss me? Why? No. I should push him away. He's not just anybody, he's Julian Hayes, and he's responsible for my brother's death. She kept reminding herself.

Even after her internal resolution she still found herself closing her eyes and waiting for what came next.

She waited.

But nothing came.

Her eyes flickered open to see Julian giving her an expression she had never seen before. There was a look of pain in his eyes, mixed with regret and something that looked close to self-loathing.

He gave her a strained smile.

"Don't worry, my dear wife. I'll only do that when I've gained your trust."

Then he pulled away.

Adele just stood there, lost in the moment for a while.

What just happened? She was certain he was going to kiss her. Her fingers subconsciously touched her lips.

Adele's stomach twisted at the realization that she even prepared for him to kiss her, only for him to suddenly say he wanted to gain her trust first. That sly man. What kind of sick game was he playing now? She was usually unable to read his expressions, but the look he had given her made her doubt for a second that Julian was the man she had believed him to be. But then, liars were able to conceal their true face and trick them into believing what they wanted you to believe...at least that was what Adele thought.

She immediately pulled herself from the ground, straightening her clothes. And there she made a quiet resolution not to let Julian's actions get to her.

A day hadn't fully passed after her resolution before Adele had seen herself in another similar situation.

Julian's hand tightened around her waist, looking down at her with a stern expression. She gulped down her saliva, glancing away from him before quickly steadying herself. "Umm, I didn't mean for that to happen." She awkwardly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Wait. Why was she explaining herself to him? It's not like she had done anything wrong that needed an explanation.

"What are you doing here, Mr Hayes?" she asked once she regained her composure. Her arms folded across her chest and her gaze was more guarded.

His lips pressed into a thin line, a flicker of concern flashing across his face, which did not go unnoticed by her. "Do you plan to kill yourself before our six-month agreement is over?" His statement threw her off guard. She wasn't sure whether to be surprised or annoyed; she just averted her gaze from his, trying to look anywhere else but at him.

"A little fall won't kill me, Mr Hayes." Her lips pressed into a faint pout.

She had only wanted to get the book on top of the cabinet, climbed on a stool and almost fell. Luckily, Julian had been nearby; otherwise, she would have been rubbing bodies with the ground by now.

"It's Julian to you," he corrected. "We can't have you referring to me so formally in public." He stretched his hand and picked the book from on top of the cabinet, handing it to her before exiting the room.

Hah! What an unbelievable man, she thought.