Playing Married

5.

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Violet jumped, clutching her chest when she saw the sight in front of her.

Nathaniel Storm. Mr. Perfect Nathaniel Storm was sprawled across the lounger in his office cabin, his hair unruly and his clothes wrinkled, his shirt unbuttoned and his tie loosened.

Was the world coming to an end?

She should not be this surprised though. It had been the same for the past month, though she did not know why this was happening. He had thought that it had everything to do with his fiance Dianne Alcrez being in the Maldives, but then Freye had shown her a picture of the supermodel in one of the high-end restaurants.

Were they fighting?

"Boss?" She took a few steps back to be next to the door and knocked on it.

Nathan removed the hand he had draped over his eyes and sat up, rubbing his face and looking over at his assistant with bloodshot eyes.

He did not seem to be in a good mood.

And she knew that he was not in a good mood the previous day either, so she was ready for insults or taunts or whatever it was that he had ready for her.

"What are you doing here?" His words came out as a groan.

"Umm... Working?" Violet bit her tongue. This was not the time to be sassy.

He lowered his hands and looked up at her, studying her confused face for a moment before finally taking in his surroundings.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"Half past seven and you are half an hour early, Boss."

Nathan sighed as he stood up. Violet Graham was a great assistant. She was a no-nonsense twenty-four-year-old. A little young to be this mature. But she kept the promise she made to him three years ago and never gave him a reason to complain.

But, she did not exactly like him. And she did not hide it well either. And he wanted to confront her about it but... He was worried about how that might end. He would not admit it to anyone else, but he did not want to lose her.

Especially not now. Everything in his life was changing and he was in unfamiliar land. He needed his most trusted aid with him.

"It's my office, Violet." He stretched, his hands up above his head, his untucked shirt riding up to expose his tanned washboard abs. "I can come here whenever I please."

"Just don't blame me because the things aren't ready. Especially because I had my day off yesterday." She walked over to the desk to find the folders that were missing from her desk. Whoever stepped in to do her job yesterday tried... but failed miserably and everything was a mess.

"Would you like me to go get your coffee early today?" She asked as she went about with her work.

"I would really appreciate that." He walked inside the small closet he had built into his office for times such as this when he needed to quickly change or quickly travel somewhere.

"Be back in ten, Boss."

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"You broke up with Dianne? And I get to know of it now?" Kaitlyn Storm, Nathan's mother, screeched on the speakerphone.

Nathan's hold on his coffee mug slipped but Violet was quick to catch it for him. He was equally embarrassed and relieved as he mouthed a quiet thank you.

Violet nodded and walked away immediately, knowing that this was a conversation she should not be intruding on.

"That's what she said? Nothing about the part that she cheated on me?" Nathan leaned back in his chair, gritting his teeth. He could not believe that Dianne would approach his mother.

"It was a misunderstanding, Nate. Did you even listen to what she had to say?"

"Well, she didn't really have the time to say anything to me because she was busy sucking dry George's face!" Nathan did not want to take his anger out on his mother. But he knew that she would not see reason.

"Mind your words, Nathaniel. Is this how you talk about your fiance? I raised you better than that!"

Nathan closed his eyes. "She is not my fiance anymore, Mom. That's the whole idea of a breakup."

"Nate, you are angry now. And you are not thinking straight. Though I don't know why one whole month was not enough for you to think this out! But if you just calm down and listen to what she has to say then you will-"

"Mom, whose side are you even on?"

"The wedding is in two months, Nate!"

"The wedding has been called off." He sighed.

"Don't say that." Kaitlyn was starting to hyperventilate. "I have already sent out the invitations. All the business associates and celebrities have already sent back a confirmation. You can't call it off now. Our brand name will be humiliated!"

"Mom, I will call you back later." He did not care to give a real reply to a woman who was more worried about the brand and its reputation than her own son.

He wished he had asked him how he was feeling.

He pressed the call button of the intercom.

"Yes, Boss?"

It was only nine in the morning and Violet already sounded like she was tired of him.

"What is on the agenda for today?" He asked, tired. Maybe he should call his father. He was the only person that he was close to that he could call.

His best friend and fiance were out of his life. His mother was a hostile specimen. So was his assistant - she knew him like the back of her hand but she did not like him. And the only person who remained was his father.

"There are no meetings today. You only need to take care of a few data sheets and finalize the date for the cruise show."

Nathan was surprised for a moment. "Get in here, Graham."

He only called her Graham when she was in trouble and she knew it too. She quickly scurried in, a meek expression on her face.

"Are you pitying me, Graham?" He asked her. "Because of the tiny snippet of the conversation you heard?"

"Not at all, Boss." She squeaked. To Nathan, Violet Graham was an open book. Or maybe she was an open book to anyone. She always said what was on her mind and so when she lied, one would tell from her just her expression.

"Line up the meetings."

"Well, there really aren't meetings to line up this month because you have been overworking yourself as if you are going to die soon." She shrugged.

Nathan gave her a flat look. There she was, the Violet he knew.

"So I am jobless today?"

"You still have your data sheets and of course, deciding on the date for the cruise show is pretty important."

Nathan sighed. He didn't want to talk about the cruise show because he had initially planned to wait two months until Dianne came back from the Maldives to do the shoot. Give her the role of one of the judges. But now, none of that made sense.

"I will deal with those." He tried to change the topic. "How's your mother?"

"Comfortable." Violet's voice changed drastically when the topic turned to her ailing mother. It almost made him wish that he had not brought it up.

"Is it bad?" He asked.

"Middle class, orphan, rare blood group, and requiring bone marrow transplant? It sucks." She shrugged but again, her voice outed her sadness.

Nathan felt like a d**k. He knew this was not the right thing to do. But he had to say it.

"I could help you."

That perked Violet's interest. "What's the catch?" She asked.

"You will have to marry me."

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