Fake Marrying The Billionaire

Chapter 11: One-Way Ticket To Space

“You look terrible,” Elliot told me as soon as I sat down on my desk.

“I feel terrible,” I replied with a heavy sigh. “All thanks to your crush. She forced me to drink with her all night last night. Way too many shots for my sanity. Way too many!” I complained before chugging my coffee in one go.

I’m going to need a refill. Stat.

Just before standing up, I threw a bag of croissants to Elliot. “I’m debt-free, alright?”

Elliot shrieked at the sight of freshly-baked goodies. “You never were in debt with me, Lily. You know I love you too much.”

“Don’t let Charlie hear that. She’ll get jealous.”

Elliot chuckled, shaking his head, before staring at a piece of croissant lovingly.

I walked over to the pantry, which was so much more different than my old one. Thank God because then I wouldn’t have to remember my disgusting ex f*****g that coworker on the table.

“Good morning, yellow Lily! You’re in luck, I just made a fresh batch of coffee.” Daisy greeted me with a wink before sitting down by one of the wooden bars.

The top floor’s pantry was one of the best in the entire building. Although Mr. Ares didn’t really use it, of course it still needed to look its part and that was to blend in with the nature theme.

The colors were black, wooden brown, and a lot of green. Somehow when you entered the pantry, it was like entering Peter Pan’s hideout with the Lost Boys. It was cozy, and that’s what I liked about it.

“You’re a lifesaver, Daisy.” I told her before refilling my tumbler in seconds.

The smell of fresh coffee hit me differently and I relaxed in an instant. Nothing beats good caffeine. I don’t understand how people can replace coffee with tea, not that I had anything against tea. I drink it from time to time too, but coffee just hits that spot perfectly every single time, you know?

“How are you, by the way? I can’t believe you’ve only been working here for a little over a week. It feels like you were meant to be here!” Daisy commented gleefully and it made me feel warm inside.

We may not get to talk as much as I do with Elliot, but Daisy is still always around and saying nice things when I least expect it. She was truly a breath of fresh air and just like the daisy flower itself, she gave off genuine happiness.

“It does, doesn’t it? It honestly feels great here. There’s not a lot of pressure and I feel like I can really be myself here with my work.” I told Daisy, omitting the part where the moss monster was the only annoying part throughout the whole thing.

“Wonderful to hear that. How about Mr. Ares? Nothing bad, right?” Daisy asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

Something about the way her eyes flickered a little made me think that she was asking out of curiosity, and not only because she cared about my wellbeing in the company.

“Yeah, nothing bad at all.” I reassured her.

If you don’t count sleeping with him three times then yes, totally nothing bad.

Daisy grinned through her cup. “One thing’s certain, you’ve definitely outlasted his past two assistants.”

“Really? It was that bad?” I asked, curious, before sitting down on the other side of the bar with her.

“Bad? It was horrible. Mr. Ares is a strict man. You add one extra grain of sugar in his cup, he will notice it and fire you on the spot.” Daisy explained and I sat there terrified.

I knew he was strict, but not like that. Why the heck would you fire someone for something so small? But then again, we are talking about bosshole here. He fired someone for mistaking Splenda and Stevia, too.

“Surprisingly, though…” Daisy continued. “In all of my years working here, it’s like he hasn’t had a burst of anger lately. At least, not that I’ve known. Maybe you’re the one.” She giggled and her use of words surprised me.

I’m the one? His one? As if.

If he finds out that I’m that woman he slept with, not only would I get fired, but I think he would make sure I never get a job anywhere in New York. I’d have to actually move to a forest and raise goats and sheeps.

Hooray.

Not.

I awkwardly chuckled at Daisy’s comment. “Well, if it means getting to keep my job then I would gladly be whoever it is for the boss.”

Daisy smiled. “A hard worker you are, yellow Lily. I’m sure more opportunities will come for you. Now, where is that boss of ours? Unusual for him to not be in the office past this time. He is most of the time, if not always, the first one to arrive.”

Daisy and I glanced towards his office at the same time and now that she mentioned it, it was true that his office was darker than usual. Although it was covered, if he had his lights turned on, you would still see it turn brighter.

This time, there was nothing.

Maybe he had an important meeting or was playing golf with some executives. That’s what rich people did, right? Either way, I doubt it was anything to be overly concerned about.

Although when I stood up from the pantry and started walking to my desk, I couldn’t help but hear the murmurs from other employees around me.

“Did you hear? Mr. Ares was spotted with someone.” “Someone?” “Yeah, a girl. She looked like a walking million dollars.”

“A blind date? Him? That’s impossible!” “It is possible now, apparently.” “God, whoever gets to marry that guy would be so f*****g lucky.” “Tell me about it.”

Could it be true? Could he not be in his office because he was going on dates?

My forehead scrunched up in confusion, believing that if there was one person that could make the top of a list of the world’s most workaholics, it would be Mr. Ares.

So for him to waste time on dates?

Odd. Very odd.

The oddest part?

Why did I feel this slight tingle of jealousy brooding inside of me?

-

Ares Callisto was dreading every second that he was sitting in an expensive restaurant in a private VIP room, instead of at his office working.

Every minute that passed, he felt himself get tempted to pull out his phone and tell his grandfather that he had changed his mind, he doesn’t want to go through with these stupid blind dates.

But then, before he could, what happened that night replayed in his head so vividly, up to the very last detail, that this stopped him from sending any text.

Two Nights Ago

“You want me to do what?” Ares asked his grandfather, dumbfounded.

Minutes ago he was driving to the hospital worried that something bad must have really happened to him, but it’s clear now that he got worried over nothing.

“Ares,” Pappous spoke with that stern voice that always sounded so thunderous to him. “You’re going on a date.”

“I’m busy,” Ares responded not a millisecond later.

“How do you know you’ll be busy when I haven’t even told you when it will be?” Pappous raised his eyebrow at him.

“When is it?” Ares asked uninterestedly.

“Tonight at–”

“Yeah, I’m busy.” He replied before settling down on one of the seats at the resting area of the room.

VIP rooms in Agios Hospital looked more like a five star hotel’s room. Then again it should be seeing as Ares’ grandfather paid half a million dollars to the world-renowned interior designer in Spain for each room.

His grandfather was always the extravagant type, so much so that when Ares was younger he never understood why he had to spend more than he needed to.

It was only when he got older and started getting into the family business that he realized why and that’s because he worked extremely hard for everything that he had. Quite literally, Pappous came from nothing.

A rags to riches story, as some would put it.

He built Olympus from nothing to everything, and although Ares and his relationship has been strained due to something that happened in the past, he still deeply respects him for how outstanding of a man he is.

Right now, though, he was getting on Ares’ nerves. Not that he will admit that to him.

“Very well then. You give me no choice,” Pappous commented with a cold expression that made Ares feel uncomfortable.

That did not sound good, he thought.

Pappous turned to his assistant, Xenia, and whispered something inaudible to Ares. Out of nowhere, she stood up and walked out of the room.

Ares’ brows furrowed in confusion. “What is going o–”

Before Ares could finish what he was going to say, the door swung open and a person he was not expecting came into the room.

“Apollo,” the name escaped his lips mixed with different kinds of emotions.

Apollo Callisto stepped into the room, a gleaming and proudful smile on his lips.

Ares was baffled. What the hell was his younger brother doing here and why was he smiling like that?

He hadn’t seen his brother in a while, and back when he did, it was only for a few minutes. After what happened, he busied himself with work and everyone else in Ares’ life just… faded away. It was how he coped.

Seeing the boy now, he had definitely grown much more since he last saw him. What was he now, Twenty? Twenty one?

Apollo was named after the god of light and for good reason. He has always been the more charismatic and lively boy in the family, the polar opposite of Ares. Some say they looked like each other when Ares was that age as they had the same hair, only Apollo’s was longer, and his eyes were more bluish gray than the icy gray color Ares had.

One thing was certain, Ares did not like his younger brother’s sudden appearance in the room.

“Brother,” Apollo exclaimed unenthusiastically before walking to his grandfather’s side.

“Pappous! You really shouldn’t have overworked yourself like that. What would we do without you?” He was quick to suck up to him and Ares noticed that immediately.

That was another difference between the two brothers.

Ares wasn’t the type to fake things just so he could get someone’s approval. If they didn’t like him, it wasn’t his problem.

Apollo on the other hand, loved people’s validation. He craved it, and so he did things to get it. No matter what.

“I reckon you would be lost without me,” Pappous replied to Apollo and while Ares was cringing internally, Apollo sucked up even more.

“Damn right, Pappous. So don’t overexert yourself next time.” Apollo and him chuckled.

Ares, bored out of his mind, stood up and made his presence known again.

“I’m sorry, but what is happening here exactly? If there isn’t anything else needed from me, I will get going now because I have a company to run. Your company.” Ares specified, making sure to let everyone in the room know that although his grandfather was the one that built Olympus from the ground up, he was the one that kept it at the top for years.

His grandfather was vividly not amused at Ares’ remark, though.

“Actually, now that you mentioned it. As I was saying, since you won’t agree on going on the date, then you leave me no choice.”

Choice? What bloody choice did he keep blabbering about? Ares was not amused.

His grandfather then turned to Apollo and raised his hand as if he was showcasing his brother like a product.

“Apollo will go on the dates instead,” he said and Ares stared at them confused.

“Okay, then great. All’s well end’s well. I will get go–” Just before Ares could excuse himself, it turns out his grandfather was not done yet.

“And take over Olympus the second he graduates.”

Ares stopped. His heart almost jumped out of his chest as he tried to process what he had just heard.

He swiftly turned back to them. “Excuse me? Are you… firing me?”

This has to be a joke. His grandfather would never do that. He knows how valuable he is, Ares thought.

“In a way, yes. I told you, Ares. I want an heir to Olympus and if you can’t give me that and Apollo clearly doesn’t mind, then he is the better option. Although you don’t necessarily have to quit. You can still work under Apollo. I’m sure the two of you can come up with an arrangement.”

Was he serious?

Ares felt like he had just been hit by lightning. It was a 1 in 15,300 chance and yet here he was, standing there, thunderstruck.

“Fine, I’ll go on the date.” He finally blurted out and Ares immediately caught the uncomfortable expression Apollo made at his response.

He knew he was not expecting him to agree to it.

His grandfather, on the other hand, was very pleased.

“Wonderful. She’s the only heir to Symphony Electronics. They just topped the stocks a few weeks ago. After that, your second date is the heir to Microbot, a company predicted to make the first flying cars and–”

“Hold on,” Ares stopped his grandfather from continuing as he was confused.

Did he just say a second date? Earlier he had just said that it was a blind date. One blind date, not two, not three.

“What second date? I can go to the first one, to that Symphony woman, but that’s it. You said one.” Ares commented and his grandfather’s excitement washed away from his face.

“Did I really raise you to be such a fool?”

His words take Ares aback for quite a bit.

He knew his grandfather was strict since they were children, but that was the thing – when they were children. Not now, when they were adults and ones that were taking care of his billion dollar company.

Ares had to bite his tongue in order not to blurt anything out that would give him more of a disadvantage in the situation.

“Unless you decide to marry the first woman you go on a date with then by all means, just go on one, but if that’s not the case, then you will go on a second, a third, hell a fourth, if you haven’t by then chosen. I want an heir, Ares. How many times do I have to repeat myself?” Pappous clicked his tongue before turning to Xenia.

“Go get me a glass of the most expensive wine,” he ordered her and she quickly followed.

This was the man that just got a heart attack? Unfuckingbelievable, Ares thought but he had to stand his ground in order not to speak foul words.

“Apollo, are you- are you going to marry any of these women?” Ares turned to his brother who didn’t seem to care less.

He shrugged his shoulders in response. “If it makes Pappous happy then yes. A child can come in a year or two, too.”

Ares was floored at his brother’s response.

He may have not been able to hang out with him in a while, but Ares was sure he was not like this before.

He remembered his brother being a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, one that was always full of optimism and lived day to day without too much care. Was it possible that because he cared so little that he didn’t mind marrying someone he didn’t love just so he could gain their grandfather’s validation?

This was too much. This was all too much that Ares couldn’t find it in him to think.

“I- I need a moment. I’ll be back.” Ares excused himself, but Apollo didn’t let him go without taunting him.

“Better make it quick, megálos aderfós (big brother). Pappous doesn’t like wasting time. Money is gold.”

Oh, he wanted to punch the s**t out of his brother but he managed to control himself as he stepped out of the room.

“f**k,” Ares muttered with a deep exhale.

How could things have gone so wrong in such a short amount of time? Minutes ago he thought his biggest problem was his grandfather calling for a board meeting and now he was going to be kicked out of the company itself?

“f*****g hell,” he shook his head in disbelief.

Just as he was pacing back and forth in the hallway, he heard his name called gently by a familiar voice of a woman.

When he turned around, it was his parents walking up to him. Another pair that he hadn’t seen in a while.

“O gios mou (my son), how lovely to see you again.” His mother said softly before pulling him into a hug.

“Albeit the circumstance,” his father added and Ares rolled his eyes.

“It’s not even as bad as you think. The old man is already talking crazy things in there.” Ares couldn’t help but confess everything.

It only took a few minutes for his parents to get up to speed and if there were three people that were the best for Ares to gain insight on his dilemma, it would be his parents that were forced into an arranged marriage as well.

The other one would be his older sister that was not there.

Amara and Dante Callisto couldn’t help but feel distraught for their troubled son. Dante didn’t expect that his father-in-law would pull the same stunt he did to him years ago. He had seen what had happened to his marriage and yet, it seems he did not learn. Or maybe he did not care.

Amara had always thought her father was one day going to bring about the same fate to one of her kids, and the time has come yet again, unfortunately. All she knew was that she wanted to help him as much as she could because she knew all too well that she didn’t want what happened to her arranged marriage with Dante, happen to him.

“You say you don’t have the time, right?” Amara asked her son in which he nodded in response.

“Then make time,” she finished before turning to her husband, Dante.

“Go on the dates for now. It’s the only way you can keep Olympus. At least until you can think of something else,” Dante told his son.

“We’re sorry, kid, but this is the best thing we can think of. And who knows? Maybe someone amongst those women will actually be able to make you happy, right?” Amara looked at her son with hopeful eyes, but Ares quickly denied such absurd claims.

Ares knew well enough that arranged marriages were likely to fail. He was looking at one right now, albeit a special case. His parents’ marriage may have not worked out, but their friendship did. The two fell in love with each other’s platonic relationship, respecting each other as friends and nothing more or less.

But that was rare, Ares thought.

Arranged marriages were bullshit, and more so because it would be with women that were faker than the fake boobs they all get done with.

“No one can make me happy again, especially not women as superficial as ones who live off of their father’s money.” Ares said coldly before turning around back to his grandfather’s room.

When he opened the door, Apollo and him were playing chess. He knew Apollo was good at it back when they were younger, but it was obvious he was trying to lose for his grandfather’s pride.

His brother needed validation far too much and he knew he would go to the ends of the earth to achieve it.

“Give me some time to think,” Ares merely said to make his presence known again in the room.

Apollo was about to say something to disregard his brother’s opportunity, but their grandfather spoke first.

“A day. That’s all I’m giving you,” he said to his grandson.

Pappous knew that marriage was not something that could be accepted lightly, especially not for Ares with a past, but he also knew that it was now or never. He always liked pushing his grandkids to their limit, and if there was anyone that could reach the limit and beyond, he knew it was Ares.

“Okay.”

And with that, Ares left the hospital.

Present

Ten minutes had passed since the time of their brunch date was supposed to happen.

Clarisse Symphony, that was the name of the woman he was supposed to meet ten minutes ago, but has still not arrived.

As said on her profile, she was two years younger than Ares, but graduated from a school in Switzerland. Ares knew none of it mattered because chances are, they were all bribed and paid for.

But Ares had no choice. As much as he wanted to stand up and leave this place, his grandfather’s voice repeated in his head like a threat.

“Go on the blind dates or lose Olympus.”

And maybe it was a threat. A bomb type of threat that was bound to explode the second he stands up and leaves so he takes a deep breath and calms himself momentarily.

Finally, the door swings open and in comes a woman dressed in white from top to bottom and jewelries big and small all over her body.

She didn’t look bad, physically, Ares examined.

Dark blonde hair, blue eyes, pearly white teeth, and very long legs.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she lavished herself in expensive jewelry then Ares could probably be more interested, but she did, and so he thought of her as obnoxious.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I was buying Dior’s new collection. Did you hear? It’s made out of impossibly rare materials that only the First Lady can–”

Her words start to get muffled as Ares pretended to listen to her, but in reality, he was thinking of the many business deals he was to sign later in the day. That is if this woman stopped talking so much so he could get to the office on time.

“Marvelous. Shall we order?” Ares responded, not even knowing what she said, but glad that she had agreed to order so their meeting would end as fast as possible.

When the waiter arrived, he ordered one of the heaviest meals on the menu for lunch.

He turned to Clarisse as she scanned the menu like she was a two year old learning how to read for the first time, painfully slow.

What seemed like eons later, Clarisse finally turned to the waiter and gave him an ‘I’m too good for you’ look.

“I’ll have your most expensive salad with the fewest calories possible.”

Ares wanted to launch himself into outer space.

Fuck me, this was going to be an excruciatingly long date.