16

Upon waking up, Suzanne experienced a strange sensation. She looked around and remembered where she was.

A shiver ran down her body, but upon realizing she was alone, she relaxed a little.

The clock hanging on the wall showed nine o'clock, and she jumped out of bed, knowing that, reluctant as she was, she had to go to work. The last thing she wanted was to anger Nathan.

"Although he's probably furious; I'm two hours late," she thought worriedly.

They hadn't agreed on a honeymoon or that she would quit her job, and since it was just an arrangement, she didn't intend to take on any "wife" duties.

She took a quick shower, put on the same outfit as the day before, and managed to tie her tangled hair into a ponytail.

She descended the stairs leading to the first level slowly. The living room was empty, and for the first time, she took a good look at that luxurious apartment.

"This man has good taste."

The house had a classic and conservative style, and the details were a delight to her eyes.

She noticed she didn't have her things; much to her dismay, she knew she needed Nathan to leave. She called him, but there was no response.

"Mr. Strong is not here; he left early in the morning. I'm at your service if you need anything," Charles, the chauffeur, informed her. "If you need anything, just let me know; Mr. Strong instructed me to take you home."

"I don't need anything, thank you. I'm ready; can we leave, please?" she asked politely.

She arrived home and her father wasn't there, thankfully. She would go see him later.

She changed clothes as quickly as possible and didn't even bother to put on makeup. When she arrived at the company, it was already past eleven.

She gathered the courage to enter, as she didn't want to see Nathan or remember what happened yesterday, she didn't even know if they would live together, although the idea didn't please her at all.

She spotted him in front of the large glass window, seeming lost in his thoughts. He turned his head and their eyes met.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not seeming upset, but surprised.

"I apologize for the delay, Mr. Strong," she replied, nervously biting her lip.

"You shouldn't be here, I instructed my driver to take you home."

"And so he did."

"Then, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I... I came... to work, sir."

"You shouldn't have come," he replied, approaching her, taking her hands and kissing them tenderly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You don't have to, that's what you pay me for, right?" the girl said in a cold tone.

Nathan made a grimace.

"That shouldn't have happened, I was furious," he began to explain. "The company in Paris was set on fire, causing millions of dollars in losses and unfortunately human losses. That wasn't an accident, it was deliberate."

As he spoke, his voice became colder than usual. Suzanne opened her eyes wide, terrified.

"I wasn't in my right mind yesterday," he sighed. "That attack enraged me to the extreme, ten innocent people died."

"It's horrible," she murmured, moved. "What I don't understand is why the wedding was held if there was such an emergency.”

"To my grandfather..." his face hardened, "money matters more than people."

"What?" she looked at him astonished.

She couldn't believe that such a kind old man could be even colder than his grandson.

"I don't want you to fear me," Nathan said, approaching slowly. "I understand you're scared, but I give you my word that it won't happen again."

She looked at him, his face showing remorse. He seemed tormented by what had happened.

Suzanne had a compassionate heart and couldn't help but be moved a little, although she still distrusted him.

She looked into his eyes and shivered. Those eyes were mesmerizing.

"What do you say, babe, shall we start over?" he proposed, to which she nodded, albeit somewhat hesitantly, besides, she didn't have another option. "But I must tell you, the rules still apply."

"I'm aware."

"Come on," he said, taking her hand.

He led her to his apartment, once there he took off his jacket and tossed it on the couch.

He unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt, revealing the beginning of his tattoos, which made him look damn sexy.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Not really."

"Did you have breakfast this morning?"

"No."

"Then you must be hungry, you didn't eat anything last night."

"Actually, I did."

"Do you call three bites of food eating?" he chuckled, and she smiled shyly. "Let's go to the kitchen, I'll cook you something.”

"Are you going to cook?" she said incredulously as they walked towards the kitchen.

"Believe me, babe, I'm as good at cooking as I am in business."

"I don't doubt your business skills, that's indisputable, but as for culinary matters, I have my doubts," she said shrewdly.

Nathan smiled seeing she was a bit more lively.

He had thought she would be like the other women he had been with, any of whom would have eagerly responded to his kisses and more to his proposal.

But Suzanne was different.

She had to be.

"Then let me clear up those doubts," he grinned. "I'll make Peking-style orange duck."

"That sounds delicious, but are you sure?" she dared to say, and he chuckled.

"You'll see, you'll lick your fingers," he said confidently, and Suzanne was surprised to see how well they were getting along.

She definitely preferred this playful Nathan to the man who had pounced on her like a predator.

Thinking of that, a shiver ran down her spine.

"Well, insecurity is not my strong suit."

"Of course not," she thought with irony.

This man was very self-assured, it was reflected even in his way of walking.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll put on something more casual, I usually go nude when I'm at home," he said with mischief, and seeing her go pale, he quickly added, "but since I'm not alone, I'll have to behave."

When Nathan left the kitchen, she sighed in relief. She took off her jacket, leaving herself only in a strappy dress.

Her "husband" thought about entering the kitchen in just boxers, but the events of the previous day were still very fresh, and although he wasn't a very patient man, he told himself he had to wait.

He didn't want to scare her again, especially now that things were starting to go well between them.

Suzanne looked him up and down, thinking she had never before stopped to look at him so closely. She looked up and saw Nathan, who was looking at her with raised eyebrows and a mischievous smile.

Blush quickly covered her cheeks, and she lowered her head, embarrassed.

"Do you like the view?" he said, winking at her.

"You have a lot of tattoos," she said, avoiding the question.

"I started getting them at a young age," he replied, shrugging it off, hiding the true story behind those tattoos.

A story he didn't like to remember. Just thinking about the event that triggered all that was very painful for him.

Those ghosts of the past should remain where they were: buried.