Chapter 2

Emeraude found herself following Cassian St. Clair to his car after they left the café. The way he was dressed indicated that he was an important person. The journey to their chosen destination passed in silence. Cassian St. Clair didn't cast a single glance her way, but Emeraude discreetly tried to observe him.

Finally, they arrived at a luxury building located in an upscale area of the city, a place Emeraude was not accustomed to visiting. Besides being expensive, she didn't know anyone who lived there. They got out of the car, and Cassian led her to the elevator. When the doors opened, he pressed the button for the top floor.

However, as soon as the elevator doors opened again, Cassian's phone started ringing. He answered the call as he walked toward his apartment door, and Emeraude followed him.

"Yes," he said into the phone, letting out a discreet laugh. Then he opened the apartment door, gesturing for Emeraude to enter. She did so. "Is that all?" he asked, waiting for a response after a brief pause. "If you could let Chloe know that I won't be coming today, I'd appreciate it. I have some things to take care of right now." After another pause, he ended the call.

Cassian tucked his phone into his trousers pocket and removed his jacket, loosening his red silk tie slightly.

"Emeraude, this way," he indicated a hallway, and she followed him. Cassian had a notably attractive physique, with a white shirt that revealed some tattoos on his back.

As she followed Cassian, Emeraude took out a small notebook and a pen. She needed to make notes of what was missing and create a list for him to buy if necessary.

"I'll make notes of what's missing, and if you want to buy them later, I'll leave the list, Mr. St. Clair," she explained.

"Call me Cassian, please," he smiled charmingly.

They entered a room that was almost as large as Emeraude's apartment, and she was impressed by the impeccable and modern decoration. A large bed occupied the center of the room, with two small bedside tables on either side. A door led to a balcony with white curtains.

"Here's the closet," Cassian announced, opening a door. Emeraude was surprised.

"Wow," she exclaimed, and heard a chuckle from Cassian. "It's really big."

"I think you'll have a bit of work to do," he joked, and Emeraude agreed.

"May I open the doors?" she asked as she entered the closet.

"Feel free. I'll make a call and be right back," Cassian said.

"Okay," she replied, taking a deep breath. Emeraude knew she would be spending a lot of time there. The closet was the size of her room, if not bigger. She opened the first door and saw a perfect row of black suits. Opening another door revealed another perfect row of suits, this time in various colors. The next door revealed several dress shirts, with numerous ties of various colors at the bottom. Emeraude began organizing the shirts, placing a tie on each one and tying the knot.

"You're doing me a great favor," said Cassian, stopping at the door. Emeraude looked at him, not understanding.

"I don't know how to tie ties," he explained, approaching her.

"It's easy, look," she picked up a tie and slowly tied a knot so he could learn. "Want to try?" She offered him a tie.

"Better not," he declined with a smile.

Emeraude continued organizing the shirts until all of them had a tie, and there were still some ties left.

"You can also use these that are left. These ones and these go well with this type of color," she suggested, showing him the ties and their colors. Cassian nodded.

Once Emeraude closed the last door, finishing her work for the day, her phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and answered.

"Hello?" she answered, highlighting the sheet on which she had noted some non-essential clothing items.

"Hi, my love, how are you?" her mother asked, her voice full of joy.

"Hi, Mom, I'm fine. And you?" Emeraude asked as she went back to the bedroom, where she had left her bag.

"We're good, dear. Are you coming to visit for the holiday? We miss you so much, my love," her mother said, in an affectionate tone.

"I miss you too, but things are not easy here," Emeraude replied, remembering that she didn't even have enough money to pay the rent, let alone travel to Ireland.

"Are you having problems, dear?" her mother asked, concerned. She hated seeing her daughter facing financial difficulties and was always willing to help.

"No, it's just a lot of work," Emeraude lied, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Ah, come whenever you can. We really want to see you," her mother said with warmth.

"I promise I'll come," Emeraude replied. "Kisses, love you, and take care."

"You too, dear," her mother replied before ending the call.

Emeraude packed up her things in her bag again and left the room, heading to the living room. To her surprise, Cassian St. Clair was sitting on the couch and stood up as soon as he saw her.

"It's a bit late for lunch, so I ordered pizza. If you'd like to stay and have some with me, that would be great. It's pouring rain outside," he said, pointing to the window.

Emeraude checked, and it was indeed raining heavily. She had forgotten her umbrella, and at the mention of "pizza," her stomach began to growl. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already past 2:43 PM.

"I don't want to intrude," she replied, smiling weakly as she headed for the door.

"You're not intruding. I'll drive you home afterward," Cassian said, looking deeply into her eyes.

"Okay," Emeraude agreed, maintaining eye contact.

She sat on the couch while he almost reclined on the other, flipping through TV channels in search of something he liked. Emeraude looked out the window, lost in thought, and noticed that the rain was intensifying.

"Are you from here originally?" he asked, giving up on finding an interesting program and turning off the TV.

"No, I was born in Ireland and did my college here," she replied, distracted.

"So, no family around here?" he asked, biting his lip. The simple gesture made Emeraude imagine many not-so-pleasant things. She shook her head, still thinking about what he had just done.

"I better keep myself in check," she thought to herself.

The doorbell rang, and Cassian got up to get the pizza. It didn't take long, and he returned, placing it on the coffee table. The smell was wonderful, and it was Emeraude's favorite pizza.

"Do you eat with your hands or do you want a plate, fork, and knife?" he asked.

"Just with my hands," she replied, and they began to eat.

Cassian and Emeraude talked and laughed. He seemed like a very pleasant person. He shared a bit about

Cassian and Emeraude talked and laughed. He seemed to be a very pleasant person. He shared a bit about his work and kept the mood light. Emeraude looked out the window, distracted, and noticed that the rain had stopped.

"I have to go," she said, getting up. Cassian accompanied her.

"I'll take you home," he offered. Cassian grabbed the car keys and opened the door. Emeraude passed by him, heading for the elevator and pressing the button.

He entered the elevator and observed her. He took out his phone and sent a message to someone before tucking it back into his pocket.

***

The journey back was peaceful, with Cassian and Emeraude conversing about many things. He parked the car in front of the building where the woman lived, and she unbuckled her seatbelt, still laughing at the joke he had made.

"Tomorrow, come to my office, and I'll have your check ready," he said, and Emeraude nodded. "Did I give you the address?"

"Yes, it's written down here. What time can I come?" she asked, trying to prolong the conversation.

"In the afternoon, after lunch. I'll be in a meeting in the morning," he replied, and she nodded again.

"Alright then... see you tomorrow," she said, smiling faintly.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Emeraude," he said with a seductive smile, making her face flush.

"Likewise, Cassian," she said, opening the car door.

He bid her goodbye with a kiss on her hand, leaving her feeling even more embarrassed, and she waved before getting out of the car. She walked happily to the building's entrance, and when she looked back, he was no longer there. She waved to the doorman and went to the elevator, smiling.

***

While driving, Cassian took out his phone and called his father.

"Speak, Cassian," his father said with a serious tone.

"I found the girl," Cassian said. "She's single, has no family here, and is facing financial problems."

"Is she at least pretty?" his father asked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Obviously," he replied.

"Get her to accept the deal. The lawyer already has everything ready; she just needs to sign, and it's done. We'll use artificial insemination."

"No," Cassian said. "I want it to be natural."

"As you wish," his father said, sighing. "Just make sure she gets pregnant. For now, we won't tell your mother anything. The story will be that you impregnated a girl, casual sex, no commitment, and you'll be a good father, supporting both the child and the mother financially." He spoke, and Cassian agreed, rolling his eyes. "I don't want the press bothering us with questions."

"Neither do I," Cassian replied.

"See you tomorrow," his father said, and Cassian ended the call.

Now, he needed to find a way to get Emeraude to sign the contract without asking too many questions, or he could simply have sexual relations with her and hope that the subject of pregnancy would come up, but there was a good chance it wouldn't. How would he make her sign? It was a dilemma he needed to resolve.