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Chapter Fifteen

Author: Gold Dais
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Marie tried again to dial Steven King’s number. The last six times she had called, it had gone straight to voicemail. Clenching her steering wheel tightly, Marie tried to focus on getting home.

Her mind seized with panic as he recalled the words from the text. Did she know this person who seemingly knew the truth and was now threatening her? And why wasn't Steven answering his damn phone!

Pulling into the driveway, Marie gathered their purse, and the carrier bag and alighted from the car. Great, her neighbor had parked his car wrongly. Again. Deciding to deal with the issue in the morning, Marie headed to her front door and unlocked it. The thought of someone waiting for her flashed through her mind but she squelched it. This was the home she had lived in for several years, she was not about to start being afraid of being in it. Tossing the things she was holding aside, Marie kicked off her shoes and plunked down on the sofa. Rubbing her aching toes with one hand, she reached into he
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    “What I meant was that I would have felt better if I was getting married for real. To a man who loves me.” She said, as she dusted invisible specks of dust off her dress.Relieved, Steven let out a sigh. The last thing he needed was Marie getting attached to him. The only Marie he wanted in his life was the one who wore awful cardigans, and did her job well. “I asked because that's what you can expect the press to ask. You do know there will be interviews once we go public?”“Hold on Steven, you never said anything about going public. You said it was fake!” Marie spat.“ Fake, Marie. Not hidden. And the fakeness of it stays between us.”Her recurring terror was beginning to get on his nerves. If she had agreed to do this, why did she keep acting up?“I would feel better if we had this conversation with you sitting across from me like you always do.”“Nothing doing, Marie. I'm your husband now, you have to get used to being with me in close proximity.”“I thought that was in public wh

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    Reclining in his seat, Steven closed his eyes and massaged his temple with both hands. It was ironic that the woman who had started this whole act was beginning to act like a woman scorned. Was he the one who had walked up to her in a room full of people they worked with and entangled him in a passionate kiss? It was becoming annoying that he had to seduce her to get her into character, and that he had to deal with her tears and tantrums.He picked up his phone to text her when he saw Ellen, Head of Events at Alden Kings Inc. walk into his office with a worried expression on her face. “Sorry to bother you, Steven, I don’t have an appointment but I swear I heard muffled sobs as I walked past the bathroom just now and I think Marie is hurt.”“She is?” Steven said, injecting the right note of alarm into his voice as he stood and followed Ellen to the bathroom where Marie was crying.“Marie, honey. Are you hurt?” Steven asked as he knocked on the bathroom door. “No, thank you, Steven.

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    Marie saw the way Ellen had turned on Steven and bit back a laugh. Served him right for the way he had treated her earlier today. But if she was being honest, he had more than made up for it with the public announcement. Feeling sorry for him, she moved closer to him, poked his hair playfully and said,“Men. This one right here is in a class all by himself. Can’t even remember his social security number. But I don't mind. He pays me back in other ways.” Ellen’s look softened as she smiled at Marie.“I know what you mean. Been married for thirty years and he still can’t tell the birthday and anniversary apart.”“Just doesn’t come as easily for us.” Steven replied as he chuckled.“You know what Ellen, let’s do it.” Steven said, ignoring Marie who was shaking her head in disapproval.“Wow, that leaves me about three days. There’s so much to do but I’ll pull it off. Don’t worry, Marie…”“You really don’t have to…”, Marie began“Shhhhhhh baby, let her do this for us. You deserve it.” Stev

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