6. THE PROPOSITION

CHAPTER 6- THE PROPOSITION

(Jennifer’s POV)

A month!

A whole month had passed since Mr. Blackwell rescued me from near death at my now ex-husband’s hands.

Ex-husband.

I never thought I could get used to the odd word, but it was starting to become easy to accept… easier to use each day.

A lot had happened in the space of one month, a lot that I really needed to fill you in on.

Okay, so first and foremost, Matt was still in jail.

Surprising, right? Well, the power of the Blackwell name was dawning on me more and more as morning rose and dusk fell, changing into days, and then to weeks. Now, I felt relieved… assured that Mr. Blackwell hadn’t lied after all, when he had told me that Matt wasn’t going to be coming back any time soon. I suddenly felt… lighter. Freer.

You know, right after I had been discharged, I was driven to the state courthouse, but not before seeing how much of a mess I had become. The medications had really helped with the pain… because I looked absolutely terrible! My skin was a nauseating mix of red and yellow and violet wherever I’d been hit. I guess I was hurt much more than I’d initially thought after all, but the most painful part were my neck… and my heart. My neck from all that squeezing, and my heart from how someone who had once sworn to fight for me and be my protector could do this to me. It had helped seal the deal though, the jury horrified at the thought that a man could do that to his own wife. He was really going to be in there for a long while.

Surprisingly, the past weeks had been nothing but bliss, even as I had to get accustomed to single life all over again, and though it wasn’t easy, I had my best friend, Kira by my side to help me get through it.

You know, she had seen the signs all those years ago… told me that she had a bad feeling about Matt way before we’d gotten married, but I’d carried on with the ceremony despite her many inhibitions, hell, despite mine as well. She had been angry and hurt for a while, but like every best friend, she had decided that just because we did not agree on my life choices did not mean that she needed to walk out of my life, and so she had stayed. I would forever remain grateful for that. Because how could I have told her that Matt and I’s marriage had been nothing but an arranged marriage to save my family from Bankruptcy?

That the ‘supposed love’ had come sometime during our courtship and not instantaneously like I’d led her to believe?

My family would have never forgiven me if another soul had come to know.

Speaking of my family, they had wasted no time in ousting me for the ‘avoidable’ scandal I had let tarnish the family name, (their words, not mine) what with me rewarding Matt and his family’s kindness by stabbing him in the back. I’d tried to explain everything, but my father especially would have none of it. To him, a Morgan never quit, but I had, and for that, I did not deserve to be a part of the family.

To be honest, it really hurt, but it was not as though I hadn’t been expecting the rejection anyway, hell, it was the reason why I’d held out for as long as I did anyway.

But it didn’t matter anymore. It was all for the best, because at least now I knew I had no one like I initially thought. It helped put things a little more into perspective.

Things were looking up though… almost back to normal except for the huge fact that Matt was not around to bully me anymore. Let’s take my injuries, for instance. They were mostly healed now, nothing that some makeup and concealer couldn’t take care of… a fact that irked Mr. Blackwell even more, for he told me that seeing me look all okay when we both knew I was not made him wonder how many times I had come to work hurt without anyone none the wiser about it.

If only he knew.          

But at least, the good part was that I got to come to work each day. Mr. Blackwell had almost been hardheaded when I had first made the request, insisting that the doctors put me on bed rest duty… but I guess that my pleas got to him someway somehow and made him give in.

Speaking of Mr. Blackwell, his playboy ways were back with a vengeance after the involuntary hiatus he took on my behalf… though this time, he kept them very hush-hush. I wondered if it had anything to do with his parents visiting him that other time.

I guess some things never change after all.

But just as much as things were back to normal, quite a few things had changed as well. Like for starters, Mr. Blackwell wouldn’t let me go anywhere without twenty four hour security, and though it irked me to no end, I knew I desperately needed it, and so I dealt with it. Second on the list, my ancient Daewoo Tico had been changed for a sleek, brand new Hyundai Civic… a gift from Mr. Blackwell to avoid my car breaking down at the oddest of hours, but I had managed to get him to take monthly deductions from my salary to pay for it in installments, as I didn’t want anyone to jump to any conclusions and accuse me of whoring around with the boss.

“JENNY, SHOULD I SEND A TOW TRUCK TO COME CART YOU OUT OF THE BATHROOM? YOU’VE BEEN IN THERE FOR AGES!” A loud holler broke my train of thoughts, making me smile in amusement.

Ladies and gentlemen, my best friend, Kira.

She was staying with me in the very same house it had all happened in, but let me tell you, her presence brought a shining light that chased all the darkness engulfing this house away, and I for one was grateful that with nothing left to lose, I’d finally been able to open up to her. She’d been hella furious and righteously indignant when she had heard the tale, and she had the maddest of respect for Mr. Blackwell now, even though his playboy ways irritated her to no end.

He’d have been super perfect for you if he wasn’t such a male slut, Jenny…

She’d tell me candidly, tickling my amusement to no end with her annoying frankness.

“JENNY!”

“JEEZ, JEEZ… I’M DONE!” I hollered right back, stepping out of the bathroom, a large grin on my face as I brushed past her into the hall, rubbing my wet chestnut curls a bit with the towel before securing it in a turban of sorts. We had both been hanging out in the ground floor rooms without going upstairs, with me going there only for clothes, not wanting to be reminded of Matt unless it was absolutely necessary. Kira was hot behind my heels, “Aren’t you going to work today?” She asked. “I will… Mr. Blackwell asked me to come to the office at ten today, and it’s only 8:30… more time Kir.”

“Oh, my bad…” She had the decency to look shamefaced as she tugged her blonde hair behind an ear, “Lemme make you breakfast then, what would you like to have?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but something on the TV caught my attention, making me head over to turn it up.

Business tycoon, Matt Summers would be released on parole sometime this week. This information is coming straight from our ZNT reporter, Shane Michaels who managed to catch this juicy news. Matt was arrested earlier this month for abusing—

Kira turned it off, her lips pursed in seriousness, all traces of a light mood gone. “We need to let your boss know about this new development.” I was barely hearing her in that moment… my mind belittling me for hoping… for dreaming that being free of Matt was going to be that easy.

A month had barely ended, and he was already out. Who knew what kind of havoc he was going to wreak on me for humiliating him so?

“Hey, Jenny!” Kira shook me, “We’re not going to let that bastard ruin your mood like so, you hear me? Now here’s what you’re going to do… you’re going to get dressed, and then I’ll go with you to your office. I’ll handle any paparazzi that makes the mistake of coming near you. Trust me, latest by evening, we’ll come up with something.”

I nodded softly, heading off to do her bidding, even though all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and bawl my eyes out.

When we got to the office, the security led me through the underground parking lot to Mr. Blackwell’s personal elevator so we could evade the multitude of cameramen at the front of the office. Kira went back home, with a promise to call every hour to check in.

I couldn’t believe it!

Just overnight, I’d become a celebrity of sorts, and though some people would have been pleased about it, it just made me disappointed in mankind. I mean, were a few coins worth exposing a fellow human being’s pain and suffering out there for click bait?

When was it all going to end?

Mr. Blackwell was waiting for me when the elevator doors opened on our floor, a grim look on his face. I didn’t even have the time to appreciate how stunning he looked in his tweed coat. “My office, Jen.” He ordered, sending a silent command to the guards to wait behind.

“I’m sure the news has reached you by now… that your ex-husband would be released sometime this week,” He got right to the point when we were behind closed doors.

I nodded, trying so hard to be strong.

“Aldridge does not like it one bit, but he says with your husband’s connections… a month is the most we can do to keep him in jail.” He explained. “We’re running out of options, Jen… and fast.” He ran a finger across his dark curls, messing it up accidentally, “Right now, we have just one solid option left that could work for us… it’s a proposition of sorts— but, I’m not sure you’d like it.”

I felt hope and desperation tug at my heart strings at the same time, “What is it? At this point, I really don’t think I can afford to be picky, so let’s hear it.”

“Very well.” He nodded, taking a deep breath, “Marry me Jen… become my wife.”

Wait, what?

I looked at him like he had lost his mind, barely believing my ears.