7: Deal For Two

Althea

For more than a week I lived here, I always thought this was too big for me. That was the reason why I preferred my bedroom, where the space fitted me more.

Now, with Matthias here, my penthouse seemed to grow smaller. It wasn’t, of course. But his presence filled the whole room as he walked in and sat on the sofa, while I sat across him. Deborah made some tea and brought some slices of cheesecake and pastry, yet none of that was touched.

None of us talked as minutes passed by. I sat down with my crossed legs, fully aware of the stares he gave me. Despite his closed lips, those blue eyes of his moved as if it was trying to tell me something. I couldn’t figure it out. He might have been judging me in his head, or cursing and planning other unthinkable things. Whatever he was thinking, it’s hard to ignore the way  his eyes fixated on me.

‘“Can you say something?”I finally muttered. 

Matthias raised his eyebrows but remained in his position, relaxed. “I thought you were regretting being here instead of having a nice lunch with Richard Clinton.”

“Are you crazy?”

He let out a laugh that sounded more like a sniff. “Then why was he in your office?”

“You should ask him.” I rolled my eyeballs. “I don’t know why he, and even you, appeared all of a sudden.”

“I won’t be here if you’re not avoiding me.” He clicked his tongue. “You make this hard for both of us.”

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about, Matthias.”

“So you prefer to talk with a man like Richard afterall?”

“If you’re here just to run your mouth for some nonsense like this, I suggest you better leave–”

“Since when?” He interrupted quickly, and my words dissipated in the air. It wasn’t because he spoke all of a sudden, but because his tone changed. While he remained in his position, leaned back on the sofa, those two words he uttered filled with pressure and anger. But weirdly enough, I didn’t feel like those hot tempers were directed at me.

Yet we were the only people in the room.

“He contacted me three days ago,” I answered, automatically entwining my fingers on my lap. 

“Did he ask you for anything?” Matthias asked once more, and I shook quickly.

“He did ask me to meet and talk, but I refused him every time. I said I was busy with my new job.”

“Do you know who he is?”

“Josh told me he was one of my father’s business partners, and he was ….” I cringed at the word before I even said it out. “Single.”

“Whether he’s single or not, if he wants you, he will do anything to get you.” Considering what just happened, it didn’t surprise me. Even G****e told me he was a bastard, what more could I expect?

“He is not the only one who wants to try, right?” It’s more like a statement than a question.

“And you are one of them.”

In my defense, I just said the reality. Before anyone else, he was the first who offered me such a crazy idea. I hated him, and I knew he knew. I was 70 percent sure he hated me too. The other 30 was meant for his reason to be here with me, which I had no idea why.

He straightened his back, disgust showed in his face. “Don’t compare me to them.”

“Why? Because you’re worse than them?”

He didn’t reply for a second, but his gaze made me regret saying that. I diverted my vision to another corner of the room, gulping the invisible ball in my throat. 

A heavy breath filled the room, before he finally said, “I’m trying to make things easier for us. It’s up to you if you believe me or not, but I need your help. And I can make sure that I'm your best option.”

My eyes diverted to him again. “How so?”

He stared right at my eyes, locking my gaze. We weren’t even that close, but I couldn’t help to look at his mouth, how perfect those lips were, and how defined his nose and jaw. Just if his personality wasn’t this bad,  he might be the perfect person that I’ve ever known. 

“I’m not after your money,” he said with a lower-pitched voice, and his chin held up high. This time, that confidence didn’t feel arrogant. He said it to make sure I knew what he really meant. “I know you’re pushed to find a suitable husband. I happened to be in the same condition. I need a wife, and you need a husband. But I’m not interested in love and some shit. All I need is a marriage that can give me space to handle my own business.”

So the pressure to get married had also fallen into men? That’s interesting.

I had the guts that getting married was just an excuse for another man to control me. I crossed my arms. If I were about to make a deal, I wanted it to benefit me too. It had to.

“And how can I trust you, Matthias Cox?” I called his name, trying to insinuate the same vibes as him. I couldn’t let him think I was the weaker one. “I have no intention to marry anyone.”

“Two years,” he said full of certainty. “Let’s get married for two years.”

I looked at him, confused. “Why two?”

“Two years will be enough,” he replied. “It’s also a good time for you to learn how to manage this stuff. By being with me, people will think twice to bother you. And to be honest, I need to work on something.”

“Something?”

He nodded. “Our fathers’death.”

So it just wasn’t me. I found it rather weird to have two people in the same circle die on the same day. Different location, different accident. But something just didn’t sit right. I tried to not think about it too much at first. 

“So you realized that, huh,” he commented, his smug smile appearing. “Maybe you aren’t as dumb as I thought.”

“Do you have to make me mad while you’re trying to strike a deal with me? How smart.” I snarked.

He shrugged indifferently. “You won’t get any better offer than mine.”

I really wanted to punch him–even the fact that I might couldn’t lay a finger on him–but I knew he was right.

“There will be no wealth or business merger,” he confirmed. 

I squinted my eyes, trying to judge his answer. I couldn’t trace any lies.

“I won’t touch you too. We’ll just do physical contact if it’s needed.”

“Really?”

“Why? Do you want to touch me?”

Was it okay if I threw my tea at him? “Over my dead body.” 

“Then it’s all clear.”

Was this really a good decision to make? Honestly, I was not sure either. But I didn’t have many options here. No matter how hard I tried to look at it, Matthias was the best option I could get. And I was the best option for him.

He stood from his sofa, walked towards me then extended his hand. “So, are we going to do it together, Althea?”

At least it’s only two years, right? 

With that in mind, I shook his hand and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

*