CHAPTER 2

THE MEETING

Emily's heart thumped uncontrollably as she walked down the hallway of the hotel the Knights had chosen for their meetup. Her every step is heavier than the last one. Her father walked beside her, his presence dominating and suffocating. The venue was as she expected, imposing and extravagant. It was one of the hotels owned by the Knights, her parents had agreed to the chosen location. The atmosphere gave her chills as she hugged herself lightly. Today, she would meet James Knight, the man her father had chosen to be her husband.

At the very end of the hallway stood two tall closed doors. She tried to keep herself calm, hiding the different emotions that were going through her and the dominant one being anger. Her mind replayed stories she had heard about James and his reputation for being ruthless and unnecessarily rude, he was a man she only knew from a story she had heard and none of them seemed to comfort her aching heart at that moment.

She turned as her father placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving her a forced smile. The door swung open as Emily drew a last shaky breath as they entered.

James was already inside the room when they entered. He was standing by the window with his gaze casted upon the city beyond it. His back was turned to them, making it difficult for Emily to see his face but the sun casted a low glow over his tall frame. She could feel his domineering and menacing presence, his dark blue suit tailored to perfection screamed understated luxury and emphasised the aura he was known for. When he finally turned, his whole expression and how he carried himself mirrored everything she had heard about him. His blue eyes trained on them.

“Hello James, I want you to meet my daughter, Emily.” Her father said with false fondness, you'd think it was a normal introduction and not something that will change her life completely.

James' eyes shifted to her, “Emily.” He said, with a nod, slightly acknowledging her presence.

“James.” She replied with her own nod, her voice unbelievably steady despite her nervousness.

A heavy silence fell over them, uncomfortable and awkward, what had she been expecting? The atmosphere in the room felt tense and forced, the both of them staring at each other as if measuring their level.

Her father sensing the air in the room, cleared his throat. “I have something else to get to, I'll leave you two to get acquainted.”

As her father quickly exited, escaping the tense atmosphere, he closed the door behind him, leaving Emily and James together in the room.

The silence her father left grew heavier by the passing moment. Emily did her best not to avoid eye contact with James, she was determined to show him she was not intimidated by his piercing gaze.

“So I finally get to meet the infamous Emily Chen.” James said breaking the awkward silence, his voice came out more curious than he planned.

Emily could feel annoyance building in her gut “Infamous? I didn't realise I had a reputation.”

A smirk appeared on his lips, he was going to enjoy taunting her. “Come on, you're the daughter of my family’s biggest rival, you definitely did not think I'd know nothing about you, did you?”

Emily lifted her chin, standing her ground. “So you must know I'm here against my will right?”

“Yes, I am well aware of that, but as I am. But here we are.” He replied as his gaze darkened.

The frankness in his tone caught her off guard, she could sense a hint of annoyance in his voice but it was not directed at her. Emily tried to sympathise with him, she realised they were both in the same situation, reluctantly playing roles that they never wanted in the first place.

“Since we're being honest with each other right now.” She crossed her hands over her chest, feeling slightly nervous for what she was about to say. “Let's make something clear, I am only here to protect my family, nothing more. This marriage does not change a thing between us or our family.”

James rolled his eyes, his voice sharp. “That is the exact reason I'm here, do not expect me to do anything beyond what is necessary.”

They both stood, eyeing each other, the silence a sign of their mutual agreement on the terms. Emily felt a slight sense of relief wash through her, now that she had made it clear James shouldn't expect anything more than business from her.

“Good.” She said, finally breaking the silence.

“Now let's set some ground rules.”

A look of intrigue flashed across James's face and he tilted his head to the side. “I'm listening.”

Emily drew in a steady breath, trying to find her confidence. “Firstly, this is a business agreement and we will not treat it as something more. I will not interfere with your personal life and you will not interfere with mine. But I suggest we know where we are at all times, this is only for security purposes.”

He nodded once, agreeing to her terms. “I'll add that public appearances are necessary, our parents want this to work out so we have to show the public that we are in a loving and stable relationship.”

“I agree to your terms.” She said, “but I have some boundaries and I'd love it if you respect them.”

James's gaze softened a bit. “That's fine by me, as long as you do the same.”

For the first time since the meeting started, Emily could feel a sense of something wash over her, maybe it was relief or the fact that she was in a room with a name as big as James Knight and she had come to an agreement with him on something and for once she had felt equal.

Emily weighed her decisions, she was getting into a calculated alliance, and not a romantic relationship with James, one thing was certain. Whatever laid ahead, she was ready to face it.

From the corner of her eye, Emily could see a suspicious vehicle outside the window. It had been there since they first came in but she didn't pay any mind to it but now it seemed to have rolled its window down and was now staring at them.

“What the hell?” Emily said with so much fear evident in her voice, making James turn to what she was referring to.

“You told my father that this was a safe meetup spot, who was that? And why do we have someone spying on us James?”