Chapter 2

Artemis

She’s the perfect girl!

 I’ve been trying to work around this tradition of my family. For the last four generations, our family has partaken in a long tradition of arranged marriages. An exception was made thanks to my grandmother who was a romantic at heart and wanted her children to at least have a chance at real love. The only concession was that we had to choose before our thirtieth birthday. If one of us doesn’t choose a partner before then our family chooses someone for us.

My birthday is a week away and I’ve been too busy to think about this ridiculous tradition. Alan, my business partner, and I have been running into one problem after another trying to finish our newest software. All my attention has been focused on this contract that I had forgotten my birthday was close. The only reason I remember the day is because my mother makes it into a spectacle for matchmaking. For that reason alone I try to forget the day exists. A call from my sister telling me she will be flying from London to attend my party was the warning I needed. 

She was the first of us to be married off thanks to a deal between her family and ours. They ended up liking each other from the begging and it didn't take long for them to be happy with the arrangement. My younger sister on the other hand went a different route. She eloped with her long time highschool boyfriend. He was not the sort of man they wanted her to be with but she didn't care. My family came around when they had their first child though. 

So I've decided to follow in my younger sister's footsteps and surprise my family with a new daughter-in-law. All I need is someone who will agree to marry me and not expect anything more than a comfortable life in return. I’m married to my company and that’s how it’s been for ten years. Alan has tried for years to get me to show an interest in one girl or another, but none of them made me feel anything. Sex was fine but it came with expectations that I can't fill. The woman would want to date and have a relationship and I haven't been interested in that. It's a distraction I can't afford. 

For the last six months, I've focused only on work and forgotten about anything else. 

Hence my current dilemma. 

I'd planned on picking a woman to take on the role of my wife once our current contract was over but it's been taking a lot longer than I expected. I also wanted to pick someone who my family would hate as an extra fuck you for forcing this damn tradition. 

That girl is as far from my family's standards as they come. She's the one. Now I need to find her...

Thankfully our building isn't far away and even though no one is meant to be in yet, I know my secretary will be. She's been breaking her neck trying to impress me, and that's about to come in handy. I walk into the building and see one of our security guards sitting next to the reception desk. He jumps to his feet when he sees me and tries to fix his uniform while he's at it. 

I've been told I can seem intimidating which makes people skittish around me. 

"Good morning Mr. Rhodes." The guard says with a smile. 

He's young. Probably a new hire, but I trust my people to hire capable employees. 

"Good morning. Did you see Abigail come in?" I ask but I don't stop walking forcing him to keep up with me.

"Yes sir, she went up a half hour ago!" He calls out after me. 

"Good." 

I reach the corridor where the elevators are but I pass by them and stop in front of a door at the end of the hall. It looks like a service door, but it opens to a private elevator that takes me to the floor where my office is. It may seem pretentious to have a private elevator, but I have a thing about lots of people in a confined space. So when we bought the building it was the first thing I requested. 

Besides, it allows me ample time to stew over the fact that I'm going to be forced to get married in a few days whether I like it or not.

I know if I put out a Wife Wanted ad out there would be women from across the country lining up in front of our building. That's not me being egotistical either. Once when Alan convinced me to do an interview for a magazine because he had a thing for the journalist, we had to double our security because women from all over were showing up here trying to get in. I guess "sexy nerds" as they called me in the article, are a big deal now. 

Needless to say, blasting out into the world that I'm in search of a bride would be the worst thing I could do. So, hunting down a random blue-haired woman I bumped into on the street is what I'm going with instead. Trust me, I know how crazy that makes me seem. 

"Shit."

I growl out loud and drop my head back against the cool metal of the elevator wall. This whole thing is a pain in my ass. If I don't find this girl I'll be out of time. 

When I finally reach the top floor where our main offices are I've lost some of the resolve I had when I came up with this plan. There has to be an easier way to do this. Why am I going through all this trouble for that strange woman? This is crazy. 

"Mr. Rhodes!" Abigail is standing and moving around the front of her desk before I'm two feet out of the elevator. 

"Miss Simmons you don't get extra credit points for getting here before me. You are aware of that right?" Her face turns light pink and she lowers her head to hide it from me.

I meant it as a light-hearted comment but clearly, she's embarrassed. It must be because I didn't smile when I said it. Alan has told me on more than one occasion that I need to smile more. I told him I would if I encountered something worth smiling about, and so far that hasn't happened often.

"I was just getting caught up on any emails that come through from our international clients. That's what I was doing when..." She snaps her mouth shut and clears her throat. "Can I help you with anything sir?" 

I consider her for a moment. She's pretty. Her red hair is pulled back in a tight bun and she dresses very professionally but her curvy body is noticeable. It doesn't escape my notice how many of the men in this building look at her. So why haven't I considered asking her to help me? 

One big reason is that she's actually a good assistant and I would hate to lose that even if she tries too hard. She has been a godsend on the many occasions when I was lost in my work and forgot about meetings. She also makes sure I eat during the day. That's something I can't lose, and she may take my offer offensively. 

Nope not going there. 

"I have a strange request. A woman ran into me on the way here and I want you to find her." 

She gives me a curious look. "I can try sir, what's her name?" 

She grabs a pad of paper from her desk and gets ready to jot down whatever I say. Too bad I have nothing that will be much help to her. 

"I didn't get a name. She has blue hair, and she was coming out of the park." 

Now she looks at me like she thinks I'm messing with her, but when I don't give any indication that this is a joke she looks at me with wide eyes. 

"You don't know her name? Only the color of her hair? I'm sorry sir but that is not enough for me to do a search with. There could be many women with blue hair." 

She's right but I don't want any of those women. It has to be the one I ran into. I can't understand why, but it has to be. 

Then I remember my photo app being open when she handed me my phone back. One of us must have opened it when we ran into each other. It's possible I got a picture of her. I pull up my photo gallery and there it is. The picture is blurry but you can make her out well enough.

"This is her." I hand Abigail my phone and she examines the photo. 

"We could post it on Twitter and ask if anyone has seen her." She sounds skeptical, but I agree. 

I detest social media but I'll try it to find a certain blue-haired pixie.