Chapter 2- I'll marry you

-INDIGO-

Do the dishes, lock the doors, close the curtains, fluff the pillows, sleep.

I'm on the third step of my nightly routine, singing a Taylor Swift classic, when I hear loud knocking. I groan in frustration before dragging my feet to the door, I don't even look through the eye hole to check who the person is. I just open the door wide and shock is an understatement of my reaction.

"Marry me." Mr. Grey says in his serious demanding voice.

My jaw drops wide and I immediately slam my door shut.

That wasn't my boss asking me to marry him, right? It can't be. Mr. Grey would never drive downtown New York to see me, better yet ask me to marry him. That must've been a figment of my imagination.

"Indigo! Open the fucking door!" A voice booms from the other side of the door and I immediately jerk into action.

It's really Mr. Grey.

I open the door immediately, and he is real.

"Mr. Grey, you—"

He pushes me aside and walks into my apartment like he owns the place. He stands in the middle of the small living room and scrutinizes my home with a judgy look.

"Small but neat." He remarks and I don't know why I feel a tinge of appreciation at his almost-compliment.

"Mr. Grey, if this is about the Yuki investors, I specifically told them not to call you and—"

"Shut up!" He immediately cuts me off and I seal my lips.

"Marry me." He says curtly and my jaw drops.

"I don't understand," I say in a confused tone.

Is Mr. Grey okay? Is he drunk? I sniff the surrounding, but I don't get a whiff of alcohol. Perhaps, he has finally lost his mind. All those long hours of working finally got to him.

"My grandfather left me his estate in the Caribbeans," He says.

"That's good news!" I cheer and he glares me into silence.

"I can only claim it once I'm married." He finishes. 

"So? Get marri—ohhhh." I'm struck by realization mid-sentence. 

"You want to marry me?" I ask for confirmation. 

"Are you retarded? You didn't get that from all I said?" He says in an agitated tone and I frown. 

This is my house, he can't be mean to me. 

Mr. Grey's eyes flashes and that's when I realize that I said my thought out loud. 

"Stop being useless and time-wasteful, just agree to marry me." He says in a tone that makes me believe that he's the one doing me a favor here. 

"Why me?" I ask and he sighs in frustration as he pinches the bridge of his nose. 

"You're the only woman I can tolerate, and right now you're not behaving very tolerable." He grits out.

"Sorry for inconveniencing you." I say in a tone that sounds apologetic and not pissed off.

"Now, say that you'll marry me so I'll have my lawyers draw up the papers." Mr. Grey says in an urgent tone and I start to shake my head.

"I'm not going to marry you." I tell him and he veers back like I just said something abominable.

"What did you just say?" He fumes.

"I said that I'm not going to marry you." I repeat.

"And why is that?"

"Because you don't even like me. I can't marry someone that I don't love. I don't know what you've been told, but marriage is not a business de—"

"I'll aid you financially." He cuts me off in a firm tone.

"What?" I ask. "Do I seem like someone that needs your money?" I gesture to my small, but very comfortable apartment.

"Yes." He answers almost immediately and I frown, giving him a 'really?' look.

"Your brother..." He trails off and I freeze.

How does he know about my brother? The only other person in my life right now that knows about my brother is Matilda, and I doubt she would share that information with Mr. Grey.

"What do you know about him?" I ask, feigning bravery and nonchalance.

"I know that he was in an accident and he's currently in coma," he chokes out. "I also know that you have difficulties with the bill for his upkeep and you're months behind payment. I know that the hospital is going to take him off life support if you don't come up with the money in three weeks. And I know you have no way of getting five hundred thousand dollars within that time." He says in the tone that he uses to talk with the investors when he knows he has them trapped.

"That's not tr—"

"I hope you're not about to say that what I'm saying is not true, because it very well is. If you agree to marry me I'll fund all his hospital expenses until he gets better." Mr. Grey promises.

Until he gets better...

And when would that even happen?

"Mr. Grey..." I start, but trail off as I have nothing to say.

"We'll be married for just six months. After that we'll get a court divorce and you'll be free. I'll still pay for your brother's expenditures though. Also, within those six months of our marriage, I'll be paying you. A hundred thousand dollars each month. So long as you adhere to the marriage rules that will be sent to you, once you agree to marry me." He says and I find myself drowning in thoughts.

Can I really marry my boss? As if Mr. Grey hears my thoughts, he speaks up.

"You don't have to worry about the office. You'll still work for me. There isn't a rule against me getting into a relationship with one of my employees. Though we'll have to play the roles of a model husband and wife outside the home. Everyone must be convinced that our marriage is real, you must—"

"I haven't even agreed to this." I cut him short and I see his jaw tick.

"You're a smart girl, Indigo. You know there's no downside to this. I'll give the grace of this night to think on my offer. You'll tell me your decision tomorrow morning." He finishes as he starts to walk away.

Once he gets to my doorstep, he turns back to look at me.

"Remember, more than two lives are riding on this." He says, before leaving my apartment. I shut my door lock and plop down on my couch.

He's right. He's so right... and I hate him for it.

I don't sleep that night. I run over a million pros and cons of marrying Mr. Grey. By the time the sun is up, I feel exhausted. I carry on with my morning routine.

Brush teeth, bathe, dress, eat, order coffee from the good cafe up street, drop off Mr. Grey's order, and start the work for the day. 

Though I seem to be stumped on the sixth step. I've not made a decision yet and I hate being indecisive. 

It's just marriage, celebrities do it all the time. It's no big deal. It's the person I'm getting married to that's my concern. My two years, three months and two weeks working for Mr. Grey, I have never seen him smile before. Heck! I've never even seen him smirk. 

Nothing. He never even celebrates when he closes an important deal. He's just so blank. Nothing. The only emotion that I see him show is the occasional frustration and sometimes, spared for the unlucky people—anger. 

I knock on Mr. Grey's office and step in with his morning coffee. I place it against his desk and bid him good morning. He doesn't even acknowledge me, as his full attention is on his office tab. 

Ugh! I hate that thing.

It takes him a bit over three minutes to notice me. 

"Why didn't you tell me you were here?" He asks me, before taking a sip of his coffee. 

"I did, but you were distracted." I say, giving him a tight-lipped smile. 

"Have you made a decision?" He asks, straight to the point. 

Have I?

He's not husband material by any means but he's making an effort. He wants to pay for my brother's bills. Only because what he's getting in return is going to be very beneficial though.

He's a man of his word. But what exactly is his word? And if I do get married to him, would we have to do sexual stuff? An image of a naked Mr. Grey pops up inside my head and I buckle my knees as heat floods me.

"Have you made a decision?" He repeats his question. I let out a breathe and smile.

"I'll marry you."