KIMBERLY

why I was expecting doomsday when I entered the office.

The thought of having to marry someone filled my head with images of chains, and not the good kind. Reluctantly, I let out a heavy breath I didn't realize I was carrying as I walked in.

Not much changed, in terms of decor.

The familiar ceiling-to-floor windows lined two sides of the office and the rest of the walls were slate gray with minimal decorations.

The only difference was the lack of pictures or certificates of achievements lining the walls as they once did when this was Alex's office. You couldn't take two steps without pictures of Alex's two girls smacking you in the face.

As my feet carried me inside, my mind drifted to how comfortable I used to feel in Alex's office, which was—I'm assuming—at the other end of the floor.

The black leather sofas looked particularly inviting and I just wanted to plop myself on them.

It would be a realistic way for me to make a first impression, but I don't think it would be as effective as I was imagining it to be. My eyes wandered up to make contact with an unknown silhouette that was standing behind the desk.

Damn.

It was at this moment I was thankful that I was very good at hiding my emotions or reactions, unlike Savannah. I could call him handsome, gorgeous, or even stunning, but it would still not do justice to the fine man in front of me.

His skin was so beautifully tan with subtle olive undertones. Sharp, angular features paired with soft, pink lips to create a face that was sending butterflies to my stomach. And maybe other places. A clean, trimmed beard decorated his face and I found myself suddenly attracted to facial hair.

The dark brown hair—slightly long on the top and short on the sides—was messy, like he was constantly running his fingers through it.

From the get-go, I could see the similarities between him and Alex, but there was something so rugged and harsh about the beauty of the man before me.

For one second, Kimberly, can you stop thinking with your vagina and use your head.

How could I think... period.

If he was curious as to why I was staring at him for so long, he didn't let it show. In fact, he didn't let anything show. Not a single emotion was betrayed by his face. Something Alex definitely did not have.

I was so used to guys turning into pretentious assholes and smirking when they caught me staring at them for a second too long.

But not him.

If Jace Kingston was even the slightest bit satisfied that someone—that someone being me—was checking him out, he did not show it at all.

"I see what Savannah was talking about," his deep voice commented, bringing me out of my thoughts.

This is so unfair. He looks like that and sounds like this.

What. The. Hell.

"What?" I managed to let out in a steady tone.

He shook his head and chuffed quietly. "What can I do for you, Ms. Astor?"

"I think our current relationship status allows for you to drop the formality and just call me Kim," I snorted lightly at his formal verbatim. You would think that your future fiancé would call you by your first name, but apparently not.

He raised his perfectly-shaped eyebrow in puzzlement. "Relationship status?"

"Well, we're technically getting engaged tonight, so that warrants for you to just call me Kim. Also, I think people would start questioning this alliance if they hear you refer to me as Ms. Astor." I was about to add how I was about to become Mrs. Kingston soon but quickly stopped myself.

It felt weird to hear it and even weirder to say it.

"I guess you're right, Kimberly," he tested my—for some reason—full name on his lips. I was about to correct him again and ask to just be called Kim, but the way he said my name had me hot all over. He continued, "That doesn't answer my previous question. Is there a reason for your visit today?"

I sat down in the chair facing his desk and crossed my legs, noticing how his eyes lingered on the exposed skin before looking back up. Hesitantly, he sat across from me, bringing his hands together.

I wanted to laugh at how formal and business-like this situation was, but I somehow managed to keep it in. "I know that our families are meeting today to finalize everything, but I don't like being blindsided. I wanted to meet you by myself to avoid any surprises."

"Understandable"—he nodded approvingly—"I happen to agree. So, what did you want to discuss?"

"Why did you say yes?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, why did you agree to marry a complete stranger? You had more of a choice in this matter than I did," I replied, getting to the point.

It wasn't a lie. From my perspective, there was no getting out of this for me. If I were to refuse this business alliance, I might as well kiss my chances of becoming CEO goodbye. However, Jace had every possibility to refuse the matter.

Ultimately, the Board of Directors at Astor and Co. would find another unfortunate, rich man to secure an alliance with no matter what.

It just didn't have to be him.

The temporarily stunned expression on his face quickly dissipated. "I owe Alex everything."

Okay... I was definitely not expecting that answer.

"Marrying a stranger is a little on the extreme side when it comes to making it up to someone. Also, I know Alex pretty well, and he's not someone who'd want anything in return no matter how big the favor," I replied, trying to get more of a response.

He shifted in his seat slightly, thinking about my words. This wasn't necessarily an easy topic, so his discomfort was most certainly shared. "First off, you may be a stranger to me, but you're no stranger to my... family. Plus, he didn't need to force me to repay anything. I knew that agreeing to this would make him happy, so I made the call."

The selflessness that came out of his answer had me stunned for a second.

Before me was a guy who did not need to be bombarded with a marriage at the peak of his success but still agreeing to one to make someone who he's only known for a few years happy.

"Huh," I let out, leaning back. "Can't say I was expecting that." I cleared my throat. "Do you happen to be aware as to why this marriage is happening?"

"I have a slight inkling, but I won't try to pry for information."

I didn't plan on getting married for a long time, but Jace Kingston didn't make me hate the idea of it as much. The complete dismay from yesterday was lingering around, but it wasn't as troublesome.

"Thank you," I replied, gratitude filling my words.

"You don't have to thank me for doing the bare minimum. From what I understand, you have issues and our fathers think it's best for me to help manage those issues for the sake of our country's economy." He crossed his arms, the bulge of his biceps straining his dress shirt.

And there's that dismay again...

A part of me was glad he said that because it sobered me up. It was time to lay down my ground rules.

I cleared my throat, making sure to narrow my eyes at him as I took a list out of my bag. "You're right. I do have issues. But I have standards as well. So, here are some ground rules for this alliance."

I didn't bother looking at his reaction, "First off, if things are normal with Laurent after two years, we're getting a divorce. If not, we will negotiate this part of the contract after time is up. Second, our bank accounts are our own. My money is mine and your money is yours. You won't question how I choose to spend it or try to control it. Finally, we will spend these two years in an exclusive relationship. We'll live together and do things together so the public or Laurent doesn't suspect the nature of this alliance. But, in private, we are nothing. Would you like to add anything else?"

His rigid self remained completely stoic during my entire monologue.

"You seem to have thought this through extensively, but I actually would like to add something. We should have topics that the other is not allowed to ask about. I'll start. Talking about my family is off-limits," he replied sternly.

"Agreed. I won't ask about your family situation and you can't ask me about my issues as you so beautifully put it," I snapped, matching his energy and crossing my arms. His eyes briefly glanced down again and I realized that my suit dress didn't leave much to the imagination.

I rolled my eyes, "My eyes are up here, buddy."

"Oh, I know."

♕♕♕

Even though I had already met and talked to Jace in the morning, I couldn't help the burning anticipation of the events that were sure to transpire tonight. I was mindlessly going through the notions of getting ready when I heard the familiar footsteps behind me.

Mom didn't say anything as she came into my room to help me get ready for dinner.

She's never done this before. If there's anything either of my parents trusted me to get done carefully, it would be dressing up. While Dad was more hesitant about my choices, even he had to admit I was always impeccably dressed.

So, it was strange to see her in my room.

Considering I moved out years ago, my room at home was barely touched and acted as a secondary storage space for my rather large collection of shit.

From my closet, I pulled out a dress and put it on, admiring it in the mirror. It was a red satin dress that fell mid-thigh with a sweetheart neckline and puff sleeves cinching at my wrists.

The ruffling of the fabric accentuated my curves, leaving me satisfied with the silhouette.

It was at this moment that Mom came up behind me and put a dainty gold necklace with a small diamond hanging off of it under my other one. I recognized it from her collection and was about to ask to confirm before she beat me to it.

"When your dad was trying to woo me over, he bought me this necklace on our first date," she commented, a soft and happy smile gracing her beautiful face. "I was about to yell at him for the expensive gesture, but he just smiled and said he wanted me to have something to give our daughter one day. Not that I told him at the time, but I think that's when I started to fall in love with him."

It was hard to imagine my Dad as someone who was romantic—or even had feelings for that matter—but the love in my Mom's eyes kept my mouth shut.

"I know this is not ideal, nena. But your dad means well. An arranged marriage is the last thing either of us wanted for you, but this will be good. Jace is a very nice man, and he will treat you with the respect that you deserve." Mom's soft hands came up to my hair, stroking it lovingly.

She began to do my hair in a half-up hairstyle, and I could feel tears prickling in the corner of my eyes. "Mama, I know. But, if Dad wanted to show me that he means well, a hug would suffice."

As expected, Mom laughed at the nature of our relationship. But, truthfully, I didn't have anything else to say besides a sarcastic remark. Nothing about this situation was ideal. I knew for a long time that the probability I would be marrying was low—and the probability I would be marrying for love was practically nonexistent—but it didn't mean I was ready for this.

Mom turned me back around so we were both facing the mirror.

I looked good. I know I did.

I looked ready to walk downstairs and agree to an engagement with a complete stranger.

And, I looked way more put-together than I was feeling on the inside.

That was the point of it all. For so many years, if I looked good, I could convince everyone else that I felt good.

Mom's eyes fell to my other necklace, silently asking me if I would keep it on. Internally, I knew it was wrong to keep the memory of another man on you while you were about to be engaged to someone else. Still, it felt even more wrong to take it off.

I averted my eyes from her warm brown ones, indicating my answer.

"You look beautiful, nena. Are you ready?" Her voice was gentle, taking me back to the days when she would read to me before bed. It's not like I've been living here with her for the last few years, but there was something permanent about marriage that altered the circumstances of the situation.

"I really hope so," I breathed out, smoothing the front of my dress.

Mom guided me out of my room, placing her hands on my arms. In the time that we have been speaking, the Kingstons arrived and were most likely waiting in the living room.

Going down the stairs was more daunting than I ever remembered it being. We passed and rounded the corner to the entrance of the room. The lighting was soft, perfect for an evening meeting, but I could still make out everyone's face clearly.

Alex had a bright smile on his face at my appearance, similar to that of his wife, Efthymia. Anastasia and Genessa—their two daughters and Jace's half-sisters—looked in my direction with an odd combination of pity and happiness.

Since we all grew up together, they knew how I felt about getting married to someone who wasn't him, but there was nothing to do about it.

I dug this grave so I might as well lay in it.

My attention turned to my to-be-fiancé and I was still shocked by how attractive he was. The light gray suit and white dress shirt did nothing to hide his large physique, the shadows of the folds hinting at the muscle definition underneath.

I was certain—after seeing the muscle definition through the shadows—that he had to be some sort of an athlete because there is no way you get that type of body otherwise.

What took the cake was the gold chain that was peeping through the top buttons he had open.

Holy fuck.

Vivian had a point when she said I have a weakness for attractive members of the male species. It was a severe problem.

My eyes finally lifted to see his face, but his eyes were still lingering on the dress that suited me so well. At the last second, his eyes shot up to meet mine, but he didn't look embarrassed to be caught checking me out. Instead, his eyes flitted to my signature red lip—which obviously matched the red of my dress—and he shook his head.

Rude.

I was about to sneer at him when a familiar voice called out.

"Kimmy, you look beautiful," Alex said, coming to give me a hug. I hated the nickname, but he was the only person who was allowed to call me that. Well, one of the only ones. I returned his warm hug whispering a quick 'thank you' before facing everyone else.

Dad sat on the armchair at the head of the room, an empty loveseat adjacent to him for me and Mom. Now, I was sitting directly across from Jace, Alex returning back to his side. Effie, Gigi, and Ana were sitting on the couch opposite of Dad's armchair, giving them a perfect view of the shit I was expecting to go down.

After our little conversation in the morning, Jace and I signed a contract that Vivi wrote after my self-pity session last night to ensure the two of us would adhere to our conditions.

The second he dotted the 'i' and crossed the 't' of his name, I bolted out of the office without a goodbye, desperate to get out of his intoxicating presence.

"How is everyone, by the way?" I asked, mainly directing my attention to Ana and Gigi. The two of them must've been very grateful that my future—well, in a few minutes it would be official—fiancé showed up when he did because neither of them had any intentions of becoming the CEO of Kingston Industries.

Gigi—after being inspired by Mom—was huge on humanitarian issues and was studying to become an International Human Rights Lawyer. On the other hand, Ana loved cooking ever since we were kids and recently got a position as a sous chef at a high-class restaurant in NYC.

Ana just smiled softly in response, not being much of a talker.

However, Gigi, as expected, responded enthusiastically. "I missed you, Kim. Traveling was so nice, I can't even begin to explain it. Soraya, I completely get why you do what you do. I spent so much time with these adorable kids in Tanzania and I just miss them so much. This young girl called me her big sister and I melted on the spot."

For the last few months, Gigi volunteered to open up a school in a small village in Tanzania. She provided a lot of monetary support, but she decided to spend a few months there to witness the growth of the school.

I was proud of the little girl who was once convinced she would be a princess when she grew up. Even though I was only a little under two years older than both of them, there's no doubt I've always loved them like sisters.

"That does sound amazing. Did you take pictures?" I asked, realizing that Dad would get mad at me for diverting from the stupidly sexy elephant in the room.

She grabbed her phone, squealing, "Oh my god, yes! Is that even a question?" Gigi was about to show me a picture when the neutral expression on Dad and Jace's face—the ultimate party-poopers—caused her to shyly put the phone back. "Maybe later."

"While I'm glad you had an excellent time, there's important business that needs to be addressed," Dad's voice resonated throughout the room. "As you're all well aware, we are hoping to merge Astor and Co. and Kingston Industries through a marriage alliance. Jace, I would like you to formally meet my daughter, Kimberly."

The word 'marriage' induced a deep sense of nausea within me for the umpteenth time. I just wanted to get this the fuck over with. "Yeah, yeah. We all know the boring details. I spoke to Jace already and we're ready to sign whatever needs to be signed. There's no need to delay this any further."

Confused expressions marred Alex and Dad's faces at the mention of Jace and I meeting already.

Oh shit.

In my hurry to get out of the office, I forgot to tell Jace to not mention a single part of the contract in front of our parents. As far as they were concerned, we were supposed to make this work.

"When did you two meet?" Alex asked, still perplexed.

"Kimberly dropped by the office this morning," Jace clarified. "We decided it would be best to meet each other first and get to know one another before formally putting it in place."

I silently thanked him for saying 'we' even though I was the one who randomly popped up into his life. If Dad knew I just showed up with no invitation, he would start apologizing for how impulsive I am. He's not wrong, but I'm not technically ashamed of it.

"Of course she did," Dad replied, shooting me a look. "Well, I guess it's time to settle this. We had Darren write up this contract for the business alliance. We'll officially sign the legal marriage documents on the day of the wedding."

Each letter of the last word hit me like tiny bullets.

For some reason, I hadn't processed how the marriage would be accompanied by a wedding ceremony. Everything about this business deal seemed so formal that having a so-called wedding ceremony made things too intimate.

Too real.

With a wedding came intense planning and decisions I abandoned ages ago. In a matter of seconds, it became hard to breathe and I had to get out of there.

I abruptly stood up—amidst Dad going over the conditions of the contract—causing everyone to look at me with concern. "I need some fresh air. I'll be right back."