After Lucian ended the call decisively, his thumb and index finger pressed against the bridge of his nose, pinching with frustration and helplessness.
His heart raced even as his mind forced itself into calm analysis of the situation.
He had no doubt his grandfather would soon start pressing him to bring home the new wife.
A wife who wasn't even ready to return with him.
More ridiculous still, she didn't even know who her husband truly was. Would it ever be easy to bring her home under such circumstances?
He shook his head in denial. Though he had indeed married the wrong bride by mistake, divorce had never once crossed his mind and was never an option. Not now. Not ever.
Certainly not when fate favoured him and had handed him the very woman who had unknowingly accompanied him through his darkest storm.
And if he didn't bring her home himself, there was no certainty that his grandfather wouldn't take matters into his own hands perhaps even paying an unexpected visit.
That thought soured his mood further, his chest tightening at the weight of reality as questions battered his mind.
Could Emily ever rise to the task of facing the Sterling family?
Could she endure their sharp eyes and hidden tests?
Would she ever be accepted into the Sterling family.
Accepted?
Lucian doubted it, he doubted every faint possibility of that. If she had come from a family equal to his in power and lineage, perhaps. But Emily was far from that world.
The Sterling family was the pinnacle of Cortland, the very dream of every ambitious soul.
Their status had always remained the standard used in attesting to the true definition of powerful.
Their name was the definition of wealth, prestige, and untouchable power.
Yet for all their public unity, the truth of their centuries-old legacy was cloaked in silence and only whispered behind closed doors.
Lucian knew it better than anyone: on the surface, they appeared simple and harmonious. But beneath, each member understood the games at play. And him, he was no exception.
Lucian drew in a deep breath, his finger drumming rhythmically on the table. His thoughts raced with questions.
Should I reveal my identity to her now?
Or just let nature take its course, watch her grow into it, step by step, go with the flow and see what the future unfolds?
Would she probably accept this truth when it finally unveils?
He shook his head, a helpless sigh escaping his lips. After a brief thought, his eyes lit up. "I guess she had to start getting aquainted with the situation first.
He lifted the intercom and dialed her office "Get ready to join me for a dinner party as my female companion by 8pm."
*****************************
~Emily's office~
Emily stood rooted behind her desk, dumbfounded, the receiver still clutched tightly in her hand until her knuckles turned white.
Her other hand instinctively pressed against her chest, trying to calm the frantic thundering of her heart.
She had nearly choked on the sip of water she had just taken before the intercom crackled to life, before she barely had the time to say "Hello" came Lucian's unexpected command.
"Did you hear me?" his cold voice asked again when silence was her only response aside the steady rhythm of her chest.
Emily blinked, snapping out of her stunned daze. Her voice wavered with disbelief as she echoed the one word that clung tightly to her throat.
"A dinner party?"
The term felt foreign, even alien on her tongue. In all her years at Sterling Group, she had only attended the occasional staff gatherings, never had she planned or attended anything beyond.
And with Lucian Sterling's name attached, surely this wasn't some casual event. This had to mean the banquets attended by Cortland's aristocratic families.
Yes," Lucian's deep, authoritative voice came through, leaving no room for argument. "As my female companion. Be ready by seven. A dress will be delivered to you."
Emily's grip on the receiver tightened, the receiver trembled at the force of her grip. Her throat dried.
She couldn't…she shouldn't…accept this arrangement.
She had just been married, if not that she had wanted to spend the night at Melissa's place possibly to calm her fraying nerves, she should already be returning to her new husband's house.
How was she supposed to explain this? That she was attending a dinner as the companion of her cold, single, unmarried boss? What would her husband think?
Her temples throbbed in sync with the pounding of her heart, fear and confusion battling inside her.
A street kingpin husband must be furious to find his wife outside with another man right?
Or does it not really matter to him?
Over a debt, he had wanted to take a life, what happens when he finds this wife with another man?
Or would he simply end her?
Taking a deep breath, she decided to take a gamble, maybe this cold faced boss might understand if she can take the bold step to persuade him. "Sir, I…"
But call ended before she could utter another word. This answer is already clear, there's no objection, there's no excuse. Emily felt her head pulsed both with anger and frustration.
She made a mental note of ticking this date on the calendar as the worst day of her life.
How could one's day be filled with so much ill-luck and trouble.
Slowly, she set down the receiver, and slumped back into her chair, her hands cradling her head.
They pulsed harder, her thoughts spiraling as the reality of the unavoidable dinner night settled in;
A dinner party?
With the president of Sterling Group?
As his date? No, as a companion?
What about the countless elegant women eager to throw themselves at his feet?
Why her?
What exactly was going on?
Emily felt the chills crawl up her body as though she had fallen into an ice cellar, a sense of unease washed over her.
She could already foresee another round of misfortune waiting for her.
Probably this might finally be her doom after she managed to survive the last plot of her adoptive parents.
Recalling Melissa's words, she couldn't help the dread gnawing at her heart.
"Isn't our president against having female assistants?
Why now?"
"Am I going to lose my job at this time?"
Why do I have to become the victim?
Victim of circumstances or victim of bad luck?
Emily exhaled sharply. Her fingers curled into fists on the desk.
"What exactly have I gotten into?"
"Will I actually survive this accursed marriage and even keep my job?"
"Or should I begin now to plan for my escape?"