Chapter 1 Marry this stranger

“You may now kiss the bride,” the officiating priest murmured to the newly wedded couple.

The hall was jam-packed when Leila arrived at the wedding. She scanned the rows of clapping guests in a bid to find her best friend, Freya.

A cheer broke out when the couple kissed and Leila blushed. It had been too long since she was kissed or even held properly by a man.

“That’s how your husband will kiss you in the future,” someone whispered in her ear.

Leila jumped. Her best friend laughed at her shock. “You are late. The best parts are over.”

Leila hid a smile. Left to her, she didn’t want to be here but her best friend was keen on setting her up with a ‘man’ like it would solve the world’s problems. Yes, she missed having a man but it wasn’t as bad as Freya made it out to be. She smoothed the front of her dress and allowed herself to be dragged away by Freya.

The soft breeze pushed her hair into her face and she tucked her black curls behind her ears. They stopped at the entrance of an open garden that had been set up for the wedding reception. Freya nudged her forward.

A live band was playing somewhere on the makeshift stage as they got comfortable behind one of the round tables. “Single Pringle,” Freya called out. “Is your Tinder account still active?”

Leila rolled her eyes before answering. “Yes.”

Singleness wasn’t the end of the world but what did she know? Freya brought out her phone and she did the same for lack of a better thing to do. The first app she opened was Tinder. Freya created the account for her and she had to be their most inactive user. Her profile was bland, the same as her display picture.

“Good. Keep it active.” Freya’s excitement didn’t spill over her. Since Freya found herself a man, she had taken it as her mission to do the same for Leila. “Some of the guests are hot.”

And Leila was totally uninterested in them. Her eyes scanned the garden as Freya continued pressing her phone, probably chatting with her husband. The place was empty except for them, the band and the caterers setting up the meals.

No, wait. There was one other person. A man.

His head was bent over his phone, his grey tux fit snugly to his body. The man must have felt her eyes on him because he lifted his head. His fingers ran through his hair like he was angry at something and Leila blushed. He was hot.

He arched a brow when she continued staring and she looked away. Her cheeks warmed, she picked her phone and pretended to type into it.

Freya stood. “I have to get something outside.” Leila could feel the stranger’s eyes on her back but she didn’t turn. Freya adjusted her hair and gown. “How do I look?” Leila gave her best friend a thumbs up. As always, Freya was stunning. “Thanks. Don’t go anywhere.”

She could try but Freya would put her through a long lecture about socialising. One of the servers dropped a bottle of wine to her table and Leila muttered her thanks.

Faint voices filtered into her ears, the band changed song as the bride and groom walked in. The man smiled at his wife and she grinned back. Leila didn’t know them. They were friends of Freya. She felt those eyes on her again and she peered from under her lashes to get a look.

Thick brows. Full lips. Chiselled jaw. Delicate nose. Short hair that was constantly falling over his forehead. She wanted to walk up to him and smoothen the hair out of his face.

The MC said something Leila didn’t hear because she was focused on this stranger but it made the guests laugh. The stranger’s lips quirked like he knew the effect he had on her. Her cheeks warmed, she returned to her Tinder app, determined not to give the hot stranger the satisfaction of meeting his gaze again.

Her brows furrowed at her screen. She had been paired with someone. A Kelvin. That was odd. This was her first match in six months.

The guy’s profile was almost the same as hers. Short and uninteresting. His display picture didn’t show his face but body and she drooled. Her fingers hit the accept button real fast and a message popped in immediately from him.

Kelvin: Hi.

Tempted to reply immediately, she opened up a game app on her phone instead. She didn’t want to give the impression of being desperate.

Someone laughed in the crowd. The garden had filled up now and they were raising a toast to the couple. Leila reached for a glass of wine on the tray of a waiter and cheered to the air.

Where was her best friend?

Another message came in from Kelvin. She didn’t take her time to reply to this one.

Kelvin: Are you busy?

Leila: Kind of. I’m at this wedding my best friend dragged me too.

Kelvin: same. In my case, I lost a bet so I had to come. I’m bored out of my mind. Weddings are not my thing but a single man has no say in such matters. My sister is trying to hook me up.

PS: I didn’t lose the bet to my best friend. I lost it to my sister. I’m here on her behalf.

She laughed. He was rambling but she liked it.

Leila: I’m bored too. Oh, my God. You get it. I didn’t have a choice either. And now my best friend is nowhere to be found. Yay me. The perks of being single. I really wish I could leave.

Kelvin: me too. I could be your ticket to leaving boredom land. What do you say?

Rolling her lip between her teeth, she nodded like he could see her.

Leila: Count me in. I’m at Corey street. The sad lady in a black silk gown and red lipstick waiting for her prince charming to show up. Lol. You can easily hear the music playing down the road but if you don’t, hit me up for directions. Here’s my number. Call, don’t text.

Giddy with excitement, Leila left him her number. At least, Freya would get off her back for a minute. Speaking of best friends, Freya was taking too long. She sent her a text and groaned at the reply from her best friend.

Something came up. Will be back in a jiffy.

All the more reasons for her to leave with this Kelvin guy. The chair Freya once occupied squeaked, she looked up to see the hot stranger.

“Leilani.” Her mouth dropped. How did he know her name? He waved his phone and she saw his Tinder profile. Kelvin. The hot stranger was her Tinder match. “Sad lady waiting for her prince charming, remember? Well, I’m here now. Be sad no more.” Leila laughed. That line sounded so much better on text. “Red looks really great on you, Leilani. Is this seat occupied?”

He sat down before she replied and she stifled the urge to roll her eyes. Up close she could see his eyes were grey and his lips more pouty than they looked from afar. Kelvin accepted a glass of sparkling wine from the waitress who came closer to their table. He downed the content in one gulp and requested for another.

“You shouldn’t be drinking so much,” Leila said.

“I shouldn’t.” But he called a new waiter over and requested for his third glass. “But I am.”

“Tough day?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Kelvin cradled this glass, taking slow sips from it. “Where’s your best friend?”

“She left.”

They sat in silence for a while, she fiddled with the strap of her purse. “Do you want to leave?”

She couldn’t possibly leave with a stranger so she shook her head. Inviting him over here had sounded pleasing on the phone. He was above Leila’s league but Freya would approve of him.

“I think I’ll stay here for a while.”

Food and snacks went round the tables. Her mouth watered at the delicacy placed on her table. The band was playing a slow song to match the mood. She dug into her small chops but Kelvin’s meals remained untouched.

“Have you ever wondered why people get married?”

A lot of times. “Yes. It’s a beautiful thing.”

But she couldn’t say for sure she would experience it. Marriage and love was a fairy-tale that didn’t exist to Leila. She sipped from the glass of wine used for the toast and took a good look at Kelvin. He massaged his jaw and his head turned slightly so he could wink at her.

Heat crawled up her neck, she let her hair loose so it could cover the evidence of her embarrassment.

“What do you think about marriage?” she asked.

“It’s cool.” His fingers drummed on the table. He picked a diced apple from the fruit tray and returned it. “I don’t see myself getting married.”

She didn’t either. “Why not?”

Kelvin finally ate the apple and took another slice. She finished the rest of her small chops and he pushed his to her front. Her lips pulled into a smile of gratitude and he smiled back.

“I don’t know. Finding the right one is harder than it seems. I kind of miss the old days when parents found partners for their kids.”

“You could bring it back,” she said to cheer him up. He looked better when smiling or smirking. “You could find yourself a partner you don’t know,” she teased. “That was how it worked.”

The older methods were awful. Kids were betrothed to people they didn’t know. It was a no from her. Kelvin’s eyes crinkled.

“Do you want me to bring it back?” His tone was as light as hers, full of teasing and mischief.

“Sure. Why not?” Leila downed the rest of her drink and shuddered. Emboldened, she said, “Who doesn’t want to marry a stranger?”

He straightened up in his seat. “So if a stranger asks you to marry him, you will say yes?” Her smile fell off. He was taking the joke seriously. Kelvin’s eyes darted around the garden and he scratched the back of his neck. For the first time since his arrival, he looked nervous. “I’m about to ask you for something crazy, Miss Leilani.”

“How crazy?”

“Very crazy.” She cocked her head and sized him up from top to bottom, then gave him the go-ahead to speak. “Marry me, Leilani.”

“What?”

Of all the crazy things she had heard all year, this was the craziest. And the fact she was thinking about it made her crazier than the man proposing to a total stranger.

“Marry this stranger.”

* * *

NOTE TO READERS: Thank you for paying attention to this book. IT STARTED WITH A CONTRACT is an official essay on the theme designated by novelcat.

This work provides the official copyright outline for novelcat, and is re-created by different authors including Maramartha, who participated in the essay. So the theme of the story looks very similar. This creative activity is officially led by novelcat and does not involve infringement. These works are all copyrights of novelcat so feel free to read them.

Officially authorised by Novelcat: ‘Bad CEO’ theme series novels.

Chapter 2 New boss

A normal person would have said no but Leila stopped considering herself normal the moment she signed the contract with Kelvin McKenna. They only went on two dates for God’s sake. Her best friend didn’t even know because he convinced her to do it before telling Freya. And she agreed. She said yes.

Did she make a mistake?

Leila was still thinking about this as she entered her work building, she pulled the door to her office open and paused.

Everyone was here.

She stole a peek at her wristwatch, she wasn’t late. It was only five minutes past eight. She walked briskly to her table and set her bag and files down.

Her head raised when someone sat on her desk. Lily. They were not best of friends but she preferred her to that witch staring at her. Sam’s mission in this office was to make her life miserable but Leila was bent on avoiding her as best as she could. Already, it was working. She had received the best staff of the month award last month for the third time in a row.

Before Lily could say a word, Leila mumured, “Random question, can you marry a stranger? Someone you’ve only been on two dates with?”

Lily hummed in thought. “It depends.”

“On what?”

“If he’s rich. Is he rich?”

Leila didn’t have an answer to that. It would have been awkward to discuss that with him but so far, he looked well to do. He gave her a black card and his apartment was comfortable.

“You wanted to say something,” Leila murmured.

Lily nodded. “Yes. Did you hear?”

Leila chewed on her lips. If this was another round of office gossip, she wasn’t interested. “Hear what?”

“About the merger.” Leila sighed. “We have a new boss.”

Her eyes jerked to Lily’s face and the woman curled her fingers in her long strawberry blonde hair. Asides from her long hair, she envied Lily’s flawless face and her composure. Unlike her, Lily didn’t have that annoying tiny birthmark on her jaw that called attention to it. People wanted to look at Lily because she was pretty not because she had a weird birthmark.

“Sarah has been fired?” Leila asked.

Each department in Tech valley had its own leader. Sarah, sometimes, got unbearable under pressure but she was one of the few heads of departments Leila liked. Lily shook her head with a small smile.

“No.” She bent over Leila’s laptop, turning the screen to Leila so she could input her password. “The boss’s boss. Sarah has a new boss.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. You should have received an email.” Her eyes swept over the room before finally coming to rest on Leila. “I got mine today.”

Leila was quiet as Lily typed away on her laptop, she snatched the sleek device from her when Lily opened her email and an apology tumbled out of her lips at Lily’s frown. Her marriage certificate was there. Kelvin emailed her a soft copy alongside a copy of the contract that held the future of their marriage.

Two years. If she wasn’t satisfied with the state of things between her and Kelvin, she could walk away with their house, a car of her choice and a million dollars in her account. A part of her hoped she never had a need for the contract. Today was the second day of the marriage but she was willing to make it work or at least try.

“Do you know who he is?”

Lily shook her head. “She didn’t say much but we have to welcome him today. That’s why that one…” Her voice held a hint of annoyance as she threw a look at Sam’s table. They both disliked her. Sam was in the news department, so they never got to engage often so it was a surprise to see her in the production department. “...is here. She’s interviewing him today.”

Her eyes met Sam’s and Sam hissed. If Leila was as callous as that lady on bangs, she would have switched Sam’s script long ago so she could be fired. But she was far too kind for that. Sam might be a terrible person but she was a great reporter, one of the best in Tech Valley.

The door to their office opened, Sarah stood in the doorway, her sharp eyes going over everyone. “Lily Bloom, you are not paid to sit on other people’s desks.” Leila heard the sound of muffled laughter, she looked up right in time to see Sam giggling. “Get up or get out of here.”

“I’m sorry,” Lily offered as she scrambled to her seat.

“Save your useless apology for the dead,” she thundered.

Lily’s lips twitched but she didn’t say a word as she settled down. Leila offered her friend a smile and she winked. This was Sarah for them.

The office grew quiet as Sarah barked out orders. “Samantha.” Sam stood. “Do you have your script?”

“Yes, Ma.”

“Good. Sit. You’re just to introduce him to the world and that’s all. Ask him questions people want to hear. Do your job.” Sam nodded again. “Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes tops. Anything more than that and you will spend the rest of your life looking for a new job. Got it?”

Lily and Leila shared a look, a smile broke out on their lips as Sam’s face grew red. Already used to Sarah’s attitude, they didn’t think twice of her threat but this was Sam’s first time in their department. Good for her.

The phone in Sarah’s hand rang, she shoved the notepad under her armpit and took a breath. “He’s here.” Her eyes lingered on everyone. “Sam and the rest of the news crew will conduct the interview but he will be here to inspect the team behind the wonderful scripts.” Shoving her hands into the pockets of her suit jacket, she said, “If you are not cut out for this job, now is the best time for you to quit.

Some of them snickered and Sarah softened. “Good luck, everyone. Our future depends on this.”

The department was as quiet as a temple after Sarah and Sam left. Lily wiggled her brows but didn’t dare to leave her seat. Leila stretched her arms and yawned. She didn’t sleep well. It would take a while to get used to sleeping on a new bed or being a married woman.

She resumed typing on her laptop at the same time a gasp echoed in the office. Susie, the loudest staff among them, raised her phone and screamed, “He’s hot. He’s fucking hot.” To buttress her point, Susie licked her screen. Leila cringed. No one was disturbed by her act, this was typical Susie behaviour. “I want to marry him.”

Leila paused. If she asked who, she would be drawn to the gossip Susie was ever willing to dish out. But she was curious to know, it might be her boss. She might be off the market but she was allowed to admire handsome men. Though, she didn’t think she would be doing that often, her husband was hot enough for her. Leila stared at the script on her screen. She had to vet it.

Tech Valley was a media outlet that combined tech and entertainment. Most times, they had to find a way to incorporate tech in fun ways to keep most of their younger viewers glued to the TV. All the scripts from the scriptwriter had to pass through them before it was sent to the news department. In her line of work, there were no mistakes, so she couldn’t afford to make one.

Lily beat her to the question. “Who?”

“The boss. Check your WattsApp. Mark sent a picture.”

Mark was one of the videographers. Everyone could count on him to supply the right information. She reached for her phone and tapped on the group chat of Tech Valley staff. They had two groups, one for serious messages and the other for gossip and chats and hook-ups.

The picture took a few minutes to load and when it did, her world crumbled. Her phone slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor. Her heart beat against her chest as she picked it, she set it on the table and forced a smile to her lips when Lily threw a worried glance at her.

This could not be happening.

Leila momentarily forgot about the cracks on her new Samsung phone and swiped right. The picture was the same. She placed the phone face down and grabbed her head in her hands.

Why did he have to be her new boss?

Chapter 3 Leila

The department was louder than before as male and female staff discussed her husband. She was mortified as Susie broke down into a commentary about his looks.

Bile rose to her throat and she forced herself to take a sip of water from her flask. One of the rules of their firm was this: No inter-staff relationship. It was forbidden and highly frowned upon, so most of what they were saying would only happen in their dreams.

Still, their thoughts nauseated her. She wasn’t breaking the rules by being married to the boss but she felt like a criminal as she listened to them ogle him and try to picture him without a shirt. He was her husband and she hadn’t even seen him shirtless yet.

Susie was the loudest of the gossipers, her comment about Kelvin’s lips bothered her and she scowled at their backs when they laughed at her remark. Her cheeks warmed when she remembered their near kiss from this morning. Kelvin was perfect as he was.

Lily dragged a seat close to her, Sarah’s instructions seemed to have flown out of the window with this new development. “Have you seen the picture?”

“Yeah,” she answered.

“Just yeah?” She nodded. If she spoke too much, she might lose her temper. “That man is freaking hot. I want to do him,” Lily said with a laugh that died down when Leila didn’t join her. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Sorry. Don’t feel so good.”

Lily’s face contorted in concern, she placed a hand on Leila’s back and pressed the back of her palm to her forehead. “Have you taken anything for it?”

“Not yet.” She counted to five before speaking again. How could she take anything when the sickness wasn’t real? “It just started. I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

“If you say so.” She motioned to Leila’s phone, the screen lit up with the picture of her husband. “What do you think? Hot or hot?” She sighed dreamily and Leila bit her tongue to avoid lashing out at Lily as she listed his good features. “Did you see his eyes?” Lily sighed again and Leila counted to twenty to steady her breathing. “I don’t stand a chance with him being the boss and all that but do you think he’s single?”

No!

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lily asked when she bent over. She was more than fine. She just needed some time before she screamed at everyone to shut up.

“What’s going on?”

They both jumped at the sound of the new voice. Lily cursed, Leila froze. Her husband was here. He stared right through her like she was an ordinary staff and she burned with embarrassment when he scoffed before turning to Lily. His fingers drummed on her desk.

“No cursing in the office,” he told Lily. Sparing one look around, he said, “That applies to everyone here.” Leila didn’t remember sitting but her knees couldn’t support her weight any longer. “Who is not okay?”

A lump formed in her throat, Lily passed her a sorry look. They didn’t know if silence would be best in this scenario. “Me,” Leila finally volunteered an answer to save Lily from getting into trouble. “I’m the one.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

Kelvin pushed one hand into his pocket, leaned forward so she had no choice but to look up at him. He intimidated her. His voice. His looks. Everything about him.

“Nothing,” she replied. He lifted a brow. “I feel dizzy but it’s nothing I can’t handle, Sir.”

“Do you need to take the day off?”

Leila couldn’t tell if he was asking out of genuine concern or because it was required of him. Her head shook slowly. “No, Sir. I’ll be fine. Thank you, Sir.”

“Whose phone is that?” He pointed to her phone.

Thankfully, the screen had gone black. She tried to remove it from the table but his glare stopped her.

“Mine,” she whispered. Everyone was staring at them. Some, with pity and others with indifference. The way he focused on the screen cracks made her say, “It just happened today. It fell down when I was rushing up.”

Kelvin turned his back to her without another word and she released a breath when he sauntered to Susie’s table to grill her. Her nervousness turned into annoyance at the ease with which Susie answered his questions. He wasn’t flirting with her, was he?

Sarah walked in seconds after to give a general introduction. Leila forced her name out of her lips when it was her turn and she looked away when Kelvin frowned at the use of her former last name. Collins. If he was so comfortable acting like he didn’t know her, why was he pretending to be upset?

“Leila is the staff of the month,” Sarah offered after the introductions were done. She shuffled on her feet and her eyes found the ground at Kelvin’s stare. That was nice of Sarah but she didn’t think her husband cared about her achievement. “Has been for a while.”

It might have been her imagination but she caught Kelvin’s curt nod before he left her office. When the door shut again, she began to breathe normally.

“I think the boss hates you,” Susie said as she walked past Leila’s table. Leila threw a paper napkin at her head and Susie laughed as she ducked the flying object.

“Sorry,” Lily murmured. “It’s my fault.”

A corner of her lips twitched. “Not at all. It’s fine.”

Leila’s eyes darted to the clock on the cream walls, she couldn’t wait for closing hour. She wanted out.

The rest of the day passed without any hiccups. But the gossip didn’t cease. Each time Lily tried to involve her in the chat, she dismissed her with a polite answer. Leila was the last one to leave the office. It was a big room divided by desks and slabs. If she ever got a promotion, she would get an office to herself.

Outside the building, she took the turn by the left leading to the subway. There was no bus so she sat waiting at the bus-stop. Her phone rang inside her bag, she retrieved it and burst out laughing when she saw Kelvin’s name on the screen. She was a married woman now. She no longer lived at that apartment complex that was twenty minutes by bus.

Her phone rang again, she slipped it into her bag without picking. She retraced her steps to Tech Valley, her office and started the long journey to her new house. Kelvin assigned a driver to her before he left this morning but Leila didn’t want to bother him. She needed time to herself before she had to face Kelvin.

On her way home, she stopped by the roadside stall to get some meat and vegetables. Kelvin didn’t let her pick out any food items from her house. Yesterday, he asked her to order for them but she chose to make noodles because she didn’t want to spend his money.

Leila wasn’t sure what kind of food Kelvin liked and she didn’t want to ask him over the phone. She didn’t want to talk to him. It was a few minutes past six when she finished grocery shopping, more than an hour since work closed. Her heart sped up at the number of missed calls from Kelvin, she rushed to the street and flagged down a cab to get her to the house.

Her steps faltered when she neared her apartment elevator and she gulped. There was a figure pacing in front of the elevator with his head bent over his phone. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. As if sensing her presence, he raised his head.

“You’re back,” Kelvin said by way of greeting.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you use the driver?”

Because she was mad at him for acting like he didn’t know her. She didn’t matter to him but he could have at least tried to be nice to her. Why did she even care?

“Sorry.”

Kelvin sighed again. “Sorry isn’t the answer.” Leila had no words for him. “Next time, please use the driver.”

“Okay.” She didn’t want to speak to him but he was not just her husband, he was her boss. He held her future. His eyes narrowed at the bag in one hand, she raised it to explain. “Stopped by to get ingredients for soup.” He didn’t stop staring and it made her uncomfortable. Her hand dropped to her side and she offered him a faint smile. “Sorry I missed your calls.”

“It’s fine.” He collected the bag from her before she had a chance to refuse, she sucked in her breath as his fingers brushed hers. “I’ll help you with this.”

Kelvin didn’t say another word as they stood there, waiting for the elevator. The elevator slid open and they both entered. They stood on opposite sides like strangers, she was quiet. The air thickened with awkwardness, she stole glances at him and pursed her lips.

This man was her boss’s boss. Her husband.

“Are those recommended?” She asked when she couldn’t take the silence any longer. She motioned to the glasses tucked in his breast pocket. As kids, she and her friends used to wear non recommended glasses because it gave the impression of a smart student. Kelvin nodded with a half-smile. “Nice.”

To that, he said nothing and she watched the numbers on the panel reduce until they were at their floor. A warm feeling spread through her chest as he went straight to the kitchen to drop the bag on the table.

He scratched the back of his head as she dragged a stool to sit opposite him. “I can’t cook,” he blurted out.

Leila laughed. “Not to worry,” she replied, “I can.”

“Thank you, Leilani.”

She cringed at the mention of her full name. There had to be some sort of understanding between them. He had no reason to be formal with her all the time.

“Kelvin, I know you are my boss,” she said and his eyes narrowed. “But you don’t have to be so formal.”

They watched each other, she expected him to say something, do something but he gave her a polite smile and stepped out of the kitchen. She fell back to her seat and groaned. Love was out of the equation but they could at least try to be friends or act civilised.

Forcing thoughts of her weird husband out of her mind, she set to cooking. She rinsed the vegetables and chopped them, humming a tone that ceased when Kelvin strutted into the kitchen. He had changed out of his suit but he still looked as good as he did in one.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw him inch closer to her. She stopped cutting. To talk or not to talk.

In the end, she whispered, “Do you need something?”

“No. Do you need help?” She shook her head but he took another step forward and carried the bowl on the counter. Spellbound, her eyes followed him as he placed the rice in a pot to boil after rinsing it. He caught her staring, his lips curved in a half-smile. “Did I do it wrong?” He did it perfectly well. He pointed to the vegetables, she was halfway done with chopping them. “Are you sure you don’t need help with that?”

“No.”

“Leila.” Her eyes jerked to his face, he leaned on the wall, observing her. “Your boss called you Leila.”

“Everyone calls me Leila,” she answered.

She turned away from him and resumed cutting. “Sarah thinks you deserve a promotion.” The knife stopped moving for a brief second. “Leila.” He said it like he wasn’t sure. “I like the sound of that better. I’ll call you Leila from now on.” Without meeting his gaze, she nodded. “You can call me Kev when we are alone.”

“Okay, Kev.” It bothered her that he only wanted her to use that name when they were alone but she decided to focus on the positive. A yawn escaped Kelvin, she noticed him struggling to stay awake. “Get some rest, I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

Kelvin didn’t object. He staggered forward and she smiled when he paused at the door. He wasn’t so bad.