Page 44 of Her Billion Dollar Groom

“He’ll be happy to see me,” I say. “Can you keep a secret?” I ask, my voice low.

“Of course.”

“He loves me really.”

Oskar doesn’t laugh as much as I expected. But then again, he is kind of a serious guy. Either he or his parents are Scandinavian. It’s not entirely clear to me what his heritage is, but he has the kind of standoffishness that I would expect you to develop if you lived in a country where it was dark for eight months of the year.

When we get to the office, Oskar asks, “Will you be needing a ride back anywhere?”

“Thanks, but no. I’ll get Jason to take me home.”

“You’re convinced he’s coming with you, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Why shouldn’t I be?”

Oskar shrugs. “You shouldn’t get the wrong idea about how much he loves his work. It means more to him than any person ever could.”

I frown, not entirely happy with the implications of Oskar’s words. “Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” I say, smiling sweetly.

Oskar says nothing.

I waltz into the reception area, clutching the flowers to my chest. I greet the receptionists warmly and ask them where Jason’s office is. Of course, it’s on the top floor. Where else would my big CEO spend his time?

I get in the elevator and sigh as it slowly creaks its way up. It’s kind of ominous, actually, how much it creaks. I’ve never reallyliked elevators, and this one is not filling me with confidence. I make a mental note to tell Jason he needs to get the elevators in the building fixed.

Finally, the speaker crackles to announceFloor 50with a recording that sounds like it’s a billion years old. The door trembles open, and I wince. It’s making me wonder if this thing really is safe. Visions of Jason dying in an elevator accident flash through my mind and I shudder, pushing them away.

No use in thinking stupid things like that. Nobody dies in an elevator accident in real life, do they?

I make another mental note to not look that up, so that I can keep getting in elevators. There’s no way I’m walking up hundreds of flights of stairs for the rest of my life.

Jason’s office is at the end of a long corridor. There are a bunch of other offices here, presumably people who also hold important positions in the company. The view from here must be great. Being a CEO has so many perks.

My heels thud against the brown carpet tiles as I march over to his door. The walls of the office are frosted glass, and inside I can see shapes and hear voices. He must be in a meeting with someone. At home, I have no problem barging in, but when he’s reallyatwork, I should make a better impression, because maybe this is important.

I linger for a second. It sounds like one of Jason’s colleagues. They’re probably talking about business or deals or spreadsheets or something. That makes me smile. Even if it was just talking about the water fountains in the building, I have no doubt Jason would approach the issue with total care. He’s diligent like that.

I strain my ears to see if I can get a sense of how important this is. The other person in there seems to be accusing Jason of not doing his work, which is ridiculous. That man works way too much. Just from his silhouette, I can tell Jason is getting riled up.

“I’m allowed to like a girl if I want to,” he says, defensive. His voice is muffled, so I lean in even closer to the glass, hesitating with my hand hovering over the door handle. Are they talking about me?

Is he talking about another girl?

“So, you do like her then?” says the other man, like a childish accusation.

“No,” says Jason, like that’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard. “She’s basically just a roommate.”

I pull my hand away from the handle like I’ve been stung. A roommate? Seriously?

That’s all I am?

Jason talks about business deals I’ve helped with, and the other man calls me vapid and fake. He tells Jason that I’m the reason he hasn’t been meeting any of his targets. He tells Jason that I’m using him, that I’m going to cheat on him, that I’ll never be good enough for him.

My heart pounds in my mouth, choking me.

Jason talks about me so casually, without thinking. Or maybe this is what he really thinks. He doesn’t care about me. He’s only using me for landing business deals in the way he thinks I’m using him. The way that everyone thinks I’m using him.

Everybody believes I’m going to ditch him without a second thought.

---