Chapter 1

A thin smile flashed through Aleciana’s lips. Before she turned the knob around, she took a final glance at the man on top of the bed.

She didn’t know what exactly she should feel after what happened to them last night. Her middle part had a flicking pain, just a proof that she surrendered herself to a man she just met.

“Hmn…” She heard the man moaning and then moved. She quickly opened the door and went out of the room without turning her head.

She doubled her steps as she strolled down the corridor of the hotel with a heart full of questions.

Three years later…

Aleciana was sitting inside of the fancy restaurant where she was going to meet a man. Not a friend, not an officemate. A man that she was about to meet for the first time.

Yes, she had gone insane and went on a blind date.

Her heart was pounding so fast as she waited for her date. There were a lot of thoughts that were running inside her head. It felt like she was hearing the ticking of the clock. She was thinking what kind of person was she going to meet? A bald old man? A widow? Or worse, a dirty old man who would ask her to be his mistress.

“Miss Aleciana Guerrero?” A baritone voice was suddenly heard in front of her which brought her back to her senses.

She lifted her head and from there she almost drowned.

Alec was greeted by those blue eyes. Bluer than the ocean.

“Oh, ye— yes?” She stammered.

Who was this man in front of him? He looked like a model in a TV advertisement. His eyes were captivating. His jawline was perfect. He had thick eyebrows with long eyelashes and lips which looked like inviting her for a kiss.

She swallowed the lump on her throat as it suddenly got dried.

“Luke Hortons. I am sorry if I am late,” he said again.

She felt her cheek get warm but she quickly calmed herself.

“No, problem,” she replied with a smile to hide the embarrassment she felt. She wished that the man didn’t notice that she was glaring at him for so long.

In an instant, she knew that this blind date would be a success. Luke seemed to be a gentleman.

“Aleciana,” Luke called her name softly. “I am hoping that this will not be the fist and the last time that we will be seeing each other. I am looking forward to having a good relationship with you. So, apologies if I am being so fast, I want to invite you again for dinner this coming weekend.”

And just like how Luke requested, their meeting didn’t end from there. Aleciana found herself in the registry office with Luke signing their marriage contract.

In a split second, from Miss Guerrero, she became Mrs. Luke Hortons.

The only promise they had was they would give each other a chance. They would work it out. Get to know each other.

Aleciana thought it was a good deal. A win-win situation for both of them. By marrying Luke, she would be able to unload the pressure that was coming from her parents and for Luke, he could satisfy what his grandfather wanted to happen. His grandfather wanted him to be married by the time he turned thirty which was happening next month.

One common denominator for the marriage, not love but to marry for their convenience. And that made them exactly perfect for each other.

"Aleciana, here's my ATM. The password is 2022, use it to buy our needs." These words kept repeating into her head, while she's sitting in front of her computer.

She heard a clap which caught her attention.

“All eyes here, please, make sure all your files are done. Our new president will be meeting us. He booked a meeting for us to discuss the plan for the upcoming Winter Festival,” the supervisor said.

“Be ready. In five minutes, we should all be in the conference room. Go and get all the drafts of the team,” Daphné Ville saïd before she went back to her table.

She quickly nodded her head and did what she was told.

It didn’t take long and they all went upstairs to meet the president. Since they were divided into three teams, she was chosen to represent her team.

It felt like there were butterflies on her stomach but she calmed herself.

The room was empty when they arrived. She sat next to the president’s chair.

It would be the first time she was going to meet the president though she heard a lot of things about him. It was rumored that they had a young president who was handsome. Most of her colleagues admired him but all of them were aware of how strict he was.

There was no room for mistakes. Or else, better to call all the saints they knew.

She was in that thought when they heard sounds of footsteps approaching. The door suddenly opened and they all stood up to greet the people who just arrived.

Alec’s jaw almost fell when she saw the man who was getting inside of the room.

If not because of the suit that she prepared this morning for him, she thought that the man would be her husband’s twin brother.

“Luke Hortons, what the hell are you doing here?” But she just said that to herself.

“Good morning, Mr. President,” everyone said almost at the same time except for her. She was still in shock.

“Good morning, let’s all have a seat,” Luke said in a firm tone.

He didn’t even bother to look at her. It was as if she didn’t exist in his eyes. He acted like she was not his wife.

He clearly came in for the Winter Festival project and nothing else.

Every representative of each team went in front to present their proposal for the Winter Festival.

Luke’s eyebrows were knitted together. He was obviously not happy.

“Is this the best that you can think of?” He asked as he looked at everyone in the room. “Two presentations and yet I am not seeing anything worth it.”

Everyone was silent. No one dared to answer.

After a couple of seconds of deafening silence, Luke shook his head.

“Next, make sure to show me your creative juices,” he continued.

Aleciana’s heart was hammering inside of her. She wanted to run and go out of the room but surely, she couldn’t do that.

She presented their draft.

“This is what we wanted our customers’ to feel. In a piece of clothing, they could show the care that they have for their loved ones. Their kids.”

“Miss Guerrero, can you further explain it properly?” He said, which made her startled. “Convince me more. Sell it to me. In short, what makes you think this will be a saleable item?”

Aleciana swallowed a lump of her throat. The confusion that she felt earlier because of how he acted was changed into confidence. This presentation was properly prepared. She made sure that she prepared for the possible questions that would be thrown at her.

She smiled. A smile that she would be giving to a potential customer and would make sure that the deal would be close.

“These suites we have are perfect for toddlers especially since we have cold weather now. They can be kept warm every morning that they come to school. This will give them a warmth that feels like a hug from their mother and could help avoid catching cold from the outside,” she said. “As for the models, we can get kids attending school. This project is called Winter Baby,” she continued.

Luke didn’t have any reaction. Her colleagues were making gestures to her. She could see in their eyes that they were happy with how she had handled everything.

“Three days,” Luke said, which made her lift her head quickly. “I am giving you three days to finish this,” he continued and then he put all the folders in the middle of the table.

Aleciana didn’t know how she would react.

“This meeting is adjourned,” Luke said and then left the room.