Artemis
She’s the perfect girl!I’ve been trying to work around this tradition of my family. For the last four generations, our family has partaken in a long tradition of arranged marriages. An exception was made thanks to my grandmother who was a romantic at heart and wanted her children to at least have a chance at real love. The only concession was that we had to choose before our thirtieth birthday. If one of us doesn’t choose a partner before then our family chooses someone for us.
My birthday is a week away and I’ve been too busy to think about this ridiculous tradition. Alan, my business partner, and I have been running into one problem after another trying to finish our newest software. All my attention has been focused on this contract that I had forgotten my birthday was close. The only reason I remember the day is because my mother makes it into a spectacle for matchmaking. For that reason alone I try to forget the day exists. A call from my sister telling me she will be flying from London to attend my party was the warning I needed.
She was the first of us to be married off thanks to a deal between her family and ours. They ended up liking each other from the begging and it didn't take long for them to be happy with the arrangement. My younger sister on the other hand went a different route. She eloped with her long time highschool boyfriend. He was not the sort of man they wanted her to be with but she didn't care. My family came around when they had their first child though.
So I've decided to follow in my younger sister's footsteps and surprise my family with a new daughter-in-law. All I need is someone who will agree to marry me and not expect anything more than a comfortable life in return. I’m married to my company and that’s how it’s been for ten years. Alan has tried for years to get me to show an interest in one girl or another, but none of them made me feel anything. Sex was fine but it came with expectations that I can't fill. The woman would want to date and have a relationship and I haven't been interested in that. It's a distraction I can't afford.
For the last six months, I've focused only on work and forgotten about anything else.
Hence my current dilemma.
I'd planned on picking a woman to take on the role of my wife once our current contract was over but it's been taking a lot longer than I expected. I also wanted to pick someone who my family would hate as an extra fuck you for forcing this damn tradition.
That girl is as far from my family's standards as they come. She's the one. Now I need to find her...
Thankfully our building isn't far away and even though no one is meant to be in yet, I know my secretary will be. She's been breaking her neck trying to impress me, and that's about to come in handy. I walk into the building and see one of our security guards sitting next to the reception desk. He jumps to his feet when he sees me and tries to fix his uniform while he's at it.
I've been told I can seem intimidating which makes people skittish around me.
"Good morning Mr. Rhodes." The guard says with a smile.
He's young. Probably a new hire, but I trust my people to hire capable employees.
"Good morning. Did you see Abigail come in?" I ask but I don't stop walking forcing him to keep up with me.
"Yes sir, she went up a half hour ago!" He calls out after me.
"Good."
I reach the corridor where the elevators are but I pass by them and stop in front of a door at the end of the hall. It looks like a service door, but it opens to a private elevator that takes me to the floor where my office is. It may seem pretentious to have a private elevator, but I have a thing about lots of people in a confined space. So when we bought the building it was the first thing I requested.
Besides, it allows me ample time to stew over the fact that I'm going to be forced to get married in a few days whether I like it or not.
I know if I put out a Wife Wanted ad out there would be women from across the country lining up in front of our building. That's not me being egotistical either. Once when Alan convinced me to do an interview for a magazine because he had a thing for the journalist, we had to double our security because women from all over were showing up here trying to get in. I guess "sexy nerds" as they called me in the article, are a big deal now.
Needless to say, blasting out into the world that I'm in search of a bride would be the worst thing I could do. So, hunting down a random blue-haired woman I bumped into on the street is what I'm going with instead. Trust me, I know how crazy that makes me seem.
"Shit."
I growl out loud and drop my head back against the cool metal of the elevator wall. This whole thing is a pain in my ass. If I don't find this girl I'll be out of time.
When I finally reach the top floor where our main offices are I've lost some of the resolve I had when I came up with this plan. There has to be an easier way to do this. Why am I going through all this trouble for that strange woman? This is crazy.
"Mr. Rhodes!" Abigail is standing and moving around the front of her desk before I'm two feet out of the elevator.
"Miss Simmons you don't get extra credit points for getting here before me. You are aware of that right?" Her face turns light pink and she lowers her head to hide it from me.
I meant it as a light-hearted comment but clearly, she's embarrassed. It must be because I didn't smile when I said it. Alan has told me on more than one occasion that I need to smile more. I told him I would if I encountered something worth smiling about, and so far that hasn't happened often.
"I was just getting caught up on any emails that come through from our international clients. That's what I was doing when..." She snaps her mouth shut and clears her throat. "Can I help you with anything sir?"
I consider her for a moment. She's pretty. Her red hair is pulled back in a tight bun and she dresses very professionally but her curvy body is noticeable. It doesn't escape my notice how many of the men in this building look at her. So why haven't I considered asking her to help me?
One big reason is that she's actually a good assistant and I would hate to lose that even if she tries too hard. She has been a godsend on the many occasions when I was lost in my work and forgot about meetings. She also makes sure I eat during the day. That's something I can't lose, and she may take my offer offensively.
Nope not going there.
"I have a strange request. A woman ran into me on the way here and I want you to find her."
She gives me a curious look. "I can try sir, what's her name?"
She grabs a pad of paper from her desk and gets ready to jot down whatever I say. Too bad I have nothing that will be much help to her.
"I didn't get a name. She has blue hair, and she was coming out of the park."
Now she looks at me like she thinks I'm messing with her, but when I don't give any indication that this is a joke she looks at me with wide eyes.
"You don't know her name? Only the color of her hair? I'm sorry sir but that is not enough for me to do a search with. There could be many women with blue hair."
She's right but I don't want any of those women. It has to be the one I ran into. I can't understand why, but it has to be.
Then I remember my photo app being open when she handed me my phone back. One of us must have opened it when we ran into each other. It's possible I got a picture of her. I pull up my photo gallery and there it is. The picture is blurry but you can make her out well enough.
"This is her." I hand Abigail my phone and she examines the photo.
"We could post it on Twitter and ask if anyone has seen her." She sounds skeptical, but I agree.
I detest social media but I'll try it to find a certain blue-haired pixie.
BlueI make it to Monica's just as the morning rush is starting. The guys behind the counter wave and smile at me as I head for the small stage. This place used to be a small bar with live karaoke, and when Monica bought it she decided to keep the small stage and have live performers play. She saw me playing one day at the park and asked if I wanted to play at her cafe, and I jumped at the opportunity. It's not that I expected to make it big with my singing or anything. Actually, I've never once thought about trying to become famous using my voice. I use what I can to make money and I happen to be an okay singer and guitar player. I'm no Adele but people seem to enjoy my performances so I keep doing it. The stage has a wooden stool, a mic with a stand, and a guitar all ready to go for me. I used to lug around my guitar when I came here but Monica told me to use the one here so I wouldn't hurt myself. Even after I objected several times she didn't waver and I gave in to her request.
Blue After almost being grabbed by that guy my heart is beating like crazy. I also feel super paranoid and can't help looking around me as I rush in the direction of the railroad yard. Forget the park! Besides, I swear people are watching me but I can't figure out why. What is happening? Is there something weird about how I look today? I cleaned up well before I went to Monica's but maybe I missed something. Except I'm pretty sure she would have said something if she noticed I looked off. "Excuse me." I stop short when a young girl stops next to me. "Yes?" I look around to see if anyone is watching us. She has to be fourteen, so I don't think she's a threat to me. Maybe this has nothing to do with why that guy approached me. "You're the girl from the Twitter hashtag!" She smiles at me like she's just met her favorite celebrity. "I can't believe I found you! Can I take a picture with you?" What is she talking about? "Hashtag?" I ask her. "Yeah! See?" She turns her phone to
ArtemisI normally hate social media. The idea that people want to share everything they think and do at all times doesn't make sense to me.However in this case I was convinced that it could be useful. When Abigail suggested it I wasn't sure if it would work, but she said the post had gone viral within an hour. In that time some people had even snapped a photo of the girl. I was happy to let Abigail handle things after that and I decided to get back to my real work. Several urgent emails were waiting in my inbox to read. Alan has been out of town trying to close a contract with a security firm. Apparently, they were hacked a few times which I find funny since they work in the field of security. In their defense, they specialize in securing people. The first email is from my mother inviting me to brunch on Sunday. She adds that there will be a few friends joining us. That's code for potential wives and their wealthy families. It's the third of this month, and I'm ready to be done wi
BlueI slowly stop laughing when I notice the guy's face hasn't changed. He isn't cracking a smile or laughing along with me. Neither is the woman next to me. "Are you serious?" I ask with clear disbelief in my voice. "Yes." He says. "Okay. Can I ask why?" I'm not sure what to ask if I'm honest. "I'll be right outside Mr. Rhodes." The redhead says before leaving me alone with this crazy man."I need your help with a problem I'm having." The man says as he moves and stands at the edge of my bed. "Well, admitting you have a problem is the first step but what does that have to do with me marrying you?" He doesn't seem amused by my odd comment."I need to be married by Sunday. My family has a tradition where all children are supposed to be married by the age of thirty. Either to someone of their choice, within reason, or to someone of their choosing." He says this in what I assume is his way of explaining the situation. It only makes me more confused though. "Aren't things like fo
Blue"I agreed to marry you, not carry a child! What the hell? It's a good thing I didn't sign anything yet. You are fucking crazy if you think I'm going to give you free rein over my reproduction choices." We are back to me wanting to kick this guy out on his ass. How dare he drop that bomb on me! "I never said you would have to carry the child. We could claim you have a problem conceiving and use a surrogate to carry the baby. We can even use a donated egg if you don't want to have any biological connection to the child." My mouth drops open in shock. Literally. Did he just say..."You want me to pretend I can't get pregnant and have another woman carry a baby that isn't mine but will be passed off as mine? You are certifiable." I can't believe I thought about marrying this guy!"Look...Blue," He stops and tilts his head at me with an odd expression on his face. "Is that a nickname for something?"Great now I have to explain this to some rich prick. "No. When I was little my fo
ArtemisI hesitate outside of Blue's room feeling a strange surge of concern for her. After what she told me...something changed. She wasn't just a random woman I picked to play a role in my life. She was a real person with a past and from what it sounds like, possibly a bad one. She was in foster care. What happened to her in the system? Suddenly I want to know everything about her. What happened to not caring? I told myself to keep my distance from the woman I would marry so I wouldn't have to deal with the mess of a relationship, but I don't know what that means now. From one conversation with a mysterious woman, I've only just met my whole plan has been thrown out. Maybe because she isn't like most women I know. It's not just the blue hair, it's more than that. I have never been interested in getting to know people. My mind is constantly wrapped up in my work. The only reason Alan and I are friends is that he was the one to keep that connection alive. He is an extreme extrovert
BlueI stand in front of the mirror and see a girl playing dress up looking back at me. It's blindingly obvious that these sorts of clothes don't suit me. My hair is a bright blue sign saying this businesswoman look isn't me. Also, it doesn't hide some of the scars I have. One in particular. It's a section of round burn marks from when one of my foster dads put a cigarette out on my skin a few times as punishment. I was too little at the time to fight back and too scared to try. For the most part, I don't notice it and it's easy to forget some of the dark moments of my past, but this outfit highlights all my worst parts. It's unflattering and...off. Still, Abigail thinks it would be a good idea to wear it, so I'll follow her advice. I would prefer people not to make horrible comments about my looks if I'm going to be in the spotlight from now on. I'm hoping that once Artemis and I are married...if we get married...Who am I kidding? I'm accepting his dumbass deal. What the heck? It
BlueThe view is amazing from Artemis's office. I don't think I haven't had the chance to see Seattle like this. It's breathtaking even with the dark clouds steadily rolling in. His office on the other hand looks very...professional. There isn't a hint of anything personal anywhere in the room. No pictures of family or diplomas like you see in most offices. It's a lot of brown and black with a pale grey wall and wood accents. It sort of reminds me of what you would expect an old man's den would look like.I'm not surprised, to be honest. He seems to like control and this room allows him to become the center of everyone's attention. The air around him screams authority and I guess that's enough to fill this space. Still, if I had a say he would at least have some colorful pillows. Even something like a soft cream color would do a lot for this place. "Who decorated your office?" I ask moving away from the window. I can feel his eyes following and soon I hear his footsteps as well. "