Once Upon a Time

She made a promise to him that she would never leave him. Now he was standing at the altar with another beautiful lady, who was anything but a stranger to him, about to say his vows because she had broken her promise. She had left him.

He noticed that the woman he was holding hands with was shivering in fear.

Silently, he cursed. "Dang it!"

Under the veil, in a sparkling white wedding dress adorned with diamonds, was a girl of 25. She had been forced to break up with Nicholas, a man she believed she loved, so she could marry a billionaire's son. Yes, there had been a moment when she thought she felt a spark of something for him, but he was far beyond that now. Now she only felt fear. It was at this thought that tears threatened to slip from her eyes.

She began asking herself, "Where's Clara? Why in the world did she stand this guy up? Oh God, this is a mess. Please, help me!"

"Do you, Clarissa David, take Daniel Isaiah Thompson to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, till death do you part?" She gulped, her heart racing like never before. This was her last chance to back out. She looked up, catching the pleading stare of her mother. She shut her eyes, and the tears that had gathered finally spilled.

"Yes, I do."

"And do you, Daniel Thompson, take Clarissa David to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then I hereby pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride," the priest said happily, clasping his hands together in delight.

Daniel leaned forward, gently placing his lips on hers, and she accepted his kiss with her eyes shut. He sighed and looked away from her, definitely uncomfortable with what was going on. Looking at his father, he shook his head in disapproval. He felt he might've just taken the first step in ruining his future.

She sat at the edge of the bed. It was the second day after their wedding, and he still hadn't had a proper conversation with her. Not because she was a stranger or anything, but because he couldn't shake the feeling that he had married the wrong woman. Everything was still a blur to him.

"Why aren't you coming to bed?" He asked after some hesitation. He knew what she was going through, and it was going to take her a while to let it all sink in. Imagine being surprised with a life partner, and not just any, but the one that had been promised to your cousin instead.

She sighed and turned to him, and he hoped that she could see he was really concerned about her. But when she looked at him, all she saw was relaxation and calm. Quite the opposite of herself at the moment. She frowned even more. How could he be, she thought, so calm about everything? He should be angry, frustrated, livid that he didn't get married to her cousin. Yet he was calm!

"You didn't want this marriage. How can you be so calm about everything? I mean, all of this is disturbing, Daniel," she told him, and he sighed tiredly.

"It's the middle of the night, Clarissa, and you want to talk about this now? I think you're just stressed out. You should get some rest."

Rest?! She almost scoffed out loud. This was exactly what she had been implying when she said that he was a little too calm about this whole thing. So calm that it was really confusing her.

"Won't you come to bed?" he asked.

Instead, she turned to him and said, "I need to be alone for a while. I'll come to bed when I'm ready."

Lying back on the bed, he gave a tired yawn. "Suit yourself," he muttered before shutting his eyes to sleep. The gesture was enough to get her to stare at him for quite a while. She tore her attention away from him when it was evident that he had fallen asleep.

Perfect! Just perfect! She was going to spend the rest of her life with a guy who couldn't bear to have a single conversation with her.

A guy who was probably in love with another.

***

Daniel rolled over, furrowing his brows at the morning sun that had managed to penetrate the curtains. He groaned in discomfort before letting his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the feeling of loneliness and the cold side of the bed. He was slightly upset and worried at the same time. Looking around the room for her, his eyes eventually landed on the sleeping figure on the couch. There had been no need to be worried after all. He had almost thought she had stuck with the idea of not sleeping.

As if she could!

For second, he couldn't figure out why he wasn't glad that she had slept on the couch. Yesterday, she had been fine with the bed. She had even fallen asleep before him, which he had had no problem with because she had been tired from all the activities of the day. Yet last night, she had slept on the couch. Confusing! He sighed and got out of bed.

"Clarissa." That was all he needed to say to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes and covered herself more with her blanket. Her eyes darted around until they finally landed on him. He gave her a soft smile, which she returned without much hesitation.

"I don't mind you sleeping on it." She frowned in confusion, but he gestured to the bed as an explanation.

"Oh, I thought I would make you uncomfortable. But it's fine, I totally prefer the couch."

"I insist, but if you'd really prefer the couch, you should at least make yourself comfortable. Get yourself some pillows," he said and she nodded.

***

The sound of cutlery against ceramic could be heard coming from the dining table. The whole family was enjoying breakfast already. Clarissa couldn't make out half of what they were talking about. Daniel could tell that she was very much distracted, and he assumed it was because she was still overthinking the whole arrangement.

"Clarissa?" Daniel called, but she was distracted enough to ignore him. He had to place his hand on hers, causing her to recoil in shock.

"What's wrong?" She shook her head and continued to eat. He just watched her silently.

"Would you like to work with us?" Everyone turned to Frederick, who gave a smile. Clarissa was caught off guard; she stuttered. Kara paused and curiously raised a brow at her husband. What was he trying to do?

But her response didn't surprise them at all. "Well...yes. I would love to," Clarissa told him, and he smiled in reply.

"Are you interested in giving her a job at the company, dear?" The man nodded, and Kara frowned.

"Wouldn't it be better if we waited to see how hard and well she works before burdening her with additional tasks?" Kara said, smiling to herself when her husband actually contemplated her words. Daniel stared at his mother, wondering where all of this was headed.

"I mean, you haven't done anything like this before, have you? You're much too busy making a life for yourself to actually be interested in working for the company, right Clarissa?" The girl was too dumfounded at that point to offer a response. Daniel wanted to interrupt, but the voice of his father made him pause. Before she became his wife, Clarissa had been a friend, and his mother humiliating her was something he couldn't take.

At least, he hoped that was the only reason.

"What do you suggest then?" Frederick asked.

"New workers haven’t had time to gain important skills and experience. I would suggest that she start small. A secretary perhaps?"

The moment she heard this, she almost choked on her food. Kara was forgetting something really important. As a billionaire's wife, she would have the media all over her. What would the headlines say? Wife of Famous Billionaire Daniel Thompson Working as Lowly Secretary for In-Laws' Company? That would sell papers like hotcakes.

She would be the talk of the country. But, for now, she couldn't care less.

For now.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, no, no. I'll be a secretary. It's totally fine."

Audora thought she caught a glimpse of Daniel glaring at his mother, but then his face went impassive. It almost made her think she had imagined it.

Audora shook her head the moment Daniel excused himself. Clarissa swallowed hard before gulping down some water.

"Excuse me," she murmured, and they all nodded.

Kara wasn't trying very hard to hide her distaste for her new daughter-in-law. She had made it obvious that she would've preferred he marry someone else instead.

***

Clarissa closed the door behind her, sighing in relief. She cursed before turning around to scan the presumed empty room, only to find to find a pair of green orbs staring back at her. She yelped in shock before cursing again. He stood, taking his precious time to get to her, and she retreated.

"It's been awhile since we've had a proper conversation," he said. "Circumstances have caused us to drift apart, Clarissa. Still, I'm going to give you a little heads up for old time's sake."

"It's obvious my mother doesn't like you." Her gaze darted to him. "I would suggest you do what she asks for now so you don't stoke her anger."

"I don't know what she wants from me, Daniel," Clarissa told him. "Besides, I've never worked as a secretary before."

"Trust me when I say it's just doing what you are told to do. It's not hard."

***

Daniel got out of the car, followed by Clarissa, and they started towards the building. Clarissa returned the greetings of practically everyone as they went. Her mouth fell open when they stepped foot inside the building. She remembered the last time she was here; the place didn't look nearly as good as it did now. They took the elevator to the 13th floor and got out as soon as it let them. His footsteps eventually slowed until they stopped. She followed his lead, slowly turning to view her environment.

He turned to her, watching her take in the space. "This is where you'll be working." His eyes scanned her thoroughly.

"Here?" she asked, just to be sure, and he nodded.

"I hope it's not too formal?" She gave him no reply as she scanned the room.

"Everyone listen, I want to make a very important announcement!" he started, and all eyes darted to him.

"This here is your new co-worker. She'll be joining you all as a new secretary." He heard whispers, and he swore he heard someone murmur the word 'wife.'

"So!" The whispering stopped. "If you know what's good for you and you wish to keep your jobs, you wouldn't be rude and disrespectful to her. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

He spared her one last lingering glance before walking into his office. She decided to move and take an empty seat beside some girl with glasses.

"Hey, I'm Becky."

"Clarissa. Nice to meet you."

"Why do you look so familiar?" Becky asked, and Clarissa raised a brow. She had practically just walked in with her husband, and she still didn't know who she was?

"She was on TV! She's married to Mr. Isaiah," A blonde said, and another girl confirmed it.

Becky gasped in shock. "Say what now?!"

"Who would've thought she'd work as a secretary?" The blonde stated, and the other girl joined her in laughter. Becky smiled apologetically at her, but the laughter died down as soon as the sound of footsteps halted. Scanning the room, Daniel saw her busy arranging her desk and getting ready for work. He smiled at her when their eyes locked before walking away.

***

"What are you going to do now, Cynthia?" Someone asked the same blonde that had found Clarissa's predicament so amusing. Cynthia paced around in reply.

"I don't have to do anything, Hailey. He's mine!"

"You don't mean that, do you? He's married, Thia. Besides, he hasn't even looked at you for days. You sound like a possessive maniac," Hailey argued.

"Look, Hailey, I've been waiting for this for a very long time. Ronnie finally resigned, and now I'm his new personal assistant. I'm finally in a position where I'll see him all the time. Not even that wife of his can keep me away."