Emilia came down to breakfast a smidge later than usual. Christopher already sat by the table and sipped on his coffee, but he hasn't had his breakfast yet. He waited for her which she didn't realise. While he drank his coffee, he was responding and reading emails on his tablet. His brows were drawn together and a crease showed up in the middle of his forehead as he concentrated on the task at hand. His face looked stern as he thought deeply. Emilia kind of liked it. She never once realised that she started to recognise his moods.
"Good morning, Christopher." Emilia said cheerfully as she approached the dining table. He was so focused that only now he noticed her. His features softened and creases vanished, with a tinge of a smile tugging on the corner of his lips.
"Good morning, Emilia."
"I assume the order is still two eggs and toast." Emilia asked knowing full well that her question was redundant.
"Bernadette is preparing breakfast already."
"Oh." Emilia wasn't too sure what to do with herself. "I might check if Bernie needs any help." Emilia mumbled as she walked into the kitchen. Bernadette send her out almost immediately, grumbling about Emilia's wrists and that she will hurt herself. Defeated, Emilia sat down by the dining table.
"I assume that you were kicked out of the kitchen."
"Yes. Is that your doing?" She asked in an accusatory tone.
"No. That's all Bernadette."
"Oh well. I should probably take Bark for a walk." She thought out loud.
"Done. And I haven't even fell on my ass this time round."
"Oh. Thank you." Emilia fidgeted as she wasn't sure what to do with herself. "How is reading the emails going?"
"When I've started, I've had 186 unread emails. Now, I have 301 emails." Christopher pursed his lips as he closed his tablet. Bernadette brought them breakfast which they dug into straight away.
"You do not have an assistant yet, do you?" Emilia asked as she looked up at him from her toast with jam.
"It appears so. Cosby is suspended until I work out what to do with him. And I haven't even gotten to the point of advertising the role to anyone else yet."
"You need him." Emilia shrugged. "In the meantime, what about me? I'm bored and I'm very organised. I have access to most of the events so I can sort that out but…"
Christopher looked over at her.
"You?"
"I could help out over the next couple of days? I don't have university for almost four weeks now as they thought it'll be better if I restart after the break. And I am very organised. I can show you my filing systems!"
"I do not doubt your skill but it is a tedious job."
"I can do it for a couple of days, or until you forgive Mr Cosby."
"Forgive Mr Cosby?" Christopher raised his brows. "Emilia, do you think that this is a forgivable act?"
"Almost everything is a forgivable act."
"Explain why do you think it should be forgiven."
"I suppose that I can sympathise with him. He felt desperate and he chose to do something that he deemed to be a solution to his most immediate problem without thinking of the consequences. Furthermore, we must consider whether his actions truly had a significantly negative effect on everyone involved."
"They did, Emilia." Christopher's voice was stern.
"Have we not found out, would it have changed much?"
"But we did and how much did it change?"
"Not much." Emilia shrugged again. "And I feel bad for him as he tried to do well. He shouldn't have done it but is there a person who hasn't done anything questionable in their life?"
"I don't know."
"You chose an interview process to pick a wife. That was just asking for trouble." Emilia grumbled at which Christopher sneered.
"Yes, you can blame me for that."
"Why are you so adamant on punishing him so severely?"
"Because we both got hurt. You especially. And I hate that."
"So, let ME be the judge of my own pain and what punishment Patrick should face."
"I am pretty sure that you wanted him dead barely days ago."
"Considering what happened, I don't think it was that unexpected."
"Considering what happened? You were tricked into a marriage with a psychopath!"
Emilia widened her eyes as she noticed how hurt Christopher was over the words she used when going after Patrick.
"Honestly, your selection process for a wife is the only thing I'm questioning. That is the only psychopathic thing you did so far."
"So far? Do you have an expectation that I will do more psychopathic things?"
"I did not say that. Stop trying to read into it more than what it is. I get now why you did the selection process so I am not judging you for it so much."
"But you did before."
"Yes, a bit. But when I caused a scene and a half in your office, I misspoke because I was in pain and I have found out I was married to you after half of a year of the supposed marriage from a mobster that wanted your money. Tell me how you would've reacted?" Emilia's tone was full of challenge.
"That is a fair point." Christopher nodded in agreement as he tapped his fingers on the table. He accepted his defeat and he leaned back in the chair, his face relaxing slightly.
"You have meeting with Mr James this morning." Emilia started. "You'll need the contract printed before it."
Christopher tilted his head as he looked at Emilia.
"I am concerned that if you are to work with me, you will distract me too much." Christopher admitted. It wasn't far from the truth. He struggled to imagine how the work would be with Emilia beside him.
"Don't worry. If you are distracted, I'll do the job for you." Emilia teased him, her cheeks blushing.
"Okay. But you are not my assistant."
"No?"
"You are my partner."
Emilia smiled with excitement.
"Is that a yes?"
"Uh-huh." Christopher nodded. "When can you start?"
"I'll just get changed and I'm ready."
"Brilliant."
"And re-think the punishment for Mr Cosby!"
"I'm still angry!"
"I know. It'll pass." Emilia said behind her before she run up the stairs. Christopher only shook his head in slight disapproval but he couldn't stop a smile cropping up. Emilia didn't take long before he heard her footsteps on the stairs. He turned to face her and he froze. She dressed very smartly in a pencil skirt and white blouse, wearing a low heel court shoes and carrying a plain black handbag.
"Have you been planning it?"
"I was playing with the idea since last night."
"Fair." Christopher sounded surprised. "What is your desired pay?"
"I already get paid, I might as well do something for that money."
"That's for me inconveniencing you. You need a proper salary for your services."
"Get Cosby back."
"You like him that much?" There was a tinge of jealousy in his voice.
"You need him that much."
"I do not."
"You have been scratching your head over your schedule for the past hour, and that didn't account for the emails or other correspondence that you are yet to reply to."
"Now, I have you."
"For a short while, before my course is reinstated at uni. The admin process for coming off the suspension is tedious and lengthy."
"I can resolve it for you."
"I am not going to hide behind your name to get my way."
"It's your name too."
"Nah. I rather keep my own too."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"I should've asked. That was prejudiced of me."
"I always imagined to go with a hyphenated name."
"Christopher Vincent-Hayden doesn't sound too bad." He mumbled in thought. Emilia opened her mouth in disbelief as she looked back at him.
"I do not expect YOU to change your name."
"Why not? I'd like to have the same surname as you."
"But you're Christopher HAYDEN!"
"So?"
"Everyone knows who Christopher Hayden is!"
"So?"
"Everyone knows who you are."
"That's unfortunate." Christopher picked his black coat. "Would you be okay if I drive?"
"Well…" Emilia hesitated worried that people will see them together. "That's not going to be good for your public image."
"What? Going to work with my wife?"
"Technically, it's more like a fake-wife." Emilia squinted her eyes.
"Fake-wife?"
"You know, the rom-coms where two people start fake-dating to get something out of the arrangement. It's usually something stupid."
"Like getting the inheritance from a cadaver?"
"Exactly."
"I suppose they do not tend to have an actual marriage contract though."
"You're rich, right? You should've just paid someone to fake it for you."
"I am technically paying you for this service."
"And I am grateful. I guess. But I meant that you should pay someone to make you a fake marriage certificate or something. Seems like much less hassle. And it might have been cheaper too."
"Perhaps."
Emilia followed him outside and then to the garage where she never stepped a foot inside.