Interesting!
Nolan rarely used that word to describe a woman, making his reaction to her more intriguing.
Admittedly, physically attractive women were his usual type. Since he had no intention of going beyond a one-night stand, character was rarely a consideration. He could go for a gentle doctor, a fiery lawyer, or a dumb blonde. It really didn't matter. As long as she could provide him with a wild night, he was satisfied.
But Emily or Jane, whatever name she preferred, she was different. Among the many women he had slept with, she stood out from the rest. What was so unique about her? That was the mystery.
"What spell had you cast upon me?" Nolan questioned as his mind brought him back to that moment when she landed back in his arms.
In truth, he had tried to avoid her. For years, he kept his distance, believing she was trouble. Emily posed a threat to his carefully laid plans. He was afraid of how she occupied his mind and how his body reacted to her presence. He didn't scare easily, but she terrified the shit out of him.
However, avoiding her had not been a walk in the park, since basically, they moved around the same circle. Then, with her rising star status, staying away had turned impossible. The clamor for a movie collaboration had become too hard to ignore. Bumping into her was inevitable.
"Do you want to get married, Mr. Hollywood?" Emily asked, swearing and slurring, clearly drunk out of her wits.
Nolan came to see her to secure a partnership, but he certainly had not expected such a warm welcome. In fact, he thought she would blow him off, not coerce him into marriage.
For some reason, he didn't think twice. He might have drunk way too much, but he believed he still had his bearings intact. "Why not?" Still, he agreed without hesitation. He was no unwilling victim who couldn't say no. On the contrary, he thought it was a great idea.
The next thing he knew, he asked his assistant to buy her a white dress and the most expensive ring he could find. Then, they stood in front of the altar, in a small church, just a few blocks from their hotel, declaring to spend their lives together forever.
To celebrate their union, he shared a few more drinks with his new wife. Afterward, they both passed out, completely exhausted and intoxicated, in her hotel room. A few hours later, he woke up early like clockwork, ready to bolt before the break of dawn. But there was a difference. This time, he had no intention to run away from his responsibility.
"Aren't you full of surprises, Wifey?" Nolan whispered in his wife's ear, gently moving her hair away from her eyes so he could have a better glimpse of her entire face. Careful, not to wake her up.
Somehow, this entire scenario brought him déjà vu. He recalled the last time he had slept with her as if it had just been yesterday, not three years ago. He had never felt more peaceful and at home in her arms. Then, waking up, seeing her as soon as he opened his eyes seemed to be the most natural thing to do.
It was exactly what he felt three years ago that made him run to the hills. He had never felt anything like this before. It was a feeling that was alien to him. And truthfully, it made him uncomfortable at the time. But now, he thought it was not that bad. It was actually fascinating.
Funnily enough, leaving his wife's side was the last thing he wanted to do at that moment. If anything, there was nothing he wanted more than to stay and wait till she opened her eyes. However, something told him that she might not appreciate waking up at the sight of him.
"Whatever your reason for marrying me, I will find out soon enough." But he did not doubt that it had anything to do with love. But whatever it was, it must be worse than her hatred of him.
Of course, he would not say that he also married for love. That would be crazy and incredibly impossible. He believed he saw an opportunity as it presented itself. He would be stupid not to grab it.
"For now, I'm just glad that you volunteered for the role of my loving wife." He expressed his relief that he didn't have to go through the trouble of picking a wife from a long list or endure the women that his parents kept pushing on him.
As an added bonus, Emily was indeed stunning. Then, he could tell that their chemistry was through the roof. Therefore, maybe marrying her would not be such a bad idea. The only problem would be her reaction once she sobered up. Would she feel the same way as him?
"I promise I'll be back." He muttered to her still unconscious wife. "Then, we will talk about all this." But first, he had to get out of this place before she woke up.
Nolan didn't want her screaming in his ears, in hysteria, demanding that he leave her room. Suddenly, he could not help but smile as he pictured her face once she realized what she had just done. "Maybe it would not be so bad." The thought seemed to amuse him.
However, no matter how entertaining it might seem, he thought leaving was still the better choice under the circumstances. Besides, he had things he had to handle before dealing with his wife. Reluctantly, he remembered leaving her room.
He was already on the elevator before he realized that he had forgotten to leave her a note. By the time he reached the lobby, the reporters were already swarming the front entrance. It was too late to go back. His team was already waiting for him to rush him at the back entrance for a clean escape.
"Fuck!" He was not expecting the press to be hot on his trail. That just blew his surprise. And the rest was history as he reminisced about their short rendezvous at the orphanage.
Thinking about it, he believed he had learned a few things about her, but certainly not enough to get a real big picture of who she was, until yesterday at the hospital. That totally threw him for a loop.
Who would have thought that she was raised in an abusive family?
"Are you fucking out of your mind, Nolan Maxwell?"
His trip to memory lane was shortened as a furious voice interrupted his musing. Then, a fist slammed hard on his desk, causing a loud bang and a few of the papers to slide off the floor.
"Wh..."
Before Nolan could react, "Tell me that this is not real." The sharp female tone cut through his response. Then, a printed news landed before him. On the front page was a picture of him and his wife in a separate box.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Maxwell." His assistant appeared by the door, looking apologetic.
"It's ok." Nolan quickly dismissed his secretary. Then, he checked the paper. But, of course, he was already aware of what this was all about.
IT'S CONFIRMED!
NOLAN MAXWELL AND EMILY DAVIS HAVE TIED THE KNOT.
The story detailed their wedding at a small church in Vegas. The newspaper even posted a few pictures of them kissing inside the chapel.
It was true, but Nolan didn't see the point of explaining that to his uninvited guest.
"What are you doing here, Cordelia?" Nolan nonchalantly asked, but truthfully, he was not interested in her answer. All he wanted was for her to leave his office.
Still, he did not want to sound rude to his stepmother, especially when he noticed his father had just entered his office. Although he never liked his father's replacement for his mother, he still had great respect for his father.
Nonetheless, Nolan thought that Cordelia was an extreme downgrade from his mother. His father could have done better. But that was not his choice to make. All he could do was tolerate her existence, even if he didn't like it.
"We need to arrange an immediate press conference to clarify this matter," Cordelia announced as if she had a right to meddle with his affairs.
"Dad, it's always great to see you." Nolan quickly stood up from his chair and clapped his father on the back, completely ignoring his stepmother, before returning to his chair.
"So, is this true?" This time, his father, Victor, asked, trying to confirm the tabloid news. "Did you actually marry this starlet?" His father's voice carried authority, but Nolan could not read his intention.
"What will Kristin think about this? She must be heartbroken." Cordelia added, as always, sounding melodramatic as she continued with her tirade.
Honestly, Nolan could not care less about what Cordelia and Kristin thought of his marriage. It was none of their business who he married. But he valued what his father would think about it.
"It's true. I married Emily Davis." Nolan faced his father and looked him directly in the eyes. "Isn't that what you wanted, Dad? For me to settle down. Now, I think the board would get off my back."