Chapter 7

Since I was meeting Alan's family tomorrow, I decided to buy myself something decent to wear.

Running through my wardrobe mentally, there wasn't anything suitable enough. Most of the outfits that could have passed were gifts from Damien, and there was no way I was wearing any of those. I made a mental note to deal with them later.

Three hours later, after walking through what felt like every store in the mall and changing my mind at least twenty times, I finally found a teal dress.

Before that, every dress seemed to come with a problem attached to it. One looked too formal. Another looked like I was attending a funeral. One was so tight I nearly got stuck trying to take it off.

By the end, my feet hurt and my patience was hanging by a thread.

The dress solved a problem I had been struggling with all afternoon. It wasn't too flashy, but it wasn't plain either. The one thing I had quickly learned about wealthy people was how much appearances mattered in their world. I didn't want to show up looking like I was trying too hard or like I hadn't tried at all.

Putting it on, I turned toward the mirror and couldn't stop myself from smiling. Shoes, a purse, and I was done.

At the register, the sales rep had been wearing the same bored expression the entire time I was in the store. Then I placed Alan's black card on the counter.

She looked down at the card, then back at me. The bored expression she'd been wearing disappeared. Watching the change in her attitude, I didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed. I got my first real glimpse into what life looked like when money stopped being a problem.

Groceries came next. Mostly things Noah liked, along with whatever the house needed and a few extras for his recovery. By the time the cab pulled up outside the house, both my arms were full of bags.

Walking straight into the kitchen to drop everything, I found Noah standing at the counter drinking water. His eyes landed on the shopping bags.

Then on me.

Then back on the bags.

He set his glass down and practically bolted out of the kitchen. I heard the front door open and close before he rushed back in again.

"Okay. Nobody is chasing you, so you clearly didn't steal those. Explain.”

I giggled. "Come on. You know I can be a lot of things, but a thief isn't one of them.”

“You're not making any sense," he argued. “I know for a fact that you're broke. I am also broke. We are both broke, actually. So start talking."

“I got myself a sugar daddy,” I said with a grin.

The look he gave me could have burned down a building. "Be serious."

Still giggling, I tugged at his wrist. "Come, sit. Let me explain properly."

We sat across from each other and I exhaled slowly, trying to figure out where to even start.

"So… Damien showed up at my workplace yesterday." I kept my eyes on my hands. "With his fiancée. It got ugly. But Alan was there and he stepped in."

Noah nodded, watching me carefully. The next part stuck in my throat for a moment before I just pushed it out.

"After everything, he made me an offer. A marriage arrangement, and I said yes."

Noah nearly jumped out of his chair. "You what!?"

"It's temporary—"

"That's worse! Nora, no. Absolutely not. There is no way you're marrying my boss!"

I winced. “Noah…”

He shook his head hard. "The man has no soul. Do you know what we call him in the office? The Ice."

"That's exactly why it works," I tried reasoning with him. "There's no love involved. No games. No pretending. After Damien—"

"Damien is an idiot," he cut in. "I told you that from the very beginning. You're not throwing your life away because of him, Nora. You're going to heal, move on, find someone who actually deserves you. That's it. End of discussion."

Silence fell between us.

"Noah." My voice came out softer than I intended. "Be honest with me. You ending up in the hospital… do you not see the pattern? Mom overworked herself until her body gave out. Dad did the same thing. And now you."

His eyes dropped.

"I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you the same way we lost them."

He reached across the table and took both my hands in his. "I promise you I'll take better care of myself. But don't do this. I'll work harder, we'll figure it out, this won't last forever—"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." My hands tightened around his. "Noah, if something happened to you, I wouldn't survive it. We deserve a break. We've been fighting for so long and we've lost so much already. Alan is going to clear your student loans. You could finally stop drowning and actually start living."

The fight was still there, but he wasn't arguing anymore. He let out a slow breath and looked away from me. "Is this why you were avoiding me yesterday?"

"Yes. Because I knew you'd try to talk me out of it."

"Of course I would!" He pressed a hand to his forehead. "Nora—"

"It's already done, Noah. I'm meeting his family tomorrow." I gestured toward the shopping bags on the counter. "I already spent the money."

A long silence stretched between us. Then Noah started muttering under his breath in German.

He only ever switched languages when I had pushed him to his absolute limit and he didn't trust what would come out of his mouth otherwise. His smart ass had picked it up years ago purely because he loved the sound of it, and it had become his way of saying things he didn't want me to hear.

“Right back at you,” I told him cheerfully. “Right back at you.”

Usually that would have earned me at least a reluctant smile. Not this time. He shot me a look instead.

“Oh, and I got all your favourite things,” I tried again, nodding toward the grocery bags.

He stood up, glared at me, and walked out of the kitchen without another word.

“Noah…”