Contract Marriage with My CEO Boss (Kylan and Katrina)

"He shouldn't have punched him. Assault is never okay."

"Mine? That's possessive, isn't it?"

"I think it's sweet! The paparazzi don't respect boundaries. I don't blame him for losing his cool."

"I support Katrina and Kylant"

"Does anyone have the Ross Corp, doorbell camera? Is it worth getting?"

"I love a man who will stand up for his woman!"

"Mine? Oh my God, Katrina is so lucky!"

"Kylan Ross is a menace to society. He needs to stay in his penthouse.

It was Friday. Finally. Instead of looking forward to the weekend, her stomach was in knots while she read through several of the comments under the picture she posted the night before.

It was a mixed bag of reactions. There were a surprising number of people who condoner Kylan's act of violence, but several others didn't. Isabel had been right when she said that everyone was talking about Kylan Ross, though. Everyone. She couldn't go to a single news website, without there being an article about Kylan right now. It was dizzying that she was at the center of all of it, just as much as he was.

She finally closed out every tab on her phone and focused her efforts on getting ready for work. It was raining outside again, an October chill in full swing. She wore a pantsuit today and her thick, fleece-lined jacket and ballet flats.

She headed out her door, briefcase in hand, and then her phone rang, just as she expected it to

"Good morning, Sir." She shifted her phone near her ear and pressed the button to call the elevator "Kare?"

She paused, even as the doors to the elevator opened. "Dad? Oh! Hey, dad! It's good to hear your voice," she tried to recover, not having expected her father to call her so early in the morning. "Kate, someone in town showed me a picture of you and your boss."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back from the elevator, subconsciously pacing in front of it. She didn't know what she was allowed to tell her father. As far as she knew, Aaron was the one and only person that Kylan had been okay with telling the truth to, and maybe Maine, by extension This was her own father, yes. But she didn't know how he would react. He could potentially blow the entire thing out of proportion. Her father was a reasonable man about most things, but not about her. He was always overprotective. Sometimes, to a fault.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She decided it was best if she pretended she was with Kylan. He would take the news of her dating and marrying her boss far better than he would be able to process that none of it was real.

I've been meaning to call you. I uh, started dating Kylan - my boss, yeah... we started dating a few months before he proposed and we, uh, we decided to go public with our relationship. But it's really great, honestly. He's. He's good to me and it works. We work. We.. We get each other." She was floundering and not articulating herself well, but being caught off guard by this conversation, she didn't know what the hell she was meant lo uy

"Don't you think that's reckless, Kate! Marrying your boss? If it goes badly, he could hold it against you. You could lose your job. Are you sure this is a good idea! I thought you always told me your boss is difficult to get along with."

She sighed and opted to take the stairs down to Oscar, so she wouldn't lose cell reception. She started walking down them carefully, her phone stili pressed to her car and her briefcase clutched under her arm so she could hold onto the stair railing

"Kylan is a complicated man, yes. He likely always will be. But he's different when we're alone, Dad. I've seen him be... soft and caring. He's always getting my door for me and paying for things. He sticks up for me."

She realized the truth of her words as she said them. They weren't just little white lies; they were all things Kylan had done for her in the last two weeks alone.

"I don't like this. I feel like he's taking advantage of you. I don't want him to look at this as a power dynamic where he acts like he can take what he wants from you because he's your boss"

She reached the lobby of her building and stopped to take a seat on one of the plush armchairs that surrounded a large, stone fireplace. She could see Oscar's SUV outside, and she knew she needed to somehow appease her father enough that she could get him off the phone and her back alike.

"Why don't you meet him? We could possibly visit in a few weeks, just for a few days.. Uhmm... before we.... What do you think?" she asked him in a rush.

before

we prepare for our wedding.

241 PM

"Fine. In a few weeks. But I'm worried about you, Kate. I know you're nearing your thirties, but I still worry. I always will"

We'll come to visit

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I know, Dad. I know you worry. I have this under control though. Okay! I promise. W and you'll see." She hoped she sounded reassuring and not strained like she internally felt.

"I love you, Kate. Please be careful."

"I will be I love you too, Dad. I have to get to work now." She ended the call and slid her phone into the pocket of her jacket.

She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. She meant to talk to her dad, of course, she did. She intended on asking Kylan what she could say to him. She just.. Hadn't yet. There were too many other things she was worrying about, and her dad was never someone she talked to all that often since moving to New York for college.

She stood from the armchair and walked outside to greet Oscar, who helped her into the car. Once settled in her seat, she thought about the schedule for the day. Then, Kylan called her.

She answered the call on the second ring and pressed her phone back to her ear. "Good morning. Sir," she said with as much cheer as she could muster.

"Keith wants to move our dinner to lunch instead. What's the schedule like to today!"

She bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. He was right back to business like he hadn't kissed her on the forehead the night before. Like he hadn't punched a photographer in her name. Okay, she could also act as if none of it happened. It wasn't a big deal, to begin with. There was a simple explanation for the kiss; she had been kissing a fair amount on the cheek and forehead the last two weeks. It was probably done on impulse, and that was all

He already told her why he defended her against the paparazzi, so she really didn't need to be questioning that any more than she already had. On top of all of that. Kylan wasn't the sort of person to let his feelings be readily known. Which meant it shouldn't be confusing that he wouldn't address the kiss

It was hard to believe it had been two weeks since Kylan first approached her with the contract. Yet here she was, poised to have another meal with Keith. It made her wonder if Keith knew of their specific arrangement. Or was Kylan keeping the details from him too? "We're poised to go to Elorde Enterprises and approve the final logistics before they start manufacturing the Nightfall Other than that, we need to go over a few specifics about the Ireland trip coming up at the beginning of December." She went over the schedule with her boss, all the while looking out the window of the car at the passing skyscrapers and construction zones alike.

"Right I'll let Keith know lunch will be fine

"Okay, sir. Sounds good" She was exhausted, but she did her best not to let it bleed into her tone of voice.

"Kate, our next date will be on Monday."

Kylan bringing up a date like this was out of the blue and it made her perk up slightly in her seat.

"What are we doing this time, Sir?" she asked casually, clearing her throat, and avoiding Oscar's gaze in the rearview mirror

"You'll see on Monday."

With that, the line clicked dead and she outwardly sighed. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she allowed her phone to fall carelessly into her lap.

"I don't need to hear any of it, Oscar," she mumbled to her driver, who was watching her again.

"I wasn't going to say anything" Oscar responded casually. He paused for a beat, and then he pulled out a bag from the depths of his suit jacket. Orice stopped at a traffic light, he reached behind him and handed her the bag. Sour cherries.

She couldn't help but smile at him then. "No gummy worms today?" she asked him, not hesitating to open the bag and pop one of the candies into her mouth

"I thought I'd switch it up a bit," Oscar explained with a shrug.

Her smile only grew. "Thank you, Oscar," she replied with such sincerity; it almost made her

water.

Even if it was a small gesture such as this one, it made her feel better to be seen, even if only for a moment