Page 22 of Falling for My Boss

I nodded. “It did. About a year ago, my parents were working on an important business deal. It would tremendously grow their business, essentially instantly increase their wealth, and give them major leverage. It was something they really wanted, but they were having trouble securing it. There were issues that needed to be worked out, and my parents realized they were going to need to make their offer more appealing.

“So, they found what the other people wanted and offered what they thought was a commodity they could easily control. Me.”

Derek stared at me, looking both shocked and confused. “Wait… what do you mean?”

“The people on the other half of the business deal were a family mine had known for years. In fact, their son, Lincoln, was one of my good friends. We’d grown up together and knew each other really well. Which they thought meant neither one of us would mind when they arranged for us to get married,” I said.

“Get married?” Derek asked. “They were trying to arrange a marriage for you?”

I nodded. “Yep. That is the basic idea. Lincoln is the only child in his family, and his parents were looking ahead to the future of the company. They didn’t like the idea of him taking over without the stability of being married and a future generation ahead. But Lincoln didn’t have any prospects for marriage, and they were starting to get uncomfortable with the whole situation.

“So, they decided that I was the perfect solution. If Lincoln and I got married, we would merge the companies, which would offer both sides even more benefits. And both families could feel confident in the future of the business. Considering my brother was already poised to take over the company, they saw this as me doing my part to further secure the financial and influential strength of the family and the business.”

“I can’t believe they would actually be serious about that,” Derek said.

“They were. Extremely so. But I couldn’t do that. Lincoln is a good guy. He’s always been a good friend. I enjoy being around him, and we have always had fun when we spent time together, but there was no way I could marry him,” I said. “We’re friends, and we could never be more. There are arranged marriages that work, of course. Plenty of them. People learn to love each other over time. But that wasn’t going to happen with Lincoln and me. Lincoln is gay.”

“Oh.” Derek nodded. “Well, that would put a damper on things for the two of you. Do his parents know?”

I shook my head. “No. And obviously that’s just part of it. The fact that we would never fall in love and have a happy, functional marriage is deterrent enough. But the sheer audacity of our parents is what really upset me. That they would use me as a pawn like that, treating me like I was a piece of property or an asset they could just offer up, was horrible.

“I couldn’t stand the idea of giving up my own future, the possibility of having a life I wanted, to fall in love, any of it, just so that my parents could have a stronger standing for their business. That wasn’t the kind of life I wanted, and I wasn’t going to accept it. But when I went to my parents to tell them that, they didn’t care. They wouldn’t even listen to me.

“No matter how much I talked, my parents wouldn’t listen. They just started planning the wedding. They were going to have a big announcement of our engagement, complete with splashy photoshoots to spread all over the society pages. It didn’t matter how much we pushed back, they were hearing none of it.

“But I kept arguing, and I kept trying to stop everything. I tried one more time to talk to my parents about the whole thing, and they just shut me down and told me I would do as they expected me to.So, I ran. I’ve been running since then. I just went off the radar, started using a different name when I needed to. I couldn’t use my family’s money, of course, so I started getting whatever jobs I could and working under the table. I would stay in a place for a while, saving money and just drifting along, then move to the next town and the next job.”

“And they’re still looking for you?” Derek asked.

I nodded. “Actively. My parents are furious I would go against them and humiliate the family this way. They are angry I won’t just do what they want me to do and that everything they’ve already put into the engagement and wedding have been wasted. My brother is even angrier. Without my cooperation, his future isn’t as certain as he’d like it to be.

“Of course, they don’t let people know the truth when they are making posts about me online or going on the news to ask for information about me. Then it is all sob stories and crying. They talk about their missing daughter, the child they love so much, and they just know is in danger. They plead for information about where to find me or for me to come back.

“I will not go back and do their bidding. I just won’t. And I’m done fighting and talking and not being heard. So, I keep moving. I really thought this town was going to be the safest place for me. Since coming here, I hadn’t had any problems. But then I saw Jack’s car in town.”

“In town?” Derek asked, sounding shocked. “He drove all the way across the country to find you?”

“He must have,” I said. “But the point is, he’s here. I saw him, and I know he found out where I was living. That was why I packed up everything as quickly as I could and how I ended up here. I knew I couldn’t stay where I was any longer. I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I was going to go next, I just knew I needed to go. And you were there to help. So, thank you.”

Feeling lighter, I stood.

“Jodi,” he said.

I turned to look at him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone on so much of a tirade.”

I took a step toward the door, and Derek’s hand shot out to grab hold of my wrist.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s okay. You shouldn’t be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable. Not with me. And as for this whole situation, we can help you. It’s that simple. If you stay, we will figure it out.”

I stared at him, trying to figure out what to think and how I was going to interpret the situation. Finally, I slipped out of his hold and went back to bed.

15

DEREK

Her story was heartbreaking and it had me feeling a wave of protectiveness building up inside me. I couldn’t imagine a family treating their kid that way, bulldozing over their own feelings and their own choices as to how their life would be and treating them like a tradable commodity. It seemed so unfair, and I simply couldn’t even put myself in their shoes. It made me angry for her, and the anger bubbled up inside me in a way that I couldn’t recognize. I had never felt like that for anyone that I wasn’t directly related to before.

When she left, heading back to her room, I lay back in the bed and tried to sleep. It didn’t come easy. I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position, and even when I did, my mind kept going. I knew I could operate on just a few hours of sleep, but I was inching closer to the time where I might need to send Ally a text and tell her I would be late.

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