The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

I walk to the outdoor dining table, fuming. Daniel is sitting in the corner wearing a button-up that covers most of his kiss marks. The one right below his ear that’s still exposed, he covered by putting a plaster on. He smiles at me and winks when I glare at him. I sit opposite him in the seat that’s marked for Mary. I grab the name cards and switch mine with hers before nodding politely at Olivia and her mother, Dana.

It doesn’t escape my attention that Olivia is in the seat next to him, right in the middle of the table, while I would’ve been next to her, at the other end of the table. In that seat, it wouldn’t be easy for me to speak to Daniel without leaning over Olivia. Mary placed Dana opposite Olivia while Dominic would’ve been sat opposite me. It’s clear what she’s doing and I don’t like it at all. With this setup, Daniel and I would have been at opposite ends, unable to even see each other. I try my best not to glare at Olivia. She’s pulled her seat so close to Daniel’s she might as well be in his lap.

We all rise when Mary walks up to us. She pauses and looks at me curiously and then at the one empty seat that’s left before greeting our guests with a smile.

“Gosh, Olivia. You look prettier every time I see you. Isn’t she pretty, Daniel?” she says.

I glance up at him to find him staring down at her with a sweet smile. My heart clenches painfully when he nods at his mother. Perhaps sitting where I can’t see him would’ve been easier. I look away so I’m not caught glaring at him.

We all sit down as the staff take our drink orders. I order a double gin and tonic. There’s no way I’m making it through this completely sober.

“It’s so lovely to see you again, Alyssa. I was so sorry to hear about your father,” Olivia says, smiling at me.

I nod at her politely and try my best to smile back. “Thank you, Olivia. It’s lovely to see you too.”

One of the serving girls places my drink in front of me and Olivia frowns. “Oh, Alyssa. You shouldn’t! You’re still underage, aren’t you?” she says, sounding genuinely concerned. I sigh, already tired of this lunch, and the first course hasn’t even been served yet.

“I’m twenty-two.”

Olivia chuckles. “Wow, you’ve grown up,” she says. She glances at Daniel and smiles. “Do you remember being twenty-two, Daniel? Fresh out of university. God, those were the good old days.”

Daniel merely smiles at her noncommittally and she turns back towards me. “So you’ll be starting your career soon, huh? That must be exciting.”

“Yeah, I’m working for DM Consultancy,” I tell her, a tinge of pride ringing through my voice.

She frowns at me. “Oh, Alyssa. Don’t you think it’ll be better to get a real job rather than relying on nepotism? Your father’s company will always be there, but it’s so important to work for an actual boss first. Someone who doesn’t care about your surname. I worked for my dad’s company for a while, and it was so easy compared to working for the university. Take it from me, sweetie. It’ll really build character to work elsewhere. I have plenty of connections if you struggle to find a job.”

She turns to Daniel and smiles at him. “Or Daniel can help you find something. I’m sure you’d help your little’s brother’s friend, right?”

She places her hand on his arm and grins at me. “He’s always been so supportive. He’s actually the one who introduced me to the professor I currently work for. I still had to go through the whole interview process, but it was nice to have someone to talk to beforehand.”

I glance at her hand on his arm and then at him before looking away. Just seeing her touch him so intimately annoys the hell out of me. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you, Olivia,” I say.

No matter how hard I work, people will always think I don’t deserve my successes. This is the main reason my dad instructed me to use Carter as my surname at work, but it doesn’t make it any easier. We have plenty of staff who’ve been with us from the start of their careers and who have climbed their way up to executive positions, the way I’m doing. But just because my surname is Moriani, people will always assume I was handed everything on a silver platter.

“Actually, Alyssa has a real job,” Daniel says, an edge to his tone. “She works harder than any of my other staff members and has been with DM since she was eighteen, often working sixteen-hour days to get all her work done in addition to attending university. In four years she’s worked her way up to becoming a managing consultant. Are you insinuating that my company is guilty of nepotism when all we’re doing is nurturing talent? That we hire and promote unfairly?”

Olivia blanches and my heart feels more at ease to hear him standing up for me. Mary clears her throat and sends Daniel a warning look. “Of course not. That’s not what you meant, right Olivia? She’s just looking out for Alyssa. She doesn’t know much about DM, after all. Maybe you should show her around.”

Olivia nods. “Yes, I’m sorry if that came out wrong, Alyssa. I meant well. I would love to see DM. Maybe I can bring you some lunch sometime, Daniel?”

Mary nods happily. “Oh, that’d be wonderful. How about sometime next week? I’ll give you the phone number for Daniel’s secretary so you can set up a lunch date.”

My heart sinks. He hasn’t rejected her advances once. I take a large sip of my G&T, drowning out the conversation as I pick at my food. Olivia smiles at everything he says and in return he nods and listens intently as she tells him about her job. I can see why Mary selected her. She’s taller and thinner than me. She’s only half a head shorter than Daniel while I barely reach his chin, and she’s got a supermodel’s body that she undoubtedly works hard for. Mary seems to know her son well.

I look away and finish my second glass of gin and tonic while Olivia and Daniel reminisce about the events they’ve both attended. From the sounds of it, they share more memories than I realised.

Olivia giggles and I look up. “We got so drunk, do you remember?” she says.

Daniel smiles at her fondly and my heart wrenches. Does he ever look at me like that? “We didn’t get drunk. You got drunk. I had to carry you home,” he says, laughing.

I thought they were merely acquaintances, but it sounds like they’re pretty good friends at least. It makes sense. Their mothers are good friends and they’re close in age. Olivia is only three years younger than Daniel.

“It’s been so long since we’ve had a chance to catch up. I’m so happy to see you today. We should really do dinner sometime soon. How about that new Italian place?” she says.

Daniel smiles at her and glances at me. I look away, pretending to be bored, and finish my third G&T. My heart is aching and I feel oddly betrayed, even though Daniel hasn’t exactly done anything wrong yet. All he’s done is be polite and kind to her while honouring his mother’s arrangements. Mary was right. If I hadn’t known better, I wouldn’t have thought anything of this lunch.

“So, Alyssa,” Dana says, when Daniel ignores Olivia’s question. “You’ve grown up to be a beautiful, hardworking young woman. Are you dating anyone?”

I smile at her tightly. She takes my non-responsiveness as denial and nods happily.

“You might remember my son, Oliver. He’s only a couple of years older than you are. He’s twenty-five. Perhaps you and he could go for drinks sometime? He’s only just moved back to London. It’d be nice for him to date a little. He’s become such a hermit these days.”

I smile, remembering Oliver. He was always really sweet.

“Actually, Dana… I’m sorry, but I’m seeing some right now,” I say.

She looks surprised and disappointed. “That’s too bad,” she murmurs. “I’ve heard such great things about you from Mary and Christopher.”

I look up at her with raised brows. “Christopher from Accounting at DM?”

She nods and smiles. “I think he’s the Head of the Finance now, but yes, him. He’s a family friend and speaks very highly of you.”

I nod in understanding. “When I started he wasn’t the head of the department yet, so in my mind he’s always Christopher from Accounting. That’s still how he signs any emails he sends to me,” I say, chuckling.

I sip my fourth G&T as dessert comes around, feeling pleasantly buzzed. I can’t wait for this to be over. I just want to go back to my bedroom and hide out in bed. I’m feeling hurt and insecure and I hate it. I felt so empowered this morning in Daniel’s bedroom, but here, now, it seems like it never even happened. He’s pleasantly chatting with Olivia and even though I’m sitting opposite him, he’s barely spoken three words to me all afternoon. Is it that easy for him to separate intimacy and public appearances? This must be what all the women before me have felt like. It’s excruciating to feel so special in bed, only to be made to feel like I’m insignificant outside of it. I’m ready to call it a day when Mary smiles at Olivia brightly.

“You did bring your swimsuit, didn’t you?” she says. Then she turns to Daniel and grins at him. “I told her you’d take her for a swim since the weather is so lovely out. We can all sit by the pool and sip some cocktails. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

I groan. I’d rather burn in Hell.