Discovered by Kim Black

remembered my last note to self, and made another mental note to self to remember to ask Diana about the look that she had on her face before I left with Julien.
    “ Darling, that’s what I have to clear up. Julien informed me of your relationship with him and he was beside himself as he told me about your reaction to my message, I just had to come and explain. Julien is my husband that’s true but it’s a marriage of necessity, not love,” she said as if it made complete sense.
    “What the heck are you talking about?” I asked, completely confused. A marriage of necessity? This woman is freaking nuts!
    “Julien and I married as an arrangement to keep our families from pushing us into marriage for the sole purpose of a legacy. People like Julien and I have our love… our work… and at the time neither one of us wanted to settle down so we made an arrangement to marry.”
    “Ok… so you’re married but you don’t love each other?” I c ouldn’t fully wrap my head around all that she was telling me. Maybe it was because I wasn’t an insanely rich billionaire but this crap about marrying to keep your parents off your back is crazy. The rich obviously had nothing better to do.
    “Correct! And we are both free to do whatever we want, and live the lives we want. Our only obligation to this marriage is to appear to social events and play the happy couple. And, in the event that either one of us decides to marry someone else, we would simply divorce; I hope you understand.”
    I didn’t understand, not really anyway. They were married, dating whomever , and where the heck do I fit into all of this? And, if it was as simple as that, why wouldn’t Julien have told me? Because you ran off like a baby before he could Emily!
    “I appreciate you coming to talk to me about this but I think I just need time to process all of this,” I said as I stood to my feet.
    She stood as well and walked to the door, then turned slightly, “You know, he really fancies you Ms. Emily. Do give him a chance, won’t you?”
    I didn’t respond. Instead I stood there and watched as the woman left my house. It was too much to take in all at once .
    Work! I only had about an hour to get ready. Julien and his non-wife, wife had to wait.

Chapter Six
    The lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, then becomes a host, and then a master.
    ~ Khalil Gibran ~
     
    JULIEN
    News of my affair with Emily had reached the news outlets and I couldn’t help but wonder how she was taking it. She had never asked to be dragged into my world, yet now she was being pinned as a harlot on every newspaper and news channel. I had spent the entire weekend trying to find a way to contact her but I had no luck, she had pretty much disappeared.
    I had just arrived at the corporate office and immediately wished I had stayed home. My assistant, Sylvie, gave me a sympathetic look as I exited the elevator onto the Executive floor.
    “Mr. Belmont, I hope you had your morning coffee because you’re going to need it sir,” she said as she handed me my messages and morning agenda.
    “Sylvie, I have had an incredibly long weekend so if there is something wrong, just please get straight to it,” I insisted as I browsed through the messages in my hand one by one.
    “Well sir, that’s what’s wrong , your weekend events have been all over the news and papers all morning. Apparently a reporter followed you from a bar to your home and your father is quite upset. He wants to speak to you. Should I patch him through to you?”
    I sighed, knowing that there was no escaping the conversation. “Patch him through and then kill the story about the woman. Make sure no one finds out who she is. She is to be left alone…” I turned away to walk into my office and then immediately turned back. “Oh and Sylvie, I trust that you understand that this should stay completely confidential,” I added.
    “Not a problem sir,” she said before picking up the