The Arrangement | Book 2 | Completed

1

Candace's POV

Seattle was beautiful. Probably the most amazing city I had ever been to. It's crazy to think that Matty and I were going to start a life here.

It's crazy how things change.

It's been a year since I have seen Matty. I kept in touch, and we talk back and forth every once in awhile. Not too often, though. The more we talked, the harder things got. We missed eachother, but distance was too much. I just couldn't handle it. Matty needed someone who was willing to be wherever he was at. He deserved to have a normal relationship. Not one that was nothing but an emotional rollercoaster. I know that the more I involved myself in his life, he would never give up on me. I had to stay away from him. I haven't talked to him in months.

Despite knowing that I needed to stay far away from Matty, my curiosity got the best of me. I soon found myself outside of his new building. It was tall, probably around 13 stories. It seemed as though Matty could make anything successful. From my understading, he only owns half of the building, the other half is owned by a man who partners with them. Although both have completely different businesses, they help eachother grow by using common connections and different knowledge.

I began walking inside, instantly hit with the warm air from the building. Seattle is cold during the winter, the wind that hit my face felt like knives, and I was more than happy to be inside.

The lobby was nice, and almost felt like a hotel. There were chairs and fake plants and fireplaces. It felt welcoming. It felt like home.

"Uh, hi. I'm looking for Matthew Fain's office." I asked nervously to the girl at the desk a few feet away from me.

She glanced up, and quickly looked back down at her computer screen.

"Floor 8. There will be someone who can help you." She replied, not looking up from her screen.

"Uh, thanks." I said quickly, making my way towards the elevator.

The ride up to the 8th floor felt like it would never end.

1...2....3....Stop at 4....5...6....7...8.

The door opened, and this floor was very modern. The walls were white, and the floor had a grey tile. It had Matty written all over it.

"Good afternoon. Can I help you find something?" My thoughts were interuppted, and I looked up to see a young blonde receptionist smiling at me.

"Uhh, I'm here to see Matthew Fain." I said awkwardly.

"Oh..do you have an appointment?" She asked, with a look of amusement on her face.

"Well, no. I just-" I started, before getting cut off.

"Mr. Fain does not accept walk ins. If you would like to book an appointment, I can set you up here. If not, you can schedule an appointment online. Is this concerning a new business or ongoing partnership?" She said abruptly.

"No, i'm not here for anything like that. I'm an old friend of-"

"Like I said, Mr. Fain does not accept walk ins. I can page him and let him know that you stopped by, but it is highly unlikely that he has time today. He is booked with appointments all month." She said, giving me a fake smile.

What a bitch.

"Can you page him?" I asked, getting annoyed with her know-it-all attitude.

"Mr. Fain, you have a visitor." She spoke, pressing the speaker button on the phone at her desk.

"No walk ins today. I don't have any time." I heard Matty say through the speaker. My heart skips a beat when I hear his voice. It's been so long since I've heard it, I almost forgot what it sounded like.

His voice was stern, and he didn't sound like himself. Maybe this was because I never heard him during work. Or maybe this was because this is just who he is now. Maybe he is this stern, uptight business man. Maybe he isn't the Matty I remember.

"I already let her know. Should I take her name down?" She asks, not caring that I was standing right infront of her.

"Who is it?" He asks.

"What's your name, hun?" She asked me, hand covering the mic on the phone.

"Candace Hobbs." I reply, annoyed even more now that she called me 'hun'.

"It's a girl by the name of Candace Hobbs. Should I take her number?" She asks.

"I'm coming out." He mumbles quickly.

We don't hear a response after that. Instead, I hear a door slam from the other side of the floor and see Matty walking quickly down the hall.

"Candace? What are you doing here? It's been so long since I last saw you. How are you? How did you get here? Is Pheobe with you?" He asks, approaching me quickly. He has a bright smile, but seems to be pleasantly surprised by me being here.

"Matty, I...I was in town and I just...I know I just showed up completely unexpected...I just...I..." I stuttered, not able to form a proper sentence.

He looks exactly how I remembered him. His dark framed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose, and his dark hair pushed back. He looked just as handsome as I remembered.

"No, you're fine. You're always welcomed here. Holly, cancel everything I have for the rest of the day. Call my appointments and have them reschedule, and call Frailey and tell him that the meeting is going to be delayed." He demands, not even looking at the girl who I now know is Holly.

"Um, Mr. Fain, are you sure? Heath isn't going to like another delayed meeting, and it was so hard to get you and Mr. Frailey together..." She says nervously.

"Didn't I just say to cancel everything? Heath will understad. I have more important things to do right now." He says sharply. The way he says that he has more important things to do makes my stomach flutter. I kind of hate the feeling.

She doesn't reply. Instead, she opens her laptop and begins typing what I assume are emails to all of Matty's clients.

"Come with me. Let's go to my office." He said, guiding me down the hall.

I look over and see Holly staring at us nervously, but she quickly redirects her gaze once she sees me staring. The way she cowers down to Matty's demands. I have a feeling that Matty can be harsher than he appears to be. I have a feeling that this is just who he is now.

-

Author's Note!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS STORY!!! I AM HONESTLY SO EXCITED, YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!! I am already planning on introducing this new character, and you are all going to completely fall in love with him, I swear. I haven't even written about him a ton yet, and I am already in LOVE with him! He is definitely a ladies man.

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