The Workaholic's Wife

4. The First Encounter

Evan

I was busy in a video call with a client when the sound of door opening disturbed me. I raised my gaze from the laptop and found Gabe, my assistant standing in the doorframe.

I excused from the client and turned my attention to Gabe. "What was so urgent that you couldn't wait?" I asked and he gulped.

Gabe was a thin, lanky man in his early twenties. Despite his nervous persona and a habit to turn into a stuttering mess in front of me, he was actually a hard worker and that's why I haven't fired him yet.

"Your mother is outside." he said and I sighed in annoyance. I have specifically told her many times not to come to office to disturb me but she simply doesn't listen.

"Send her in," I said and told the clients that I would call them later.

Before Gabe could leave, Mom barged inside on her own, a full blown smile on her face indicating that I was stuck in some uncomfortable situation.

"Guess what?" she said as she seated herself in front of me.

"There was a sale?" I rolled my eyes and asked Gabe to tell the media head to meet me in half an hour so that I could discuss some proposals with him.

"Oh, shut up, will you?" she said, giggling. There was definitely something wrong and I wasn't eager to find out. "Remember when you said you'd marry a woman I'll choose if she fulfills your criterion?" she asked.

"Oh. Don't tell me you found a girl willing to marry me?" I asked with a sarcastic smile on my face.

"Maybe." she shrugged.

Hearing this, a chuckle escaped my mouth. "Let me rephrase that mother, did you actually find a woman willing to give my daughter motherly love without expecting any association with me in return?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

She shrugged again, confidence dripping from her face.

At this, worry started to fill me. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought she would actually found someone fulfilling that criterion. I mean who in her right mind would marry such a man?

No, my mother was definitely pulling a prank on me.

"And where is that perfect, imaginary girl of yours?" I asked, switching my attention to my laptop because I had a feeling that she had no reply to that.

"Oh, you would love to meet her," she said and the next moment, she opened the door to invite someone in.

My throat turned dry when I found an actual girl entering my office. Once she walked in, her gaze fell on me and her big, brown eyes visibly widened. She was of average height and built, with a somewhat pretty face but the most noticeable thing about her was two big dimples gracing her cheeks. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, her brown hair styled in a braid; nothing about her said she was an actress whom my Mom had hired to pull a prank on me.

"Evan, meet Scarlet, the girl I was telling you about." Mom said and a small smile appeared on that girl's face, which made her dimples deepen.

"What is she, eighteen?" I said honestly because the girl looked like she had just graduated highschool.

"I am not eighteen, I am twenty-five." The girl whose name was apparently Scarlet said in a defensive manner. "I just have a baby face."

Her expressions told me that this was not the first time someone had guessed her age wrong. I couldn't help but feel amused at her reaction but I knew better than letting her know that.

"And you want me to marry her?" I asked Mom and she just smiled in return.

"Yeah, you yourself said if I find such girl, you'd agree to marry her. I know you never back out from your commitments." Mom said, smirking.