^^^ THE BEAUTIFUL MISS ANITA MARSHALL AS EVIE/MELANIE 😍😍😍

I left the chilling building (which to me seemed strange since they cremate people in it and all) and headed towards my car. My father's memorial was taking place in four hours, and according to the papers, it was going to be a grand event.

My father was known to be a grand man, but I didn't think they'd turn around and make a spectacle of his memory, especially given the fact that a whole lot of these people were nowhere in sight when he faced his darkest days.

From the emails I'd received, it was clear that I would be facing a lot of fake people, and I would have to return just as fake smiles to keep up with the façade of the whole thing, when all I really wanted to do was go back to my apartment and forget about the last few days.

With my father's ashes securely in place on the passenger seat, I set off to work. I wasn't about to be idle and let my misery drown me, so I was heading to the one place I knew I would find consistency; not that I like the consistency, but it's consistency nonetheless.

I walked into the building with the urn with my father's ashes in hand as I headed to my cubicle. I could see the pitiful glances some people sent my way, while some people didn't even notice my very presence.

Consistency.

I may be the daughter of a billionaire, but when you're as fat as I am and are as socially awkward as I am, people tend to look the other way, no matter how rich you are. After being torn apart by the last person I would've ever expected, I've come to terms with the fact that I am nothing to everyone around me.

No one cares about me.

His words were harsh, but they were also an eye opener for me. The more I took them in, the more I realized that he was right. I took my money out of the equation, and that's when I realized that people didn't hang around me because of who I am, because pretty soon, I was left alone with my money.

I don't even know the first thing about money or business, and now that my father was gone, I knew that a whole lot of people would be coming for his money. I didn't even know the first thing I would do, or who would I call, which is pathetic really, given the resources I have at my disposal.

I got to my desk and my tormentors were already sitting at their desks. From how giddy they were, I already knew that they'd criticized my outfit and looks for the millionth time since they've known me and just couldn't wait to get started with me.

"Wow Mel! You made such an effort today. Your father must be turning in his grave," Renee started off.

My father is in this urn, I thought to myself.

"Aaaaw, even with daddy dearest gone, you're still going to be mute?" Alison taunted.

I put my stuff down and switched on my laptop. I really didn't want to listen to them, especially since they clearly had no care or respect for the fact that I was mourning. There's nothing you can do to help people who are this rotten.

"MELANIE! IN MY OFFICE NOW!" my boss shouted from her office.

Renee giggled. "Ooh, Marshy Mellow is in trouble."

Yes, they're that mature.

I got up, ignoring their sniggering and headed towards my boss' office. Vivienne Altor is the Queen of fashion, and everyone knows it. To be working for her is an honour, but as I headed towards her office, my heart was staging an attempted jailbreak.

It's never good news if Vivienne is shouting.

I stepped into her cool and clinical office and she was looking down at her tablet. The only colour there was in the room was white. The woman is obsessed with it, down to her hair and clothing. If she could, I'm pretty sure she'd bleach herself to be that white.

She didn't bother to look up at me. "What the hell is this?"

"Wha- What are you referring to Ms Altor?" I asked.

She finally looked up at me with fiery eyes. "I thought I explicitly told you to email that piece unchanged."

"I know you did, but what was written there wasn't entirely true," I said, fumbling with my words.

"I don't pay you to question me Melanie. I'm the one with a billion-dollar corporation here, and it's pretty clear who between the two of us knows fashion best, so if you feel like questioning my judgement, there's the door," she said icily.

"I'm sorry Ms Altor. It will not happen again," I hastily apologized.

"You're damn right it won't. Thanks to your bravado stunt, the Van der Woodsen's have pulled out of their contract with us," she informed.

My eyes widened. "What? I didn't mean for that to happen."

"And I care not. Consider this your last warning. Get out," she dismissed.

I walked out of her office, tail between my legs, but internally, I was fuming. I wanted nothing to do this God forsaken company anymore. My father never understood why I stayed, but I thought it would look good on my resume to say that I worked for thee Vivienne Altor.

Except I hate the woman and everything she stands for.

What she had just given me hell for was changing the opinion piece she'd written on what Grier Van der Woodsen, legendary fashion designer, had designed. The dress had many flaws, and yet Vivienne had blatantly lied to the woman and told her that the dress is fine just to keep the Van der Woodsen's business.

The Van der Woodsen's are basically royalty around here. Grier is a fashion mogul and legend, while her husband Garrett owns different business across the globe. Their two youngest daughters are models, while their eldest son is said to be the one who will inherit Garrett's businesses.

I was stunned to learn that they actually have a younger son. Apparently he doesn't like the spotlight much, but I know he's a hotshot lawyer. He turned down his share of the empire his father offered simply because he wanted to be a lawyer and not a businessman.

I headed to the bathroom to cool my emotions down. I know for a fact that I love fashion and I'm good at it, despite not being able to wear it. I have a stack of sketchbooks with designs upon designs, but I could never be bold enough to do anything with them.

However, I still knew in my heart that I was a better woman than Vivienne Altor and her lies. People worship her for the crap she writes, and I'll admit that I was one of those people, until I worked for her and saw how she truly operates.

With my emotions calmer, I headed out of the bathroom and went back to my desk. As has become a norm, I tuned out the twins and instead focused on the little bit of work I had to do. I was brought out of my focus by the hushed excitement of the twins.

Which only meant one thing.

I looked up and he was approaching my desk, white roses in hand. I watched as the women in the office followed his every move, probably wishing they were in my shoes. What they didn't know was that I would gladly trade places with any one of them.

"Hey boo," he said once he got to my desk.

"Zayn," I replied, not bothering to look at him.

"I brought you these," he said, thrusting the roses in my face and forcing me to look up at him.

I sighed, before getting up and putting the roses on the desk. I then took his hand and dragged him along with me to one of the staff balconies. "What do you want?"

"Damn Mel! You just lost your dad, and yet you're as cold as ice," he commented.

"If that's all you came to say, then you can leave," I told him.

I was confused when he instead pulled me into a hug. "I know you're hurting boo. I'm here for you."

I pulled away from him. "The hell you are. You've been gone for four months, and now you want to come back and play the loving husband?"

"I texted you," he defended.

"Once; on the day you left. You said, and I quote, 'I'm gone.' What the hell is that?" I asked.

"Look ok? I had a big deal I needed to close, and I had to jump on it before I missed it," he said softly.

He was trying to manipulate me.

Except he didn't know that I knew all about how he felt about me. I hadn't bothered to tell him that I knew about him and my little sister. Instead, I played the calm and clueless wife for three months until he unexpectedly took off.

Now that my father's dead, he's back to claim what he believes is his.

However, I wasn't having any of it.

After the day I was having, he was mistaken if he thought he would just get here and expect me to fall apart in his whorish arms. Hell, he probably screwed my sister on his way here if the lipstick stain on his collar was anything to go by.

"What's that?" I asked, deciding to play dumb.

He looked down and inspected his collar before turning to me with a nervous smile. "You know how my fans can be."

"You own a club Zayn. You're not a superstar. Besides, why are you letting them get so close to you?" I continued.

He grabbed my hands. "Look Mel, I didn't come here to fight. I know you're in a lot of pain, which is probably why you're in such a bad mood, but because I'm such an understanding husband, I'll take it. I just came here to fetch you for the memorial. Your mom reminded us that you will need us all at this time."

I looked at him in confusion before I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard that I cried, and I didn't care if I looked crazy for it. How could I not laugh when exactly what I knew would happen, was happening better than I thought it would?

He was standing here telling me that my mother, the very woman who told me that I'm too fat to have come out of her womb, was suddenly worried about me, together with the rest of my fake ass family.

It's amazing what money does to people.

"Thanks boo, but I'm fine on my own. I have been for the past five years, thank you very much," I told him before turning to leave.

Of course he wouldn't let me go. "Melanie."

"Zayn," I said impassively.

"Would you quit being selfish? We're all in pain right now, and all your mom wants is to present a united front," he said, his grip on my wrist tightening.

"You're hurting me," I pointed out, to which he loosened his grip.

"Just quit being stubborn and come with me," he demanded.

"I'm going nowhere with you. Hell, I'm going nowhere near that memorial. I refuse to be surrounded by fake, money hungry people who did not care about my father," I spat before going back inside.

I didn't expect to be pulled back and slammed into the passage wall. "You might want to be very careful about how you speak to me wifey. Your future lies in my hands."

"You're hurting me," I barely got out since he was strangling me.

He applied more pressure, and I was sure he was going to kill me. With my vision getting hazy, I barely registered the figure walking towards us, until the pressure was gone completely from my throat, causing me to cough before I swayed, passing out.

When I woke up, I was in an apartment I've never been in in my life. It was the sheer definition of a bachelor pad; like the one all little boys dream of one day owning. I sat up to find that I still had my dress on, but my shoes and earrings had been taken off.

I looked around the room for any signs of life, but I found none. There wasn't even a single photo in the room, making me panic slightly. Without wasting any time, I got out of the bed and headed out of the room.

I heard a deep voice in the lounge that sounded like it was trying to be hush, but I could sense the anger in the tone. The last thing I expected was to find a man in a suit, looking out of the window while he spoke on his phone.

Since he hadn't noticed my presence yet, I took the time to check him out. He's a big man for sure. He has broad shoulders and dark blonder shoulder length hair, but that's all I could see since I was facing his back. Quite frankly, I didn't think I wanted to be around when he got done with his call.

"Stop right there," he said as I got my hand on the doorknob. I turned around only to find that he hadn't turned, so I figured he was talking into his phone.

I turned the doorknob, only for him to speak again. "I mean it. Do not leave."

"Are you talking to me?" I asked, baffled.

"Artemis, find a way out of this. I'll call you again tonight," he said before hanging up and finally turning to face me.

Cerulean orbs stared down at me, and an involuntary shiver travelled down my spine. He put his fingers on his big and scruffy beard, and his tongue swiped out over his lip. I was barely breathing, taking this godly looking man in, while he was probably regretting bringing me here.

He was probably looking at all my fat rolls and thinking what a disgusting human being I am.

"We're leaving tonight," he finally spoke.

"Come again? I don't even know who you are," I pointed out.

"But I know who you are, and I know that you need my help, and I'm going to give it to you," he replied.

"Again, I don't know you, so you're probably wrong," I told him before turning to leave.

"If you walk out that door, just know that I will no longer be able to help you," he warned.

I huffed and turned back, arms crossed. "And what exactly is so harmful that's waiting for me on the other side of this door?"

"Your doom, and I'm not just saying that to sound funny. If you walk out of that door, everyone who is after your father's money will come after you," he informed.

"Why do you want to help me?" I asked.

"That's irrelevant. You just need to do as I say," he replied before walking away. I followed after him and found that he was walking to his kitchen.

"What does leaving achieve then?" I bothered to ask.

"If they can't find you, they can't take his money. Besides, this way, it buys me time to undo some things your father did," he said before offering me a glass of water. I thanked him and finished the glass, appreciating the cooling effect of the water on my throat.

"I still don't know why you want to help me," I said after a while of silence.

He leaned on the counter and raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't take too well to accepting help, do you?"

"The only thing that ever comes my way are insults on my weight and people who only want something from me. No one ever offers to just help me for the sake of it, so just say what you want and I'll get it to you so that you can leave me in peace," I told him.

I left the kitchen, only for him to pull me back, except he pulled me flush against his defined chest. Both my hands were planted firmly on his chest, and I could feel his heartbeat rapidly beating against my hand.

I didn't realize I'd moved my hands until he made a sound at the back of his throat before capturing my wrists to remove my hands from him. A flash of hurt ran through me, until I realized that I was being ridiculous for even thinking that someone like him would bother with someone like me. He probably had white women falling at his feet.

He didn't need my fat, black ass self throwing myself at him.

"I do not want anything from you. I only want to help you," he said, bringing me out of my self-pity.

"And I'd like to believe you, except people like you don't bother themselves with people like me," I told him.

"People like me? You know nothing about me," he said, an adorable scowl on his face.

Stop it Mel.

"And you know nothing about me, and yet here you are trying to tell me how to carry on with the rest of my life after losing the most important person to me," I said angrily.

He sighed. "Look, calm down. I really mean you no harm."

"Why don't I believe that?" I asked.

"My name is Aramis," he informed.

"That's nice to know. Can I leave now?" I questioned plainly.

"We can only leave tonight, so I'm going to need you to be a little patient with me here," he said, borderline pleading.

"Why? Why is this so important to you?" I asked.

He was about to reply when his doorbell went. "Thank God."

He walked over to the door and opened it before the last person I expected walked inside. She looked as beautiful as she always does, but I don't think I've ever spoken to her directly. I mean, I've been in her presence before, but I've never been allowed to talk to her directly.

"She's on the verge of running," I heard Aramis tell her.

"Well, I would run too if I woke up in some giant's apartment and he wouldn't tell me what I wanted to know, and don't bother lying to me because you're my son and I know you better than that," she told him.

"He's your son?" I accidentally blurted.

"Evie dear, it's lovely to finally talk to you in person. I've been wanting to do it, but that evil boss of yours wouldn't let you come anywhere near me," she said distastefully.

She called me by the name only my father called me by.

I frowned in confusion. "Mrs Van der Woodsen, excuse my confusion here, but do you mind telling me what's going on and why you just called me Evie?"

"My son kidnapped you, and I called you Evie because your father and I came up with that name for you together," she informed.

Aramis rolled his eyes. "I didn't kidnap her. I saved her."

"I think I'm getting lightheaded," I said as I sat down.

"Aramis, get her some water," Grier instructed. I was surprised when he left to do just that.

"Now, I know this is a lot to take in, and I'm honestly as confused as you are, but my son promised to tell me what's going on as soon as I arrived," she told me as Aramis returned with the glass of water.

"Thank you," I thanked before drinking the water once more.

"Are those finger marks on your neck?" Grier asked in concern.

"That's why she's here. A man tried to kill her," Aramis informed.

"My husband," I said.

"What?" they both said in confusion.

"My husband tried to kill me," I said more to myself at the realization.

It was all coming together now. Zayn tried to kill me because with me out of the picture, he would get my father's money no doubt as my spouse. I assume Aramis saved my life, which means he in turn saved my father's legacy.

"You're married to that man?" Aramis asked, looking extremely confused.

I nodded. "I am."

"Why?" he asked with a scowl.

"I don't have to tell you anything," I said defensively.

"The girl is right Aramis. Why did you bring her here?" Grier asked him.

"I need to make things right," he told her.

While I was confused about what on earth he was going on about, his mother seemed to know what he was talking about. "No."

"Ma, they're going to take everything from her," he argued.

She raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't try and do the same thing?"

"That was different, but that's all the more reason why I want to help her," he replied.

"And how do you intend to do that?" she asked.

"I need to get her out of the country long enough to get the evidence and information that I need," he informed.

"You're crazy. You do know that right?" she asked him.

"Ma, I called you over to help me, not to make the situation worse," he said in frustration.

"Did you want me to convince the poor girl that it's ok for her to leave the country with a brute of a man?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"I am not a brute," he said darkly.

She scoffed. "Could've fooled me."

Watching the interaction between the two of them actually made me feel better since I found myself highly amused. Aramis looked like he couldn't understand why his mother was being stubborn, while Grier looked like she couldn't understand why her child was being stupid.

Noting the imaginary steam coming out of Aramis' ears, I decided to intervene. "Mrs Van der Woodse-"

"Please, call me Grier, or Mama Vee as my closest family and friends call me," she interrupted.

"Grier, do you trust your son?" I asked her.

"No," she said without so much as a second thought.

I laughed at the look on Aramis' face. "No, seriously."

"I trust my son to an extent. To put it simply, I trust my son depending on the situation," she said honestly.

"Fair enough. I don't know what he's planning, or why he's so adamant to help me, but do you trust him to do right by me?" I asked.

She looked at him and he sent her what I'd like to think of as a pleading look. "I guess I do."

"Great! We should be le-" Aramis started only for his mother to interrupt.

"If there's so much as a scratch on her or her bank account, you will regret taking on this venture," she warned.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to me. "As I was saying, we will be leaving within the hour. Do you have anything you need to take?"

"Where's my bag?" I asked.

"We'll pick it up on our way to the airport," he replied.

"Then I don't need anything else. Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked.

"It's better if you don't know," he replied before leaving the room.

"I'm really sorry about this Evie. You don't have to go through with this," Grier said softly.

"It's ok I guess. I mean, he saved my life, and he's right about everyone coming after my father's money, so he'll be saving my life again. I should be thankful," I said with a small smile.

"I'm sorry about your father. He was a dear friend of mine, even if he didn't want our friendship being public knowledge," she said.

"I wasn't even aware that you were friends to begin with," I admitted.

"I know dear. What do you plan to do about your job?" she asked.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What Aramis is looking for could take days, if not weeks, so I don't think you'll still have a job to come back to," she pointed out.

"I didn't think about that, but it doesn't matter because Vivienne was close to firing me because I changed her opinion on that dress you made," I said before my eyes widened, realizing what I'd just admitted.

"It's ok dear. I knew that you changed the piece, and that's why I pulled out from Altor Corp. The woman is a snake and a kiss-ass. She has no back bone, despite what people would like to believe about her. I appreciated everything you had to say about the dress and even made the relevant changes. You have a brilliant eye on you dear," she commented.

I blushed. "Thank you."

"So, everything is ready on my end. Are you good to go?" Aramis asked me as he walked back into the room. He was changed into a pair of dark jeans and white t-shirt.

And I'm pretty sure I was drooling.

I snapped out of my ogling and stood up. "I guess I am."

"Take care of her Aramis. This poor child has already been through a lot," Grier told him, which made me realize that she probably knew more about me than I'd like.

"She's in safe hands Ma. I promise," he said before hugging her and kissing her forehead.

She turned to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "I know that a whole lot doesn't make sense to you right now, but I promise it will start to once you come back. I will tell you everything you want to know, except for where my son is concerned. There he will have to open up to you himself. For now, just try and see this as more of a vacation than anything else ok? Enjoy yourself and don't worry about a single thing. No one will lay a hand on your inheritance for as long as you have my son fighting for you. He's the best at what he does, so trust him. I will see you when you come back."

There was nothing to say to what she'd said to me really, so I settled for hugging her back. She hugged her son once more before he and I left. We headed down the elevator and he led me all the way to a sleek black car. I was surprised to find that it was only mid-afternoon.

"Your father's ashes are in the back," Aramis informed me.

"How did you...?" I trailed off.

"No one saw me, so no one asked questions. After I knocked your husband out, I brought them to the car before going back to carry you," he replied.

A blush swept through my face. "You carried me?"

"Why does that surprise you?" he asked in confusion as we drove towards my workplace.

Probably because Zayn says I'm too heavy.

"I'm heavy," I said lowly.

"You're not heavy, and you shouldn't think of yourself like that," he scolded.

"Except it's the truth. I'm overweight," I pointed out.

"Is that something you accept or want to change?" he asked.

"I want to change it, but I don't know where to even begin," I admitted.

"Ok," he said.

"Ok?" I asked in confusion.

Instead he nodded. "Ok."

Ok weird man.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence as we drove through the midday traffic. We eventually made it and he told me to be quick. I couldn't have thanked God fast enough when I got there and neither the twins nor Vivienne were there. I grabbed my bag and headed back down.

"Are you all set now?" he asked.

I nodded, a little out of breath. "I am, but what about my father's memorial?"

"Oh, we're not missing that for the world."

***

Elo Smurflettes!

So, there's the first chapter. I don't know how frequent my updates will be, but like I said, I hope to have a full novel by the end of the month. We'll see how things go!

Please vote, share and comment. I'd really love to know what you guys think of it! Much love!

Katee (^^,)