The office was a large space with a huge glass window looking down at the city. A wooden desk was placed in the centre of the space on top of a shaggy, black rug. A large chair with wheels welcomed Rosalie as she settled on it, facing the two chairs placed on the opposite side. A black couch was present against the left wall with colourful cushions on it. Next to it was a small coffee table, adorning a large vase filled with fresh flowers. Rosalie demanded new flowers each day. She liked the colour they added to the room and admiring them always brought her a sense of calm.

Rosalie reached for the file staring at her from her desk. She flipped it open, skimming through the pages in search for the marked passage she was supposed to look at. She finally arrived at the clause that she had specifically added.

It stated that Dylan Pierce was not allowed to be unfaithful during the course of the year they were to remain married. Rosalie had added this because she had no intention of dealing with Dylan's terrible reputation and didn't want it to taint her own image, one that she had been careful to maintain. If, for any reason, Dylan was found cheating on her, it would result in the dissolution of the marriage automatically, and half of his shares in Pacific Oil would be transferred to Rosalie. Dylan had returned the contract with the addition that the same clause be applied to her as well. Rosalie wasn't happy about that, but she expected just as much. It was only fair.

She liked sex and wasn't ashamed to admit it, but she was sure that she could control her urges. One night stands were not something she usually indulged in. That had only started two weeks ago, when she finally made peace with her sealed fate and wanted to enjoy her last few days of freedom. She had had casual flings before, but avoided doing anything stupid that could tarnish her reputation. Not a big fan of commitments, she stayed away from relationships. Besides, her busy schedule never left any time for love.  

She picked up the phone on her desk and called for her lawyer. After handing him the contract to check one last time before she signed it, she left to get on with her day.

Unfortunately for her, the day passed on quicker than she had anticipated and the time for her date was getting close. She sighed, looking at the time on her phone and called for her driver to take her home.

Plucking out a short, black, lace dress from her closet, she put it on and got ready for her meeting. Once she felt she looked presentable for the occasion, she headed out, driving herself to the fancy Italian restaurant her mother had picked. Upon entering, the staff instantly recognised her and a polite waiter led her to their table.

Dylan still hadn't arrived which was definitely a bad start to the night. Usually, she dined at one of the tables around the corner of the restaurant where no one could see her, but today's table was reserved right next to the window. She could always count on her mother to pick the proper way to show off. And tonight, Rosalie was supposed to show off her engagement.

She ordered herself a drink while she waited for her infamous fiancé to show up. Soon enough, she saw Dylan walk into the restaurant and ask the host to lead him to their table.

Through the window, she could spot a couple of paparazzis following him. They stayed far away from the restaurant but she could still see them hidden behind their cameras. Great, she thought. At least, her parents would be happy about this.

The waiter directed Dylan to their table and she watched him make his way towards her. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt. The top button of his shirt was left undone. He ran his hand through his dark, messy hair and she could notice the muscles under his shirt flex. If she didn't absolutely hate the man, she might have even considered calling him hot. But his ripped body and piercing blue eyes had no effect on her. He sat down in front of her without so much as a greeting.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to show up to your meetings on time," she asked him with a scowl.

"This isn't a meeting. It's a date. A date I didn't want to be on," he replied curtly.

Rosalie could feel anger flaring inside her. "And you think I wanted to be here?" She questioned through gritted teeth.

Dylan just shrugged in response as they were both interrupted by the waiter.

After placing their order, they both sat in silence. Dylan was busy doing something on his phone and Rosalie just stared at him in fury. Finally putting his phone down, Dylan slid his hand into the pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled out a small velvet box.

"Our parents told me to give you this," he said as he dragged the box over to her. She picked it up and opened it. A huge diamond stared back at her. The ring was beautiful but even she didn't expect her parents to go this far.

Both Rosalie and Dylan's parents had been friends since they were little and were now busy playing cupid to both of them. It pissed her off. She couldn't complain about Dylan's parents. But how could her own parents expect her to be with this douchebag sitting in front of her.

"How romantic," she remarked, annoyed while taking the ring out of the box and staring at it. "Do I have to wear it?"

"Why else would they make me go through all the trouble of getting it," he rolled his eyes at her.

She groaned before sliding it on. It fit perfectly.

At that exact moment, their food arrived, saving them from further conversation. They both ate in silence until Rosalie finally decided to ask the question that had been on her mind ever since the talk of this wedding started.

"Why did you agree to this?"

Dylan was a bit startled at her question but composed himself before answering. "We're set to be married in two weeks. Now was as good a time as any to meet," he stated.

"What? No. Not to the date. The whole thing. Why did you agree to the marriage," she asked, trying not to sound annoyed at his dumb response.

"Oh. That," he smirked. "My parents refused to hand over the reigns of the company to me unless I 'settled down'," he informed, making air quotes with his fingers.

That made sense to Rosalie. If she had to hand over her company, she wouldn't give it to someone who spent most of their time fucking around, literally.

"Of course they did," Rosalie mumbled under her breath but he heard it.

"Don't act like you're any different. I've heard stories about your exploits in a different bar each night," he scoffed.

"Unlike you, I don't make a public spectacle of everything I do. What I choose to do with my private life is none of your concern," she replied curtly.

"Yeah well, it is going to be. So whatever crisis you're going through, get it under control," he snapped.

"You're the crisis I'm going through," Rosalie stuttered and he just smirked.

Luckily, the waiter arrived to clear their plates.

"Would you like some dessert," he asked.

"No!" they both hissed simultaneously. Neither of them wanted to be there any longer than they needed to.

Dylan gave his card to the waiter to clear the bill and they waited for him to return without exchanging any other words. Once he returned, Dylan took his card back, placing it in his wallet and stood up to leave. Rosalie followed suit and upon exiting the restaurant, she set off towards her car.

"Where are you going," Dylan called out.

A frown erupted on her face the moment she heard his voice. "What do you mean," she turned around to speak.

"I'm supposed to drop you home. How do you think it'll look if I let my fiancé go home alone," he asked with furrowed brows.

Rosalie cringed at what he called her. "But I drove here myself," she informed.

Dylan sighed in exasperation. "Fine. I'll ask my driver to bring your car. Now get in," he commanded.

Rosalie was mad at the situation but she knew she didn't have a choice, especially with the paparazzi waiting a few feet away for drama to unfold.

God, why did this have to happen to me? She thought to herself before getting into the car.