Married at First Sight Episode 6

📖 The Story Continues

“Well, I am a very busy man.” Christian’s words echoed in Summer’s ear, confirming every warning Jess had given her. She gripped the phone more tightly, embarrassed by the hope she had allowed herself to feel. Marrying him by accident had not made her entitled to command the most sought-after man on Wall Street.

“Yeah, no, of course,” she rushed to say. She knew an interview was nearly impossible; Jess had made that perfectly clear. Summer tried to explain without sounding desperate, but the sentences tangled together as she searched for a graceful way to withdraw the request.

She did not tell him that refusal could cost her job. Sympathy was another kind of debt, and Summer had accumulated enough debts—financial and emotional—to last a lifetime. If Christian said no, she would face Penny herself and find another way forward.

“Summer, relax.” Christian interrupted before she could retreat any further. The laughter in his voice replaced the stern distance she had imagined. He confessed that he was only joking and agreed to the interview as if she had asked him to share a cup of coffee rather than grant access coveted by major newspapers.

For a moment, Summer thought she had misunderstood. “That’s it?” she asked. He did not need time to consider the effect on his schedule or consult his public relations team. One request from her had apparently achieved what experienced journalists could not accomplish in months.

Christian’s answer came without hesitation. “You’re my wife. I trust you.” The word wife still felt strange, but the trust struck deeper. Vincent had accepted five years of devotion and then claimed he had never asked for it. Christian had known her for barely a day and was willing to place his reputation in her hands.

Summer thanked him, her voice quieter now. Kindness should not have surprised her so much, yet it did. She had learned to expect affection to arrive with conditions and generosity to become a weapon. Christian’s easy agreement offered neither, leaving her unsure how to protect herself from the warmth spreading through her chest.

They arranged to see each other later. Summer ended the call before the conversation could drift into more dangerous territory, then stared at her phone with a disbelieving smile. Her impossible assignment had become real in the space of a few minutes.

In his office, Christian lowered his own phone more slowly. The room felt different after hearing Summer’s voice, less consumed by schedules and financial reports. He had married her to solve a problem, yet helping with hers had given him an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

He considered the absurdity of the situation. Yesterday, marriage had been an obstacle he spent fortunes avoiding. Today, the thought of a wife calling him for help seemed almost comfortable. “I could get used to this marriage kind of thing,” he murmured, more intrigued than alarmed by the realization.

Summer returned to the main office with renewed purpose. Jess searched her expression for evidence of disaster, but Summer did not stop to explain. She headed directly toward Penny, savoring the fact that the seventy-two-hour deadline had collapsed before it had truly begun.

Penny looked up with immediate irritation. “What do you want?” she demanded. Her tone suggested that Summer’s dismissal had already been decided and any interruption merely delayed the inevitable. She expected excuses, perhaps a plea for more time.

Summer set the assignment file on Penny’s desk. “I got us an exclusive interview with Mr. Norton.” She delivered the news without embellishment. The truth was impressive enough, and watching Penny’s confidence crack required no celebration.

Penny stared at her. For once, the woman famous for cutting remarks had none ready. Securing Christian Norton was beyond the reach of reporters with far more experience and influence than Summer; accomplishing it almost immediately should have been impossible.

Around them, curious coworkers began to listen. Jess’s face brightened with shock and pride, while Summer kept her attention fixed on Penny. She wanted no misunderstanding: the task had been completed, the deadline satisfied, and the threatened dismissal stripped of its stated justification.

Penny demanded confirmation, searching Summer’s face for a lie. Summer calmly repeated that Christian had agreed. She did not reveal how she knew him or mention the marriage certificate hidden among her belongings. Her private life was not evidence Penny had any right to inspect.

Behind Penny’s surprise, calculation had already begun. Nancy expected Summer to be punished, and Penny had promised to make it happen. If obtaining the interview could not destroy Summer, then the interview itself would have to become the weapon.

Summer recognized the hostility returning to her boss’s eyes but refused to surrender the victory. For the first time since Vincent’s betrayal, someone powerful had chosen to stand on her side. Christian might call their relationship a marriage, a favor, or an arrangement; whatever its name, his trust had given her room to fight back.

Yet accepting his help bound their lives a little more tightly. The interview would bring Christian into her workplace, place them beneath the scrutiny of coworkers, and force Summer to conceal why the unreachable billionaire had agreed so readily. One careless glance between them could expose the secret neither had prepared to explain.

Penny slowly leaned back in her chair, surprise settling into a thin, dangerous smile. Summer had survived the impossible task, but her boss was already imagining questions sharp enough to humiliate both interviewer and guest. The exclusive interview was secured—and the next trap was waiting inside it.