Star Crossed Business Partners

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.

"This is legal right? 'Cause it sounds pretty illegal-like super illegal."

Raven backed up every word with a pointed finger hitting the greasy table. Run down diners such as the one she was in now were not unusual to her. She used to set up shop in a few back booths for hours just to keep out of the rain. But it was the first time she was sat in one with a retired con artist and two of the richest people in the city of Ark.

Across from her, Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake did not look any different from the other young adults in the city. Their clothes were understated and cheap, despite the fitting suits and expensive coats they must have had in their wardrobes. But then, they did not want to stand out. John Murphy shifted from his place beside Raven long enough to fold his arms. She barely gave him a glance-his forgery work was well known in the mechanical world. As much as she admired his talent at deceiving people, his presence hadn't cleared up why she was invited to this oh so secret meeting. In a diner. Until, of course, her hosts had opened their mouths and offered her an amazingly idiotic job.

Clarke leaned forward on the table, not seeming to care about its state. She looked like a woman on a mission; mustard stains would not hold her back. "We have looked over every detail," she said, "and there is nothing technically wrong about what we are doing."

"Correct me but I think destroying the top two companies in Ark counts as wrong," Murphy drawled, "Especially since it requires stealing clients."

His voice was not overheard by the other three customers and the lazy waitress across the room. The thundering rain that fell from the dark sky muffled any conversation.

Bellamy seemed unimpressed about Murphy's statement. He sat beside Clarke with one arm thrown across the back of the booth. Clarke didn't seem to notice. "Blake is an old company. Despite many warning from lawyers, the CEOs of the past decided against actually putting down legal barriers to stop competitors taking clients. Stupid but in the end, it has worked in our favour."

"It's the same with Griffin; they count on their clients never leaving them because they are too afraid."

Raven glanced back at Murphy finally but he just raised a bored eyebrow. "Just, let me get this straight before you say anything else utterly insane." Raven took another deep breath and stared between Clarke and Bellamy. "You want me and Murphy to pretend to be the CEOs of your new company, steal the clients of Griffin and Blake, all while you two sabotage your parents' business from the inside?!" She hissed the last part but Clarke and Bellamy just looked at each other. A beat later, they turned back to her and nodded.

"You're both crazy."

"Nah, I've seen crazy," Murphy said, "These two are something else entirely."

"You are not helping," Raven snapped, "Why are you even here? Why am I even here?"

"Raven, you are the best in your field of mechanics which is the main division of our new company," Clarke reasoned, "By having you as the joint CEO, it backs up the business; gives it credit. And Murphy? Well, he's damn good at what he does and that is getting people to give him money."

"I am really good at that," he replied smugly. Raven could see a spark dancing in Murphy's eyes; the first sign of interest he had given since walking into the diner.

"Murphy can play the part, especially if he needs to talk about the other divisions in the company. With both of you, we can pull this off," Bellamy added.

"Why?" Murphy asked, "Why the hell would you two want to take down your main source of income? You make millions."

Bellamy seemed to tense up and Clarke barely pressed a hand to his arm as if to calm him. It was a passing gesture but it was shocking for Raven. If you lived in Ark, you knew: Griffins and Blakes do not get along. They do not talk, or chat; they fight and riot. The companies had been competitors for so long that it was like an unspoken divide in the city. You either picked Blake or you picked Griffin; simple. You shopped where your side shopped; you sent your kids to the same schools your side did. You didn't mix. And now Clarke Griffin was sitting beside Bellamy Blake like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Blake hasn't been mine in a long time," Bellamy bit out, "Not since Cage Wallace took over after my parents died. He may say he's acting in trust until my sister and I are experienced enough but that's a goddamn lie."

Raven pursed her lips and titled her head. "Sounds fair-you want to take back what's yours. What about you?"

She turned to Clarke who looked back with a clenched jaw. "My father handed over all control to my mother before he died. Since then she has shut me out of every decision. She wants me to be a statue to just nod and smile for the business partners. I'm done with that."

Raven and Murphy were silent for a moment, both sizing up the rich kids across from them. There was something there; a determination that seemed to make the air crackle around them. It was as if they could lead an army into battle as long as they did it together. "So, you want to take down powerful businesses and grab all the power for yourselves, no matter the cost to your families?"

"Pretty much."

"Holy shit, they are crazy," Murphy mumbled to Raven. But Raven was actually starting to smile.

"No they're not; they just don't care anymore. Has your mother really driven you to this?"

"You have no idea," Clarke bit out but she quickly reined back her anger.

"You will of course be paid. We may be the ones really running the company but people can never know that it's us," Bellamy continued on, "This city gets into too many street fights anyway. As long as Cage and Abby Griffin find out after we've gained full control, then it will be enough for us."

It was as if Bellamy and Clarke held their breath and waited for Raven and Murphy to respond. It was a stupid plan with so many risks. The whole thing depended on being able to sell a story and making business deals in secret. And it still totally sounded super illegal.

"Count me in."

Raven looked at Murphy with wide eyes yet he just shrugged. "I've been really bored since I decided to do the whole "good guy" thing. I need something to do that uses my talents."

They all turned to Raven and just stared back. "We could be ruined if this goes wrong," she said, "Griffin and Blake would send a bloodthirsty crowd after us, you know that right?"

"That's why we are being so careful," Clarke replied.

Raven let out a rush of air and rubbed a hand over her exhausted face. She hadn't slept much since the whole Finn cheating on her thing. Her entire life had been wrapped up in one guy who betrayed her. And then this. A crazy job offer that paid good money and could set her up for life. Raven blinked. It didn't sound all that bad really. And if she did go down for this, then so would the others. Raven took in another deep breath and straightened her shoulders.

"Alright, I'm in."

Clarke and Bellamy smirked together-utterly terrifying.

"Fantastic," Clarke said, "You don't even have to do anything too risky."

"We've already set the company up abroad and in a few months, after its gained ground, we'll move to Ark," Bellamy added.

"Then, you two will appear at the CEOs. We can give you full information about the work so that your cover is intact," Clarke finished.

Raven found herself sitting back beside Murphy, their shoulders barely brushing. "What is this company even called?" Murphy asked, his eyebrow slightly raised.

"Romulus."

Six Months Later

"What the hell kind of name is Romulus anyway?!"

Clarke was pulled out of her own thoughts by her mother's shrill voice. Abby Griffin had not been in a good mood lately. First she spilled her coffee, and then a rival company set up its headquarters just down road. Abby paced the meters from one office wall to another as Clarke looked on with a bored expression. She had one leg crossed over the other, her black high heels clicking against the wooden floor.

"Romulus-the mythical founder of the city of Rome," she said, "Considering it became one of greatest empires in history, it seems fitting. Their clients seem to appreciate it."

Abby scoffed. "I am aware of their clients-a few of them used to be ours!"

She continued to walk until she reached the tall window on the right side of her office. It looked out over the city, including a view of a large building with a B plastered across the side. "I would expect this kind of thing from Blake, not some random no bodies from overseas."

Clarke was taking some pride in seeing her mother so rattled but she managed to keep her voice neutral. "Romulus has made a lot of money abroad. They clearly saw an open market here in Ark."

Abby spun around to stare at her with a questioning expression. "What open market?" she asked, "Griffin has nearly everything the people need. And, unfortunately, so does Blake."

Clarke shook her head at Abby, wondering silently how she could be so blind. "You have to admit Mom that this feud between our families has hurt business. Griffin cannot meet all the people's needs but if they pick us then they cannot go to Blake for what they are missing. So they must go without. But now, here is a neutral company that can provide them with everything. It is tempting."

"Oh yes, stealing clients is tempting," Abby said snidely, "It's also extremely deceptive."

Abby walked back to her office chair and sat down heavily. She started to sort through the letters on her desk but Clarke felt the need to add something. "We never put any legal barriers in place for our clients. They can freely take their business elsewhere. Romulus' CEOs just accepted people who were willing to take a risk."

Abby snorted and picked up one thick piece of paper with black writing. "Well, they may be getting more business but they are too new to be asked to the annual Busniess Ball thrown by the Mayor. The only down side about tonight is that those bastards the Blakes will be there."

Clarke felt her jaw clenched and she quickly put her eyes down to her tablet to distract herself. She had known Bellamy Blake for over a year now; a year spent plotting and planning. There had been late meetings and secret weekends spent building their company down to the last detail. Despite their bickering (because, God, he was stubborn!) he had actually become her friend. Or at least, a partner in not-crime.

Clarke shook her head and stood up quickly. "I'm going back down to the design department; there are a few bugs that need to be fixed before we roll out the new orders."

"Leave them; I need you to get ready for tonight. Let Monroe handle it," Abby said, her eyes already drawn away to her laptop.

Clarke tightened her hold on her tablet. "Don't do this to me again. You know I can help in the business, not just smile for the clients at balls."

Abby glanced at Clarke but her expression remained unchanged. "You are the face of this company with me, Clarke. You need to look your best for the party. Go home."

Knowing she wasn't going to win the battle, Clarke just hurried from the room. No one got in her way as she marched towards the elevator. She violently smashed the button to go down and let out a strangled breath.

The whole building was a like a cage to her, a constant memory of the way things used to be before her mother lost her father. Back then, Clarke had a future at Griffin that actually involved work she was good at. That all seemed so far away now. No matter, Clarke thought with resolve, she had made her own future after all. And in a few months, Abby was going to see just that.

Bellamy hated parties that didn't involve good alcohol or normal amounts of food; so he loathed the Busniess Ball. It was only held because Mayor Jaha wanted to keep on the good side of powerful companies in the city and it always spelt trouble. Putting people from Griffin and Blake in the same room was never a good idea and the art gallery was packed with them.

He made the rounds of the room with his sister's arm linked through his. She was just as bored but Octavia was better at sly texting than he was. She was probably on the phone to that boyfriend of hers, Lincoln. He was alright, not that Bellamy had spent a lot of time getting to know him. The siblings had decided that if they kept on the move and looked at the art then people would think they were busy. That way, they wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

Bellamy cringed as he heard a loud laugh from the left side of the room. Cage was so irritating, even from a distance. He loved the attention, especially since he managed to take over Blake two years ago. It sickened Bellamy that his mother's company, inherited from her mother, was in Cage's hands. There was a reason Bellamy and Octavia had been given their mother's maiden name; Blake meant power in Ark. And as of two years ago, power meant Cage.

Since then, Bellamy had been searching for a way to take him down. And it had come in the blonde form of his enemy, Clarke Griffin. Bellamy nearly laughed at his thoughts as Octavia grasped two champagnes flutes for them. Clarke had never been his enemy. They had never really interacted but everyone in the city was waiting for the Griffin daughter and the Blake son to go against each other in business.

Fuck that, they had both decided, let's be partners instead. It hadn't been a simple road but they were so close to completing their plan.

He glanced at one of the art pieces on show and wrinkled his nose at it. Clarke was going to hate that one for sure-way too messy for her taste. She was all about precision in her drawings; she had shown him lots in her studio.

"Bell," Octavia mumbled, "They're here."

Bellamy turned his head to see Clarke and Abby coming into the room. If there was tension before, it had only increased. Whispers followed them around the room and someone must have told Cage.

"She is so pretty, don't you think?" Octavia said as Clarke walked to the Mayor in a deep red dress.

"Not my concern O," he just said, "And don't let anyone overhear you complementing her."

The last thing he wanted was for Octavia to have an even bigger target on her back. She was a Blake who didn't give a shit about a feud. She did what she liked but that was the reason why he hadn't let her in on his and Clarke's plan. It was too dangerous and he needed her safe.

Cage and Abby seemed to make eye contact for a single moment but it was filled with sneers and scoffing. Bellamy tugged at his tie as he noticed people from both sides getting more chatty and fidgety. He had been in enough brawls to know how to sense the start of a big one.

He and Octavia had moved over to the food table-not that there was much food-and placed their glasses on the trays. Marcus Kane was standing there talking to a client but he managed to smile at the Blake siblings. Kane had been a constant in their lives for years and had just lost out on gaining control of Blake from Cage. He would have been a better choice than the fake, cruel man who was running their company.

Bellamy risked a glance over his shoulder in time to see Clarke grimace at the crazy painting he had just left. He swallowed a smile and turned back to his sister. Yet Octavia frowned at his expression, even when he tried to keep it neutral.

"What?" he asked casually.

"You looked like-nothing," she said, "You've just been acting weird for a while now."

"Define weird O."

"Happy."

Bellamy looked down at her again in surprise but Octavia kept going. "I catch you sometimes, dear brother, when you think no one is looking. What is going on?"

I'm about to take over this whole damn city with a Griffin princess who looked good in red, he thought but on the outside, Bellamy just shrugged.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he answered her.

Octavia clearly did not believe him.

He was saved from having to say anything else by somebody getting tackled into a priceless statue. Both the men and the statue fell to the ground and suddenly people were screaming, yelling, or throwing punches.

"What the hell?!" Octavia exclaimed but Bellamy had pushed her back, blocking her from the fighting. Kane shoved his way towards them and yelled, "Back exit! Go!"

Bellamy nodded and grabbed his sister's hand, with Kane right behind them. If one of the Griffin's supporters spotted them, they'd been in the middle of the riot. Just as they reached the exit, a flash of a red dress appeared across Bellamy's vision. He glanced back to see Clarke hitting someone with a waiter's tray. She was probably giving people concussions. Bellamy growled and hurried Octavia through the door.

"Both of you get to car and get out of here. I'll be right behind you."

Octavia gave him an angry glare but she and Kane did leave. Bellamy hurried back to edge of the display behind Clarke. He shot out and grabbed her arm, tugging her behind the large painting. "What are you doing?!" he said to her but she gestured back to the fighting.

"They were going to slash that painting! It's priceless!"

"So you smash him over the head with a tray?"

"It was either that or one of the ugly paintings."

Bellamy almost laughed at that. "We need to get out here," he responded instead, pointing to the exit.

Clarke glanced at it but shook her head. "We can't be seen leaving the same way, not even in a fight. You take that way, I'll take the front."

"Like hell I am leaving you to get through that mob. You take the back way, I'll take the front."

Clarke glared at him. "You are so stubborn."

"Pot and kettle, Princess, pot and kettle."

She took off towards the exit and he braced himself to fight through the crowd. It would be easy; people were already hurrying towards the door. Yet, as he shoved his way through the fight, he did wonder how some guests managed to sneak knives into the ball.

"I cannot believe he got himself stabbed! He should have just let me go to the front."

Clarke tapped hands on the wheel of her car as she turned the corner onto a dark street. She knew the route inside out, including how to get to Bellamy's apartment without being seen. She parked her car a few buildings down and after grabbing her bag, she hurried as fast as her high heels would let her.

In hindsight, she should have changed but Bellamy had called her as soon as she had finished listening to her mom yell about Blakes and everything being their fault. After she had heard the words "knives" and "help", Clarke really hadn't thought of anything else.

She took the back door and stairs to his floor and was soon putting her key into the lock. She was glad she had a spare; there had been a few close calls back when she had to knock and someone could have spotted her waiting at his door. Once inside his place, she locked the door again and searched for him. Clarke found Bellamy sitting on the arm of his couch, his shirt already off and looking very annoyed.

"I told you it's not that bad," he reasoned but Clarke was already looking at his wound. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was more of a slash than an actual stabbing. He had stopped much of the bleeding but a red line went from his collar bone to his arm.

"You are so lucky this isn't deep," she muttered as she opened her bag.

"The guy took a lucky swing; it's amazing that he connected at all," Bellamy said as Clarke stood between his legs and cleaned the wound. He stayed still, even when she took off her heels and threw them beside his by the coffee table.

"I can't go through another night like tonight," she said softly."

Bellamy sighed, one hand braced against his knee near Clarke's hip. "We've been putting up with fights like that since we were kids, Princess. We can hold out a few more months. Plus, since Romulus set up base a few weeks ago, people have been talking."

Clarke nodded as she finished patching him up. "I know. Mom was freaking out this morning over another client leaving to go to Romulus."

Bellamy grinned, his eyes getting brighter right in front of her. "Cage is pissed; Blake lost two this month thanks to Murphy's charm and Raven's brains."

His wound was done but Clarke didn't move away from him; Bellamy didn't seem to notice.

"I know I was hesitant at first-about destroying what our families had built..."

"It's ok," Bellamy said, "I felt that same way. But Griffin and Blake are no longer the companies we remember. Romulus can be better. It will be better."

Clarke gave him a determined nod but any other response was lost when the door to Bellamy's spare bedroom opened and Octavia stepped into the room. Clarke and Bellamy froze when they saw her; Clarke's stomach dropping at the realisation that they had been caught.

"Oh. My. God," Octavia said, still in her dress and make up.

"O," Bellamy managed to choke out, "W-what-why are you here? When?"

Octavia's wide eyes raced between Clarke and her brother. "Kane, he...he dropped me off and told me to wait for you but I fell asleep...how, you two?"

"O, I can explain," Bellamy started but his sister interrupted him.

Octavia's expression turned from shock to happiness as she exclaimed, "You're dating!"

There was only one beat of silence. Bellamy must have looked incredibly confused but Clarke had no such problem. She quickly wrapped both arms around Bellamy's neck and pulled herself closer between his legs. "Yup, you caught us!"

"What?!" Bellamy spun his head around, his parted lips brushing against the skin on Clarke's neck. She jumped away from him slightly but held onto his shoulders.

"Right?" she said with conviction, "We're dating. Why else would I be here? Your sister has figured it out."

It took him a minute but Bellamy wrapped one arm around Clarke's waist. Bellamy slowly nodded and turned back to Octavia. "Uh yah, we-we're dating."

Octavia laughed and darted forward to hug her brother. "I am so happy for you! She is so out of your league."

Octavia then hugged Clarke too which was a real surprise. "I'm really glad that you aren't mad," Clarke said, her eyes darting back to Bellamy.

Octavia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh like I care about this stupid feud. Since you're clearly the reason why my brother has been so upbeat these past few months, I love you. You have been dating all these months right?"

"Yup," Clarke said quickly and Bellamy bit back a groan. "We just can't let anyone know, ok?"

Octavia mimicked zipping her lips and then grinned. "No problem; this is so adorable. I have to go tell Lincoln."

"Octavia! We just said-."

"Chill big brother. Lincoln doesn't live in this city and he can keep a secret better than anyone. I'll be right back." She hurried back into the spare room and shut the door.

Bellamy and Clarke stood there in silence for a moment before Bellamy said, "What just happened?"

Clarke groaned and ran a hand threw her hair. "I wasn't thinking! She just said it and it seemed best to just go along."

"My sister thinks we're dating! And she's telling her boyfriend! She's probably in there right now quoting Shakespeare."

Clarke frowned at the spare room door and asked, "How did she not hear us though. We were right here."

Bellamy shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can only hear muffled noises from outside when you're in there. You wouldn't know that because you're usually in my bedroom."

He stilled at his own words and looked up to see Clarke turning red. "I mean because that where my computer is!" he hissed but Clarke just shushed him.

"It doesn't matter. We need to figure out what we're going to do about this."

Bellamy rubbed his wound slightly and Clarke slapped his hand away. He grumbled and managed to shrug. "O can't know the real story; not yet. You know my reasons for that."

Clarke gave him an understanding look.

Bellamy swallowed thickly. "We're going to have to pretend to be a couple until the takeover is done. It's only a few more months right?"

Clarke nodded shyly and busied herself with putting away her things. "I need to get back before my mom drops by my apartment and I'm not there. She's already called me twice."

Bellamy just hummed in response, his mind already trying to come up with a background story for his and Clarke's relationship. Shit, what had she gotten him into? Clarke made her way towards the door but turned back.

"Listen, text me tomorrow and I'll see you at the meeting at two ok?"

Bellamy nodded and Clarke quickly left. He could only imagine how Raven and Murphy were going to react at the meeting. They'd probably laugh their asses off.

Bellamy eased himself into a softer t-shirt and sat back on his couch. His mind desperately searched for reasons for him and Clarke meeting as Octavia finally came out of the spare room. She flopped herself down beside him and kicked off her shoes. She opened her mouth to probably ask him numerous questions but his phone beeped.

"That's Clarke right? She's saying goodnight?" Octavia said with a smug grin.

It was Clarke but there was a little more than a goodnight on his screen. "Tell her we met in a bar at a conference last year-that's the truth but she'll think we got together instead of, you know, plotting a takeover. Stop scratching your wound. Goodnight."

Bellamy's hand paused mid-scratch on his white bandage and he let it fall onto his lap.

"Tell me everything," Octavia said in a voice that scared him slightly. Whenever she had used it in the past, someone had to get bailed out of jail. Usually him.

"Uh, do you remember that business thing I went to last year? It was for the weekend and from Ark, it was only Blake and Griffin representatives invited? No one really knew about the feud?"

Octavia clapped her hands together. "That's where you met and you saw her across a crowded room and instantly fell in love."

Well, yah he had seen her across a crowded room but the only thought in his head was FUCK! And Clarke was the one who said it out loud over her glass of wine.

"Not exactly O, but we did agree to get along for the weekend so that we could get work done. At dinner that night, we were seated together by accident and started talking."

Octavia sighed happily. "And the two of you found out you had so much common and realised you were perfect for one another."

Bellamy just smiled and nodded along. In truth, they found out how much they both hated their own businesses and after a few too many glasses, a hypothetical plan had taken shape. The next day, that plan was taken a bit more seriously. By the time that weekend had wrapped up, they had both committed to their crazy idea.

"I can't believe you have managed to hide her from me this while time. It must have been so hard for you."

Bellamy looked at his sister, her hair falling from the careful bun she had constructed earlier. "It wasn't nice to lie to you O. But I needed to keep you safe in case we got found out. Clarke agreed with me."

Octavia rolled her eyes at him. "You don't need to protect me so much you know. I'll be out of this place in a couple of months anyway when I get that scholarship to Lincoln's college. Can you imagine? A life completely free of Cage Wallace."

"Sounds amazing," Bellamy replied as he tried to stretch his tense muscles.

"You and Clarke should come with me!" Octavia exclaimed, "We can all just leave this godforsaken city and live exactly how we want."

Bellamy sighed and attempted to look less guilty than he felt. "We'll see O. Clarke and I can't just leave Ark with all the money tied up in the business. We have to figure stuff out first."

Octavia hummed and just grabbed her high heels from the ground. "Well hopefully, Griffin and Blake won't be our problem anymore; not if this company Romulus has anything to do with it."

She wandered into his kitchen for a drink and Bellamy was left sitting on the couch for a moment. He let out a sigh of relief but he knew his sister was curious. She would want to know everything and that included seeing Clarke again.

Bellamy picked up his phone and typed, "Job done Princess but we have more work ahead of us. Goodnight."

He let the phone sit on the cushions beside him and ran a hand over his face. They could handle this right? It was just playing along for a while until his sister lost interest. On the upside, he didn't have to outright lie about who he was going to see anymore and Octavia could back him up if anyone got nosy.

Really, they were about to take down two highly successful companies that had survived for decades; he and Clarke could fool his sister for a few months. But that didn't stop a nagging feeling poking at his brain.

Seriously, what had she gotten him into?!