Part I: A Strange Request
Twenty-five year old Caroline Forbes tapped her raspberry colored fingernails on her desk impatiently. Her blue eyes focused on the little clock at the bottom of her computer screen besides the Mikaelson Studios logo on the screen. The clock read 4:55 PM. In exactly five minutes she would be free and she would have endure one more day of her horrible job.
Caroline had come to Los Angeles, California straight after graduating at the top of her class at Mystic Falls high school in Virginia with dreams of being a famous actress and living in Hollywood. Caroline had known that this was going to be far from easy, but she honestly hadn't expected it to be this hard. For the past eight years she had struggled to live in L.A. and working in a bunch of dead end job like retail and fast food joints.
Too embarrassed to go back home, she had begged her best friend and college roommate Bonnie Bennett to help land Caroline a better job and Bonnie had turned out to be her guardian angel sent from Heaven. Bonnie was dating a man named Kol Mikaelson at UCLA and they were both in the premed program, Kol had mentioned that his older brother Klaus needed a personal assistant and Kol had immediately referred her to Klaus, and Klaus had called her that same day to schedule an interview.
Caroline wasn't going to lie, when she had first interviewed for the job when she was twenty she had immediately swoon for Niklaus Mikaelson. It was hard not to. He had a handsome face, designer clothes, and a charming accent courtesy of studying abroad all his life.
But Caroline had quickly learned that the only pretty thing about him was his looks.
Five seconds into the interview Caroline had quickly found out the kind of person he was. He was arrogant, rude, and selfish and talked over Caroline even before she finished answering his question.
In short, Caroline despised the guy and she was sure that Klaus felt the same way and who could blame him she was young, with no experience, and only a high school graduate.
Imagine her surprise when Klaus called her the next morning to tell her that she got the job and offered her a salary, which was quite generous.
So for the past five years she had become Klaus' assistant/slave in training. Bringing him his coffee and lunch, managing his appointments, sending contracts to the lawyers, and dealing with his temper tantrums. In short her personal version of hell. She still went to auditions whenever she could, though she had had bad luck so far.
Caroline looked at the clock again as she grabbed her purse, 4:59 PM, yes!
Then this happened. "Caroline, can you come here?"
Caroline cursed under her breath, no please, no thank you not that she was expecting any. Caroline straightened her black skirt and headed towards Klaus' office. Klaus was at his desk typing on his computer, not bothering to look up.
Klaus Mikaelson was CEO of Mikaelson Studios, a successful film company that had quickly reach Hollywood royalty and specialize in producing successful action movies. Mikael Mikaelson had originally been planning on making his eldest son, CEO but Elijah showed no interest in film so he had given the position to Klaus, bitterly.
Caroline stood there for at least ten seconds before she left out an unsure. "Um."
Klaus raised his head and looked at her annoyed. "You can sit down."
She bit her tongue, to keep herself from saying anything inappropriate. "Yes, can I help you, Mr. Mikaelson because techcailly I'm done for the day-"
"My brother Elijah and his fiancée, Katherine are getting married this weekend." Klaus said talking over Caroline as if she hadn't said anything.
"Oh, congratulations."
"Why are you telling me? Elijah and Katherine are the ones getting married." Klaus said as if Caroline had made a stupid mistake.
Caroline gave him an icy smile. "Well, you can tell him for me then."
"Actually you can tell them yourself."
"Excuse me?"
Klaus sighed impatiently even though he wasn't making sense at all. "Since my brother and Katherine are getting married this weekend naturally it's going to be a big event. Family and friends are coming from all over, my parents from England including." He folded his hands. "Recently, my parents have expressed concerned about my dating habits and they want me to settle down. Naturally, you can guess how annoying this can be."
"Naturally." Caroline said, this time the sarcasm was obvious in her voice. For the past five years she had worked with Klaus she had seen no less than 25 women leaving messages, phone calls, or dropping by. Mostly models and young actresses, she didn't blame his parents for worrying and she wondered if they knew their son was a man-slut. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mikaelson, but what does this have to do with me?"
Klaus stared at Caroline as if she should have guessed it herself. "Miss Forbes, you have been working for me for how many years?"
"Five."
"Exactly, you know me best and besides my brother, Kol none of my family knows you're actually my assistant," he said sounding exasperated. "What I'm trying to say is that I want you to accompany me to the rehearsal dinner this Friday and the actual wedding the following day on Saturday."
Caroline gaped. Was Klaus serious? Did he really think she would actually be his date? "Um, I'm sorry Mr. Mikaelson, but I don't think it's actually in my job description."
Klaus clicked his tongue. "Believe me, I will make it worth your while, Caroline. How much do you want?"
Caroline flushed red and said angrily. "I'm not prostituting myself for money."
Klaus slammed his hand on the desk and said rather sarcastically. "I'm not asking you for sex, sweetheart. I'm asking you to simply be my date while my parents are in town for the weekend so that they can get off my back. I will provide clothes for the wedding and rehearsal dinner included. I'm willing to give you something in exchange, name your price, money, a car, jewels? I can give you everything your little heart desires."
Caroline's jaw tightened in rage.
Klaus looked at her, smirking. "Or, I can set up a couple of auditions for you for the new movies that are coming out. I can't promise anything, but your dream is to be an aspiring actress, correct? And many of the directors for the movies we produce are very well known I'm sure that will help you in . . . . Your non-existing career."
"It's not non-existing." She snapped. Even though it practically was. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mikaelson, but I can't."
Klaus looked disappointed. "All right, Caroline, but do call if you change your mind. You're the only halfway decent person I know that isn't related to me."
"He did what?" Bonnie's eyes widened as she and Caroline unpacked their dinner that night. Chinese food take out since both of them were horrible cooks. "He actually asked you to be his fake girlfriend for his brother's wedding?"
"Yep," Caroline said as she stuck a piece of fortune cookie in her mouth. "You should have seen how calm he was, it was like he was asking me to set up an appointment. He has been making my life hell for five years, did he honestly think I would say yes?"
"Was he going to pay you or something?" Bonnie started opening the box of dumplings.
Caroline hesitated. "Clothes and a few movie auditions, if he's catching on that I'm getting nowhere in my acting career then I'm really screwed."
Bonnie looked at her sympathetically. "You have just gone through a few rough patches, Care. It happens."
Caroline looked doubtful. "I've been living in L.A. ever since I graduated high school and I've only gotten very small roles like girl standing next to the hot dog cart." She grabbed a pair of chopsticks. "But that doesn't mean I'm desperate enough to have dinner with the entire cast of the Addams family."
"You tell them," Bonnie squealed as her phone started ringing. "It's Kol. Hi, sweetie, how's the paper going? Yeah, well Tanner is an ass, your argument of flesh eating diseases was brilliant. I'll see you tomorrow." She giggled. "Kol, Caroline is here! Ok, I love you, bye."
"You guys are repulsive." Caroline scoffed, half-jokingly as she grabbed a beer from the fridge.
"Hey, don't be jealous." Bonnie teased her. "Anyway, since when do you drink beer?"
"I've been working for that dictator for the past five years, just be happy I'm not in rehab." Caroline took a swing of the beer and it burned her tongue. She had forgotten how awful beer tasted, she always preferred a Cosmo. "Can you believe he was so desperate for a date that he had to ask me? I was sure that he had fake girlfriends stack up his closest by now."
"Actually, I think it's a pretty good deal." Bonnie said slowly as she opened the box containing the fried rice. Caroline looked at her as if she were crazy. "What? I mean? He's not asking for sex, just for a date. Dinner, meeting the family, maybe some dancing. His parents rarely come here, so next time he sees them he'll just tell them that you broke up. Simple as that, besides you never know, maybe you could land a good role in a movie."
"Bonnie-"Caroline hesitated.
Bonnie raised her hands in mock surrender. "Just stating my opinion, it's your choice, Care, but Mikaelson studios makes great movies and if you land a role it could really start your career."
"Ok, fine, I'll do it," she huffed pretending to be mad as she dialed the number on her phone. "You're too persuasive for your own good, you know that."
Klaus was sitting in his luxurious penthouse apartment building drinking a glass of whisky on his Italian imported couch not looking at anything in particular. He glanced at the small calendar next to him. His brother's rehearsal dinner was in three days and he needed to have a date by then. He didn't really think he could stand another meeting with his parents while they glared at him and judge him for being with another airheaded model.
He had been really counting on Caroline. She was the only one who knew him better to some degree, he never thought that she would decline. Maybe he should have threatened her a bit.
His cell phone started ringing. He frowned when he didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"
"Hi, Klaus-I mean Mr. Mikaelson?" It was Caroline on the other end sounding nervous. "I thought about your proposal and are you sure you would be able to set up a few auditions for me?"
Klaus relaxed in his chair. "Of course, I can love. Name your price and it will be delivered to your doorstep with a big red bow."
"I want you to set up the auditions," she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she wouldn't regret it. "I'll do it, I'll be your fake girlfriend for the weekend."
-End of Part I-
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