My dear little broccolis💚💚💚

💚 Give Me The Daddy, I'll Give You The Sugar 💚

"The best investment I ever made, was when I lost fifty million dollars and met the love of my life as a result of that."

‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️

‼️Romance/Angst/Drama/Lemons‼️

‼️Clace/The Waylands/OGs/Magnus Bane/‼️

💚 READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER 💚

Chapter 3: Sweets & Whiskey(7,9K)

"I don't understand why you are calling me," Magnus said in an exasperated voice.

It was bright in the morning, and Clary was walking with a fast path so she could get to class. She had decided to call Magnus on the way because, given his reaction to the restaurant last night, texting would be way too long. that, and the fact that there was some frost here and there, and she didn't trust herself to be walking and texting when the floor was so dangerous.

She had summed up the whole dinner she had had with Jace, bringing her earphone several times out of her ears when Magnus squealed. She never knew one could squeal so much. He squealed as soon as she called, swooning over the restaurant she had dinner in, and asking tons of questions about the food, and about the staff and service (of course, the restaurant director in him perked its nose and checked the concurrence).

Then, he squealed when she told him that Jace had reserved a private room for them. And he squealed when she told him about Jace's proposition. And he squealed when she told him the ridiculous amount Jace was ready to pay her. He squealed a lot for this one.

"I mean, if the man had come to me with that kind of proposition, I would have jumped on the occasion. You do realise that some people struggle to make that amount in a year."

She sighed, pulling her scarf closer at the brisk of wind, and making sure it wasn't muffling the mike of her earphone before she retorted,

"Well, maybe I should tell Jace to call you so you can help him."

"He's not my type."

"You keep on saying how hot he is!"

"He's not my type as in, I don't go after straight people. Even with girls, I like it better when they're like me, bisexual."

"Maybe he's bisexual as well," She bit back, more to annoy Magnus, than because she believed it to be true. After all, though he never said the words, Jace had made it pretty clear that he was more interested in women than men.

"Maybe, but at the end of the day, he wants to get in your pants, not mine."

"Well, he won't," She muttered, making a mental note to make sure that Jace would not 'forget' to add this clause when he would present her with a real contract she could read and throw back at his face if he went out of line.

"I mean, this is perfect for you. You get paid a shit load of money to be pretty, and you get the upside of having of boyfriend, without the downside."

"Weren't you the one who said I shouldn't get in a relationship with the man, to begin with?"

"But as he said, it's not a relationship. It's business. He's offering you a much better job than I ever could, with much better money. I don't even understand what you thought I was going to tell you. Of course, go for it!"

Clary deeply breathed through her nose, trying to understand why she was so bothered by this whole deal, when, as Magnus just pointed out, it was a gift fallen from Heaven. With this job, she could even transfer next year in a better Uni with better ratings, and still not worry about paying the fees. With this job, she could live and stop surviving.

And then it hit her. It wasn't the job in itself. After all, as Magnus and Jace said, she was paid to be pretty. Who didn't like being told they were pretty and getting paid on top of that? After all, beauty pageants existed for a reason. No, the problem was that she knew her employer first hand.

Whether it was Alicante or Idris, or even the several other jobs she had done before that, she had never known first hand the top boss. The boss's boss's boss. Sometimes, she didn't even know their names or what they looked like. And now, she would know her number one boss, first hand. And no matter the contract, no matter the way Jace swore he treated all of his business transactions with respect, it made her feel vulnerable.

She didn't like the idea of her only source of revenue depending on someone she knew and could end up falling apart with. She had learnt the hard way to only rely on herself, and her last relationship with Henry only proved her right.

"Come on, Clare bear. Just move in with me. It would be much easier for both of us if we only pay half a rent each."

She twisted her hands with discomfort, feeling bad for refusing something so simple, but she had struggled so much to find her little apartment, she didn't want to give it up. Henry sighed with annoyance, before kissing her and saying,

"I thought you loved me, and you wanted to be with me. How can we build a future together, when you won't even share your life with me now?"

"How about ... Maybe ... You could move in with me. I mean, my place is a bit bigger than yours and I have much more stuff to move than you."

He smiled, like a kid who has been offered a Christmas present and kissed her again. She loved it when he was like that, loving and spontaneous, not afraid to show his feelings. She loved how he made her melt, and in those moments, all the fights, and all his bad tempers were forgotten. It was all worth it, because, in the end, he loved her.

Every day that passed by, Clary was grateful to her lucky star to have given her the wit to refuse his offer and to stay in her apartment. She couldn't even imagine how she would have survived after their breakup otherwise. After all, she was the one who had to throw him out, and change the locks because he would keep on coming back, with his sweet words of sorry and loving her more than anything.

"Earth to Clary!" Magnus called out in her earphone, and she shook her head to get back to the present. She looked up, seeing that she was ten minutes away from her University, and once again, she rearranged her scarf before confessing,

"I just ... don't like ... having to rely on someone else to live."

"I know, Biscuit. None of us does. But, you're seeing this from a point-of-view too personal. As he said, it's just a business transaction. You don't rely on Jace, you expect Mr Wayland to respect his hand of the bargain. If you're so worried, maybe you should make sure that the contract is enforceable by law, and that you can take him to court if he steps out. His lot will do anything to stay away from this kind of scandal."

"Yeah, I'll think about that."

As she ended her phone conversation with her friend and thought about this arrangement she was about to sign with Jace Wayland, she tried to see it from an objective point-of-view. As Magnus as said, she was seeing it from a point-of-view too personal. It was just another job, a very well paid job, that could give her much more advantages than inconveniences. So she should stop thinking too much into it, and just enjoy it whilst it lasts. After all, even if she only worked for Mr Wayland for two months, she would make more money in that period of time than she ever would in a year.

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

After her classes, she went to the Alicante, where she knew Jace was waiting for her. They had agreed for her to drop by his ridiculously spacious room before her shift at Idris so they could read and sign together the contract he would have printed. But as she was standing at the entrance of the luxurious hotel, Clary chickened out.

She promptly walked to the staff entrance, praying that Madam Dorothea would still be there, and walked to the older woman's office. If anyone saw her and recognise her, they would assume she was just paying Madam Dorothea a visit, or that she wanted her old job back, not that she was meeting with one of the richest men out there. She just didn't want to be the centre of gossip.

Thankfully to her, Madam Dorothea was on her way out when she caught a glimpse of her. She politely smiled at Clary, though it was obvious that she was surprised to see the redhead there.

"Everything okay, Clary?"

"Yes. Of course. How are you doing? Busy, with the Christmas season?"

"We're fully booked for the month to come, which is always a joy. Though this year the reservations started later than usual."

Clary nodded, more to acknowledge Madame Dorothea's statement than anything else. The older woman briefly looked at Clary, before reopening her office and inviting the young girl in. Clary followed, still feeling intimidated by the woman in that specific room. It was where she had held her interview with Madam Dorothea who did not give her any opening or insight of how she felt about hiring Clary.

"So, what's on your mind, Clary?" She asked, sitting behind the desk as she indicated the redhead to sit as well. Clary looked awkwardly at the chair, not sure how to properly formulate her request without arising any sorts of suspicions.

"Well ... I would need a sort of favour."

Madam Dorothea looked at her, showing that Clary had her undivided attention, and so Clary went on, "I am ... meeting with this person I know in one of the rooms upstairs, and I would like to go there without having to go through reception and starting gossips about me."

A small silence rose between them, and Clary had no other choice but to look up at Madam Dorothea. She saw that the older woman was looking at her with a sweet smile and a bit of nostalgia shining in her eyes. And still, when she opened her mouth, her tone was hard and worried,

"You didn't quit because of Mr Wayland, did you?"

"No! No. Why would you think that?"

"He hasn't been inappropriate in his actions or words, has he?"

"Not at all. I ... why would you even think that?"

Madam Dorothea smiled, reaching for one of her drawers and pulling a bottle of gin. She poured herself and Clary a glass each, pushing the second glass in Clary's direction as she explained,

"Because I have been in your position. Believe it or not, years ago, when I was still a young and innocent doe-like yourself, I was quite a looker as well."

Clary looked at the older woman, trying to imagine her younger, and she could see the vestiges of a past beauty. It was a different kind of beauty, something more in the lines of Marilyn Monroe and Josephine Baker. Sure time had had its toll on her, and yet, when one paid attention to her, they could still see the remaining of that beauty.

Still, Clary cleared her throat, highly doubting that Madam Dorothea ever found herself in a situation where a billionaire asked her to just be pretty by her arm. And it seemed that her feelings transpired on her face, because Madame Dorothea chuckled, asking,

"Let me guess, he asked you to accompany him on several of his business functions, in exchange for financial favours?"

Though she had always been confident and she knew there was no shame in what she had agreed to do for Jace, Clary couldn't help but blush a deep red with embarrassment. Maybe it was something in the way Madam Dorothea had been so blunt about it. Or maybe it was because she had intended to keep this arrangement her dirty little secret. Still, she felt her face warm up so hot that she was sure someone could fry an egg on it.

"Don't be embarrassed, sweetheart. There is nothing wrong in being pretty and being appreciated for it. As I said, I went through the exact same thing. Except, in my days, men mostly ask for me to cover their sexuality. I have to admit, I wasn't aware of this as still something people did nowadays. I mean, it is not acceptable and even trendy to be gay, or alone, or a single parent. But here you are, proving me wrong."

Clary took a sip on the gin, wishing it had been something a bit browner. Though she had nothing against strong liquors, she wasn't particularly fond of drinking clear alcohol on their own. But it gave her the nerve she needed to regain her confidence and tell Madam Dorothea,

"Well, apparently, some men still like the idea of being accompanied to their posh little get-togethers and stuff."

"Is that all he's expecting from you?"

"That's all that I'm giving," She firmly said, fully aware of what Madam Dorothea was implying. This made her wonder if the older woman used to give more than she was about to give Jace when she wasn't working with gay men, and before she could think of a polite way to ask, Madam Dorothea told her,

"Never forget that in those kinds of arrangement, you are the one in power. You can't give what you don't want to give, even if it's just your time.

You know, I actually met my husband like that. Eric was the last bachelor of his friends, and in desperate need of a woman by his arms to show the world, he was a respectable man. It took him five years for me to agree to marry him. I got very lucky to find him, even though that meant only getting married at thirty.

And I know, this is the norm now, but back in the days, I was considered an old maid. In fact, I was a virgin when I married Eric. The kinky and the freaky came after the marriage, to his delight. I'm not saying that you should close your legs until you get a ring, because you're most likely to never get one, Eric was a fluke, but don't do what you don't want to do. No matter how much he wants to give you. You're not giving him your boy, but your time."

Clary tried not to picture Madam Dorothea getting freaky with her husband, though, given the strict nature of the woman, that seemed impossible, and she pointed out, grimacing a bit as she recalled Jace's words from yesterday,

"You make it sound like a business transaction."

"Because that's what it is to them. You are a business transaction, lost amongst others. Very few of those men dwell in feelings. They don't have the time, nor even the capacity to feel. Their job sucked it away. Don't ever forget that, Clary. Don't fall in love with someone who isn't in love with you already. Because if you do, they will walk all over you, as if you were nothing. And they would take advantage of you. This is what they do. As soon as they see a weak spot in a business deal, they use it in their best advantage."

Madam Dorothea finished her gin, and Clary did the same. What the older lady had just told her was exactly in the same line of what Jace had told her over dinner. And though she hadn't expected it, this little conversation with her former boos reassured her in the fact she had made the right decision. The fact that feelings were in no way involved made it so that any future actions would be made from a logical standpoint, and not an emotional one. Meaning, though Jace would still be paying her, she would have to do something pretty stupid for him to fire her.

Once they were finished with their drinks, Madam Dorothea agrees to cover for Clary and help her on her mission, sending her to the top penthouse suite where Jace Wayland was staying. She felt odd having to knock and wait for him to answer, but she forgot all about that when she was greeted by a big smile from Jace's part as soon as he opened the door.

He was on the phone, speaking French as he signalled her to sit and make herself comfortable, but not even half a minute after, he was done, sitting in front of her at the table overseeing Central Park.

"Would you like anything to drink? Or eat?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks."

He slid in front of her a single paper entitled NDA, stipulating that she was not to divulge any business information that she might overhear from his part whilst they were together to anyone. She signed it as soon as it was read, not really interested in selling his business secrets to anyone, and then she read the contract that he was proposing her.

To whom it may concern,

This document is a testimony of the agreement that was reached between Mr Jace Wayland and Miss Clarissa Fray on Monday the 15th of December 2015 whereby Miss Clary Fray agrees to be under the employment of Mr Jace Wayland, starting from Tuesday the 16th of December 2015 onward.

Details of this agreement are listed below:

Term 1: It is expected from Miss Clarissa Fray to accompany Mr Jace Wayland to any function he would require her presence to. Those functions can take the form of charity galas and dinners, business galas, dinners and trips, and social events. [see Annexe 1]

Term 2: Miss Clarissa Fray and Mr Jace Wayland both understand that neither of them is in an actual relationship with the other and that they are not expected to answer to one another when not together. However, each time both parties will be seen together, especially when in the public eye, they both will display the comportment of a couple. Both parties understand that they have to respect the other and their reputation, and therefore will know not to humiliate the other by their comportment, actions, or words.

Term 3: Mr Jace Wayland has agreed to pay a monthly wage of $10'000 (USD) that will be transferred to Miss Clarissa Fray's bank account, every week ($2'500 (USD)). [see Annexe 2]

Term 4: Mr Jace Wayland will provide as well for anything Miss Clarissa Fray would need for their public appearances. The list (non-exhaustive) contains clothing, shoes, accessories and jewellery.)

Term 5: Mr Jace Wayland will pay for Miss Clarissa Fray's University fees for the duration of the contract. The choice of university falls upon Miss Clarissa Fray. [see Annexe 3]

Term 6: Given the true nature of the relationship between the two parties, it is not expected that neither of the party can try to find a partner for themselves. However, if one of the party finds himself interested in another person in a romantic manner, they will have to bring it up and end the contract.

Term 7: The nature of this arrangement is to stay only between Mr Jace Wayland and Miss Clarissa Fray. In the event of the contract coming to an end, neither party is allowed to talk about the nature of the relationship between Mr Jace Wayland and Miss Clarissa Fray with anyone, whether be media or people.

Term 8: In the event where the two parties end up fucking together, the contract will be null and non-void. Both parties would have to go on their way and not contact each other from that point forward.

~ Annexe 1: In the case of Miss Clarissa Fray being conflicted between accompanying Mr Jace Wayland at his functions and her studies, it is understood by both parties that her studies would prevail.

~ Annexe 2: In the event where one party wishes to end the contract, Mr Jace Wayland will be expected to finish paying for the month commenced, as well as for the following month. This goes as well if the contract if is breached.

~ Annexe 3: In the event where one party wishes to end the contract during the middle of summer break, Mr Jace Wayland will be expected to pay the University fees of Miss Clarissa Fray for the following year, still for the university of her choosing. This goes as well if the contract is breached.

First Party Name: Mr Jace Wayland

First Party Signature: _

Date: 16th of December 2015

Second Party Name: Miss Clarissa Fray

Second Party Signature: _

Date: 16th of December 2015

Clary's first reaction upon reading the contract was to laugh out loud. The contract had such a professional and formal tone, all the way until the end when the word 'fuck' was casually put on display. Jace rose an eyebrow at her unexpected outburst, but she dismissed it bu shaking her head. Instead, she pointed out the few things that would be problematic for her,

"I already breached the contract."

"I'm assuming you talked to your friend."

"You know, he actually has a name. It's Magnus Bane," She pointed out, nothing just now that Jace had always referred to Magnus as 'her friend'. It wasn't something worth getting upset about, but she felt it was weird how much he was making a point of always using that term.

"This clause is more of you not gossiping around to your fellow classmates. I doubt that Magnus would like to put you in the spotlight like that."

"I think Madame Dorothea suspects something as well," Clary added because though she never confirmed anything per se, Madame Dorothea had seen right through them.

Jace slightly furrowed his brows, before smirking, "I don't think Dorothea Johnson would like this kind of publicity for her hotel. She likes the pristine image it has, even though, you and I know very well that we are probably the purest people staying in here."

She did not respond anything, because he was right. She had seen many men come here one day with their wives and the next with their mistresses. Or staff members being a bit too friendly with customers.

She looked down at the contract, Madam Dorothea's words echoing in her words, and she bluntly said, not trying to sugarcoat it one bit,

"I don't want to give you my bank details."

"How am I going to pay you?"

"Cash."

"That seems ... unorthodox."

"I just don't want you to have so many details about my personal life. Let's just call it a loophole that I'm giving you. We do have a contract to know what is expected of each other, but if the worst is to come —"

"That's not how it works," He cut her off, smirking at her as if he knew exactly what she was trying to do. "I can still pay you cash and make this contract legit."

Clary grimaced but nodded. In any case, with the little knowledge she had so far of laws, she doubted that the contract was legally binding. Even though she was not being a prostitute, and that it was clear in the contract that she wasn't, she knew that prostitution was considered as a felony in the state of New York. If anything happened, she was certainly not going to be the one to bring Jace to Court with it.

"You really do have trust issues," Jace commented once again, and she ignored him just the same. She didn't care much of what he thought of her trust issues. She knew they were founded, and she was pretty sure that he himself had trust issues as well.

Still, he gave in, agreeing to pay her per cash, as he rectified on the contract the means of payment. And once this matter was cleared, Clary hesitated on pointing out yet another clause that making her squeamish. She had intended on changing university over the next year if she would still be working for Jace, figuring out that, by that time she would be able to afford a much better school than the one she was attending at the moment, but now that Jace was taking on the burden on his shoulders, she felt like she was taking advantage of him. well, even more than the enormous wage he wanted to give her.

"About you paying for my studies ..."

"Are you going to argue every single damn clause?"

"Well, that was never mentioned, was it? My studies are something personal, and it does agree on the paper that we are not a couple. therefore, you shouldn't have anything to do with anything that is personal to me."

"Me paying for your studies doesn't take away your independence, Miss Fray. On the contrary, it gives you more freedom."

She opened her mouth and closed it like a fish out of water, strongly disliking the fact that he had seen right through her. But she conceded him this. After all, if he wanted to spend so much money on her, who was she to stop him. It was that much more money she could save for rainy days. moreover, she didn't appreciate the formality of his tone. Over the past twenty-four hours, every time she had argued with me, he had been more and more formal with her. It went from Clary to Clarissa, and now Miss Fray.

She read over the contract once again, glancing at the NDA that she had already signed, and she took the pen, adding her signature to the agreement, next to where Jace had already signed.

"What time would you like to see me on Saturday?" She asked.

Jace gave her her own copy of the two documents before getting up, beckoning her to follow him as he lead her to his bedroom.

"I will pick you up at six. I know girls like to be fashionably late, but be on time."

"I thought we just agreed that I didn't want to give you details about my personal life. I can be here for six, though," Clary reminded him, staying at the frame of his bedroom.

She wasn't surprised to find the bed neatly made, sure that one of her former coworkers had to follow that man's OCDs on how things were supposed to go, and supposed to be folded. Jace glanced at her, smirking when he saw that she hadn't stepped foot in the room and he opened the door of the walking closet.

"You do remember just signing a piece of paper stipulating that I won't fuck you into oblivion, don't you?" He teased, making her close her eyes to roll them behind her eyelids.

"I just don't see what I'm doing here. I have to go to work, soon."

"I thought we agreed that—"

"I am working until Friday night. I can't leave Magnus like that. No matter what either of you two says, it's not decent." Magnus had assured her that he wouldn't mind if she quit the very same day since he already had a trainee he could upgrade, but still, she didn't like the idea of leaving without even a single day of notice.

Jace laughed, emerging from the closet and showing to Clary one of those bags that she never owned, concealing clothes to expensive to be touched by air.

"I never heard of a decent lawyer. Even MLK had his dark moments, ask his missus. This is for you, for Saturday night."

"Oh ..." She said, not making a move to take the bag. This did not go unnoticed by Jace, who was clearly annoyed by her reluctance, and so she quickly explained,

"I'd rather come and pick it up Saturday morning if that's alright with you. It's just that I finish late, and I don't want to be walking around in New York with that sort of valuable on me."

"Walking?"

"Yes. Some of us, mere mortals, do enjoy walking. it's good for one's health," She white lied. It was true that she liked walking, but ever since she stopped walking at the hotel, she stopped having the luxury of taking the subway, unless when the weather was terrible.

"Is it really good for your health to walk by yourself at midnight in a city like New York?" Jace asked with slight concern as he put the bag back in the closet. Clary couldn't help but snort.

"You do know that crime happens just as much in towns and villages. The number just seems bigger in big cities, because there are more people to prey on, but statistically speaking, it is safer in a big city, than it is in a small town."

Jace shook his head, muttering under his breath something about lawyers and statistics, and as he walked back to Clary, he gave her one of the hotel card keys,

"It's ridiculous for you to come here Saturday morning, only to come back fully dressed in the afternoon. I will be away until 4 pm, but feel free to change here."

Clary looked at the key, not taking it, making him smirk as he pointed out, "Well, it seems I am the more trusting one here."

"Of course you are, you're not a girl, and I'm not a boy."

"Neither am I. And for your information, last time customs checked, I was not Jack the Ripper either."

"Well, last time I checked, we're in the US. I'd say you're more of a Charles Manson, you know, with the celebrity thing."

"In that case, I'll make sure that you always stay yourself and never fall down that rabbit hole. So I won't have any reasons to kill you."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

On Saturday early afternoon, Clary went to Alicante and into Jace's room with Madam Dorothea's help, who was really surprised to hear that Clary had been given a spare key. Clary made sure to explain to the older woman again and again that she had no intention of sleeping with Jace. She didn't want to give a bad impression to the woman, with whom she could see herself forming a sort of friendship because of this weird situation she was in.

She hadn't had any news from Jace since she signed the contract, only receiving a text in the morning reminding her to be ready at his place at six. Of course, it wasn't because she hadn't been in contact with him that it meant he hadn't managed to put his nose where it didn't belong, infuriating her. For the four nights that she worked last for Magnus, she had had a private chauffeur waiting for her, ready to take her back to whatever address she would give the man.

She never asked to be dropped at her place, instead, asking to be dropped two streets down, and though she thought it was nice of Jace to think of her safety like that, she also thought it was ridiculous. She had been doing well for the twenty-four years of her life, and whatever life might have thrown her way, she had always managed to come back up. Not that Jace would know any of that, which was why she didn't send him any infuriated texts.

As she entered the room, Madam Dorothea let her know that Jace had been out of town since Tuesday evening. He had left shortly after her and was only coming back for the weekend. Once alone, Clary found the bag laid on the bed, with shoes on the floor and a jewellery box.

For a moment she paused, wondering how on Earth could he know her size. But after glancing at herself in the mirror, she saw that it wasn't hard to guess approximatively her size. She just hoped that he had guessed right. She opened the bag, glad to find a simple formal black dress, and nothing extravagant like Jace liked to wear.

The dress was short but long enough to come just above the knee, and it was mostly made of lace and tulle. The skirt of a dress was a gentle fluff of tule whilst the top was a see-through lace, that would show her ghostly skin.

She went to the bathroom with her bag and did her hair first. At first, she had wanted to do an updo slightly more sophisticated than what she usually wore, but, she had decided to listen to Mary and Ann advice and wear her hair down. After an hour of taming her hair into the waves she wanted, she did her makeup, keeping it rather light and only adding a thick line of eyeliner on her usual eye makeup. She also went for bright red lipstick, sure that this could never go wrong.

Then she got dressed, checking the time and seeing that it was already quarter past five. She strained her ear, trying to hear if Jace was already there or not, and snapped a couple of pictures that she would make sure to send to Magnus. When she got out of the bathroom, she opened the jewellery box, seeing a bracelet in it. She left it on the bed, seeing that she already brought the Panther from Cartier that he had gifted her a couple of months ago.

She was about to slip in her shoes when she heard a noise coming from the lounge, so she went, only to find Jace on his phone, sitting on the sofa, already dressed in a tux. In all honesty, Clary had never understood why men in tuxedos were such a turn on for women. Until today. Jace looked like delicious and forbidden candy. One of those liquored up candy that parents would put above the fridge to prevent their kids from having them.

Jace rose his head from his phone, and froze, looking at her from head to toe, and clearly appreciating what he was seeing. She watched him subtly lick his lips as he took every single inch of her into account, and though she would have loved to never think of him, she couldn't help but compare this simple reaction to the one Henry had on their first year anniversary.

"Tadaaa," She said in a singsong, proud of how she looked.

It was their first year anniversary, and she had bought a little purple dress because purple was his favourite colour. She had planned everything to the perfection for their night together. They would go for a drink first, and then to a restaurant, followed by a movie before they would spend the night tangled in her sheets.

She had reminded him again and again that it was their anniversary coming up, because, though he had nothing to do of his days, she knew he wouldn't remember. It wasn't his fault, he was rather forgetful by nature, though he always remembered her little flaws and nag her about them.

Though she liked being pretty on a daily basis, she had made the extra effort that day, done everything just the way he liked. Though she didn't like having her hair down, she had let it in a ponytail, though she liked wearing lipstick, she had only applied chapsticks so he could kiss her as he wished, so she liked wearing heels, she had worn flats because he liked being that much taller than him.

Henry looked at her and smiled, "You look good. What's the occasion?"

"Our anniversary?" She said, her voice falling flat.

"Oh, yes! Sorry, darling. You know how my memory is. I hope you didn't get me anything."

She did but simply smiled. She would give it to him in a couple of days, and he would appreciate it even more. She didn't want to make him feel bad if he hadn't gotten her anything.

Jace put his phone down and got up, his eyes still ravaging her, and she finally broke his intense stare by smoothing down the dress and asking in a teasing tone, "Suitable?"

"More than suitable." His voice was heavy, and as he had gotten closer, she clearly saw his Adam's apple go visibly up and down.

He reached up, and hesitated for a second before touching her hair, playing with one of the waves that she had meticulously tamed for over an hour.

"But as much as I love the sight, I would take it as a personal favour if you kept your hair up."

"Excuse me?" She squeaked, not believing her ears.

She had purposefully gone for a hairdo she knew she didn't particularly like, hoping that he would like it, and she had spent hours making her hair look nice, all of this to ear that she should have gone with her original idea.

Jace didn't let go her hair, playing with the softness of it as he explained,

"Don't get me wrong, you look ... breathtaking like that, but now that I've seen it down, I like the idea of being one of the rare few who ever had the pleasure of that sight."

She opened her mouth, ready to protest against his man-cave view on the whole situation, but any words that could have come out of her died in her mouth under the intensity of his stare. She sighed, showing her annoyance, and went back to the bathroom to do the original hairstyle that she had had in mind. It was one of those buns that seemingly stayed up on their own, but were supported by clever ways to twist the hair and smartly placed bobby-pins.

As she returned to the bedroom, she found Jace looking at the disregarded jewellery box, and she pointed out the bracelet that she was already wearing.

"I didn't know if you had your ears pierced."

"That's surprising, giving the fact that you seemed to know my size."

"Madam Dorothea knows your size and was kind enough to pass down the information," He explained with a smug smile, and though she pretended otherwise, she was glad to know that he wasn't much of a creeper after all.

"I never noticed you were that short," He commented, more to himself than to her, and she resisted the urge to flick him the bird. Her size had always been a sensitive matter to her. Mostly because it seemed that it gave everyone the right to pick on her when she was younger.

"Well, don't worry. I did notice you were a giant ass."

She sat down on the bed to put on the Jimmy Choo that he had bought her, and he knelt by her side to help her out in a task she was obviously doing well on her own. She assumed it was his way of apologising, though truth be told, he only enunciated a fact. She was short.

As he slipped on the second shoe, he tapped her ankle, intrigued by the ink on it, and asked, "Should I be worried that I might come back?"

He was touching the only tattoo she had on her body, a small heart, just above her ankle where the bone was sticking out, with the inscription I+C in the middle. It was something Izzy and she had both done during their month of a perfect life. They had bribed a tattoo artist to forgo their young age and had forever inked themselves, so they could never forget one another.

Clary looked down at the tattoo, blinking away the memory and emotions it brought out of her, and she promptly got up, slightly throwing Jace off his balance as she informed him, "The story involving I will require a lot of alcohol and even more tissues."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

Though the gala hadn't been as bad as Clary had expected it, it had been definitely boring. Sure the food was good, but all she could think about was, the money spent on this blasted thing would be better spent directly being sent to Africa. Apparently, the foundation responsible for this was tasing money to dig wells in Africa so everyone could have access to water. And though she could do nothing but applause the cause, she was sure that her meal alone could have built a well.

During the whole dinner though, Clary did see first hand that Jace had not exaggerated concerning the number of women hitting on him at those events. Everyone seemed to assume that she was a business partner, which lead Clary to understand that Jace must have often asked one of his coworkers to come with him. More than once, Jace had to firmly put distance between himself and a woman being all over him, presenting Clary as his girlfriend to the offending snake.

Clary played her part, smiling all throughout the gala, behaving herself and making sure not to call anyone on their bullshit. She stayed by Jace's side most of the evening, touching his arm with delicateness when a woman was getting too close, or making sure to smile at him when a snake thought they could slither in because she was not glued at his arm.

Halfway through the evening, shortly after the dinner part of it was over, Jace disappeared to bring Clary another glass of red wine, and she once again regretted not having a watch so she could see if the time had passed. She had her phone in her clutch, but it seemed that people only checked their phone to do business on it, and the only business she had at the moment, was being Jace's fairy Godmother.

"What is a young pretty thing like you doing here, all on her own?" Asked a man from behind her.

She was slightly startled, but not surprised to see that he was dressed nicely like everyone else this evening. Even the waiters dressed more expensively than her in her best days. The man was blond, though greying on the side of his head, and could easily pass for her father.

He proposed her a glass of champagne that she immediately refused, by pure instincts at first. After all, no girl should accept a drink from a stranger, especially if the drink was not poured in front of her. But then, she was even more glad of her refusal, since it would have looked bad if she had accepted, and so she let the man know,

"Who says I'm alone?"

"Who's the lucky guy, then?"

"I am, Valentine," Jace said, slipping his hand on Clary's smaller back as he gave her her glass of red wine.

She smiled, thankful both for the alcohol and the rescue and not surprised at all that Jace knew the man already. In all honesty, it seemed that everyone knew everyone here.

"Where is Jocelyn?" He asked, looking around, and the older man, Valentine, gave a dramatic face,

"Ill with the flu. I had to come here on my own this year. I was hoping you'd keep me company, and assumed that you ditched this year when I didn't see you at the table of singled out people. But now, I see that you finally caught up in what you've been missing in life."

He winked at Clary as Jace shook his head, apparently used to Valentine's antics. He slightly turned his head to Clary, as he told her, "I was actually hoping to introduce the two of you. Clary here is studying law."

Valentine's eyes lit up, and at that moment, Clary could tell that he had forgotten all about Jace 'being with her', his sick wife, and the fact that he had introduced himself in a somewhat weird way. All he cared about was that she was studying law, and she assumed that he was probably in this industry.

"You know, I am actually looking for fresh blood. I want to open my own firm soon. I am tired of working with Cohen. What year are you in? Do you have a specific domain you want to do? What school are you in?"

"I'm only in my first year in CUNY."

"Oh, but that is no good. You need to go to Columbia University. I have a very good friend of mine there who gives the best lectures. It is very competitive there, but if you're up for the challenge... Well, it depends, what gave you the bug? Is it just the fame and glory, or some personal past experience?"

Though Clary was sure Valentine had forgotten about Jace, she hadn't, and she had noticed his smug smirk when she paled at the mention of Columbia. Of course, it would have been her first choice if she had a choice. But she could never afford such a place. Of course, now that Jace had woven his way into paying for her studies, she could tell he was going to insist on sending her there.

"Well, let's just say that I know I'll be great at it," She eluded the question, not ready to talk about her life with a stranger, or with Jace pretending not to listen to them.

She caught the way his eyes briefly analysed her after her answer before he took his phone out of his pocket and started working on it whilst Valentine and Clary spent the rest of the evening speaking together. He asked a lot about her classes, how much she was trying to be ahead, and was rather impressed to hear that she was top of her class in most of her classes.

Of course, he teased her about seeing if she would be able to keep this level once she would be in Columbia. It seemed that there were no doubts in his mind that she would go there soon, which made her wonder if Valentine came from a rich family where money had never been an issue.

At some point, Jace disappeared to make a phone call with Hong-Kong, not without letting Clary know that they would leave soon after. Valentine watched the young billionaire walk away before turning to Clary and giving her his business card,

"This is my number. If you need a mentor, do ask. I like teaching young blood. I would like it even more if you end up working for me, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. As you said, you're only in your first year."

"Thank you." She put the card in her clutch, and Valentine asked,

"How did you meet?"

"I was working and he was busy being ... Jace."

This made Valentine frankly laugh, before he regained his serious, "You know, Clary, I've seen a lot of young people aspiring to be lawyers. But it's not an easy road. It takes a lot of sacrifices. Being a lawyer can be a lonely thing, because, though people respect the profession, they more often than not despise the people doing it. You don't know me, and you have no reasons to listen to me, but take the advice of an old man.

If it is personal experience that gave you the thrive to become a lawyer, don't let anything or anyone come in the way of your dream. Your goal and your goal only should matter, not how other people feel about it."

❌PLEASE DO NOT COPY, DOWNLOAD OR SHARE THIS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE❌

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

💚 Cassandra Clare owns the names of the characters from the Mortal Instruments franchise, everything else is mine.

Love, Mina💚💚💚