Chapter Text
It was already 8 pm when she decided to take a short break from her work, she allowed some of her employees to go home earlier if their job for that day was done. But not her, as usual, Hermione didn't feel like going home early, especially with the household conditions she had, anyone would not want to go home early.
After a few minutes of silence, leaning back in her work chair, the brown-haired woman finally decided to take her cellphone from her bag. Just browsing social media for a moment, she thought, only a few seconds when the social media display appeared showing some memorable photos from a year ago. It suddenly dawned on her that it was her one year wedding anniversary and she didn't remember it at all. She opened a photo album with the same date as today, saw some photos that she forgot to put on social media, which she rarely opens. Most of them are pictures of her with her friends and the groom smiling faintly, it seemed hard to tell whether he was eally happy or not. Meanwhile Hermione remembered she just pretended to be happy that day.
Thus, the day after her thirtieth birthday, she knew that it would happen. Her promise to her parents that if she did not find a partner after the age of thirty, they had the right to open the old agreement that she had known since she was twenty-one. Since that time too, Hermione had been trying to find a man she could marry for love, she snorted, what a stupid idea, because after all these years and dating several men, she wasn't even sure what love was. It all ends the same, disappointment. Her only hope was that the man she was betrothed to had found another woman and married.
But hope is only hope, of course there are many arguments and even a little threat when her parents force her to meet the man again. She even asks for a little more time with an alibi that she has a boyfriend, but after discussing it with her best friend, Pansy Parkinson, she knew that the plan was stupid.
"What about Cormac?" Pansy asked, looking just as frustrated as Hermione when she made the final suggestion.
Hermione rolled her eyes "Really? Cormac?" she asked annoyed.
"Yeah, at least you enjoyed sex with him." Pansy shrugged.
"Sex isn't enough, you know that, Pans."
Pansy nodded, "Right, sorry." She said, then looking resigned she said, "You know what, Hermione. At least give this man a chance, because... he's Tom Marvolo Riddle Junior." She said with a slight wink.
That's right, that man is TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE JR or by whatever royal title he has due to his influence in the business field. Hermione had known him before, but that was when she was 21 years old and he was 26 years old, a man who seemed completely uninterested in talking to Hermione when they were introduced by their parents at a business event years ago.
She had also seen news about him in print and online, the heir to the throne of three large companies operating in various fields from the food industry, to technology, to various pharmaceuticals. Of course he is the target of many women, especially with his face that looks a little unreal or that's what Pansy said.
After all the struggles, one day Hermione finally said to her parents that she was willing to meet the man and she would never forget the happy looks on both of their faces, but of course she had a question they couldn't answer, namely why Tom wanted to continue with that stupid deal. even though his father had died five years ago and he should also be able to choose any woman to marry. But why me? Hermione thought.
She got the answer to that question when she met the man after nine years, at a restaurant with a private room that had been prepared for them to meet. All the photos and videos featuring Tom don't do him justice, Hermione was momentarily stunned when she stepped in and saw a man already sitting there, "Welcome..." he said. A guard pulled out a chair for Hermione and left after getting the gesture to leave from Tom. For a moment Hermione was quite fascinated by what she saw, Tom was more handsome as said by Pansy who had met and glimpsed at him a few months ago. With neatly styled dark brown hair, and blue eyes adorned with bushy eyelashes and a firm jawline, he looked so hot.
After a few seconds of staring, as if she had come to her senses Hermione picked up the glass of wine that had been poured and drank it. She felt really awkward at the time, but Tom easily put her at ease again when he asked how Hermione was doing and what she had been up to the past few years. Hermione answered in moderation, her life was a little boring; she studied, got good grades and degrees, then started her own publishing business but Tom listened well, he didn't seem bored for someone who had accomplished more than her.
"Why me?" She asked finally.
Tom raised an eyebrow, "Pardon?"
Hermione sighed "Why do you want to continue the arrangement?"
A grin finally appeared on Tom's lips, different from the smile he gave earlier, he seemed amused by the question.
"Why are you here, Hermione?" he asked back, making Hermione annoyed.
"You have the power here, Tom. Your father.." Hermione stopped her sentence before she said the word 'died'
Tom chuckled, "It's not that simple." he replied.
"Then what do you want?"
Tom was silent for a moment as he gulped down the contents of the glass in his hand, with the slightest bit of unblinking glance at Hermione, he gave his reasons. Finally the question was answered, Tom Riddle Senior apparently did not just give up his wealth, he asked his lawyer to withhold nearly 80% of his wealth if his son did not marry and continue the Riddle lineage.
"Yes, but why me?" Hermione returned, this time more persistently.
"You're right, Hermione. I could have married any woman I wanted, even paid them to pretend to be the perfect woman to marry."
"Then why didn't you do that?"
"Because I do not want to." answered Tom easily.
"What makes you think I want to marry you?"
Tom smirked again, he seemed to have anticipated the question, "Because like me, you want to be free from all that pressure."
Hermione fell silent after hearing that even though she hated to admit it, but Tom was right, especially with the offer he made after that, an open marriage, where they could still associated with anyone as long as it is done in secret away from the public. Hermione didn't expect the offer, it felt like the dinner was not as bad as she thought it would be. But one thing bothered her.
"What about an heir?" She asked.
"We don't have to have sex if that's what you're asking, and for an heir, I'm sure there are other ways we can do it especially with today's medical advances, you don't even have to carry and raise him or her."
That answer made Hermione a little disturbed, "Everything is just a transaction for you, huh?" She asked sarcastically.
"Isn't everything transactional, Hermione?" he asked back.
"What about love?" asked Hermione, hoping the question would make Tom think, but it only made him smirk, "Love is also transactional, love is given and expected in return, isn't that right?"
After that answer, as if finding herself in this man, Hermione came to a conclusion where she decided that she would continue the arragement.
After nearly half an hour scrolling through her social media, Hermione put her phone back in her bag. With only half an hour remaining before office hours ended, she was back to doing her work—checking through the editors' work and reading through some new contracts that she had to decide whether or not to sign with the writers. It was nearly 9 pm when the door to her office was knocked as usual, Camille, her secretary entered.
"Good night, Mrs Riddle..." she said as usual, holding her bag.
"Good night..." Hermione replied, pausing what she was doing typing for a moment, and as usual, it seemed like a sign that she should go home too, so she turned off her laptop and put a few things in her bag. As she was going through some files to take home and check, her cell phone rang. Picking up the thing that kept ringing she read the name on the screen at a glance.
"Yes, Pans?"
"Happy Anniversary!" She heard the cheerful voice of her best friend on the other end. Hermione winced slightly at all the joy.
"Who was there with you?" she asked when she heard another giggle.
"Guess who?" said Pansy as cheerfully as before making Hermione roll her eyes.
"I'm not in the mood for this, Pans." She replied, a little lazy.
"Oh, love..." said Pansy who realized something was different from Hermione's tone, "What happened?"
Hermione sighed "Nothing happened, Pans."
"Okay, so what are the plans for today? Oh let me guess, a romantic dinner then-"
"Like I said, nothing happened."
As if realizing the change in mood she had caused, the cheery voices finally died away, then Pansy said, "Where are you now, Hermione?"
"Still in the office." Hermione answered, looking down at the pile of files.
"What the hell, Hermione? It's 9 pm!" She said a bit hysterically, "After all this is a special day for you and-
"Fine, enough, if you just call to lecture me, I have more important work to do."
This time it was Pansy who sighed "Fine, I'm sorry, okay? But me and Ginny are coming to get you now, we're going to have fun."
"But I-
"Your husband may be such a prick, but he's also a billionaire. You don't even have to work if you want. We'll see you in ten minutes. Bye..." she said quickly, not giving Hermione room to object.
Hermione had originally wanted to turn down Pansy's advances, but when she contemplated the idea of going home and spending time there, she finally thought that going out with her friends might be more fun than her first option. So here she was, in the car with Pansy and Ginny.
"Here..." said Ginny handing a can of alcohol to Hermione, "You need it."
Hermione may have had a husband who seemed completely indifferent to her, but now that she thought about it, at least she had friends like these two, who didn't judge her and instead helped her have fun.
They arrive at a newly opened nightclub, Pansy says the owner is one of her friends from high school.
"Thanks, darling." Pansy blew a kiss to a doorman who seemed to know her, the three of them entered quickly accompanied by annoyed curses from people still waiting in line.
Inside the club there were already a lot of people even though the clock had not even struck ten at night. "Oh shit, I haven't booked a table yet." Pansy said as they walked toward the packed bar.
"We can sit on the couch." Ginny pointed at several rows of empty couches near the dance floor.
Around eleven at night, live music from a band was replaced by a DJ and that's when the dance floor started to fill up and it was annoying for the three women as some of the men started trying to get them to dance, until they finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to move to the bar. It was at the bar that Pansy squealed happily, "Draco!" She said to a platinum blonde haired man in a gray suit, and the two men he was with turned their heads, "Pansy?"
"Blaise and Theo.. Nice to see you again." She said, embracing the three men one by one.
"You didn't tell me you were coming tonight, Pans." said the man named Draco.
"Well, I thought you were busy..." Pansy giggled.
"Have you booked a table yet?" he asked, fixing his gaze on Hermione and Ginny too this time.
"Not yet…" Hermione answered, after that Draco called a security guard and a moment later he invited them all to walk to a VIP table which was a little high from the club floor so that the whole club could be seen from there.
"Nice club." Hermione said, as Draco took a seat next to her, while Blaise was with Pansy, and Ginny with Theo on the other couch facing them.
"Thank you." Draco replied smiling adding to his handsomeness, "I will open another one next week if you are interested." he said, only audible to Hermione because of the loud music, if not Pansy would have been hysterical to hear it, but seeing her friends busy with their respective partners, Hermione decided to focus her attention on the man beside her.
"That would be nice." Hermione replied, add a new connection wouldn't hurt, she thought as she accepted the business card Draco had given her and handed him her card.
"Hermione Granger..." Draco said, pronouncing her name on the card, "Are you French or something?"
Hermione nodded "Yeah, I'm from there."
"Then what are you doing here, Hermione?"
Hermione was about to reply that she was married and had to move to follow her husband here but she pushed it aside and was grateful that she still chose to use her family name on her business card.
"I started my own publishing company." She answered after a moment of silence, then the conversation continued by sharing many things between them, as well as Ginny and Theo who looked busy talking about something with their heads close together. But when the clock was almost twelve at night, that's when Ginny seemed busy with her cellphone, "It's Harry..." she said to all of them, "He's outside."
Pansy rolled her eyes, "Why can't that man just let you have a little fun?"
"He's my fiancé, Pans. I must go home. See you all." She said as she walked away.
The alcohol kept coming because Pansy couldn't stay still and asking the waitress to keep bringing the intoxicating drink making Blaise shook his head, "You haven't changed much, Pans." He said to Pansy who didn't seem to care, "Who wants to dance?" she asked excitedly and as usual, not accepting the refusal, she pulled them all onto the dance floor.
"Oh cheer up, Theo..." she said to Theo who looked a little gloomy after Ginny went home, "You will find another woman easily." she giggled.
"Let go of me, Pans." he said brushing Pansy's hand away from his jaw and off to the bar.
"Oh my sweet baby, why does he sulk so easily?"
As the night wore on, Hermione had the bottle in her hands jumping to the beat, she could feel Draco's hands on her hips, while Pansy had her arms around Blaise's neck, looking just as drunk. It had been so long since Hermione had felt this free, especially after deciding to accept the arrangement, she realized how trapped she was in that loveless marriage. Because with Tom and all the spotlight that goes with his success, Hermione is just a trophy wife who has to be perfect all the time, but now she didn't care about that as she wrapped one arm around Draco's neck, smelling his perfume which made her even more drunk.
She could feel Draco's lips on her ear as he whispered "You know what, let's get out of here."
Hermione laughed "Oh yeah, to where?"
Draco grinned "Anywhere you want, Hermione." he replied.
Hermione paused, it had been so long since she was asked off by someone she just met, looking at her best friend who looked drunk as well, she said, "But what about Pansy and Blaise?"
"They can come with us." he said and Hermione felt a little relieved to hear that as she realized this man wasn't up to anything.
Draco helped Blaise support the slightly drunken Pansy on both sides but they were stopped in their tracks when the black haired woman vomited right on the pavement right in front of the Club. But not Pansy Parkinson, if after violent vomiting she just wipes her lips with the back of her hand and says gleefully, "Let's continue the party!"
They arrived at one of London's elite housing complexes not far from the Club, Draco led them inside the house which was of a modern minimalist design, very much like a bachelor's house, in contrast to its slightly more dated exterior.
Pansy immediately threw herself beside Blaise who had taken a seat on a large sofa facing the tv, "Kiss me..." she said matter-of-factly.
Hermione, who was quite used to Pansy's behavior when they were still in college, was not surprised anymore when she started making out with Blaise. But when the dark-skinned man's hand started to go inside Pansy's shirt, Hermione started to feel a little uncomfortable and unfortunately that's when Draco came in with two maids who brought several bottles of drinks and food which they immediately placed on the table. Hermione tried to overcome the awkwardness by pretending to clear her throat, while Draco grinned as his gaze shifted from Pansy and Blaise who didn't seem to care about their surroundings, to Hermione who felt really awkward at the time and was just questioning why she even agreed to come along, as if noticing the awkwardness, Draco took two bottles and give a gesture to Hermione to follow him to the balcony on the other side of the room.
"I'm sorry you have to see that..." he said accompanied by a laugh from Hermione who realized how funny her awkwardness had been.
"Yeah, that's nothing new. It's just been a very long time since I've seen her like that." she replied.
"How did you know Pansy?" he asked.
"Oh we were in the same major at NYU."
"Wow, no wonder she seems to have forgotten us, she has a new best friend apparently." chuckled Draco, Hermione laughed at that because of course it wasn't true.
"What's going on between her and Blaise?" asked Hermione then.
Draco shrugged "I don't know for sure, just on and off relationship, has been like that since high school."
"Ah, I see..." Hermione replied, "Better give them some space, don't you think?"
Draco nodded "What about you, Hermione?"
Hermione was a bit taken aback by the slightly personal question so she took a sip of her drink to get a bit of time before responding with a shake of the head, because somehow she didn't think her marriage to Tom meant anything, it's just means to an end, she thought sadly. But she was distracted when Draco took the bottle from her hand and placed his own on the balcony.
"What is it?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Hermione was silent at that question, it had been a very long time since she had been treated like this by a man, maybe the last time was by her ex-boyfriend from high school, Viktor Krum, who knows where that Bulgarian man is now.
"Nothing, I just want to forget a lot of things right now." She said trying to take the bottle again.
"You've had too much to drink tonight, Hermione." Draco said, "Let me help you relax."
"How?" she asked.
"However you want it to be..." replied the blonde man and finally, Hermione couldn't stand it anymore, why did this man just come into her life, suddenly the lips that had had her ears a few times looked so tempting, and finally here she was making out with Draco Malfoy, a man she had just met without caring about her status as another man's wife. To hell with Tom Riddle! Se thought angrily as he bit Draco's lip which was getting excited by it.
After making out on the balcony they knew it had to go on, Draco led her to his room across the empty living room without Blaise and Pansy who had probably found a room.
One fact Hermione discovered after a few minutes with Draco was that besides being great at kissing, he was also very good in bed. It had been months since Hermione had orgasm with a man, and sex toys had not satisfied her so much either. They had probably had so many rounds of sex before they were both too tired to try other styles and drifted off to sleep.
Waking up naked next to stranger with only a blanket covering their bodies was probably nothing new for Hermione, it's just that it had been so long since she had done it maybe since she was in college, but after that, she avoided going home and sleeping with stranger, because besides being busy working, she also wants to be more responsible.
But look at her now, naked with the man she just met last night. She can still feel the wetness between her legs from their activities last night and has never felt more grateful to still routinely has her contraceptive every month. Looking at Draco who was still fast asleep beside her, somehow the man looked even more handsome now that Hermione was sober enough with the alcohol starting to fade in her system. She saw so many red marks on his neck, jaw, and a little wound on his lower lip. Actually she really wanted to repeat last night's activities, but the sunlight that peeked behind the curtains in Draco's room seemed to make her realize that she couldn't linger here anymore, therefore as was her habit in the past, she chose to dress in silence while watching Draco who was still fast asleep, grabbed her cell phone, she looked at the clock which showed 7 am, and ordered a cab from an app. When she opened the door, that's when Draco woke up, the blankets falling off him as he sat up.
"Hermione?" he called in a slightly hoarse voice.
"I have to go home, Draco."
"Will I see you again?" asked Draco and Hermione could hear hope in his question.
Hermione smiled, "I don't know." She answered as she exited with one last glance at the blond man.
Hermione was very grateful when she came out of Draco's room and didn't see Pansy, however, she heard faint moans from the other room and already guessed what was going on.
She thanked a maid who escorted her out because the cab she had ordered had been waiting in front of the house, and when the cab had started running, she looked briefly at the house behind her and saw a shirtless Draco on the balcony where they kissed last night and stared right at the cab that she was in. Deep inside, Hermione actually wanted to get to know the man better, but considering her current status, she felt it was impossible.
So, here she is now, having returned to the house she has lived in for about a year. Several maids immediately greeted and served her in a friendly manner when they realized who had entered, but Hermione really wasn't in the mood to respond to any greeting at this time, she just wanted to clean herself up, because she knew she looked very messy, she only had time to put her hair in a ponytail in the cab earlier and didn't really think about the rest. One thing that calm her was that her husband would not be home as usual, Tom was always on business trips to many countries and it happened every week, even when he was in England, he usually left for work before 7 am. Hence Hermione wasn't too worried as she stepped into the house which looked as usual with the maids and guards busy going about their respective duties.
But how wrong she was, when stepping into the bedroom, Hermione found her husband was actually sitting on a sofa by the window, apparently already waiting for her.
"Where have you been?"
Hermione could feel the suppressed anger behind the cold-sounding question, however she refused to be intimidated by her husband's piercing gaze.
"Oh hello, husband..." she replied sarcastically, "Happy anniversary to you too, I thought you had forgotten you had a wife."
The impudent remark seemed to make the anger he was trying to suppress finally come out, Tom stood up, "I only ask one thing, Hermione!" he snapped, "Watch that attitude of yours!"
Good, thought Hermione. Get all those emotions out! Because she was so fed up with this man's cold and indifferent attitude.
"Then why don't you divorce me, Tom? You've got all your father's wealth."
Tom looked like he wanted to answer the question, but for some reason he chose to leave by slamming the door, leaving Hermione speechless for a moment because she felt so emotional about how meaningless this marriage was that her eyes burned as she tried so hard not to cry.