Love Contract
Chapter 45 Marry Me

Sitting in his office alone, William took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Boss?" Jane was at the hospital when her phone rang. She then answered the phone with slight surprise. Mary closed her eyes and remained motionless.

"Mary... Is she awake?" When William spoke, his unnatural voice was heard from the other end of the line.

The ward was so quiet that the voice of William on the phone was crystal clear.

"She woke up. Do you want Mary to answer the phone?" Jane asked.

"No, thanks. Let her have a good rest." William said with a concerned tone.

Before Jane could even say anything, he had already hung up the phone.

Jane was a little confused. When she was about to speak, Mary spoke, "I heard everything."

After hanging up, William leaned heavily against the back of his seat.

Clang! Clang! Clang! "Come in." William straightened up as the door opened.

"I heard that you wanted to see me?" Victor said with an unruly smile plastered on his face.

"Have a seat."

Victor snorted and unceremoniously sat down on the leather sofa next to him. "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"There will be a press conference later this afternoon. Here is your speech draft," said William as he threw a folder to Victor across the room.

Victor caught it at once and said jokingly, "Boss asked me to come here just to give me this?"

"Of course there is one more thing," William answered. He stood up and gazed at the window with his back to Victor. "I want you to stay away from Mary."

"Haha." Victor laughed sardonically. "Why?" he asked as he stood up.

"Why?" William said coldly as he turned around. "Have you seen the news recently? Do you want to destroy her?" The tension between them grew stronger by the minute.

The two looked at each other with glaring eyes. The smile at the corners of Victor's mouth disappeared, replaced with anger. "It's you who destroyed her!" Victor's voice echoed across the room.

William's eyes narrowed with dangerous glare. "What do you mean?" His eyes were scary enough to make a normal person flinch.

However, Victor did not budge. Instead, he stared back at William's eyes. "You destroyed her the moment she married you! She doesn't know the relationship between you and Frank, right?" Victor said threateningly.

"Victor, I underestimated you." A smile played at the corners of William's mouth. "So you knew."

"Aren't you afraid that I'm going to tell her the truth?" Victor asked menacingly.

"Well," said William with a smile. "I advise you to think it over. If she knows the truth, can she bear it?"

"It's better than being cheated on all the time."

"Victor, don't be too rash to confess your love. Do you think you still deserve her even though your body is so dirty now?"

"You are not any better than I am!" Victor turned around with a cold face.

"You're right. I'm in no way any better than you are," said William with a smile. "However, I don't have such a wonderful video like you do. If that video is leaked, your life will be ruined and you will be miserable until you die." Victor paused for a moment, contemplating the weight of William's threat. "Goodbye!" he said coldly as he reached for the door.

"Don't make any mistake this afternoon. Not even a single one."

"Don't worry, I will protect her well." Victor closed the door behind him without looking back. The door almost cracked because of how strong he slammed it. Bang!

William stared at the direction where Victor left and punched the table out of anger.

After having the transfusion, Mary left the hospital and walked home. She was no longer with Jane as she made her go back to the company.

Mary felt unreal. Her eyes were glassy and her feet were so soft it felt as though she was stepping on cotton.

What happened yesterday? Did she really have sex with William? Did she lose her virginity after more than twenty years? How could William have sex with her? Could she sue him? Sue him? Sue William with his own money?

Finally, Mary arrived at her house then opened the door mechanically. The moment she got inside, she dragged her heavy body onto the sofa while the TV buzzed. Everything she was seeing right now was given to her by William. Because of him, she now had a spacious house and a comfortable life. How could she sue him? Besides, their contract had not expired yet. How could she afford the liquidated damages?

"Let's now welcome Mr. Lan, the CEO of the AJ Group..."

The voice from the TV attracted the attention of Mary. She raised her eyes and watched expressionlessly as William walked towards the stage, every step captured live on the TV. It was a live broadcast of his press conference.

He had always been outstanding. As long as he appeared, he would instantly become the center of attraction. For example, he was dressed meticulously today. He had an angular face and his thin lips were closed tightly.

He seemed like a perfect gentleman outside and nobody would have thought that he was a beast deep inside.

"First of all," said William to the public. "On behalf of our company, I would like to apologize to the family who got involved in the accident. Because of our company's mistake and negligence, their lives were pu to danger. The AJ group will be held liable and fully responsible for their hospitalization."

William stood up and made a deep bow.

"However, we still need to carry out the construction project." Sitting down, William continued, "This incident was just an accident. All contracts for the construction project of AJ group are legal. The families have been paid as well. I assure you that this project will not be delayed due to this incident."

Upon hearing William's announcement, a sudden uproar was heard in the crowd. They all stared at William and they felt that he was being inhumane.

"Also, I'd like to address the circulating rumors," William continued on, ignoring the reporters and audiences' uproar. "A few days ago, there was an emergency that led me to go abroad. However, a rumor circulated that said I was irresponsible and it was an apparent escape. It did not only cause a bad impact on my personal reputation, but also on the company's. We, the AJ Group, will reserve the right to sue anyone who taints the name of our company.

Also, there is a gossip that says that my wife, Mary, is having an affair with the star of our company, Victor. I would like to clear her name as it is untrue. Everyone, let's listen to Victor as he makes a statement." William glanced at Victor, indicating that he could start at any moment now.

Victor glanced back at him. The emotions in his eyes were only known by himself.

"I feel very sorry for what happened. I am deeply saddened by the rumor. I am a good friend of the CEO's wife in private and my boss knows that," said Victor slowly.

William narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

"With the help of the CEO's wife, our TV opera, the Past of Republic of China was successfully aired on TV. Unfortunately, someone took it as an evidence of our love affair. The rumor was false and it's absolutely impossible for it to happen,"

said Victor in a sonorous voice.

"Now is the time for reporters to ask questions. Feel free to ask anything."

"Mr. Lan, where is Mrs. Lan now? Why didn't she show up this time?"

William answered the reporter, "Good question. My wife is still in the hospital. I have watched the video about what happened at the gates of the hospital. It was wonderful. As a CEO, I cannot do anything about the reporters; but as a husband, I have the right to speak for my wife."

Standing in front of the TV, Mary could not help but laugh at the sight of William's stern expression.

'Husband? What husband?'

Mary could not stand what she was hearing anymore. She went to the bathroom to sober up. She turned on the tap, cupped the water in her hands, and splashed it on her face. She looked up and stared at he reflection on the mirror. What she saw was a bitter smile on the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes were bloodshot, but there were no tears.

Last time, when she and William took wedding photos, he suddenly kissed her for no reason. She was in a daze but he did not explain anything to her. 'Is he so cold-blooded that he doesn't care about my feelings? What exactly do I mean to you?' Mary thought while clutching the corner of the sink.

It never occurred to William that he would see Mary sooner than he had anticipated.

After the press conference had ended yesterday, he returned to his villa in a fret. This morning, when he arrived at the company, he did not expect that he would see Mary sitting behind his desk. Stunned, he stood in front of Mary and said, "Come to my office with me."

Mary looked up at him and nodded.

Seeing that she had no desire for anything, William felt even more remorseful and guilty. He would rather have Mary slapped him in the face.

William walked to the office and sat on the office chair. He then pointed to a seat across him and said to Mary, "Take a seat." "No, thanks," Mary said expressionlessly.

Frowning, William hurriedly opened the drawer at his right, took out a check and signed his name on it.

He then stood up, walked to her side, and handed Mary the check. "Fill in any amount that you want."

Mary glanced at the check with mixed feelings but remained unmoved. "No, thanks.

There's no need for that." William grabbed his hair frustratingly and asked, "What do you want? I know I'm a jerk. Just take it as a compensation."

Mary shook her head and said slowly, "The money that you have given me is enough to pay the sex for many times. And we only had sex once. I don't want more money from you."

"You," said William angrily as he clutched the check in his hand tightly until it became a ball. "Why do you say something like that to piss me off? What do you want? I'll do everything you want as long as I can." "What do I want?" Mary asked when all of a sudden, she burst into laughter.

"Yeah." William nodded solemnly.

"I want you to marry me!" Mary raised her head and looked at William sincerely. "No contract. Be your real wife. Be Mrs. Lan for real." William was stunned. It took him a few seconds to register what Mary had said.

"No way!" William looked away and said without any hesitations, "I can't marry you."

Hearing his answer, Mary felt suffocated.

Although she had prepared for his answer, she still felt heartbroken when she heard his

straightforward refusal. It hurt her and it felt as

though she was going to die.

"Well, I got it. I want nothing but this," Mary continued while pretending to be calm.

"Mary!" Gritting his teeth, William said slowly, "Don't push me."

"It's okay. I'll go out now if you have nothing else to say." With a pale face, Mary slowly walked out of William's office.

Every step she took was excruciatingly painful. She was heartbroken and her sight had become more blurry with tears with every step. She strode to the restroom while clutching her chest.

She didn't shed tears when William raped her, but now, she really felt like crying.

As Mary squatted inside the restroom, her tears fell down one after another. At first she cried silently, then she cried bitterly, and then the moment came she burst into tears. She felt as though she would shed all her tears in her life.

Meanwhile, William stormed out of his office. He was trying to figure out Mary's whereabouts when he heard someone cry from the direction of the restroom.

'Was all her disguise fake?'

With a big stride, William rushed to the restroom. There he saw Mary's petite body curled up beside the wash basin while crying.

"Mary!" Without hesitation, William pulled Mary up.

Clap!