Love Contract
Chapter 47 Never Give Up

Destiny and fate were sometimes truly amazing. Just as Mary raised her head, she saw from the corner of her eye, two people staggering out the bar.

She squinted a bit to see the two people better. It was William and Lucas.

It seemed that William had made a phone call to someone. Soon after he called, another person arrived at the bar.

Mary's eyes widened. It looked to be a well-dressed young man who had large muscles. 'Could it be his bodyguard?' she thought to herself. The man politely opened the yellow car door for them and assisted them inside. Once they were inside, the man got in the driver seat and drove off.

It turned out William had bodyguards, so why did Lucas have to call her?

Mary felt humiliated once more. Her pride that had risen because she refused to pick William up was shattered again.

"Hello, Miss? How much do I have to pay?"

"What? Oh! Okay..." Mary shook her head and came to her senses. "I'm sorry, sir. Your total bill is one hundred and ninety." After Mary had received the money, she looked back up. The strange yellow car was gone.

When she glanced out the window, the neon lights illuminated the streets and the night had become more fascinating.

"Sir, where are you going?" A yellow Lamborghini sped down the road.

"Kylin International." William rubbed his temples as he sat in the back seat of the car.

"Aren't you afraid of being beaten and driven out?" Lucas teased.

"Hmm... I remember you lecturing me to never to give up."

Lucas grinned. He then closed his eyes to rest. "Sir, we're here."

"Okay." William nodded and gestured to the guard. "Send Mr. Murong to the seaside villa. He has the key."

"Yes, sir."

As William was stepping out of his car, he looked up and gazed at the building. It was in the middle of everything. The warm yellow lights that came from the house made him feel like he was home. 'How would Mary react if she saw me? Will she be shocked? Or will she ignore me? Should I apologize? What should I first say to her?'

His thoughts were racing with every step he took.

"Swoosh..." William stood outside the door. 'It's alright... I can do this, ' he thought to himself. He took a few deep breaths and clenched the door handle with his slender fingers.

'Click! Click'

'It didn't open?'

William frowned and tried again. Sure enough, the door wouldn't open. 'Hmm...No one's home? Mary should be home but... why isn't she answering the door?' 'Ding Dong!'

All of a sudden, the elevator opened. William's immediate response was to turn around. It was the elderly couple that lived next door.

"Hello." Since they had just greeted him, he had to say hello.

"Hello." The woman replied, "Young man, long time no see."

"Yes, long time no see." William nodded.

"Mary hasn't come back yet?" The man asked.

"Not yet." William raised his eyebrows. He was a bit shocked. It seemed as if while William was away, Mary decided to befriend their neighbors.

"Doesn't she have part-time work tonight?" the woman said. "You forgot it again, honey."

"Yes, you're right. Mary has a part-time job. I keep forgetting that, sorry."

Part-time job? When William heard that, he frowned. Was Mary working at the convenience store? He shook his head slightly. Before this happened, William felt that he knew Mary like the back of his hand. But now, everything had changed. She was a stranger.

"We'll be heading off now, young man." The couple smiled and waved goodbye. They turned around and walked off.

"Okay." William nodded. He then lowered his head and sighed. All his efforts and questions were now in vain because she wasn't home.

He decided to just open the door with his keys. But as he reached inside his pocket and felt around. Something wasn't right. He frantically emptied his pockets. "I remember I had the key in here somewhere... Damn it!"

William fumbled the insides of his back pockets. "It's not here either..."

'What should I do? Should I call Mary?

No, No. Even if I call her and she answers, she wouldn't come back. Maybe... Maybe she doesn't want me to come back...' After sulking for a few minutes, William took off his tailored suit jacket from Paris angrily and threw it on the ground. "Ugh!" He then sat on it.

Since there was nobody around that night, William decided to lay back and relax. "No one's going to judge me anyway," he said as he sat on his coat in front of the door.

William took out his phone and scrolled through his apps. To his dismay, he had no games on his phone to help pass the time. 'Well, I guess Mary was right. I have a boring life.'

The thought of Mary popped up in his head. William tapped on the photo album of his phone. There was only one photo.

A photo of him and Mary.

They took the photo while they were in William's car. Mary was taking a selfie at the time. She made a cute face and snapped the photo while he suddenly leaned close to her. William laughed when he saw his expression.

It captured that moment of them together. William then zoomed in on Mary's face. His fingers tracing around her head.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned upwards.

He didn't know why he kept the photo. He just felt like he had to. Maybe it was because Mary's face was too cute?

With the phone in his hand, William curled up his legs and leaned his head against the ground. His eyes started to close.

His eyelids became heavier and heavier. Perhaps it was because William had drunk too much wine. He then slowly drifted to sleep.

When Mary came back, she breathed in the night air and listened to the chirp of the crickets. They hid beneath the grass, as the dew reflected the moonlight. "Summer has arrived," she whispered softly. "You came back very early today!" The doorman greeted her with a smile.

"Yes, yes." Mary passed through the gate as she rode her scooter.

"Her husband runs such a big company and he bought his wife a scooter? Rich people are really stingy..."

She heard the doorman's muttering but shrugged it off with a smile.

While she was on the elevator, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. There were dark bags under her eyes and her droopy lids. "Ding!" She rubbed her tired eyes as she walked out the elevator. When she raised her head, she was startled by a man lying on the floor. "Huh?"

'This... Isn't this William?' Mary cautiously approached him. His long and narrow eyes were tightly closed, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. The thin hair in front of his forehead was blown up by the breeze, and his slender fingers were unruly on his knees. He really did look good. No matter how many times Mary looked at him, she didn't tire of his face.

'But why is he here? Didn't his bodyguard send him home already?'

Mary was a bit angry. She didn't want to care about him nor see him, but he was lying right by the door. It seemed that she had no choice but to wake him up and talk to him!

"Wake up, William." Mary stood in front of him, expressionless. "Wake up." She wanted to kick him, but didn't have the courage to.

"Hmm..." Hearing her voice, William snorted and slowly opened his eyes. As he blinked, his eyelashes batted seductively.

"Wake up. I'm going to open the door."

"Mary!" William woke up immediately when he recognized her voice. He suddenly bounced up on his feet. "You're finally back. What time is it?"

He turned on his phone and the screen was still on the photo album.

"Will you come inside or not?" Her voice was cold. She had already opened the door and was just holding it open for him. "Oh... I'll come in." William picked up his coat and walked inside.

He followed her inside as he kept his head low. Like a young boy who had done something wrong. Mary ignored him and dragged her tired legs to the bedroom. She then fell face first on the bed. Looking at the time, it was already one o'clock. William had to wash his face.

Glancing at the closed door of Mary's room, William let out a deep sigh and stepped inside the master bedroom.

As soon as he turned on the lights, William's jaw dropped.

The bed sheet was strewn about on the bed. A mix of clothes were stacked up by the window. All the signs seemed to be silently telling William about his impulse that night.

It looked as if Mary hadn't touched this room since that night.

Was it because he had asked her not to touch his things at the beginning of their marriage? This was the only reason William could think of. Hopefully it was true.

At this state, he couldn't sleep in this room anyway.

William opened the bedroom window to let in the fresh air, trying to remove the traces of that night. He then gathered all the sheets, clothes, etc. and carried them outside.

Entering the bathroom, he threw all the clothes in the hamper. "Phew!" He then looked around for new sheets. "Hmm... I have to stay here for the night," he mumbled.

While Mary was sleeping soundly in her room, she was rudely awoken by a noise coming from the living room. She hurriedly sat up and raised her sheets. "Is it a thief?" On second thought, it could just be William, right? She forgot that he was staying here tonight.

Mary shook her head. "Humph, not my problem." When she was about to lie down, she heard another noise, but it was much louder this time.

'What happened? What the hell is he doing out there?'

Mary sat up and opened the door. Once she saw the state of the living room, her eyes widened in shock and her mouth dropped open. William was tearing up the living room looking for something. "What are you doing? Can't this wait? Whatever you're looking for, you can replace it tomorrow!"

Glancing at her, William furrowed his brows. He clenched his fist, trying his best to hold back his anger. "Why aren't there any bed sheets?"

The bowls and chopsticks had fallen on the ground. The chairs were turned over and scattered all over the room. Mary was speechless. "Well, if you're looking for bed sheets, why are you in the living room? The bed sheets are in the bedroom."

"I've already looked there. No bed sheets." William's forehead wrinkled as he glared at Mary.

"No way. Maybe you just didn't look hard enough?" Mary scratched the back of her head.

"I have scoured every inch of that bedroom. There were no bed sheets."

Mary continued to stare at him suspiciously. William grumbled as he started turning red with anger. 'How dare she question me? Does she think I'm lying?' Ever since he was a kid, he hated it when people doubted him.

"If you don't believe me, you can go ahead and check it yourself!" William snapped. He gritted his teeth and gave her a sarcastic smile.

"No, that won't be necessary. I have some spare bed sheets in my bedroom. I'll just get them for you." Mary shook her head.

She then trotted back to the bedroom. She came out holding a whole set of bed sheets. Complete with summer quilt and pillowcase. "Here you go." Mary threw them at him and turned back to her bedroom.

"Wait a minute." William called out to her.

"What?" She kept her back turned as she answered.

"Help me with the bed sheets and pillow cover. I don't know how to put them on the bed." William stared back at her, his eyes burning.

"It's easy. Don't use them then." After she said this, she was about to head inside.

"Are you just going to keep avoiding me like this all the time?" When he let out a deep sigh, Mary stopped.

"You can't just ignore me like this. The contract is still in effect. I know it's hard for you to let go... And I... I sincerely apologize to you for what happened that night. Please forgive me," said William sincerely. "Please, cooperate with me... At least for a year."

"Ten months." Mary cut him off. She turned her head and smirked. "I need to cooperate with you for another ten months. After that, we'll go on with our lives. I don't want anything to do with you."

Anything!

Staring at her, William felt her cruel smile pierce through him. Even her voice was filled with sadness and grievance. "Yes, ten months. You just need to endure me for another ten months."