The Contract Marriage (Completed)
Chapter 28

Late in the evening, Teresa throws her phone across the bed, “I won’t call him, why should I?”

“Then pick his call up.” Rina says changing the channel on TV, while lying on the couch.

“No. Why should I?” She crosses her arms and pouts.

“Then stop irritating me. You miss him call him or pick up his call but don’t eat my ears out.” Rina rolls her eyes at her bestfriend who's been cursing her husband from the moment she entered her house. Teresa's in-laws were out on a holiday and her husband went out on a business trip, that left her sulking at her home so she decided to stay in Rina's place for that time.

“What do I do Rina? My plan backfired on me.” She shouts again, punching the pillow on her side.

“I know, i know. But it didn’t backfire actually it’s just that you fell for him too.” Rina winks at her.

“Too? And you are very sure he likes me back?” She raises her brows.

“Only an idiot won’t be sure. Don’t be stubborn and just pick up the call.” Rina points at the phone which had been buzzing for 5 minutes, flashing her husband's name. The number listed on the call log with 15 missed calls.

Her phone buzzes again.

"Come on!" Rina insists.

“Okay." She sighs and answers the call without looking at the screen. "Hello?”

“Ah! yes, Donal.” She answers with visible disappointment. It was her dad’s secretary’s call.

“What?” Her eyes widen at his words. "Where?" She shouts as she gets off the bed and runs out of the room. "I'll be there."

Rina rushes behind her, “What happened?"

But she doesn’t get any answer as Teresa searches for her car keys with her trembling hands, tears start rolling out of her eyes, which worries her best friend even more.

“Hey! What happened?” Rina grabs her by her arms.

“D-Dad...is in hospital!” She cries out aloud.

Hospital

As soon as they reach the hospital, they run to the emergency ward.

“How did this happen?” Teresa asks Donal.

“He had mini heart attacks since last year, but he didn’t want to tell you. Our company was facing losses for the past 6 months, and his condition just worsened as he tried too hard to protect the company, ignoring his health. Doctors had told him to have the by-pass surgery as there's a blockage in his heart but he always postponed it. Our company went bankrupt and he had heart attack.” He explains and hands her the papers consisting of the notice from bank, office and house papers. "I know it's hard for you, but the investors are waiting. You need to attend the meeting after an hour."

“But didn't he have a tie up with Carltons? Wasn't my marriage a part of it?” She asks him going through the papers.

"Hmm...that..." He hesitates.

"What about it?" Teresa snaps at him.

"No, he refused to take any help from them, he just wanted you to marry somewhere you could replace your happiness, he would never use his daughter for a business contract, he put on a show that everything's fine, he didn't want you to know..." He sighs.

His words prick her heart, for all this time she had thought her marriage was for a business contract, which never existed?! He only wanted to get married into the Carlton family so that she could be happy?

"And I didn't know any of this? Oh Dad!" Teresa breaks down.

“He didn’t want you to.” Donal kneels down beside her and pats her head.

Teresa gets up as the doctor approaches them.

"Is he okay?" She asks.

"For now he is, but we need to perform a by pass surgery right away."

"S-Surgery?"

"There's a blockage in the main artery that supplies to the heart and for that we need to put a graft to repair the damaged vessel. Please fill out these papers." He hands her the consent form and excuses himself.

Her legs give away and she slumps down on the ground.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine." Rina hugs her.

****

It's been few hours since they waited outside the operation theater, the surgery was still in progress.

“Teresa?” She heard someone call. When turned to the direction of the sound she found her childhood friend, Ren Hayashi, a japanese young man in his mid twenties, who had his hair died blonde with bangs covering his forehead, with his hands tugged inside his jeans pocket , walking towards her.

“Oh my god! It’s really you, what a pleasant surprise!” He waved at her with a smile on his face, which soon vanished as he stood in front of her.

“Ren!” She cries.

“Hey! What’s wrong?“

*****

It’s almost midnight as Ryouma’s plane lands at the airport, He had every information he wanted about the situation. As much as he wanted to rush to his wife’s side but he had works to be done before that, so that when he reached her, she wont have to worry about the meeting when she’s to be by her dad’s side.

“Just you wait a little, Teresa. I will sort out everything.” He mutters as he gets inside his black SUV parked right at the side.

After all night’s paper work and meetings with the investors, everything was finally under control. He immediately left for the hospital to his wife.

But after reaching the hospital, He sees his wife with a complete unknown man, the guy was holding her close wiping her hears, his blood boils at that sight. As I thought I should have rushed here first! He approaches them with his hands clenched into a fist.

*****

Teresa notices her husband, just at the sight of him, a sense of relief washed over her. She walks to him, “D-dad...I..” She chokes. She rests her head on his chest and cries her heart out. Ryouma wraps his arms around her in a tight hug. “Shh, everything is fine.” He plants a soft kiss on her head, engulfed by his heat and scent, she relaxes.

2 days later

Eren Scarlet gains consciousness and after a day in ICU he is shifted to a private room and now is much better, talking to his daughter.

Teresa cries hugging her father. “How could you do this to me?”

“I’m so sorry.” He hugs her back.

“I won’t forgive you for this.” She says in between her cries.

He suddenly clenches his chest.

“Dad?!” She shouts with worry.

“You won’t forgive me? But i’m in pain!” He pouts.

“Don’t you dare do that again!” She almost hits him but stops, tears prick her eyes.

“Oh I’m so sorry!” Her dad apologizes holding his ears.

Ryouma excuses himself out of the room to attend a call.

“Yeah, do all the paper works and send me the copies here. Take the papers from the bank and bring it to me here.” He orders his secretary and hangs up.

He turns to replace his wife behind her.

“Sorry for all the trouble, I heard from Donal, you rushed here leaving your meeting, didn’t you? ” she says with a guilty face.

“There’s something else you need to be sorry about. Why didn’t you call me? Why was it Rina?” He narrows his eyes at her.

“I didn’t want to trouble you.” She lowers her gaze.

“You have every right to call me whenever you want, you’re my wife. Instead of being alone and facing all by yourself, you can trouble me as much as you want, I don’t mind being troubled by you, you get that?” He pulls her into a hug and kisses her forehead.

She smiles against his chest and hugs him back with a nod.

“Wait here for a minute.” saying that he enters the room and few minutes after talking to his father-in-law he comes out of the room.

“You need to come with me for a while.” He holds her hand.

Teresa’s P.O.V

He takes me to my dad’s office.

“Why are we here?” I ask him but I’m answered with silence.

I see Donal on the way. He just nods at me.

We entered the conference room, where seated all the board members and also my father-in-law. What the hell is going on? I gulp as I look at my husband.

He smiles at me and helps me sit on the chair at the end of the table and himself takes a seat beside me. I raise my brows in question, he gives my hand a slight squeeze, comforting my nervousness.

He hands me some papers. I look at him with a puzzled expression.

I go through the papers and I jump from my seat when I read it’s contents. “You bought the company on my name?” Owing me the gazes from the people sitting there.

“Sorry.” I let out a nervous smile and glare at my husband who just smiles at me. Seriously?

“What the hell is this?” I whisper in a threatening tone.

“Let me handle this.” He nods reassuringly.

Rest of the meeting I didn’t even know what happened, Oh! I am so dizzy! I hold my head.

After the meeting everyone leaves the room leaving me and my husband behind.

“What the hell were you thinking, making me the owner?” I yell at him.

“Look I talked to your dad he refused to take everything back so we both came to this conclusion, he’s very happy with this decision and what’s wrong with you being the owner? Didn’t you study marketing and business from Cambridge?”

“I did, but I don’t have the confidence. And why on my name?Did you think it’ll make me happy?I can’t! For god’s sake, when will you stop giving me shocks?” I hold my head.

“Shock? I just wanted to surprise you. Plus you only keep on saying what’s mine is yours too so, it’s on your name or mine, it doesn’t matter right?” He says shrugging his shoulders.

“Your surprises are big shocks to me.” I glare at him to which he simply laughs. Why is he so sweet? I sigh. But no I can’t!

“I can’t take this.” I return the papers to him.

“I won’t either.” He says adamant.

“Fine, let’s do this then. Let’s have a co-ownership!” I suggest.

“Fine.” He nods.

“But even the co-ownership is too much for me.” I sigh.

“You worked before right?”

“Yeah, but in a year I worked for only 6 months and for rest of the 6 months I’d spent the money I earned and I always worked under a team leader.”

“I read your performance sheet, you’re better suited for leading a department by yourself.”

“But I preferred it that way, cause higher the post greater is the responsibility and i’d rather not have bigger responsibilities so that i could always run off.”

“Wow! Lazy you!” He ruffles my hair.

“This time too I’ll can leave everything to you right, Mr.CEO?” I smile at him.

“No, you’re not! You’ll be learning to be responsible!”

“Oh no!”

“Oh yes! You know how particular I am about work, right?”

“Spare me! I can’t be a workaholic!”

“You don’t have to be workaholic, but you do need to complete your job and take full responsibility.” He pats my head. “And for that I’ll be keeping you right in front of my eyes.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll work at my office. For the time being you’ll work right under me and I’ll teach you how to handle a company.” He gives me a sheepish smile.

“Curse you. I heard you’re scarier in your office. I face you everyday at home and now you’re telling me I have to face you, the monster at office too? ” I glare at him.

“That glare doesn’t scare me cause you look cute when you’re angry.” He pulls my cheek.

I pout slightly blushing. I’m the one who’s scared right now.

Few days later

Office

Ryouma’s p.o.v

My cabin is just across hers and I can clearly see what she’s doing from my chair. I smile to my self as she lazily turns pages of a file. Just then enters Ren, her so called best friend, the stranger I met at the hospital. I don’t like that guy at all! The past few days he’s always around her, like a fly. She even hired him for work. I didn’t keep her here to flirt with other man in front of me.

This guy Ren is stuck to my wife like a chewing gum! He is her best friend, but that doesn’t mean he has to stick by her side every single minute, I don’t stick with Rihito, she doesn’t stick to Rina either. I crush the paper in my hands seeing them.

Third person’s P.O.V

“Poor paper, it doesn’t even know why it is being tortured.” Rihito clicks his tongue. He looks at the direction to which Ryouma is glaring with a murderous intent and laughs.

“What’s so funny?” Ryouma glares at his best friend.

“Well nowadays everything about you is so new and that is very funny.” Rihito laughs out aloud as his best friend keeps glaring at his wife and her so called best friend.

“Don’t be jealous, they’re just good friends.” Rihito assures him trying hard to suppress his laugh.

“Good friends my foot! Have you seen me sticking to you like that?okay forget that she doesn’t even stick like that to Rina!” Ryouma bursts out.

“Haha! God! You’re so jealous and you didn’t deny that.” Rihito laughs again.

“I’m not jealous.” He denies bluntly.

“Oh then what are you? a burnt roasted chicken?” Rihito laughs again making fun of Ryouma.

“Shut up.” Ryouma glares at him.

“His work experience is quite good, Teresa’s just taking his help for work.” Rihito patts his back.

“Couldn’t she come to me? Am I dead or invisible?” Ryouma’s nose flares with anger.

“See, you are jealous!” Rihito laughs again. “Seeing you like this, sure is fun. Didn’t I tell you to be careful, she may get snatched.” He teases him.

“Shut up and see what I’ll do now.” He picks up his phone and dials a number.

“Jack, you’re fired and now you’ll work for Sam and get a letter out for a new secretary.”

“What are you trying to do?” Rihito eyes him suspiciously.

“Just wait and watch.” Ryouma glares at his wife and Ren and lays back at his chair crossing his arms.

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