The Contract Marriage (Completed)
Chapter 3

The day of the engagement

And came the day of my engagement. I got ready with the help of my maids and my BFF Rina. I wore a red gown and combed my hair into a sleek bun and we reach the venue. A large hall was rented, spacious enough to accommodate 1000s of our guests, and seeing the crowd got me nervous. As the engagement was part of a deal, many business persons came. I only knew a few of the guests who were my friends and relatives, who were countable in my fingers. Attending other guests, were my dad and Mr. Ryuu Carlton.

My fiancé was standing beside me on my right side, with a glass of drink on his hand and the other hand in his pocket looking stunning in his grey tuxedo matching the color of his eyes, his brown hair jelled back, greeting other company’s presidents, obviously having business talks. I had Rina, standing on my left side.

“You’re seriously getting married to him?” Rina asks me as she furiously looks at my fiancée.

Suddenly a lady pops in front of us, getting super excited seeing me. She suddenly hugs me with all her might as you would to your best friend, seeing her after a very long time. I look at her confusedly.

“umm… I’m sorry but I didn’t recognize you!” was all I could say.

She just pulls my fiancé by his hand taking him away from the person he was talking to, another billionaire who I was introduced to a while ago and whose name I obviously don’t remember. My fiancé gave her a death glare but she ignores him and pointing him she gives a wide smile and says,

“I’m the mother of this idiot here, dear!′ She exclaims happily.

My so-called fiancé shrugs off from his mother’s grip, “Done?” He says raising his brow and goes back to apologize to the billionaire standing shocked there.

This lady, my would-be-mother-in-law was stunningly gorgeous, she emits the aura of a queen and her eyes sparkle youth. No one would say that she’s the mother of a 25-year-old young man, now I know where did my fiancé get his looks from.

After a while, my father makes an announcement and everybody gathers to witness the deal between two companies being signed, oops! I mean my ‘engagement’ ceremony.

As he slips the ring on my ring finger I again remember the contract that I signed with him and think yes now I can’t escape my fate even if I want to.

“Don’t worry! I’ll have the car ready outside your wedding venue if you ever have a change of mind on this!” My best friend whispers to me, showing me her thumbs up as if reading my mind.

What would I do without her? I smile at her lovingly.

***

Sigh. I sighed for like 100th times now, and the reason- ’after the engagement, my fiancée and I are standing next to each other for 30 minutes and it’s so awkward that I don’t know what to talk to him and how to begin with...

“Are you enjoying the party?” I ask him.

He just nods.

O wow! Teresa! what a nice question to ask, I roll my eyes.

“Umm, so many business associates aren’t they?” my mouth utters another stupid question, well ‘duh!’

“Yes. You see there, the man in the grey suit, he’s the president of Takao Enterprises.” He answers.

And bla bla bla he goes on and on, pointing one man after another. My guess was right; he can talk about his business the whole night if you give him.

Now I’m regretting over the question I asked him because I was getting bored here but this guy doesn’t give a damn and continues his business talks. God! Why did I have to get over smart and ask him this stupid question?

“My, My! You’re boring your wife, son!” Tada! My savior taunts her son.

“She’s the one who asked, mother” he retorts back.

“Because she probably wanted to start a conversation with you, dear. But she didn’t know that you could be so annoying and give her a lecture on your favorite topic ‘business’. Poor her” she says looking at me sympathetically.

“Ah, I’m out of here, I don’t want to fight with you here,” he says beginning to walk away from us.

“Aww, you’re just running away cause you know you can’t win me in an argument, son,” she says teasingly. “Any way you can just go and have your business talk with another businessman, we don’t need you here anyway. You’ll just ruin our night!” she taunts her son.

My fiancé, totally pissed off, walks away.

Oh wow I so love this woman and I’m so going to enjoy her company, I thought looking at the woman in front me.

After a week

Past one week I spent my time with my friends and cousins, shopping for my wedding, having sleepovers and lots of midnight talks and finally came the day of my wedding.

I get ready, wearing my beautifully designed gown, my wedding gown; I had my hair combed into a twister pearl mermaid hair and with a white flower bouquet in my hand, I step inside the car, on my way to the church.

As the church door opens, there stands my fiancé at the end of the aisle looking stunningly handsome in his black tuxedo which makes my heart skip a beat, waiting for his bride-to-be = ‘me’

I look at my dad, who is smiling beside me, and seeing him a smile plays on my lips as I walk down the aisle to my fiancé and stand by his side.

“Do you Ryouma Carlton, take Teresa Scarlet to be your lawfully wedded wife for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do you part?”

“I do.” He replies.

‘Until death? Well, we’re going to get divorced after a year’, I mocked.

Now, I’m starting to have a second thought about this marriage. Can I really do this?? A loveless contract marriage for a year??

I look around to see the face of my father, there he was with his friend, Mr. Ryuu Carlton, both of them look so happy and Mrs. Carlton she’s the most excited one here, waiting for the ceremony to be finished and for her to have me as her daughter-in-law. The past week I spent time with her and she’s really very sweet. She was the one who was all excited, going shopping with me for my wedding, she even helped me in selecting my wedding gown and didn’t let me feel my mother was not with me. She said that she couldn’t wait till the wedding and wanted to take me with her right away. She said that she always wanted a daughter and finally, she’s getting one. But I can’t tell her that this dream of hers will only last for a year and she will have to wake up from her sleep and face reality.

Can I actually do it? I really don’t know...

I was dragged out of my thought by the father, who repeated,

“Do you Teresa Scarlet, take Ryouma Carlton to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do you part?”

I realize all eyes on me, I held my breath…

Silence filled the church and everyone’s eyes were on me. I looked at my best friend who mouthed, “I’ve got your back! The car is outside!”

But then I look at my dad, who raised his brows at me. I shake my head and reply,

“I do!”

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

You may kiss the bride.

May kiss the bride

Kiss the bride

Kiss...

Kiss!!!!??

Oh god! I totally forgot about the kiss!!

The man in front of me, now my husband leans in and lifts my veil.

O God I’m not prepared!! O no please don’t ... No! no! no!

I shut my eyes tight, my head a little backward.

I felt a peck on my lips and I opened my eyes.

I can confirm that right now I’m redder than a tomato.

And he dares to smirk!

Laugh all you want Mr. I’ll surely get my revenge on you! I narrow my eyes at him.

And now I officially enter a ‘CONTRACT MARRIAGE!’