After one week
Jacqueline's POV
Shame...
Mortification...
Humiliation...
Was what I felt as I sat in a lone cafe, staring at the wall ahead of me with a permanent pout resting on my face.
Jesus Christ! What have I done? Why God!? Why does it always have to be me? Me and my God damn mouth! Why did I agree on this stupid marriage? What was I even thinking when I said okay?
Jacq, do you even understand what kind of a mess you have gotten tangled up in?
Maybe not completely but I sort of got the picture. That son of a Russo is going to roast me like a grilled chicken and shove me down his throat.
Pftt..and you better get ready to face his snarky comments, sweetheart.
Great! Now even my conscience is upset with my stupidity. What in the world did I ever do to have such an amazing fate!? Like, how am I even this lucky!?
I facepalmed and sighed deeply thinking about the huge mess that I had brought upon myself. As I closed my eyes, my dad's hope-filled eyes popped up in my head making me grimace. He was so happy knowing that I had finally agreed for marriage.
I don't even understand what I had blabbered to him in my sleepy state but when I woke up the next day, I was welcomed with my dad's ecstatic and chirpy mood. He was grinning ear to ear making me suspicious of him until the maids came in and started congratulating me for my marriage.
When the croakiness that I was feeling finally dissipated from my body, the entire situation finally dawned on me. The entire house was going all haywire with my wedding news. However, what actually made my jaw to drop on earth was when I heard my father sending words to the Russo's aka my soon to be in-laws about the wedding.
Even before I got a chance to protest, my dad had already done most of the engagement and wedding preparations. And what did I do? I just freaking stood there looking at my father with a dumbfounded look. I really couldn't bring myself to clear the confusion to my father. After so long, I was seeing my father being this happy and I didn't want to ruin it for him. I didn't want to see his crestfallen face when I tell him the truth.
As, I stood there contemplating on my next move and cursing my self with all the curse words that I had come to know, my father suddenly turned towards me with a big smile on his face and for some reason that smile felt like an inkling for an upcoming trouble. Hence, I only gave him a burst of nervous laughter, praying to the gods above me to make my intuitions go wrong but my prayers got ignored. As usual.
" Jackie...Benjamin said he wants to meet you privately to discuss your wedding " he chirped completely ignoring my face that had went completely pale.
Hence, here I am waiting for Mr Mighty, getting myself all worked up. What was I supposed to tell him after rejecting him so blatantly? He is surely going to taunt me for this. Oh, my God, there goes my pride to faraway land and I don't see it coming back any time soon.
I felt like bawling my eyes out thinking about my current situation. If I cry does that make me a drama queen? If yes then so be it. I Jacqueline Valentina Knight proudly declare that I have royally screwed my own life with my very own mouth. I grumbled and hit my head on the table not giving any heeds to the waitress who was throwing weird glances by my way.
" I Am so stupid...."
*Hit*
" I have no brain"
*Hit*
" Why did I brought this upon myself"
*Hit*
" My life is so doomed...."
*Hit*
Gosh, why am I still not fainting even after all these bangings? At least if I faint I could use that as an excuse to get any from this dreaded meetup. Hawwww.....stupid brain why don't you just black out!?
Now I was determined to hit my head pretty hard and get unconscious but when I was about to go for it, a hand shot out of nowhere and stopped me from banging my head on the wooden table. Alerted, I quickly craned my head to look up. I gulped when my gaze fell on a pair of silver-grey eyes which were scrutinizing me.
And there we go ladies and gentlemen, I have officially made a fool out of myself with least to no effort. I really wonder how I manage to do this every single time.
Trying to not make the already awkward situation more awkward, I straighten myself and gave him a tight lipped smile for which he replied with a curt nod. He made himself comfortable on the chair opposite me and looked at me dead in the eyes.
I cleared my throat and said a dry "Hi" but Mr Mighty chose to ignore my acknowledgement and continued giving me a dead stare. Suddenly, the wall beside looked more appealing, making me look away from his accusing stare.
" What's your price?" that was the first time I heard him spoke and boy...was his voice always this gruff? It was filled with absolute resentment. Before I dwelled into my thoughts thinking what kind of a horrible coffee he could have had this morning making him sound this cold and grumpy, my minded got stuck with his question hanging in the air.
" Pardon," I asked getting genuinely confused.
" I know you heard me well and clear. So, I suggest, you stop pretending and get down to business" he said coldly and pushed a black coloured file towards me.
Is he planning to ask for my autograph? Well, I never knew I was that popular...* mused*
*facepalm*
When I finally snapped out of my self appreciating session, it dawn on me about the unanswered question that I had asked me.
" I still don't get you" I queried looking at him and the black file. I saw him taking a deep breath in as if controlling his anger.
Hey, what did I do now?
" Look, I really have no time to waste. So, I am going to cut the crap and make it clear. How much do you want to decline the wedding and stop bothering me?" he deadpanned making me drop my jaw.
" You...You..."
" HOW MUCH?" his voice was slightly above a whisper but it surprisingly sent shivers down my spine.
Why was this man suddenly becoming so intimidating?
I gulped feeling the brooding aura radiating from him. However, I was not a chicken. Therefore, I pushed the sudden fear that I had grown for this man to the back of my mind and stood my ground.
" Mr Russo, what makes you think I would except your money. I suggest you know the entire truth before judging someone abruptly. If you forget then let me remind you. I had already rejected you so-" he never let me continue and cut me in between.
" If that's the case, why do you think we're here today? " he asked in a deadly calm voice and tried my best to give him an unfazed look.
Damn! This guy has a sharp tongue.
You better hope he only has a sharp tongue because, with the way he is glaring at you, I bet he won't think twice before plunging into your chest if he had a sharp knife.
Why thank you for the heads up.
Most welcomed.
" Actually....that I can explain.." I trailed off scratching the back of my neck, thinking how was I suppose to clear the misunderstanding that I had brought upon myself.
" I don't care. I am least interested in what you have to say. Just tell me how much money you want to back off from this marriage" he hissed and with the way how his knuckles were turning white, I could clearly see how hard he was trying to remain composed.
But I am not a gold digger like how he's picturing me! He is so self-centred and unreasonable. How will he know the truth if he refuses to listen to my part of the story?
I huffed to myself and glared at him. Fine if he doesn't want the easy way, let's take the hard one. Don't blame me because I tried my best dealing this issue in my father's way but I guess that isn't going to work. So, let me handle him in my way.
I snorted and rolled both my sleeves to my elbows, not breaking eye contact with him. I placed both my palms on the table and slightly leaned forwards, squaring my shoulders. I saw him getting surprised and leaning back into his chair as I hovered over him.
Perfect.
" Dude, I tried being civil for god's sake but I guess man like you don't appreciate when people try to be nice. So, ain't gonna pull that act anymore. I have already listened to your crap and now you listen to me" I scrutinised at him, looming more towards him. For some reason, he didn't speak anything and just looked at me as if I had grown two heads.
Even better.
" I. Do. Not. Want. Your. Money. And you better get that through your thick skull" I uttered loud and clear, poking his temples. For which he flinched and covered away as if that was his first time being touched by female species. I mentally rolled my eyes and continued.
" The reason why I had been quite, was because I knew I was at fault. However, that doesn't mean you get to judge me as you please " I spoke each and every word clearly, looking dead into his eyes for which he gave me a cold stare.
" My father misunderstood thinking I agreed for the wedding. I am not even sure what I had blabbered to him. Long story short. He thinks I had agreed to this marriage and is so happy about it. I have no heart to refuse him so I want your help to decline the wedding" I finished and mentally patted my shoulder for talking such a long line without shuttering.
" Too late. It's not possible" he declared turning my eyes into zeros.
" What! But why?" I exclaimed throwing my hands in the air not caring how the waitress was giving me judgemental looks.
She could go to hell for all I care!
" I am in no position to refuse this marriage," he said with a poker face looking ahead of me
" Why...." I practically whined giving him my best puppy look.
I heard him clear his voice after looking at me for more than a minute.
" My parents won't listen," he said curtly fisted his hands.
" You can try" I probed hoping to escape my doom.
" Done that. No use" more than wedding his nonchalant and short answers were driving me nuts.
" Oh God! This time I have really screwed up. My life will be over if I agreed to this marriage. I will be cursed forever. I have so much to do and all my dreams will turn into a permanent illusion. Hawww....." I cried out forgetting about the person sitting in front of me.
When I was busy wallowing in my self misery, Mr Mighty threw the same black file in front of me, making my head snap towards him.
" What's this?" I asked looking at the file warily.
" Open " he ordered so arrogantly making me glare at him. Since I was exhausted from thinking about my unfortunate future, I decided to just open the file and see it myself. However, after opening it, I couldn't stop myself from shrieking.
" What the hell is this!?" I was shocked to see the words staring at my face.
" It's a marriage contract" he deadpanned not bothering to explain further.
" And what am I suppose to do with it? Check for grammatical and spelling errors!?" I couldn't help but exclaim looking at his emotionless face.
" There is no need for that. Sign it" he threw a pen towards me which I caught clumsily, giving him a disbelieving look.
" You're joking aren't you?" I asked with hopeful eyes and prayed to the gods above me to make me wake up from this cruel nightmare.
" No" he looked straight into my eyes, letting me know how serious was he.
" You have gotta be kidding me! No matter what I am not going to sign this damn contract nor agree to this wedding" I stood up abruptly and turned on my heels, preparing to walk out of the place but the words that he spoke after that made me halt pop my steps.
" Then, be ready to see your father on the streets" he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his chair, giving me a challenging look.
" W-what do y-you mean?" I stammered after processing his words.
" Your father had borrowed money from my father almost a year ago, agreeing to return it after a year but that never happened. However, since they were friends my father came up with a marriage proposal instead of getting your father sued. It's a convenient wedding with profit" he said in a bored tone making my eyes pop out.
Holy mother of cows! Is this why dad has been pressuring me for marriage. Was the company actually at the verge of going bankrupt? Now it makes complete sense, why dad had been pestering me to learn company work. Oh God! Why did he hide this from me?
When I was busy connecting all the dots that I was aloof enough to miss, an impatient Mr Mighty, snap his finger bringing me back to reality.
" You are j-joking" I stated with uncertainty and pleaded him with my eyes to say 'yes' but no the truth was way more bitter than I had imagined.
" Do I look like I am joking?" he asked menacingly giving me a cold glare for which I sat down defeated, on my chair. Then, suddenly something clicked to my mind making my face lit like a Christmas tree.
" Hey, you said you would offer me money to back away from this marriage right? So-" I started speaking enthusiastically but my moment of joy was cut short, thanks to Mr Mighty.
" Don't even think about it. I will not give you a penny" he stated clearly looking straight into my eyes.
Didn't he just tell me, giving me money to back off from this wedding? Then why is he acting like a prick right now!? I thought maybe I could use the money he would be offering to pay off my father's debts. So, why did he suddenly changed his mind? Ugrhh...what is wrong with this man? Is he suffering from bipolar disorder?
Annoyed, I looked at him and exclaimed loudly.
" But you just said-"
" I was testing you" he shrugged nonchalantly making my insides to boil.
" What if you loot my wealth after signing the contract? I was just making sure whether you were worthy enough to sign this contract" he explained as if it's something that he does often.
Can someone be any more annoying than him?
" I want time to think," I said in a gruff voice frowning intensely at the black file.
" You have already lost that luxury, Ms Knight. So I suggest you to just sign the contract and get over with it" he pushed the black file towards me and gave me a challenging look. Frustrated, I glared at him and then shifted my gaze back to the file.
It was a one year contract. Not just any contact, it was a marriage contract. Was I ready for this? Even though it's a contract, I still would have to adapt my life according to the things stated in the contract. Am I really ready to trade in one year of my life for my father? Of course, I would. My father is the only person who I have and I would do anything for him.
With a newfound determination, I opened the black file and started going through the contents, looking for any suspicious clause or clauses. The reason being, me not trusting this Russo guy. So, I wore my imaginary pair of glasses and started reading each and every conditions with my utmost concentration.
Party A : Mr Benjamin Douglas Russo
Party B : Ms Jacqueline Valentine Knight
Conditions :
1 - This contract is not to be revealed at any cost and any point at the course of one year of the marriage. Any party who breaches this have to compensate for the other.
2 - Party B is only wife for namesake. They do not hold any rights as a wife and is strictly prohibited from interfering in Party A's personal matters.
3 - During the period of marriage, Party B will be subjected to a defamation case and compensation if they try to seduce or take advantage of Party A.
4 - Party B has no legal rights on Party A's property or wealth. Any act of trying to loot money will be lead to compensation of Party B to Party A if found guilty.
5 - Any act of trying to defame Party A or Party's family would cause Party B to face serious consequences and thus Party B is supposed to live up to the standards of Party A.
And the list kept going on and on and on, making my eyes hurt. I almost rolled my eyes after reading the third conditions. Like seriously, he needs to get his head out of the gutter and start thinking like a sane person.
When I read the first condition, I went stiff for a few seconds. I wasn't sure whether I could hide this from my father. I never really hide anything from him, as far as I was concerned. He knew me like the back of his hand. So, I wasn't sure how was I going to hide this contract marriage from him. Also, I don't think so informing my father would be a wise idea.
First, he will never agree for such an absurd thing and second, he will be very disappointed with me and would probably start questioning his upbringing. I wouldn't want either of that to happen. I have to do this for my dad and I will make sure to never let him know about this truth.
As, I continued to read further, I saw Mr Mighty drumming his fingers on the wooden table impatiently. From the corner of my eyes, I could see him turning frustrated with the amount of time I was spending reading each and every page.
Well too bad. Who asked him to add so many conditions?
When I came to the last condition, I frowned looking at the words staring at me. It's stated that I could ask for any amount as my alimony after the wedding. The condition being it should be 1/10 of his cash in one account. Which was not more than 10 million.
Well, that's interesting. Hey, wait a minute.
" Uhm, Mr Russo, its states here that I could get a maximum of 10 million as my alimony after divorce. If that's the case, you can lend me the money to settle my father's depth and later I would pay you back the money after getting a job " I suggested hopefully for which he replied with a curt NO.
" That's not possible because your fathers owes 50 billion. Even if you worked for your entire life you wouldn't be able to settle the debt" he spoke arrogantly dusting the imaginary dust on his tux.
However, I was too occupied to entertain his smug ass because I was busy with gaping at the amount of money, my father owed them.
Oh my goodness! Why did my father borrowed such a huge amount of money? It was freaking 50 billion! Not even million. I am positive. Even if I work like a donkey, regardless of day and night, I would still fail to pay back their money. I could never earn freaking 50 billion in this lifetime unless I decide to become a ninja warrior and rob the bank.
I groaned and buried my face on my palms. My brain, as usual, decided to ditch me, in my moment of distress and go on vacation. I couldn't possibly think of any other way out of this marriage.
" There is nothing much you could do as for now. So, just sign the contract" I was again brought out of my trance by the familiar cold voice which I have now grown acquainted with. I looked up at him with a pleading face and a pout resting on my face. He immediately averted his gaze from my face and looked at away from me.
" Is there really nothing I could do to stop this wedding?" I asked hopefully for the last time deciding to test my luck but I forgot that I was never really lucky when it came to luck. My words managed to successfully irritate him and he glared at me making me shrink into my chair like a frightened puppy.
" Let me make it clear to you. Even, I am being forced to marry you which I absolutely despise. So don't get your hopes high thinking I am desperate about you. If anything, I am doing this to free myself from the torture my parents are giving me" he gritted out in a calm and composed way.
Right now, robbing the bank and going to prison sounded more appealing than marrying him.
" See, even you don't want this marriage. So why do we have to go through this?" I exclaimed trying to get my point across the table.
" It's because of your foolishness and my helplessness. But on the brighter side, you would get alimony at the end of the contract and I would finally get peace of mind with my parents not bothering me anymore about marriage " he pointed out making me sigh in defeat.
" Fine.....but before signing, you have to promise me to give a separate room for me when I move in," I said seriously for which he scoffed.
" At least, we both have mutual feelings when it comes to our sleeping arrangements. I am not interested in you and your looks. Besides....I have a g-girlfriend who I am very loyal to. So, you can rest assure" he shrugged as if telling me about his favourite colour.
What the freaking hell!?
"You have a girlfriend!?" I asked in a shrill voice, forcing my hands on the table and getting up abruptly.
" Yes," he nodded nonchalantly, royally ignoring my enraged demeanour.
" I am absolutely not going to cause havoc in someone else's relationship! I am out of this" I spat, scowling at him.
" Look, she knows about this contract and she was the one who approved it" he waved off acting cool.
" What!" my mind was not accepting his reply. I don't trust his words. Not even a bit.
" Yes. So, do not overreact" he adjusted his collar and looked at his watch.
What is he up to anyway? If he already had a girlfriend then why are his parent's fussing over his marriage.
" Why not marry her instead of coming up with this contract?" I asked suspiciously giving him a piercing look.
" My parents do not approve of her. So, it's best for me to marry you, get divorced in a year and then marry her after that. Simple" he shrugged as if marrying someone else besides his lady love didn't affect him at all.
" You are unbelievable. I am leaving!" I sneered, disgusted with what he was suggesting.
He is sick! What an asshole! I already pity his girlfriend's unfortunate fate. I wish she dumps him in a huge dustbin and never look back.
I made a mental note to pray for whoever that innocent woman was, coming Sunday at the Church near my home. I repulsed from him and was about to cross the table but his voice froze me to a statue.
" Jacqueline Valentina Knight. Your father. On the streets" he uttered in a low voice but it was loud enough to make my blood to become cold. I turned towards him and gave him a hateful look.
How can someone stoop so low for their selfish reasons? Sadistic moron!
I strode towards him, throwing daggers at him as I neared him. Fine, if he wants a war. Then, a war is what we will have. I snatched the pen from him and scribbled my signature while scowling at the goddamn paper.
" You asked for it! So, I warn you beforehand. If you face problems with your girlfriend because of this marriage, I am absolutely not to be blamed. You had brought this upon yourself. So, never try to blame me" I threw the pen at him and stormed out of the cafe.
Third person's POV
After she exited the cafe, like a crazy wolf that had gone feral, Benjamin's cold exterior immediately faded into thin air. He smirked looking at her signature and secured the file into his suit pocket. Satisfied with the turn of events that took place today, he headed to his office after placing a hefty tip on his table as his mood was exceptional good. Why? That was a question, he chose to ignore.
And that was going to be a mistake which he would find himself regretting in the future.