After assuring Collin that he had no intention of taking his mother away from him, Collin temporarily dropped his defences. 'I have my work cut out for me,' Jorge thought as he looked at them.
"Collin, buddy, please go play by yourself, as I talk with your mother a bit,"
Collin looked at Jorge suspiciously by narrowing his eyes. 'What is he up to?' he thought, but to Jorge, Collin looked cute in his protective stance for his mother.
Jorge laughed out loud, "I promise that you will get her back very soon." Jorge stressed the last part as he called for his butler. Mr Benny held the little boy's hand and walked out with him. As they were on the third floor, he decided to take the stairs to the second floor, where Collin's room was.
Mr Benny was not surprised that Collin could take care of himself as it took him no time to freshen up. He could have gotten his wife or one of the servants to help, but Mr Benny decided to accompany
Collin until Jake, the assistant, arrived for the day. Mr Benny even helped Collin pick out some of his new clothes to wear. After he finished dressing up, Collin climbed onto the bed, and very soon, he was engrossed in his tablet, almost like a pro fascinating the old butler.
'I am glad he liked the gift I got him.'
Mr Benny thought as he took a seat and just watched him do his thing.
After what seemed like a long while, Collin raised his head and asked, "Can I go play in the car?"
Mr Benny replied, "Of course, young master. It is yours, and you do not need to ask permission to use it."
Back in the study, Mirabel asked, "What are you trying to do?"
"Making myself a place in your life!" came the prompt reply,
"I have the adoption papers ready and just need your agreement to get the final approval," he added.
Mirabel whipped her head around, "Didn't you need my consent before the process could start?"
"Mmmm, I did. You signed away a power of attorney when you signed the contract-related papers earlier… I used it to do everything, but I want to make sure that that is what you want before we finalize it."
Her eyes widened, "I did? When?"
He laughed in response once again and then replied, "You should learn to read whatever you sign, dear. Did you even read the contract?"
Mirabel frowned and wondered if she had missed something major. Because she had indeed not read any of the documents she had signed, at that time, she had felt that there was no need for it.
Jorge Trimshaw had been scrutinizing every single gesture and facial expression of hers and realised that from the time that they had met till then, she still avoided looking directly at him. 'Where was that feisty woman he had come to 'know'?' he asked himself as he waited for her response to his question.
He did not need her to say it out loud as the time it had taken her to sign the papers, as well as her contemplative facial expression had answered it for him. He just wanted to draw her mind to that habit lest she be taken advantage of.
Deciding to lighten the mood a bit, he rather said,
"You know you can look at me all you want," he winked once again at her when her hazel glistening eyes finally met his, and she tried her hardest not to blush! She tapped her cheeks and thought to herself, 'Mirabel, you have been there!
You do not want this now … besides, they all said he was a player and a good one at that!'
"Oh my, Mirabel!" He popped his head on his palms and watched her intently! In clear amusement and a teasing smile.
'Focus!' she chided and tried to steel herself, but he saw through everything!
"I – I, the- contract, I -"
"You do not need to stress yourself over that. Even though you've already signed the contract and there is nothing you can do about it now, I will be ever merciful and let you know the relevant parts. Your copy is on this table, and you can read that yourself thoroughly this time ... I hope."
To evade the awkward atmosphere, she rather said, "If you tell me about how you met my son, I will answer the question about the adoption."
"Fair trade," he replied and then continued to narrate that encounter.
After she heard of the agreement between her new husband and her son, she had mixed feelings! If it had been her old self before she had her baby, she would have felt sweet from this gesture, but she was DONE! With men …. Especially rich and entitled ones.
However, in as much as she thought she was done, she had also already signed the contract! A contract that seemed like she didn't even know much about. She hoped that there was no hidden clause that would be detrimental to her. Mirabel believed then that she had no choice in the matter. She had made her bed, and she had to sleep in it!
There was no going back! Besides, … at least, he was young, good-looking… a little too good-looking for her. And the most important part was that, he was not a rich pot-bellied old fat geezer… she thought to herself.
The best part of it for her then was his reputation, that he was a player! A perfect playboy! His reputation was so bad so that it couldn't get any worse… at least from her point of view. It was just the icing on the cake she needed! At least her heart will remain intact with no risk of being broken.
Mirabel had sworn to herself that she would never enter any relationship with anyone ever again! That one experience had given her all she could handle. The love and the hate! It was a bundle and an all-in-one package. That was enough to last her this lifetime!
There was, however, one thing that she never understood after becoming Jorge Trimshaw's wife on paper.
He had everything and any woman he could ever want or need in his life. So why did he come for her, an ex-convict!
She raised her eyes to meet his and then asked, "Why would you marry a woman who had been behind bars? A criminal?"
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