After two days since the banquet, Lucy had hardly seen her boss. In fact her eyes never caught him in his office as often as she used to. He didn't show up as much as before and his work also reduced.
On the very next day of coming back from the banquet, she got instruction from Liam to free his schedule as much as possible and communicate all his meetings through him.
It took her aback but she didn't raise her curiosity. It was better to obey and get the work done.
Today, as usual, Lucy was working on her laptop in assigning and reviewing the contract that the team had just sent. Her eyes read each line with utmost concentration without blinking her eyes for a single minute.
But in the middle, she heard a knock on her table. Subconsciously raising her head, she met Liam's eyes which held seriousness in them. "Ahem?"
"Mr. Walker is looking for you. You need to visit his cabin right now." Liam told her but not with his jolly nature. 'Have I done something?' She was observant.
Was it because she behaved rudely with his ex-lover on that day?
Her heart pounded at that thought and decided to get down with her contract. She locked her laptop and went inside the cabin after hearing his affirmation.
Inside, her eyes landed on his figure where he was looking at a big screen in front of his eyes. His attention wasn't diverted from her arrival and he continued to stare at the data presented on his laptop screen.
"Sir, you asked for me?" Lucy politely asked but in response, he gestured to her to take a seat. Until now, fear was gripping all walls Lucy where had no idea how to control her anxiety.
Is she going to be scolded for her mistake?
But it didn't seem like Mr. Walker was in a bad mood. 'Am I overthinking?' Deep down, she curled her fingers together and her stiffened body was staring at Davis. She waited for him to open his mouth until he was done with his scrutinizing of the accounts.
Davis turned his neck to find Lucy. Her appearance was moderate, or maybe above if she could dress better than her lousy style. He coughed again and placed his hand on the table. "I need your help, Ms. Warner regarding something important."
"H-help?" Out Of the blue, she let out a sigh and her body relaxed voluntarily. "How may help you, sir?" She asked with a gentle smile forming on her lips.
"Well, this is something confidential to talk about and I hope this stays within these four walls."
"You can rest assured, sir. You have my word on this." Hearing her positive answer made Davis nod.
He opened the drawer of his desk and brought out a contract lying inside. Then he passed it by her side. During his actions, Davis noticed her eyes twisting on viewing a contact in front of her.
"This..."
"A marriage contract," Davis answered.
On hearing this, Lucy lifted her wide eyes and gave him a stare. "M-marriage contract?" her voice cracked but it was purely out of surprise.
Her mind stopped working for a few seconds and it took some time to absorb what was presented in front of her eyes.
Davis blinked his black eyes to find her face showing all her emotions. "I know this is a bit of a misunderstanding but let me explain. As you already know that I'm the eldest son of the Walker family. But I have a brother, or to be more specific a half brother, who is competing with me in snatching this power of the family. If I fail to do anything, immediately everything will switch upon his shoulders."
"A few weeks ago, my grandfather came up with this idea that if I don't marry someone within two months then all my property and power will end up in Denis's hands and this is something I will never let happen. All the handwork and inheritance are what I have acquired and added more utility to it. So to keep my powers and wealth with me, I need to marry within two months and one month has already passed. Until now, I was finding it to be pure nonsense from their end but turns out that my family is actually standing on these terms and conditions of marriage."
Davis completed his words and throughout, his eyes never tore from the girl opposite. She was taken aback, her heart jumping in her ribcage. For a few moments, she had blanked out but when Davis started explaining, she regained her consciousness and understood his position well.
But all the marriage contracts did not let them any bomb dropped on her head.
"W-why have you not married anyone else then? T-there are plenty of girls, sir."
"You can say I never found anyone suitable for this role. My terms are very simple, I need protection from flies. As you have already seen how I have to suffer from this matchmaking thing, you would be able to cover up for me. Moreover, with this my family will be satisfied and my wealth will be with me. After two years of marriage, it will automatically dissolve. You can say it is a partnership for fixed venture and that is marriage."
Each word registered in Lucy's mind with a lot of struggle. She didn't know how but he managed to calm her emotions. The turmoil stopped for a moment. It was beyond her heart could imagine and that was to hear Mr. Walker announce his candidacy.
'So am I suitable for this?' she was highly doubtful.
But the silence prevailed in the cabin for the next good minutes. Neither of the party spoke their heart out, as it was still filled with uncertainties. However, Lucy's eyes traveled to look a the contract lying in front of her and then find her gaze searching for Davis's face.
"I will ask only one question. Are you open for love in this marriage or interested in making it work?"