The dimly lit restaurant hummed with the low chatter of patrons and the clinking of silverware. In a secluded corner, two individuals sat across from each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle.
"What is it that you want?" Maisie grumbled and decided to confront the man. "An apology for ending our union? Do you want revenge? Do you want to humiliate me and get even? Hmmph... Tell me directly so I would be aware of what to offer."
Gurceneu clasped his fingers and casually tilted his head. "No offense, but you have no wealth to offer. Lery Destmore, was a charismatic yet arrogant man who had built a vast corporate empire. You really inherited your father's genes, Maisie."
She was slightly taken aback by such a personal attack and glared at the man. "Just get to the point. What's the use of talking about family genetics? What do you want from this remarriage condition?"
"What do I want? Hehe... Maybe I want to bore you to death by keeping you as my wife, Maisie. The media would surely feast on that kind of news! What do you think?"
Maisie's face immediately turned red out of anger. Such a high level of petty!
"Hah! Very well! You must have eagerly waited for this chance to speak those words to me! In any case, to die out of boredom is probably an honor to escape this reality. Tsk!" Maisie snickered and gritted her teeth in annoyance.
But Gurceneu chuckled in response. "Oh yeah?... What I want is exactly that... Your arrogance and charisma, Maisie. You have no escape but to face the reality. Tomorrow, when everything of yours would be taken away because of your father's gambling debts, you would have no money, no friends, and you'll only have me."
"I won't do immoral or illegal acts," Maisie spoke firmly. In fact, there was a reason for her strong hatred of this man. The Hudn Family was involved in some underground dealings... military firearms to be exact. And only after six months of her marriage, Maisie had witnessed the true beast that Gurceneu had been hiding within. She witnessed the man had violently beaten someone without batting an eye.
"If you want to save your family and know the whereabouts of your father, you will follow what I say, Maisie. Your father reveled in his power and authority, making decisions without considering the consequences. What I want to say is... it's your father's fault that you are left with no choice." Gurceneu spoke while staring at her eyes.
The air was thick with tension as they exchanged uneasy glances, their past conflicts weighing heavily on the atmosphere. The memory of scathing articles and relentless exposés of their divorce hung over the table, casting a shadow on the evening.
"Ha—haha..." Maisie blandly laughed as she noticed the waiter approaching. "So, you actually know where my father is?"
"I hate to disappoint, but, I have no idea where your father is. But, if you cooperate, it is only natural for me to find him," Gurceneu chuckled.
Their forced smiles masked their true feelings. Maisie closed her eyes for a moment and crossed her arms.
When the waiter took their order, she spoke with deliberate precision, carefully avoiding eye contact. "I want this... and this," she casually pointed to the food on the menu.
"I'll take the same food," Gurceneu, ever composed, calmly placed his order, his voice betraying none of the animosity that simmered beneath the surface.
As the minutes passed, the silence between them grew unbearable. Each morsel consumed felt like a bitter pill, intensifying the weight of their shared history. They found themselves navigating a minefield of conversation topics, carefully avoiding any sensitive subjects that could ignite the powder keg between them.
"I'll agree to your condition and remarry you--- as long as you won't order me to do illegal and immoral things," Maisie spoke again after the waiter left their table.
"Ahh, you've really seen me as a villain. Why would I make my wife do horrible deeds on my bidding?" Gurceneu spoke with disbelief.
However, Maisie's expression only turned darker as some unwanted memories resurfaced in her mind. "As long as we are clear on this."
Small talk could not even dance on their lips. Only silence was masking the true thoughts and emotions that swirled within.
It had always been like that. They could not have a casual conversation when they were married. Such as talking of trivial matters—the weather, recent movies, and mundane affairs as the man was not fond of such.
Beneath the silent façade, the unspoken questions loomed large on Maisie's thoughts. What kind of future does she have now? Would it really be beneficial on her to have this uneasy truce?
It was just hard to predict Gurceneu.
Suddenly, a question broke the fragile equilibrium. Gurceneu's voice, laced with a hint of strangely... defiance and pierced the strained atmosphere, "Shall we have our second wedding tomorrow?"
Maisie's gaze hardened, but there was a rare glimpse of vulnerability flickered across her face. Ironically, if they were not divorced, it would have been their first wedding anniversary.
"Go ahead. But what about your family? Will they agree for you to remarry with me?" she said, her voice tinged with weariness.
Gurceneu curled his lips into a smile. "They might not find the idea amusing. But, they won't interfere with our wedding either. I'll invite them. Perhaps, they will just think that we want to explore the possibility of understanding our broken union rather than perpetuating a cycle of enmity among our families."
His response caught Maisie off guard once more, her guard momentarily slipping. A fleeting thought of reconciliation sparked within them, but the weight of past grievances threatened to snuff it out.
"You could have just picked someone else and made her your wife to do your bidding," Maisie mumbled while scooping a dessert on the side.
"I could... but, just as what you have said before, I would be too boring," Gurceneu shamelessly mumbled as he wiped the side of his mouth with the table napkin. "Well, I don't think you'll get bored on this second marriage."
Maisie bitterly swallowed her sweet dessert. "I don't think I would have the time to notice how boring it would be. There's a lot of work to do for sure."
"You really don't need to do anything. Leave it to me," Gurceneu casually responded.
Maisie raised her head and looked at the man for a split second. "Did it even occur to you that you're just as arrogant as I am?"
"Haha..." Gurceneu stifled his laughter and shook his head. Whatever he found amusing about her comment, Maisie could not relate to the humor.
The evening wore on, the clashing of cutlery echoing the clashing of their ideologies. Each bite brought them closer, not only to the end of the meal but also to a potential breakthrough or further disappointment.
As the final course arrived, a realization settled upon her. This act of accepting his condition in exchange for his help was not about victory or surrender but simply a mutual benefit. She will become Gurceneu's wife once more.