The next day, I headed to the office with Seth. We were meeting both our families to sign the contract. I had planned a little surprise that I hoped Seth would be happy about. One that I hoped would help set him free.
As we walked through the lobby, many congratulated us and Seth shrunk a little.
"Stop hiding, everyone knows who you are. A public announcement with our picture was sent to my employees to celebrate our wedding."
He nodded and I could see he was trying to stand up straighter. I smiled at how cute he was being, I knew in time he wouldn't need to try. Eventually, he would be confident enough.
The ride to my office was quiet but I could feel him start to get nervous the closer we got. His hand in my grasp was shaking and slightly clammy.
"Breathe," I told him as the doors opened.
I pulled his hand and we walked confidently towards my office. Our fathers were waiting for us. Mine stood up and happily pulled me and then Seth into a hug. After I discovered the truth, I called him so he knew everything as well.
"Seth, it's great to finally meet the real you," he greeted, which made Seth smile.
I'd told him about the animosity between Seth and his parents because of his orientation. He hugged him again, a little tighter at Seth's shy smile.
"It's good to meet you again too sir, and I'm sorry for lying before," he whispered into his shoulder.
"Oh pshaw! You've not got to apologise. As I understand it, it's not really your fault is it?"
My father intentionally eyed the other people in the room and for the first time, I noticed that his father wasn't the only one there. His mother and a young woman that looked like Seth, whom I assumed was the runaway sister, sat with pinched faces.
"Lisa? I thought you left?" Seth gasped.
Lisa stood up and walked up to us with a sway of her hips. Though she was talking to her brother her eyes never left me.
"I came back as soon as I realised my sweet little brother stepped in for me."
"Stepped in for you?" I asked.
Seth tried to let go of my hand but I refused to. I sent him a glare that stilled him.
"Well yes, he dressed up as me and signed my name on the registry. You're actually married to me, he just said 'I do' in my place," she cooed, reaching out a hand towards me.
I growled and took a step back taking Seth with me. She faltered a little unsure of what to do next. She turned and looked back at their parents.
"The marriage certificate does state our daughter's name," her mother insisted.
"Does it?" I asked.
Everyone but Henry and my father stared at me in surprise. Seth looked confused as well as hopeful.
"Whilst Seth did pretend to be his sister for the ceremony, he didn't actually sign a real marriage certificate. I'd known before the wedding that I was marrying Seth, so I made sure that he signed the fake one in her name and the real one in his."
Henry handed me a folder and I opened it in front of everyone. Whilst in New York, I had Seth sign a document. He had thought it was a confidentiality agreement when actually it was our marriage licence.
"What!" Lisa called out. "This is ridiculous. You can't be married to Seth, he's a man and not a part of the arrangement."
I smirked as I made Seth sit in my desk chair.
"Well, the contract my father made with yours was for me to marry the child of Mr and Mrs Timber. It doesn't specifically state that I had to marry Lisa or even Seth, only the child of."
I moved around the desk and approached her slowly. She had a bit of nerve in her as she jutted out her hip and pushed out her chest a little as I got closer.
"So tell me again why can't I be married to Seth? He at least shows me he respects his family enough to help them when they are in need of it, despite how they have treated him."
"Now wait a minute!" his mother started.
"Seth trusted you, Lisa, when you insisted he come out to your parents he expected the best or at the least that he had his sister's support. You knew how they would react and did nothing to help him because you wanted all the attention."
Lisa looked a little ashamed and I smirked before turning to his mother.
"You instantly told your son to hide who he was, to be who he's not just so you could keep your image. You insisted he focus on his school work and he did, he did everything you ever asked of him."
"Then you gave all your love, attention and time to your daughter. Her life was celebrated, her mistakes forgiven and she was given everything she could ever ask for. Seth studied business because you told him to and she refused to do as she was asked."
I took a seat on one of the long sofas I had in my office and my father sat next to me trying not to smirk. Lisa's mother pulled her to sit down with her whilst they looked like they were sucking lemons.
"Despite everything you did for her, she wouldn't do what you asked and yet you still indulged her. Then when you needed her the most when your business was failing and the only hope was your daughter marrying, what did she do?"
Silence filled the room as I looked at each one.
"Well, I didn't know who I was going to marry," she tried to explain.
"Really?" I mused looking at my father. "But didn't my father explain in the contract that you would be marrying his thirty-year-old son, as well as saying who I was in terms of my businesses?"
"Well I …" she stammered, unable to finish.
"Oh, I forgot," I went to Seth and asked for his phone. "That's right, you thought you were marrying 'an old man who needed medication to get it up'."
Lisa actually looked ashamed as her mother glared at her.
"Look, I'm sorry ok. I admit that I made a mistake, and said some things I didn't actually mean but I'm here now and I can make it all better, I can be better for you. If you'll let me."