"What?!" Shikera yelled, pushing her chair back as she stood up from her seat.
She looked from her father who was sitting beside her, to his lawyer sitting opposite him and finally to the men sitting at the head of the table.
"Daddy, why does it seem like I don't understand the language Attorney Leigh is speaking? You don't understand either, right?" She asked, shaking her father's arm vigorously as she spoke.
"Princess…" Her father started.
"Yes!" Shikera interrupted him, "I am your princess and you're the chairman of Anderson corporation. Noah is not in any sort of problem and from the last I heard, the company is not facing any problem too. So what is Attorney Leigh saying?"
Her father pulled her down gently, causing her to sit back on her seat. He glanced at the faces of the three other men sitting at the room before looking at his daughter.
"Shikera, it's just for a year. Help daddy just this once."
The shock on his daughter's face made Liam Anderson stop for a while. He almost revoked his words but staring at her pale face, he steeled his heart and continued his words.
"No strings attached, Princess. You just have to live with him for a year until I come back. To meet you as the best reporter in our count…"
"I won't." Shikera interjected.
"Do you think I'm that stupid. I'm not a kid who can just get married because my dad wants me to…"
"I'm with her." A cold voice stated, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
Shikera looked at the man who had just spoken. He was wearing an all black outfit and his face was partly covered with a facemask but his physique was familiar.
Earlier, she had been wondering why the man's face was hidden until the bombshell her father's lawyer dropped, distracted her.
"Mr DeLoach, I'll persuade her." Her father's voice jolted Shikera from her reverie.
She was about to disagree when the all black man talked again.
"This is not about her. It's about you hiding things from me."
"I don't think I hid…"
"Not informing me that your daughter is one of those blood sucking leeches I very much despise! Do you still think you're not hiding anything from me?!" The man's said, his steely aura and tone surprising Shikera.
Subconsciously, her hands went to wrap around her father's elbow as she watched the man stand up.
She shifted closer to her father and whispered,"Who is he, daddy?"
"Your husband." Was the reply she got.
The gossipy Shikera didn't notice anything wrong with what her father said.
"What's his name?" She asked again, her arms wounded tighter around her father's.
"Ethan DeLoach."
"Ethan DeLoach…" Shikera echoed. Why did the name sound awfully familiar?
"Ethan DeLoach…Ethan DeLoach?!" For the second time in 10 minutes, Shikera stood up yelling. Her hands subconsciously went to her phone before her father's lawyer snatched it from her hand.
"Miss Anderson, this is not allowed."
Shikera wanted to argue but the serious atmosphere in the room made her pause.
The all black man was staring hard at her father without blinking and her father somehow managed to maintain the gaze.
"Can I see you privately, Mr DeLoach?"He asked. Without waiting for the man's answer, he walked out and the all black man and the lawyer followed him.
Finally, Shikera was left alone with one person. This one's eyes looked very identical to that of the man who was dressed in black. Was he perhaps Ethan DeLoach's father?
As the thought occured to Shikera, her eyes widened together with her mouth.
"Senior Mr DeLoach, I'm Reporter Shikera Anderson and I work for …"
"You don't seem to take this matter serious, Miss Anderson." The man interrupted.
Shikera wasn't listening to him. She could hear the voice but not the words he spoke. Why? Because his voice was so identical to that of the man in black, the renowned and anonymous Ethan DeLoach.
Since Shikera became a reporter, the major target which had been given to her and all the other reporters, both newbie and professionals, was not to find out the secret life of an actress or a politician. It was to get the face of Ethan DeLoach on camera.
The reward of getting even the least bit of information on Ethan DeLoach could be as much as a triple promotion for reporters. Reporters around the country camped outside of The DL corporation every day but never, not even once had they seen the face of Ethan DeLoach.
Shikera herself had been tricked numerous times…
"Miss Anderson?"
"Yes?" She answered immediately.
"I'm sorry for what my son's derogatory words but…aren't you the least bit curious on why your most supportive father is suddenly setting you up on an arranged marriage?"
"I don't need to be curious. I won't agree anyway."
"Then you're selfish."
Five Minutes Later.
Shikera looked down at the hand she used to sign the contract. Her eyes were blurry but she blinked back the tears threatening to fall.
Turning, she smiled at her father.
"It's alright Dad. I can just use this to gain experience since I won't be getting married anyway."She said, her words coming out in a rush.
"Shikera…" Liam whispered. He had come back after speaking with Ethan DeLoach and met his daughter signing the contract.
He knew his daughter well as he was the one who raised her and he knew she wasn't one to agree so easily to commands.
Even if it concerned her life, she would rather do what made her happy than what made more sense to her.
"Dad! Don't tell me you're going back on your words. You already agreed that I won't get married."
He watched as his daughter joked. It seemed she was really taking this as a joke. Liam handed over the contract to the lawyer and the latter left.
He then faced Ethan DeLoach and his father, smiling wryly.
"Ethan, Chris… I trust that you'll take very good care of my daughter. As you won't allow any one else to come with her, I already handed over her health history to your assistant. I'm sure my daughter won't be much of a trouble."
"Trust me dad." Shikera agreed.
She glanced up to the man now sitting opposite her, her husband. His black eyes looked like an endless pit as the bore into her brown ones.
"Wait!" Shikera thought suddenly." Is he wearing the mask to hide scar or something?"
She hurriedly turned to her father.
"Daddy, have you seen his face? Don't tell me he's ugly— I understand the fact that this is a contract marriage but I can't bear to get married to someone ugly!"
The reply to her question came, not from her father or from anyone else in the room. Infact, it didn't come in form of words but in a seeing is believing form because Ethan DeLoach was removing his facemask from his face now.
Shikera's mouth hung open.
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