Chereads / Unconventional Contract Marriage / Chapter 11 - “Cuss Words and Jitters”

Chapter 11 - “Cuss Words and Jitters”

Alise left her car, taking her time to approach and get a closer view. As she walked around the van, she noticed the logo with a touch of self-deprecation. She quickly said, "Ohhhhh, I'm so dumb. I should've known it was this."

As she contemplated returning to her car to retrieve her drink, they suddenly opened the door, causing her to startle. She jumped back, instinctively placing her hand on her chest.

The individual stepping out of the van quickly noticed her startled reaction and apologized, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to startle you. I've got your package, and I'm here to deliver it."

Alise replied, "Okay," as her skin wasn't jumpy anymore, "Can you please just give me a moment? I need to grab something." She dashed back to her car, retrieved her drink, and clicked the key to lock it as she went to open the door for them to walk in.

After she got in, Alise held the door open as they walked inside.

She directed them to the next room, knowing her mom had prepared everything. As they walked in, Alise called one of the maids to assist her while the people set the dress on the rack.

She looked at it while it was still in plastic, unable to contain her anticipation to see it on the mannequin to ensure the dress was in perfect condition.

The maid arrived two minutes later. Alise instructed the maid to carefully remove the plastic and set the dress on the mannequin that her mom had prepared.

The maid replied, "Yes, ma'am, I'll get to it right away," as Alise walked the delivery people out the door to sign the paperwork.

Alise quietly closed the door after finishing the paperwork, a touch of joy making her steps a bit bouncier as she headed to the next room.

Upon her return, she noticed the maid struggling with the heavy model. A tinge of guilt nagged at her, and she asked, "Oh, was it heavy? I'm so sorry."

As she said that, she joined the maid and started pushing and setting up the model, muttering, "Damn, this was heavy, despite how it looks."

The maid chuckled wearily and replied, "Yeah."

Alise tipped her generously as a token of appreciation for her efforts.

The maid, full of personality, gave a huge thank you.

Alise found the maid's spirit charming. With a warm smile, she struck up a conversation with the maid. Alise was surprised by the maid's openness and enjoyed the conversation.

Unfortunately, their discussion ran short as other maids arrived, seeking her help. She nodded to allow the maid to go.

After the maids left, Alise felt disappointed that the conversation had ended, but she couldn't help but think about how stunning she would look in the dress.

She danced with her hips swaying as she hyped herself up. Sincere entered the room and noticed her exuberant display.

Observing her self-absorbed dancing and demeanor, he asked, "Are you excited to marry him?"

She replied, "What, pleaseeeeeeee," with a straight face and a hint of amusement in her tone. "Do you not see the dress?" She rolled her eyes playfully.

While he wished to tell her she didn't have to go through with the marriage and that he would have helped her even if they hadn't made up, Sincere struggled with his emotions and wasn't good at saying things.

He felt like a coward, but he also understood that her stubbornness might not have allowed her to listen. So, he sighed and said, "Yeah, right."

Alise questioned, "What do you mean, 'yeah right'?"

He walked away, and she followed, wanting to know, "What do you mean?"

Frustration etched on her face. She really wanted to know, but she wasn't willing to keep constantly begging or asking to know. In the end, she let out an exasperated "Gee, never mind."

Alise walked back into the room and decided not to dwell on the matter with Sincere, merely brushing off his "yeah right" remark.

However, it still managed to get under her skin. Alise had a strong aversion when others assumed they understood her better than she did, especially when they questioned her feelings, even when she was sure about how she felt.

She quietly sighed and shifted her focus to covering up the dress, ensuring there would be no need for last-minute preparations.

Despite her moments of conceit, a growing sense of nervousness began to creep in. Alise distanced herself from the dress, attempting to shake off the jitters. She decided to take a brief rest to clear her head.

After some time, she got up, feeling somewhat aimless. Glancing at the wall clock, it seemed like time was racing by, although it was only 6:30.

Boredom began to gnaw at her, and Alise's stomach rumbled, signaling her craving for a snack. She swiftly headed to the kitchen, grabbing a quick snack to quell her hunger while they got started on dinner.

She walked out content, making her way to the living room.

Sitting on the couch, taking small bites of her granola bar, she contemplated the significance of the evening. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

Though she knew she was on the verge of getting married, Alise couldn't help but keep saying it, as if it felt unreal to her.

"Shit, I'm getting married tomorrow. Fuck," she muttered to herself, her unfiltered stream of cuss words giving her a sense of release.

She acknowledged, "Shit, they're right; I do cuss a lot," but she had always been unapologetic about her colorful language, firmly believing it added authenticity to herself.

As she pondered it, she mused, "I guess I could tone it down just a little bit, though."

As she thought about that, that's when Alise's mother suddenly walked into the room and, upon seeing her reclining on the couch, she said in a stern tone, "Alise, don't stay up late tonight."

Alise wanted to retort, "Be so for real, why would I stay up late when the wedding is tomorrow?" wanting to give her a dumb look. However, she responded, "Okay," with a nod.

Her mother maintained her seriousness and added, "I mean it."

"I know, I know," Alise said. But her mother kept going on even after she said okay.

Alise stared at her mother while she kept rambling on, making her increasingly annoyed.

"Mom, seriously, I know," Alise finally interjected, her patience wearing thin.

"Okay, okay," her mother replied, her tone showing some irritation from Alise's response.

As her mother walked away, it was evident she was annoyed. Alise sighed and rolled her eyes, mumbling, "It's always me, huh?"

Alise was entirely okay with her mother being upset; it wasn't new to her. She had grown accustomed to her mother's pettiness growing up, which made her very indifferent to it.

She mused to herself, "You can't even say something to your parents without them getting mad; they view any response as wrong."

She uttered, "That's so typical," as she shook her head, reclining on the couch, waiting for dinner, fully aware that her snack wouldn't keep her content for long.

However, she noticed the maid she had previously conversed with walking by, her fist clenched, her face filled with anger and tears, and another girl following closely behind her, saying things that further fueled the confrontation.