"Joan, what makes you think you can deceive us?" Her father thundered as Joanna's cheeks burned from the slap she had just received.
It took quite some time for her to lift herself from the floor and process what was going on, but when her gaze landed on Mia, who had a smug smile on the corner of her lips, Joanna faintly guessed what was happening.
Without another word, she stood up, ambled to Mia, and slapped her hard. It was not as strong as her father's, but enough to send Mia to the floor as well.
As usual, Mia screamed from pain, and her eyes instantly turned red, gaining the empathy of her father.
It greatly annoyed her that the two times Joanna showed up unannounced at their house, her mother was not at home to deal with her.
The first time, she was at the beauty parlor, but this time, she was out shopping.
Cole was vexed. "How dare you hit your sister?" He lifted his hand, about to hit Joanna again, but this time, she was prepared for him and warned seriously.
"Hit me, and your beloved daughter will pay for it. For every time you hit me, I will ensure to return it squarely through her. I might not like you, but I'm just giving you a little respect for age's sake."
Her voice was so calm that for a moment, one would think she wasn't the one speaking. It reminded Cole so much of her mother, and he felt as if he was talking to Monica.
Mia scrambled from the floor when she understood Joanna's plan and was not ready to be used as a scapegoat. Cole's palm, which was about to hit Joanna, tightened into an angry fist.
"You shameless girl. How can you fake a marriage certificate to escape getting married to Alexander?" He sniggered.
Joanna's arms folded across her chest when she got a fair understanding of her father's reason for hitting her.
He was not expecting the possibility of her getting married within the three-day ultimatum.
"Oh, I see. Well, see for yourself. This is not fake." She pulled out the marriage certificate from her handbag, waving it in front of him, but her heart sank into a bottomless pit when he snatched and tossed it on the floor.
"It still doesn't change anything. I never intended to give you those shares," he unintentionally revealed, regretting it, but it was just too late.
"What?" The news hit Joanna like a punch, but she was not ready to give up without a fight. Squatting down, she picked up the certificate, putting it in her handbag.
"Yes, you will, or I will sue you. Don't forget that mom is still alive."
If her mother presented proof of those shares, Cole would have no reason not to return them. Mia was afraid.
If the marriage certificate was real, then she would not be able to escape her marriage with Alexander.
"Dad, I don't think this marriage is real. If not, where is her husband? Anyone can fake a marriage certificate these days."
Cole nodded in agreement, though it pained him that Mia was not as smart as his illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who got married in just three days to get what rightfully belonged to her, but Mia had not been able to find a way around escaping her marriage to the paralyzed Alexander.
"Yeah right, where is this husband of yours?"
***
Alex arrived at the 50th floor of his office tower and gave the marriage certificate to his most trusted PA. "I want to know everything about her."
His PA, Edward, glanced at the document, and the mere heading got him elated. "Fiona proved herself to be a good woman. You were always right about her."
Edward was aware of the relationship between his boss and Fiona. Among the thousands of women, she not only caught his boss's heart but also agreed to marry him even in his predicament.
That must be true love, and Fiona sure deserved compensation, but Alex frowned deeply.
"Have you read the name on it?"
Edward rapidly checked the details on the certificate, his eyes wide as shock flung through him.
"What happened?" He wondered how there was a woman in the life of his boss, and yet, he knew nothing about her, but Alex was not in the mood to recount the embarrassing event from earlier.
"You have thirty minutes." The sternness in his voice gave no room for further delays, so Edward scurried out of the office and returned after twenty minutes.
"Sir, she's clean but has a load of problems. Her mother is admitted to the hospital for a brain tumor, and she urgently needs money for the surgery."
Alex did not show any expression on his face, rather asking. "Her parentage?" That was the most important aspect to him, but was hit with a tsunami.
"She's a half-sister to your betrothed." Edward wondered how his boss could just marry a random girl when he had Fiona. What if she had ulterior motives?
This was also a girl his boss planned to revenge on, so was that his reason for marrying her? It did not seem so from his boss's response.
"It can't be. There is no record of Cole having another child."
"Well, she is termed as an illegitimate child and not considered as part of the family," Edmund explained the details of the matter. Alex was still in doubt.
"I can't believe that I still married from there." He wanted nothing to do with the Bakers because of how greedy Cole and his wife were, but Edmund always had the facts, so this meant that Alex had made a mistake.
"Sir, does she know your identity? If you want, I can get Fiona for you." Edmund was glad to see the shock and regretful expression on his boss's face.
"No. Fiona rejected my proposal, but Joan has no idea who I am. To the best of her knowledge, I'm just a crippled IT officer."
"That's a relief. Then she isn't doing it for the money, and I guess she doesn't remember you from a few weeks ago."
Edmund was there when the incident happened. Joan had made his boss a laughing stock at that conference, and Alex was always bent on revenge.
His reason for being overly protective of his boss before was that he thought Joanna was after his wealth.
"Inform grandpa to cancel the arranged marriage. I…" His phone beeped, interrupting the conversation, so he checked.
'My dad doesn't believe I'm married. Can you come? I can send you the address.'
It was from Joanna, and just as he was about to respond, another message followed. 'If you are too busy? Then we can make it another day.'
'Send the location,' he responded, saying to Edmund. "Get me a cab. There is somewhere I need to be."
"Sir, What about Ike?" Edmund asked. Ike was both a driver and a bodyguard, so Alex would be well-protected, but now, he was going out alone.
Alex was running out of patience. This was the reason for the marriage, and he had to fulfill his obligation to Joanna, just as she would his.
"If you question me one more time, I will dock your pay."
"Consider your cab ready," Edmund said with a tight smile. Alex's temperaments were just too complicated.
Alex arrived at the Baker's mansion and saw the handprints on Joanna's face. Something moved inside him, and his gaze hardened.
"Whose fingers are printed on your face? We should cut them, don't you think?"