Zara refused to believe what she had just read. It was impossible! She held the document in her hands, her expression stunned.
She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. The words were the same—no changes.
She thought she had read it wrong until she heard Jareth mention,
"Let's sign a twelve-month contract."
It sank in immediately that she had read it right.
Why her? Was this also one of Mr. Reed's plots? She questioned herself, confused.
"Con... contract marriage?" Zara asked, her voice shaky, not from happiness but from shock.
"Yes. Any problem?" Zayden asked, concern evident in his voice, but his face said otherwise—he clearly didn't want to hear any problems.
"If I want to have a child with you, I want it the legal way. So, it's better to sign a contract marriage," he added.
"I don't want to have a child," she screamed in her mind.
She didn't dare say it aloud but hoped he could read her mind, even though she knew that was impossible.
She sighed for the umpteenth time.
"Didn't your dad tell you about the deal?" he asked, finally curious.
Well, I'm not Zane, and I don't know anything about her parents, but if she's that popular, she could at least do some research, right?
Zara nodded, her gaze drifting to the words on the page.
"Well, now that you know, I don't accept refunds, so you need to sign the contract," he stated, his brows creased.
"He sold Zane... I mean, me," Zara muttered, her eyes filled with curiosity as she unconsciously moved closer to Zayden.
Zayden cleared his throat and shifted further away from her.
"You should know better," he simply said.
Zara pressed her lips together. She suspected Zane's father had probably sold her, but where was the real Zane? What had happened to her?
Her eyes settled back on the document, and she read the words again.
The words were hard to absorb as she tried not to skip anything. She wasn't a slave, and she wasn't supposed to be caged.
"'Party B must always return before 10 PM. Party B isn't allowed to call any other man's name. Party B should always accompany Party A, regardless of their outing. Party B shouldn't be seen in any situation with another man, causing damage to the relationship. Otherwise, Party B must be punished,'" she read aloud, her voice trailing off.
Punished? She wondered what he meant by that.
Zayden's lips curled into a smile as he saw her focus on the word "punished."
He expected her to question him, but instead, she continued reading. He was stunned—was she that ignorant or perhaps innocent?
But teasing her was going to be even more fun, he thought.
"Party B will always sleep in Party A's room, and, in any case, Party B must fulfill her duties as Party A's wife,'" her voice faltered at the word "duties."
Do the duties include...?
She shook her head, trying to dismiss her dirty thoughts. She couldn't believe her mind had wandered into dangerous territory, so she filled it with more innocent images—like the two of them sleeping separately, a pillow in the middle.
A smirk played on Zayden's lips as he thought of teasing her.
"Should we start with clause five? You seem to like that one the most."
"I... I don't like it," she stammered, unsure if she truly disliked the idea of fulfilling her duty as his wife.
Zayden smiled, and for the first time, she saw a gentle, not a creepy smile appear on his face.
Her heart melted slightly at the sight. His neutral face looked like that of a devil you wouldn't want to mess with, but his smile triggered something in her—something that gave her comfort. If there were a better word than comfort, she would have used it.
She couldn't help but smile back, but when she noticed his gaze on her, her smile quickly faded.
"You should smile more; then you wouldn't look like a blobfish," Zara muttered, averting her gaze and suppressing her laughter.
Zayden cleared his throat as he remembered the word "blobfish" and still wondered what it meant.
"You need to sign the contract," he reminded her, in case she had forgotten.
Zara's heart sank, and the smile she had been suppressing died immediately. She had forgotten about the contract.
Her hand stiffened on the pen she had taken from Zayden.
Come on, Zane. This is what you've always wanted, and now you've got it. So, sign the damn thing. It's just twelve months. Just sign it. But... what if it's one of Mr. Reed's plots?
Her mind wandered back to the old woman she had encountered earlier that day, wondering whether she had followed the woman's advice or not.
She glanced at her injured hands, stained with blood on the cloth she had used to wrap her palm.
Even if it was just for a fleeting moment, she wasn't ungrateful. She felt thankful to the woman for giving her the hope she so desperately needed.
A tear teetered on the edge of her eye.
If she could see the woman again, she would express her gratitude repeatedly for that brief moment of hope.
She knew that with hope, there were still possibilities for her to live for love, for marriage, and for happiness. But what if there weren't any changes? Then wouldn't it be a loss if she didn't sign the contract? And overall, there was a sum of $500000 a month. She felt it was killing two bird at the same time.
Her hand trembled as she steadied the pen and signed the papers.
She handed over the signed papers, and Zayden signed as well.
He stood up and walked over to the wardrobe across from the bedside.
She watched his broad back, realizing that Zayden was now her husband, even though it had happened by chance when she signed those papers.
But what if Zane came back? What if he found out she wasn't the real surrogate? What would she do if that happened? Would she be able to escape? Those thoughts began to ring in her head after she signed the contract.
She couldn't hope for his love, as it didn't seem like he liked the real Zane. So she wouldn't expect anything—love included.
Even if she ended up developing feelings for him, she hoped he wouldn't reciprocate, as it would be too painful for both of them.
She couldn't leave her loved one alone in a cruel world, and she didn't want him to remember her and live his days in pain.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Zayden asked, noticing Zara's face contorted in a sad expression.
Zara snapped back to reality and watched as Zayden climbed onto the bed.
She was about to do the same when she felt a hand pull her from behind and place her on the soft, comforting bed.
She was startled when she saw Zayden climb on top of her. Her heart began to thump once again.
"What are you do... doing?" she stammered, her face flushed.
"What else, little pumpkin? We need to do clause five," he said with a smirk.
"What clause?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, as he planted a soft, tantalizing kiss on her neck.
"We need to make babies," he added, his voice low and playful, sending shivers down her spine.