ALEXANDER’S POV
I held my girlfriend’s hand, Briana, as I opened the door for her to get down from the car, we walked into a well-decorated private area of a five-star restaurant.
We walked in, and she paused after seeing a well decorated area. She smiled and turned back to me.
“Oh my God! This is beautiful!, she exclaimed.
“You like it? I asked.
“ I loved it” She replied, placing her hand on her chest and admiring all the decors.I smile as she admired them. I was glad she loved it.
I went down on one knee, then I took out a diamond ring. I watched her mood swing immediately from a happy face to a sad face. She held back her hand.
I looked up at her face in surprise. “ What is it, Briana? I asked.
“Alexander, We need to talk,” Briana said to me.
“ Talk? Let’s finish this first” I said.
“I need to tell you something important first”, Briana repeated.
I angrily stood up and faced her. “Now tell me why we have come this long and you will reject my want us to have a discussion before saying yes to me? I asked in an upset tone.
“ My career, I….. just signed a five-year no-marriage deal with my modeling management” she says coldly.
“What? Five…..you mean a whole five-year contract? I asked, increasing my voice a bit.
“Yes, remember I have always wanted to do this, I have always wanted to be on every fashion week walkway and this is my chance”, Briana says.
“Were you not considering us before signing such a deal? I asked in surprise.
“ I ….was, but I had to put my dreams first”, she says, stuttering.
She quickly held my hand and looked into my face. “ I really wanted us to be together, but I needed to build a career as well. It’s just five years, it’s not something that will take too much time. I promise that after five years I won’t sign any deal again, and we will get married”, Briana says.
I was silent for a while before speaking. “ I need to get married soon’ I have my parents’ inheritance to claim from my uncle, he doesn’t want to release it and after meeting with my lawyer, it was stated in his testament that I must be married to get my inheritance”, I said to Briana.
“ Oh!she exclaimed. She stared at me for a while, she looked like someone searching her brain for some ideas. After a few minutes of silence between us, she looked at me.
“I have an idea. What about a contract marriage? She asked.
“A contract marriage? I asked.
“ Yes, a contract marriage, we could just look for someone to marry you and stand in for me for just one year or until you get your inheritance”, she says.
I stared at Briana for a while, then I shake my head.
” No, I want you, I want the woman I have known for three years not a stranger” I argued.
” you know that’s not possible? Listen, trust this will work” she said staring into my eyes.
“ Just do this for the sake of love that we share”she says to me. I nodded to her idea.
“How do I get that? I asked.
“ Don’t worry, I will get someone for you” she says.
“ Alright but I really need to return home, since we didn’t engage, there is no need for our dinner” I said.
Briana held my hand.
“Are you still mad at me? She asked.
“I am because I am not going to tell you that I am happy you turn down my proposal , but I will wait for you, but we are not having this dinner” I said in an upsetting tone.
I turned around and walked into the car and Briana followed me.
” I am so sorry, please don’t be mad at me, listen it’s just five years before we know it five years is here and we are getting married.
” Five years is not twenty four hours” I said and look out of the window of the car as my driver start of the car then she snuggle into me looking into my eyes.
” please, I am so sorry” she says to me. I gave her a faint smile and kiss her on the lips.
” Do you believe now that it’s in the past tense, I will wait for you” I said to her.
“ Thank you babe, you are the best” she replied with a smile and kisses me back.
A few days later, Briana walked into my office with a young girl of about 18 years of age. She introduced her to me as Freda. She told me she was the girl she had brought for the contract marriage.
I asked her if she was aware of the deal, she replied yes.
I asked my lawyer to prepare the contract. Within an hour, the contract arrived and we both signed the contract.
I asked who I would pay the upfront cash, and she told me her stepmom. She gave me their account number and I made a transfer.I asked her to call to verify the amount I had sent for the marriage contract. She confirmed that I had transferred $5,000,000 to her family while she would be getting the remaining $2,000,000 after divorce.
I ordered the girl a wedding dress, we went to the civil bureau, we got married. After that, she moved in with me.
She was led to her room while Briana traveled out for her modeling career.
FREDA’S POV
After the wedding, I made sure I followed every rule, most especially Briana’s rule that I shouldn’t try to steal her man and that if I did, she would send me to jail.
I do not want to end up in jail. I have a reason I accepted this deal; my education and a better life for me and my stepmom and stepsister.
My stepmom or stepsister are not the best, but they are not the worst either. They treat me badly, but they still have my best interests.
I had been working for two years to save for my education but couldn’t save enough. Just when I was given up on myself and my education, this opportunity came, I wouldn’t have even accepted if not for my stepmom who felt I can’t give up now that I should accept the opportunity of becoming Alexander the most eligible bachelor in country.
My stepmom used to be a maid to Briana. She told me she overheard her discussion with a friend that she needed a contracted bride.
She told me the first thing on her mind was to think of my education. She told me she felt I had worked hard enough to raise money for my studies, and she didn’t want me giving up. She said she had a talk with Briana about me and, luckily, Briana agreed.
When she came home she told me about it and why she had thought of me to enter into the contract marriage.
I thought about it, it’s just one year and nothing real, my education is worth the sacrifice.
My stepmom took me to meet Briana, who gave me her conditions. She told me that I must stay in my room. She told me that I must not try to dress in a revealing dress or make-up. Then her last warning was if I tried to steal her man, she would jail me.
It’s not like I am interested in a man at the moment, my education is my priority at the moment. Most especially my dream to become an entrepreneur in the near future.
I know how ruthless my stepmom has always described Briana and I wouldn’t want to see the wrong side of her.
After all of her rules, she took me to Alexander Blair. When we got to his office, we waited for about an hour before signing the contract, then Alexander asked where he should make the transfer of $5,000,000 while I get the remaining five million dollars after the contract.I quickly gave her my stepmom’s account number, since we already had that discussion to keep the money for me while I will be in Alexander’s house for a year.
My account can’t receive such a large amount of money, so we had a discussion about whether my stepmom would keep the money for me.
My stepmom agreed and told me she couldn’t wait for a year to be over. I should have known she had an evil plan at the back of her mind, that she could never be nice or good to me.
Briana sleeps over at Alexander’s house and traveled out for her modeling career.
I was left with Alexander. I realized Alexander was a man who took his late dad’s companies seriously and also a cold CEO.
We do not talk or even see every day, we only get to see when it is time for me to accompany him to court for the hearing about taking his inheritance from his uncle.
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
He finally got his inheritance and I saw the good side of Alexander. We returned home, and I was going to retire to my room, then he called me back.
“ Freda” he called.
I turned around to him as I stepped on the first staircase.
“ Sir” I responded.
“ Sir? He asked with a smirk as he was uncapping the wine in his hand.
“ Yes sir, I …always address people older than me that way” I replied.
“ Then I don’t want to be addressed that way” he said as he went to pick up two glasses of wine. He gave me one, and he held the other, he poured it into his glass and was going to pour into my glass. Then I stopped him.
“I am fine, I don’t want to…….he didn’t let me finish speaking before cutting me off.
“It’s a celebration day for me and I want us to celebrate”, he replied.
“ I……” he cut into my words again and poured the wine into my glass.
“There is no excuse, it’s just today and one day won’t hurt, Briana isn’t here to celebrate with me and I need someone to celebrate with, please” he pleaded.
I agreed to the celebration, and we got talking, and I got to see how jovial and nice he was. We sat on the stairs and just talk about our lives.
He talked about loosing his parents at a tender age and how he was raised by his uncle, he said how his uncle was enjoying his inheritance and wasn’t ready to let go until his dad’s lawyer told him about his dad’ testament.
I on the other hand told him about loosing my mom and how my dad married my stepmom, I told him how they treated me bad but surprised me by supporting my education. He looked at me for a while and asked.
“ Why would you trust people who are never good to you in the first place? He asked.
“ Because I saw their good side” I replied and sip my wine.
“ What if all of that was just a trick because of the contract? He asked.
I smiled. “ I don’t think it is a trick because she could actually choose her daughter instead of me but she choose me and she did it because of my education”I replied.
“ When last did you speak with them? He asked.
“ last week, but I am sure they are fine” I replied.
“ You should visit them and see if they really loved you that much” Alexander says.
“ Would you let me go,if I want to? I asked.
“Why not ,I can even take you there myself” he says.
“ Thank you” I replied.
We kept on talking till we walk into is room,he showed me so many memories of his mom that he hung on his wall because his mom used to be an artist before her death.
I began to feel that I was getting drunk but the drink was just to sweet to let go before we knew it we had the couch in his room talking and that was all I remembered.
I only woke up in the middle of the night and felt someone presence beside me, at first I thought I was in my bed then I remembered I was in Alexander’s room last night. I quickly open my eyes and sit up and I look to my side, I widened my eyes and look down the floor, our clothes were scattered all over the floor.
I gasp and use my palm to cover my face in shame, I look back to Alexander he was sleeping peacefully, I quickly got out of the bed, pick my dress and leave the room.
I return to my room and I break down and cry because I felt so cheap.