CHAPTER 3 - THE CONTRACT MARRIAGE
“Wow, I wasn't expecting this answer so soon. Did something happen?”
“I've given you my answer.”
“You know what? Let me call you back,” he said.
“Vivi, wasn't that Damien you called? Or who?”
“Yes, I called him, and I want to get married to him.”
“Vivi, are you sure this is the right thing to do? I don't want you to do anything that will make you regret your actions.”
“At this point, I don't mind regretting my actions. Not after what I saw with my own two eyes.” She started sobbing. Aurora had no choice but to move closer to her. She hugged her tightly and allowed her to cry her eyes out.
“Vivi, if this will make you feel better, then I think you should cry your eyes out. Don't keep anything to yourself.”
“What did I do to deserve this? I don't deserve any of this, and I don't know why he would do something like this to me.”
She was still crying her eyes out when Aurora’s phone rang. She picked up the phone to see who was calling.
“Vivi, it’s your dad.”
“What? My dad?” she whispered.
“Yeah, your dad. What should I say to him?” she asked.
“Just tell him I'm not with you right now. I'll take my leave now. I need to meet with them.”
“I thought you met with them.”
“No, I didn't. I encountered another scenario and had to come back here. Don't answer the call. I'll take a cab going home, and... and… You know what? Let me be on my way. See ya later.”
She waved at her and left Aurora’s place. Aurora didn't know what to do, so she didn't answer the call. She sat down and kept her eyes on the phone as it rang.
Vivienne got into a cab going home when she stared at the ring Ethan had given her.
---
“Hey, Ethan, where are you heading to?” Vivienne asked him. They had barely known each other; it had been just a few days.
“I'm going to the library to pick up some books,” Ethan answered, sounding uninterested.
“Wow! I'm also heading there. Let's go together, then.”
“Okay, no problem.”
They got to the library and parted ways. Ethan had forgotten to pick up the books he wanted to study while Vivienne was off to meet her roommate about the key to the room.
“Hey, what do you think you are? Isn't it enough that you're an outcast, and now you want to behave as if you own the world?” Girl one said.
“I've told you countless times that if you don't watch it, I will help put you in your place since you don't know it,” Girl two said, pushing her back.
“So you had the effrontery to break the lock and expect us to still let you into the room? No! It's not possible. We've fixed a new lock, and you are not allowed into the room unless you… What am I even saying? Unless you take you and your filthy self out of the room,” Girl three said.
“You guys should please stop this. I had a test that day, and you guys locked me inside. What was I supposed to do? I can't just stay locked there and not do anything about it. I'm sorry for what I did, but that's my dorm, and you guys can't send me out.”
“She said we can't send her out,” Girl two said, laughing mysteriously.
“How many times have I told you that we need to teach this girl a lesson? She's becoming something I don't understand, and it's beginning to disgust me.” Girl two moved closer to her and gave her a dirty slap. The slap attracted Ethan, and he instantly came closer to see what was happening.
He found out that it was Vivienne and immediately stepped in.
“You guys should stop this, or else I'll report you.”
“Report us??”
“Vivienne, let's go.” He took her hand, carried her bag, and left the library. “Why did you have to keep quiet and let them treat you like that?”
“It's no big deal. I've always been treated like an outcast anyway,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Nevermind.”
“Anyways, you need to leave that place with immediate effect. I'll talk to my dad, and you'll be posted to a new dorm with a nice roommate—or none at all. Either is fine with you.”
Ethan talked to his dad and helped her secure a better place with a few roommates. He also helped her move her things out of her former dorm to the new one.
“Now that she has moved places, just like you guys wanted, I don't want to hear anything like bullying or calling her an outcast, or else you'll leave this school. Try me and see.” He walked out of her dorm angrily. Those were the words he said to her roommates before storming out. Ever since then, until she graduated, she was never bullied or called an outcast anymore.
---
“Why am I even remembering all these things now, when it's of no use?” Vivienne said. She removed the ring and threw it away. The cab dropped her at her place. She went inside to meet her parents and talk to them.
“Vivi, what was wrong with you?” Mrs. Bennett said.
“Mum! Nothing is wrong, and that guy is lying,” she told her mum, trying to defend herself.
“How was he lying? You heard everything he said, and you didn't say anything. Look at the way you even ran to the hall like that. If he hadn't come to explain things to the whole crowd, how would we even know what was going on with you?” Mrs. Bennett chipped in.
“Dad, believe me, nothing is wrong with me. I'm certain of it. The guy is just lying, and you guys need to believe me. I'm not emotionally unstable.”
“Your sister said you were once bullied in school and that maybe that contributed to what happened to you. She said even though they stopped bullying you, you were never the same again.”
“Sophia said that?”
“Yes, she did, and we wouldn't have known all these things if this never occurred.”
“Mum, please believe me. I'm totally fine, and there's nothing—I mean, absolutely nothing—wrong with me.”
“Wasn't it Ethan who also helped you out during that time? Wasn't he the one? He knows what he's saying, so please, if you want us to believe you, you should also support your parents on this. We'll take you to the hospital and make sure you're fine. And maybe Ethan can accept you back.”
“Dad!!! I'm the victim here, not Ethan.”
“Yeah, I know, and that's why we'll be going to the hospital tomorrow morning.”
They weren't even listening to her at all and didn't care if she had anything to say. She left them, got to her room, and called Damien.
“You said you'd get back to me.”
“My apologies. I got into an emergency meeting at the office,” he apologized. “You know what? Stay where you are. I'm coming to pick you up myself.”
“Do you know where I am?”
“Yeah, I know. You just finished having a conversation with your parents, and probably things didn't go the way you expected.”
“Wait, are you tailing me?” she asked, surprised.
“Anyways, just wait there. I'll pick you up.”
She was surprised. Why will he say he wants to get married to me, knowing fully well that I was rejected by his younger brother? Anyways, I will find out when I move close to him, she murmured to herself.
She picked out a cloth from her wardrobe, dressed, and went out to wait for him.
“It's been ten minutes now, and he isn't here. Isn't he aware that he's keeping me waiting?” She was talking to herself when she heard the horn of a car. She turned back to see that it was Damien’s car. She wanted to unleash her anger but decided to suppress it. He wasn't the cause, so why should I unleash it on him? she asked herself, whispering.
“Hey, what's wrong? Your face looks pale,” he asked in concern.
“I'm good. That's just the way my face is.”
“No, your face has never been like that.”
“You talk as if you've known me for years.”
He laughed and kept quiet. “Let's go to my place.”
“Your parents' house?”
“No, mine,” he laughed. “You might be wondering if you'll get to meet Ethan, but no worries. I have my own little space in case of situations like this.”
“Situations like this?”
“Anyways, let's get out of here before your sister sees us—or you don't mind.”
“Yeah, that's true, though.” She got into the car, and they drove to his place. While on the way, he noticed that her ring wasn't there anymore and decided to ask her if she had removed it.
“What about your ring? I noticed it wasn't there this time.”
“How many things do you know—or, how should I put it? Let me put it this way: how many things have you noticed about me?”
He laughed and kept quiet.
“I removed it some hours ago.”
“Oops, sorry about everything. I haven't even had time to apologize to you for what he did. But what if he comes back to apologize and you see real changes in him? Will you go back to him?” He intentionally asked to get her answer.
“The ring you noticed wasn't there is my answer to him. Besides, we're......" She paused for a while and continued " we're getting married now.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. They got to his place, and Vivienne was marveled at what she saw.
“Is this what you call a little space? OMG! This is really huge, though.”
“If you say so, then. Let's go inside and talk things out.” The moment she entered, his guards, cook, cleaner, and the rest bowed down to greet her as a sign of respect.
“No, stop it. You can just call me Vivi.”
“Yes, ma.”
“Go back to your work.”
“You have all of these to yourself? Wow, this is huge. Anyways, before I get carried away, let's sit down to talk.”
“Yeah, we should.” He brought out a marriage contract for Vivienne to sign. She sat down and he started reading the context of the contract
1. The marriage will remain confidential for the first month. I have business matters to settle before the announcement.
2. We must live together. If we're going to convince everyone this marriage is real, we have to live under the same roof.
“Okay.”
3. We will appear as a loving couple in public. No matter what happens privately, we must never argue in front of others.
“I'm cool with that too,” Vivienne said.
4. I will never force intimacy. You'll have your own bedroom. Until you decide otherwise, I won't touch you without your permission.
Vivienne was silent. She didn't say anything.
5. You're free to work, study, or pursue your dreams. I don't want to control your life.
6. You must never investigate Damien's private office. It's for business confidentiality.
7. If you want to leave, you can. The day you truly want this marriage to end, tell me. I won't stop you.
8. We must attend all Kingston family events together.
He paused and gave Vivienne the contract to go through. She thought that was all, only to notice one unusual line at the end of the contract.
"No matter what happens... do not trust anyone who claims to know the truth about your family."
Vivienne frowned.
"Why is this in a marriage contract?"
"Because one day, someone will try to use your past against you."
“What does that mean?” she asked. He refused to explain further.
What does Damien know about my family? Why is he warning me? she thought.
Just as she was about to sign, she noticed something: the contract was dated… three months ago. She looked up.
"You prepared this before the wedding?"
Damien met her eyes.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Why?"
