Chapter 4

Zendaya freshened up quickly and decided to stop by the pharmacy for birth control pills;

Please could you give me a glass of water, "Okay ma'am? I got to the court a little bit late but in time to get the certificate I decided to drop by Lexi's office cause she's an attorney. I dialed her number: 

Hey Lexi, could you please meet me at the cafeteria of your office, somehow I just wanna talk to you and see you; I said to her, the moment she picked up.  Sure babe give me a few minutes then I'll be there. 

I settled down in the cafe and ordered two cups of coffee for us and I waited for her patiently till she arrived, then I saw her walk into the restaurant somehow I noticed she was looking happy and beautiful so I waved over to her and she smiled back. 

 Hey Zen, so today you finally decided to come to see me at work why?  any good news or did you have sex and decide to share? I spat out my coffee and my eyes widened in shock at how accurate she was. Ohhhhh since am correct, your reactions simply say it all;  she said cheekily and I smiled. After spending the whole day I returned home to meet him back from work sitting on the couch with a glass of red wine, he kept starring at me and the only thing I could remember was how he made a mockery of me then i smiled mockingly at myself for hoping he was the man i feel in love with year's ago but he just had to prove me wrong that he's a jerk. 

Zendaya i...  I could hear him calling my name without giving him the chance to talk i responded by saying boss no need to inform me i know of what you're about to say and yes i bought some birth control pills and already took them, so I guess we are done then it's a Goodnight. 

 Marceaux pov

As i listened to her rude statement and watched her back go in with looking back not once,  i couldn't help but merge her face to her younger self crying and pleading not to be raped by that bastard who i am still investigating, it's more shocking that her best friend Lexi was the one who gave her the drugged wine and dropped her in the room but for what reason, what exactly could be her gain cause we all know of how much they love each other. A single tear dropped from my eyes and i could feel the pain she felt that night tearing my heart, why wasn't i there for her and why didn't she confide in me, was my young self that untrustworthy to her, only if she had told me the moment she returned back to the country then I would have never thought of any so-called revenge plans.

Then next day i made breakfast and kept hers, i noticed she was looking at me weirdly and even when i invited her to ride in my car to work, she was definitely shocked just as we arrived at the company she said if you think you could play nice just to go to bed with me again then i have to inform you that your strategy needs to be changed. Those were her last words as she slammed the door of the car. 

Zendaya pov

I couldn't his weird behaviour out of my head and his eyes, those eyes seemed to say a lot of things most especially despair and sadness but I don't think he could be trusted with his actions of last week It broke my heart, so am just going to focus as his secretary and forget any emotional thoughts related to him.

Although Marceaux didn't believe Lexis could do such, he also forgot to find out where the video came out from and he didn't think about what would happen if Zendaya found out he hid the truth from her…..

I watched her say her part during the morning presentation and I became so lost in her aura and confidence. The bright morning sun did wonders to her perfect skin that I couldn't look away from her and she tried as much as possible to avoid my eyes. We have been married for half a year now and the video incident still replays in my head, I finally found her reason for struggling to free herself that night because she was raped and I just had to make the trauma worst, whenever we are at home she looks herself indoors and try to cave her self in but I know she's opening up to me with our body contact and how she blushes at my touch. After the meeting that day, Marceaux  couldn't stop thinking about Zendaya. He missed her and wanted her back in his life as a loving couple but too many thoughts restraining him, her rape, his revenge and Lexi's betrayal that she is yet to find out. 

During a board meeting, Marceaux's mind kept drifting off, and his colleagues noticed. His best friend and business partner, Max, pulled him aside after the meeting.

"What's going on with you, man?" Max asked. "You seem distracted."

Marceaux hesitated for a moment before spilling everything to Max about the contract marriage proposal and his mixed emotions towards Zendaya.

Max listened patiently, then said, "Marceaux, you need to stop playing games. If you still love her, tell her. Don't let the past define your future. Take a leap of faith and see where it leads you."Zendaya, on the other hand, was keeping busy with work and trying not to think too much about Marceaux. She knew she had made the right decision by agreeing to the contract, but part of her still wished for a second chance at love. 

One day, as they were going over some documents in Marceaux's office, Zendaya accidentally knocked over a stack of papers. As she bent down to pick them up, Marceaux reached out to help her and their hands touched briefly. 

For a moment, time stood still as they gazed into each other's eyes. It was a fleeting moment, but both of them felt the spark of something familiar. 

As they continued to work, Marceaux couldn't help but wonder, was this the sign he had been waiting for? Could they find their way back to each other? Only time will tell. A year of their contract marriage passed by without anything happening and this made Zendaya think of her growing feelings which she could no longer keep again she ached to tell him how she loved him and she decided to do just that, but not now because she heard Marceaux is going to be on a business trip for a month and if things go as the plan he will sign a five billion dollar deal. I was happy but at the same time, I felt so lonely because I wouldn't see him for some time and worried that nothing bad should happen to him. 

I took a month break from the company and went out shopping, went on dates with my good friend Lexi because we needed it for real,  a girl has to chill and we did just that. A month later; I heard Marceaux was back and he asked his assistant to bring me over for a nice romantic dinner date with him, I felt so nervous and happy it was the moment I waited for but I was nervous what if it was only my wishful thinking and he didn't have feelings for me also. 

Marceaux pov

The moment I came down from the plane, I hurriedly rushed over to create a perfect date and proposal for me to confess my feelings to her, I had help from Max my friend and Tracy my assistant in the arrangement of the roses and choosing of her outfit because as a marriage woman, she certainly know a lady's heart. 

The clothes arrived earlier than expected and Tracy drove me over to a salon and a Makeup parlour where I put on my clothes. 

When Zendaya saw herself in the mirror she was amazed at her beauty, The gown hugged her slender figure and brought out her curves, and her straight black hair was given messy seductive curls that highlighted her brown eyes. She looked lovely and smiled at how red looked good on her fair skin. When she arrived at the hotel, she was greeted by the staff members lined up outside and she was ushered in. 

Marceaux was taken aback when he saw Zendaya. She looked stunning in a red dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. He had to remind himself that self-control was the best thing he needed to learn now so that she wouldn't be pushed further. When she arrived, he greeted her with a bouquet of roses and a smile that melted her heart. 

"Zendaya, you look stunning," he said, admiring her dress. "Shall we?" 

They sat down to dinner, savouring the delicious cuisine and each other's company. Marceaux was the perfect gentleman, attentive and kind, and Zendaya felt like she was living in a dream. Because it's been years since she last saw this Marceux who loved her so much she decided she would make this last. 

After dinner, they walked out onto the balcony, holding hands and gazing at the stars above. Marceaux wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissed her deeply when the kiss ended he said to her; 

"Zendaya, I know I messed up before," he said softly. "But I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I love you, and I can't do without you, yes I know you hurt me but you were hurt too so let's stay together and give ourselves a second chance to love because this might be fate's plan for us so we should end our contract marriage and figure out to make our marriage real. 

As his last words entered my heart like an arrow meeting his target I told him I love him too and kissed him widely, as he wrapped his hands around me and took me to the room where we made love and shared a lot of intimacy with each other that my body couldn't stop craving for me. 

I woke up the next day to the sound of him bathing in the bathroom and I smiled happily while breathing in his colonge. It was at that moment I heard a ding sound from my phone and it was a video sent from an anonymous number, I played the video to see Lexi taking a glass of wine from an unknown man and giving it to me which I drank from it, it suddenly occurred to me that this was the video of me and Lexi partying from four years ago, the night I go raped, a daring thought entered my mind that made me think if Lexi was involved just then the video changed and I saw Lexi taking an unconscious me to a room and calling someone saying it's done then she left. The phone fell from my hand with a loud thud

Marceaux pov

I heard a loud noise of something falling and rushed in to see Zendaya sitting on the floor with her phone screen broken but still playing the anonymous video, I rushed to grab it but she was faster and she was also holding my phone with the same video playing,  I knew I was in deep trouble…….