Chapter 5

Everyone was staring at Andrew's hand during the meeting.

“Umm Mr. Bloom? We can hold the meeting later, you should go to the hospital to get your hand treated first.” An employee picked up the courage to speak to him.

“What now I’m going to have you to tell me what to do?” Andrew asked coldly without looking at him.

“N-No Mr. Bloom it’s just that we are all worried about you that’s all.”

“I won’t die from such a small thing.” Andrew said coldly flipping through the documents.

“But your hand might get infected.”

Andrew banged his uninjured hand on the desk.

“If you’re worried about me dying and you not getting your salary than I assure you that you will get you damn money even if I die!” He looked at them coldly.

Everyone looked down at the table without saying anything else.

“Even if he does end up dying then I’ll just take his company under my wing. That way you all won’t have to worry about your job or salary.” Clara said leaning against the door.

She was carrying a shopping bag and had her arms crossing her chest.

Everyone started whispering in the room.

Andrew leaned back in the chair and looked at her.

“Who let you in?” He asked her coldly.

“No one stopped me thanks to you.” She said with a bit of sarcasm.

“This is a meeting room. You’re not supposed to enter here without any permission. In case, you leak my company’s secrets.”

“I don't need any of your secrets or ideas because I have my own thank you very much.”

“Mr. Bloom we’ll let you two talk.” One of the employees said getting up.

“Sit down.” Andrew told him, his voice sounded threatening.

The employee sat down feeling nervous.

“You leave.” He said and pointed her to leave.

But Clara was looking at his hand frowning a little.

“I'll leave when I’ve done my business here.” She told him.

“And what business do yo-“

“You.” She said looking at him in the eye.

Andrew didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Then he got up.

“We’ll have this meeting later. Everyone dismissed.”

Everyone quickly gathered their thing and left the room. Now only the two of them were left.

Andrew walked towards her and she took a step back in caution. He noticed that.

“Follow me.” He said walking past her.

She followed him. And behind her followed Andrew’s secretary.

She looked behind and gestured his secretary to move closer to her. The secretary cautiously moved closer to her.

She whispered something to him. He glanced at his boss nervously and then looked at her again.

“Don’t worry I’ll keep him busy. You do as I say and you’ll be fine. Even if you end up losing the job I’ll hire you.”

The secretary looked at her doubtfully but still nodded. He walked away from them.

Soon Clara followed Andrew into his office.

“Where did you send him?” Andrew asked her sitting down on the sofa.

“Hmm?” Clara asked looking around his office.

“My secretary? Where did you send him?” he asked again.

“On a wild goose chase.” She answered looking at him with a small smirk.

“Here.” She putted the bag on the table.

He looked at her and then took a look inside the bag.

“You left it at the mall. Leo mailed it to me to return it back to you.” She told him.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t throw it away.”

“I was going to throw it away and I was this close to throw it away.”

“And yet you didn’t.”

“I thought that the coat should be returned to it’s rightful rude owner.”

“How thoughtful of you.” He said sarcastically.

“You’re welcome.”

“I doubt that you came all this way just to give me my coat.”

There was a knock on the door. Andrew’s secretary came in with a first aid kit.

“Thank you.” Clara said taking the kit, “you can leave now.”

He nodded once and left.

“I think he forgot who his boss is.”

“And I think that you forgot that you have an injured hand.” She said reaching for his hand but he moved it away from her.

“Did you make up your mind to marry me?”

She looked at him with a frown.

“I am not marrying you.”

“Then I’m sorry to inform you that this hand of mine will never heal then.” He told her

She thought of an idea.

“Put your other hand under you and sit on it.”

Andrew looked at her frowning.

“Wh-”

“Just do it.”

He did as she told him to see where was getting at.

As soon as he did Clara quickly sat on his lap so he wouldn’t be able to move. This surprised him.

Clara held his hand softly. Andrew knew what she was going to go next. He used his strength to get up and succeeded but caused Clara to fall on the floor.

“Nice try.” He told her as she got up.

She was irritated by him.

“You have no manners.” She told him.

“Says the person who sat on me without my permission.”

“Then how am I supposed to treat your hand if you do let me.” She said frustrated.

“Marry me and I’ll let you.”

“Ok fine let’s get married.” She said.

“Ok then.” He said.

He grabbed her hand and started walking towards the door. Clara used her strength to stop him.

“Where are we going?” She asked him confused.

“To the church to get married.” He told her looking at her.

She looked at him dumbfounded. She wasn’t expect him to drag her to church as soon as she agreed. Which she wasn’t even serious about.

“What you weren’t expecting me to marry you as soon as you said yes?”

She just looked at him feeling stupid.

“Why do you want to marry me that badly?” she asked him.

She searched his eyes for an answer.

“Then why do you want to heal me so badly?” he asked her looking in her eyes.

“I-I don’t know.” She said taking her hand out of his grip.

“Look marriage is a big responsibility. How about we date each other and get to know each other better first.”

He shook his head.

“It’s not up for negotiation.”

“Look what if I like you after a few days and want to marry you but by then your hand will be ruined and I won’t marry someone who has a ruined hand.” She tried her best to negotiate with him.

“Then marry me now if you’re going to have feeling for me later.”

“Aaaagggghhhh!” she wanted to pull his hair out so bad.

She sat down on the sofa and hid her face in her hands. She tried to think of something.

“You know I could just leave you as you are.” She said in an exhausted tone.

“You can but then I’ll tell the media that you didn’t accept me so in my depression I didn’t treat my hand and it got rui-”

“Ok, ok I get it.” She said looking straight in front of her feeling irritated.

He sat in front of her.

“How about this we both ask each other a question and we both have to be honest about it.”

She considered it first and then nodded.

“Why don’t you want to marry me?”

“Firstly, you rude and cold. Secondly, I don’t love you. Thirdly… I was abandoned by my parents when I was a baby.” She answered him.

Andrew felt a little shock after hearing this.

“Okay, my turn. Why do you want to marry me?”

“Because I have too.” He told her.

She looked at him confused. She pursed her lips.

“Is there really no room for negotiation?” she asked him sincerely.

Andrew thought for a while and finally came to an another offer.

“Okay then let’s agree to something else.” Andrew told her.

“As long as it’s something I can do.” She said.

“My brother is having a birthday party this week.”

“And you need me come with you?” she asked.

“Yes, but at the party I’ll propose you and you need to say yes.”

“Aww not aga-”

“We just need to show it off in front of people that we love each other and are willing to marry each other. We don’t have to really get married. We only need to get engaged to each other in front of everyone and we can break up a few months later saying that we were too busy to keep our relationship stable or something. Okay?”

Clara thought about it for a few seconds. Then after carefully considering his proposal she nodded.

“Okay better then a marriage contract.”

“Okay then we have a deal. Let me get the contract written and ready.” He said getting up but Clara stopped him.

“Get someone else to do it. Treat your hand first.”

He nodded and took out his cellphone. He dialed a number and gave the instructions to write a contract while Clara took out the things she needed. As soon as he was done on the phone Clara sat beside him and gently touched the back of his hand. Surprising it was warm. She was expecting it to be cold just like him.

“What?” he asked when she paused.

“Nothing.” She said and added, “this might sting a lot.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to be pleasant.”

She then started to take out the shards careful. It was painful but he held his pain without make a sound.

“You are really stubborn you know that?” She told him.

“You are a little too.”

“People like you who are cold and mean become this way because of two reasons.”

“Oh? And why are those reasons?”

“One they are born that way or two they are made to change that way so they can hide their weaknesses.” She told him.

He looked at her as she picked the last piece of shard out of his hand.

“Which one do you think I am?” he asked.

She looked at him. She saw a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“I think that you’re the second one.”

“What makes you think that?”

“A woman’s intuition. But I can’t be too sure. It’s just my heart telling me that this coldness is just a shield to protect you from the inside.”

Andrew looked at her for a few seconds.

“You're delusional.” He told her.

Clara felt annoyed. She then used a little force on his hand. He made a painful face and let out a small sound.

“You deserved it.” She said and continued treating him.

All the while both of them said nothing and Andrew looked at her the whole time like he was trying to figure her out.