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Bound By A Contract
Bound By A Contract
Author: heisroyy_

1

Author: heisroyy_
last update Last Updated: 2023-01-09 17:46:28

The archaic and overused tune of 'Here comes the bride' filled my ears, as the double brass doors swung open noisily.

Everyone rose up. It was time.

I sucked in a breath and took a step forward into the cathedral, my eyes absently scanning the crowd for familiar faces. They landed on my co-workers who stared back at me blankly, trying their best to hide the jealousy and disgust evident in their hostile expressions.

Looking away, I slowly put one feet in front of the other, moving towards the altar slowly like Mrs. Darcy instructed.

"Chin up and take your time, darling. They'll wait," the wedding planner said, right before she winked at me and left to deliver the expenses to my in-laws.

I switched my focus to the groom and saw him spotting a frown while he subtly checked his watch. He still had not perfected the art of giving an expressionless face, raising his head to glare at me with an eyebrow raised.

I stared back at him and tried to smile as I walked on, posing for the unsuspecting guests armed with cameras and notebooks ready to tear me down the second I messed up.

Finally, I reached the altar and heaved a sigh of despair as the bridal train let go of my gown and the groom clasped my hand with urgency. Now, I had to deal with an unnecessarily heavy dress and a tight grip.

Immediately the priest made the sign of the cross–which I dutifully performed–and began to speak, I tuned my brain towards the last episode of Hotel de Luna and tears immediately pooled in my eyes.

Bad choice, as departing ghosts were now a weakness. I sniffed hastily, feeling the grip on my hand tighten.

I whispered instantly, "Please release my hand. I am trying not to cry, and there is no need to have a repeat of last night."

He dropped my hand too eagerly, causing it to hit the chair. I winced and rubbed around it, smiling at the memory. Sneaking around the dinner last night to get a glimpse of the final scene, tearing up and ruining my makeup in the process, and having a small brawl with my soon to be sister-in-law caused an incident no one wanted a repeat of.

I glanced back at the priest, a dark man with full beards who was speaking intently on marriage vows. I tuned out again, focusing instead on counting the bulbs of the high ceiling chandeliers.

After a while, he beckoned to the groom and I and made us kneel to receive blessings. Unlike in the movies, he skipped the part about exchanging our personal vows, and moved straight to the exchange of wedding rings.

Of course, he turned to the groom first and asked,

"Cole Winston, do you take Elizabeth Watson to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, to cherish and to protect, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

The whole church went dead silent, and I glanced at my boss. The entitled, arrogant, and unfairly handsome man I worked under for three years. The man I was about to sign a second contract with.

"Yes," he answered immediately and smiled at the crowd. For effect.

"Elizabeth Watson, do you take Cole Winston to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and to hold, to cherish and to protect, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

I nearly shook my head. Apart from 'lawfully wedded wife' and the riches part, nothing else held any weight. I was about to defy my beliefs and enter a contract marriage for money.

My value and freedom bought by money and fame, sure to end in separation. I felt my spirits dampen.

"Miss Elizabeth?" I heard my name, and turned to look at the priest who was still waiting for my response.

"What? Yes, I take Cole to be my husband," I responded, feeling a bitter taste in my mouth as the crowd erupted in applause.

The priest grinned and lifted up his hands, "With no further delay, I pronounce you husband and wife. Thanks be to God."

Did this man just call me a delay? If only he knew how many pay-offs the Winstons' indulged when our engagement broke out. Strings of flings and one nightstands with incriminating evidence, and enormous mouths to feed.

The man continued, oblivious to the sin involved in keeping up the sham, "You may now kiss the bride."

I froze up instantly and widened my eyes but before I could respond, Cole leaned over and pecked me softly on my lips. Thankfully, it was over before it began and the crowd seemed to accept it.

As they dished out congratulations to us, I smiled softly and tried to avoid the eyes of Cole's family. From experience, I knew they felt like strangling me now but instead his mother and sister came over with fake smiles plastered on their faces.

"Welcome to the family, darling," the red-haired woman said as she gave me a hug. The scent of her perfume stuck in my nose and I grimaced, fighting hard for air. The numerous pearl beads on her neck squashed against my low cut dress, pressing deep into my skin and I pushed back, but she held on.

"Just don't forget your place. You're not a Winston, and you'll never be. All this is just for show, none of us care one inch about you." She let go of me, still holding a perfect smile.

Cole chose that moment to walk away, advancing towards a group of older men who he clapped hands with as soon as he reached them, and a small jolt of pain washed over me. I would have to live with a man who felt indifferent about what his family thought about or said to me.

I raised my chin, and smiled back at the woman. No one of them needed to see my defeat. "Thank you. I have zero interest in your family name. Your son came with the offer, not me." I replied and turned to go, but stopped and glanced at his sister, "Your lipstick is smudged, by the way."

I walked over to where Cole stood, still talking, and put on the best forlorn face of a new bride who needed to be with her groom.

"Honey, let's go take a few pictures," I suggested, holding his hand while glancing over to smile at the men.

"Thank you for coming. You understand I have to steal him though, right?" I asked, layering on the sweetness I reserved for dealing with difficult clients.

"Yes of course. It's your big day," one of the men responded, urging us to move along. As we walked away, he called out, "Everyone of us is happy now, Cole."

We took a few pictures, and by the end of it, my cheeks were hurting me and the end of my four-inch heels had begun to bite into my feet. Contrary to the story she spun about it being ancestral and part of the family, I still believed my mother-in-law used them as a punishment.

A Ferrari drove into the hall, stopping right where I stood with my boss, now my husband. He made a stellar show of grinning as he opened the passenger door for me, stooping to plant another quick peck on my lips before getting into the driver seat.

Out of habit, I buckled up and waved at the crowd as Cole revved up and engine and drove us away, the soft breeze tickling my scalp.

"I'll transfer a part of the money to your account tomorrow," He said curtly, putting a black shade over his eyes as he turned into a high fenced building.

I nodded absently, turning to smile at the private jet waiting for our arrival. Being the Mrs. of a billionaire did not sound bad at all.

Comments (9)
goodnovel comment avatar
Lisa Barclay
so far so ... good
goodnovel comment avatar
Nicole Bryers
What a sad beginning! I hope it gets better from here! I'm tired of reading sad stories!
goodnovel comment avatar
Sezen Ozturk
Lovely story
VIEW ALL COMMENTS

Related chapters

  • Bound By A Contract    2

    There was a certain thrill that came from planning a wedding. Whether an arranged marriage, a love marriage or in my case, a contract.Especially if the intended groom happened to own a whole lot of money.A private chaffeur, fancy parties, trips toworld-renowned designers, all expense paid stylists, helps to attend to my every need. But, the best part–seconded by the Annex card–was the popularity.In the weeks leading up to the wedding, my name was all over the news, bringing in both positive and negative reviews. Suddenly, everyone had an opinion they felt entitled to especially the receptionist and secretaries in Winston Corp.I saw the questions and accusations on their faces, some felt I did not deserve it, while others asked if blackmail was the reason. Why would a billionaire want to marry an unknown face, an ordinary secretary?If there was one thing Cole and I agreed on, any publicity was good publicity. He needed the media to see him as a humble CEO who fell for his 'number

    Last Updated : 2023-01-09
  • Bound By A Contract    3

    Strings of loud chirps got me out of bed the next morning, and I forced my eyes to blink open. Pushing forward, I stretched slowly and grabbed my phone, still groggy-eyed and tired from dealing with Cole's drunken words the night before.I tapped it open, and instantly leaned forward as notifications and messages from different apps scrolled across my eyes.This could not be happening."Cole!" I screamed, rushing over to his study where he was hunched over several papers scattered across his mahogany desk. He raised his head to glare at me, an eyebrow raised."Liza, why are you shouting my name? Being married to me doesn't still give you that right," he chided, and resumed working on his papers."There's a problem. What do we do?" I ignored the jab and instead showed him the post on my Instagram feed, with over fifty thousand views.A video dated early last night of Cole, my husband frantically kissing one of his numerous flings.He stood up and grabbed the phone from my hand, repeate

    Last Updated : 2023-01-09
  • Bound By A Contract    4

    In twenty-four hours, exactly three days after my wedding to the billionaire boss, my suitcase was packed and ready to go.I looked at the mirror one last time, and readjusted the black Gucci shades sitting on my face. I struck a pose and took a picture, making sure the flight ticket was visible in the mirror selfie.Uploading it, I walked out to the Mercedes waiting and joined Cole in the passenger seat. Immediately the car started, he turned his phone to me and frowned, "I see you've already started with the pictures."I shrugged an arm in response. "Theearlier, the better. Right?""Good day ma'am. We'll be arriving at the airport in approximately twenty minutes," the chaffeur greeted, looking at me through his front mirror. I nodded my head, and out of habit, signalled for him to put the partitions up. I held my leather jacket tighter against my body, letting out small breaths of air as I rubbed my palms together and placed them on my face.Cole glanced at me with an eyebrow raise

    Last Updated : 2023-01-09
  • Bound By A Contract    5

    "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight 2Y7 with service from San Francisco to Maldives. We are currently second in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately five minutes time. The approximate time for departure is 10:15am, and we are expected to arrive the Maldives at 16:30pm tomorrow. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts–""Why didn't you say you felt cold?" Cole asked me immediately I held my jacket and fastened my belt.I raised my head to meet his eyes but even as he waited for my answer, his eyes were glued to the retreating figure of an air hostess. I shook my head and cleared my throat noisily.He glanced back at me, blatantly oblivious to his errors. I gave a soft sigh and answered, "I always say it, but you like setting the temperature low. Also," I gestured at the lady and continued in lower tones, "it would be very advantageous to us if we try to pretend to be in love during this vacation.""Of course, I know that," he responded.Th

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  • Bound By A Contract    6

    In the middle of my third episode, Cole tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to pause the movie."Do you need anything?" I asked, removing the headphones from my ears as I leaned forward. Involuntarily, I grimaced feeling pain settle in my back from sitting in one position for three hours at a stretch."Yes. Did you bring those documents I was working on yesterday?" He questioned, a frown on his face."What documents? I do not know anything about them," I responded, covering my mouth to stifle a yawn. I needed to stretch my body or walk around a bit."Meaning what?" Cole raised his voice, now glaring at me. "How am I supposed to work on the proposal then? Why are you so incompetent?"I stared at him and began to flare up, but when he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, I took in a deep breath and responded,"Cole, you relieved me of my duties as your secretary when we signed the agreement. Besides, you did not inform me about any proposal nor any documents. Also, will there be

    Last Updated : 2023-01-09
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  • Bound By A Contract    8

    I dabbed a tear from my eye, sniffing noisily when another tried to escape. How did him turning into a zombie and then dying make any sense in the storyline?"You should stop watching those Korean dramas of yours, Elizabeth. They give you false illusions about love and make you look silly," Cole complained into my ears just as the episode credits began to roll."Good morning Cole," I responded sourly, the sarcasm evident in my voice as I turned to face him. He shot me a sharp look in response before stalking off into the toilet. By the time he got back, the flight attendant–a middle-aged man this time– was done serving the breakfast and I had begun to dig in.He glanced at me and asked, "Did you make an order for me?"I nodded my head, my mouth full of food, and pointed at his seat where a dish was covered with cutlery and a serviette by the side.I watched as he opened it and raised an eyebrow turning to me, impressed. "How did you guess?""I worked with you directly for years, Si–Co

    Last Updated : 2023-01-14
  • Bound By A Contract    9

    "Why did you pack so much?" Cole complained, even as he stood watching the driver load our luggage into his boot.I glanced at them and folded my arms as I responded, "They are not plenty, Cole. Besides, we are staying for two whole months. I do not want to run out of clothes."Men never understood our plight. While he could carry one box and fit all of his necessities inside, I had to have one large suitcase for my clothes, a medium sized box for footwear, make-up and jewelry, then a handbag for my body care products."What's the point? You'll still end up buying more anyway," he said and opened the car door for me."Still, you can never be too prepared. Anything could happen," I argued back, seeing the driver glance between us and give a short smile. The man was enjoying our banter, and I could bet he supported Cole."If you say so."I nodded once and looked outside the window as the car started to move forward. Long coconut palms spanned along the sidewalk, swaying from side to sid

    Last Updated : 2023-01-14

Latest chapter

  • Bound By A Contract    137 EPILOGUE

    Eliza's PovMonths had passed since that fateful night, a night filled with terror and despair, but also with courage and resilience. Our lives had been forever changed by the events that unfolded, and yet, somehow, we found a way to heal and move forward.Evelyn was locked away in a high-security facility, paying for her crimes. The legal battle that followed was arduous, but justice prevailed, and we were able to gain custody of the children. Riel and the twins, Mia and Liam, went through a difficult period of adjustment, but with the love and support of our family, they began to heal.As for Cole and me, our bond grew stronger through the trials we faced together. We learned to lean on each other and trust in the power of our love. The scars of that night were a constant reminder of our strength and resilience. We vowed to protect our family at all costs and cherish every moment we had together.In the aftermath, we sought therapy to help us navigate the emotional trauma we had end

  • Bound By A Contract    136

    ELIZABETH The phone rang.I turned and tossed as I was the only one awake at the moment, with Cole snoring peacefully close to where I was.He needed it. He had been a good boy doing all the work all night long, I groaned as I got out of bed making my way all naked to where the phone of the cabin."Can you pick that up please." Cole grunted in his sleep.Last night had been a hell of a night, and we've done several things all night till daybreak. It all started with the couples bonfire night —As the last day's event , guess we had too much of the local brewed drink of the South Africans.Could it be termed as?Reconciliation sex? It was far more than that.It was the One month of getting back together with Cole and all we've done during those times was literally fuck all day.We were like new couples who couldn't take our eyes and urge off each other.It was all we did more so it was the reason why we had taken the trip.Olivia had been there first to look at it then had sent the lin

  • Bound By A Contract    135

    COLE.THE best decision I had ever made in my life was getting rid of Evelyn and that of course was after the Dna test came out negative.Guess Eliza was shocked when my doctor gave out the evidence, I was not the father of Sarah but in a way I felt concern for her well-being.Just like Adrian who was sitting close to Eliza and been in Riel life.I had been jealous for a while seeing them together but then I had taken my mind off it by looking at the face of the judge.It was all going in my favor, there was maids and guards all there to tell the court of how Evelyn had been toxic all this while.All of a sudden, it became a two-way case with me battling for the custody of two children.An Alpha man in every sense…It was funny that Evelyn was only starting to love her child after she found out that she has a part of my finances willed to her name but that had been a trap at my end.Women like Evelyn deserved to be in rehabilitation or even worse hell."Is that all or there are still

  • Bound By A Contract    134

    ELIZABETHGoosebumps…It was a day to the trial and that seemed to be what took over all or most of my mind, I didn't know how to deal with all of the pressure.Work that week had been hectic, yet at the same time it had been distracting enough that it kept me afloat all this while, it had been the main reason I had not wallowed In what could be the decision made by the court.The wind found its way past my body feeling it with smoothness but left my soul bare, dark and inexpressive.I was out at the mall, smiling at the door man that held the door while I stood looking past the opened door with two bags in my head.As my gaze shifted to the second car, a convertible, where a tall, handsome man was alighting, dressed in rolled up top and faded jeans. I reeled back in shock as he turned towards where I was with Cole slipping out of my lips silently.Disbelief fought with unmistakable recognition, I was barely ten minutes from my house and of all the malls in the whole of the city, h

  • Bound By A Contract    133

    ELIZABETHWe were always in pursuit of perfection and after getting it all, what else?The need for Perfection was by far the greatest flaw of any man and I found myself succumbing to the same fate.I have gotten the revenge I had spent the last five years of my life looking for but still had no satisfaction—It was all like vanity.To make matters worse Riel had incessantly been talking about his father, in a way it seemed like the two had a bond I couldn't quite describe almost as though they were meant to be with each other all this long while.It was the main reason I had moved out of the hotel and gotten a place, I couldn't just live a life where I kept looking over my shoulders if Cole would pop in anytime and demand for his child.Suddenly, it was starting to look like the game had turned against me and I was the one at the end of everything all, I was the one that was mocked by fate.Over the next few weeks, I worked very hard at blocking Cole out of my consciousness, and

  • Bound By A Contract    132

    ELIZABETH.It calls for celebration right?The thought of how Cole would feel hearing that I had taken this from him at the last moment brought a smirk to my face.It took me five years, five good years and finally I could say that I had gotten a revenge that was worthwhile.He had rang them in my presence and they had given him the news.A part of me felt a kind of sympathy for the man that had been my husband and who was definitely the father of my child but soon the expression and sick feeling gave room for the grudges I had against him.I was half home and was giving Evelyn the gossip of how everything went when she informed me that she was no longer at the suite but was now at her place.Apparently, she got a call from the office and since she couldn't leave him behind she had gone with him to her place."Why do I have a feeling you just want to see me?" I asked.She scoffed ." Just get your ass here."Change of plans…I thought to myself as I turned the car three-sixty degrees a

  • Bound By A Contract    131

    COLE "What!"My car came to an abrupt stop on the road, I thought I was done hearing bad news and this popped up out of nowhere.I couldn't think about the possibility of this happening,I couldn't think about me losing the deal and if it was happening that way it was starting to look like Karma was all out to get me.I swerved my car in a complete U turn and headed straight back for the company driving crazilyStill running the thought in my mind, In a way it was hard to believe everything he was telling me, as I couldn't quite place it around my mind.The more I thought about it, the more I saw reasons not to.I rang the company while driving through the highway like quite an insane person. The only memories that kept going through my mind were two.The first had something to do with getting there as fast as I could and the other was a warning thought about how fast I was driving.This shouldn't even be happening, I had outbidded the least person by a whole lot.They picked after r

  • Bound By A Contract    130

    ELIZABETHImagine the shock.I stood there looking at the prospective bidders and there — Right there was Cole's name.A smirk crawled across so fast as the speed of light, you wouldn't have caught a glimpse of it if you didn't look.One thing I have gotten to know about my Ex husband was he went for only deals that were deemed necessary and important. If he was going for this it meant it was quite as important.It could mean only one thing…The thought of the implications passed through my mind.There was a need for me to know, a need for me to know how important this was to me."Do you have any idea of how important this deal would be to him?" I turned to Annabelle—My lawyer."You mean you don't know?" She looked at me puzzled.The look she gave me was as though I didn't know what was going on …What looked to be trending.If it was, it got me wondering Olivia didn't mention it to me-"Know what?" I looked at her expressing the same emotions that was right they're still on her face.

  • Bound By A Contract    129

    ELIZABETH There was only one way to explain how blissful a home is and the truth is there was nothing like home?Could there have been anything more?Certainly not as the best part of any entity was getting back home after staying away for so long.No matter how one looked at it… it turned out to be that home is where the heart is .That was the case with my mind all through the trip back home to start. I didn't know what to expect when I got home, whether good or bad.Five years had not been a short while and it was easy to see that a lot had changed during those long while.All through this while I had been far away from home and had probably missed the concept of what a good home could be but the moment my plane landed in the track I could see everything again.The probabilities were high and I could tell everything from the moment we walked through the airport hallway pulling out bags.From a frantic Riel excited to have a feel of the city to myself that didn't know how to take

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