Chapter Three

Third Person's POV

Celina went to Clandestine. As she entered the restaurant, a waitress stopped her. "Excuse me, but this part of the restaurant is off-limits," the waitress told her. Celina nodded, and told the waitress that she had a reservation.

"Reservation under Mr. John Scott," Celina said, and the waitress glared at her. She rolled her eyes at the waitress when she realized that she was being criticized, and she didn't like it a bit. "If you are going to look down on me, you better look at yourself first. Remember what you are here for," she said, and the waitress ushered her to a private room after feeling embarrassed by what Celina had said.

As she entered the room, she found Jefferson in a suit. His face hardened and darkened while waiting, and Celina smiled internally as she thought that she had made him wait. Jefferson looked at her and didn't say a word, so she just sat opposite him. "You're late," he said. 

"I am not applying for the job, so I don't need to be punctual," Celina answered.

Jefferson creased his forehead after hearing what she just said. "Do you need to apply for a job so you can be punctual? Isn't that necessary for everyday living? " He wasn't sure if she was meeting the same woman his dad had asked him to meet. But his expectation of her had drastically washed away.

"Not everyone lives the way you do," Celina replied.

"Do you usually talk that way to other people?" Jefferson asked her.

"I thought I was meeting my future husband and not my future employer." Celina rebutted.

Jefferson started to lose his patience as Celina talked back and always had a say in anything. "I am indeed your employer. You will be working for me as my wife," Jefferson said.

"Are we going to eat or will we just continue talking like this?" Celina said and took the dish in front of Jefferson, saying, "I want to try this. I'm sure you have tasted every food offered in this restaurant, so you won't mind me tasting this, right? " She asked and took a bite of the steak after she cut a small piece. "Hmm, it's good," she said as she savored the flavor of the steak. Jefferson couldn't do anything but let her. He wondered why his dad wanted to marry him off to this woman.

"Can't you eat properly? Aren't you feeling shy when a man is watching you and eating that way? " Jefferson asked, trying to humiliate her for being unlady-like when eating.

Celina looked around as if she was looking for something. "It's just the two of us here, right?" She asked.

Jefferson wondered why she had to ask, "Don't you have eyes? Can't you see that it's just us?" He asked sarcastically.

"Just as I thought, so where is the man you are talking about that I had to be shy of?" Celina asked, confused.

He could not utter a word and couldn't believe that someone like her would act that way. 'Doesn't he see me as a man? Am I not worthy enough for her? Just how high does she set her standards for men?' He thought about asking but did not say anything anymore and waited for Celina to finish her food. 

After she was done, Celina looked at Jefferson and said, "Go on, talk."

Jefferson just looked at her. He thought that she was a very straightforward person. She didn't look stupid either, so he thought Celina would agree with what he was about to say.

Thinking Jefferson was having a hard time talking, Celina decided to start the conversation. "If it's legal, I might agree. If it's not, forget about it. "

"What made you think that I would be asking you to do illegal things?" Jefferson asked, annoyed.

"Comprehension, Mr. Jefferson. You should work on that. " Celina replied.

Jefferson started to get irritated with the way Celina talked to him. "I had a woman I loved," he said.

"Shall I love her too?" Celina asked sarcastically.

"Can't you listen first?"

"Can you talk straight to the point? I don't need to hear about your love life. I don't care about that. You just have to choose whether you will marry me or not. " Celina yelled.

Don't you dare raise your voice at me, you gold digger?" Jefferson told her angrily.

Celina laughed after she heard him. If there was anything in this world that she hated, it was money. If she doesn't need it to eat or to do anything, she wouldn't even try touching it.

"Gold digger? Did you just call me a gold digger? Then what should I call you then? The man who was willing to let go of the woman he said he loved for the company? You had better watch your mouth. I am not someone you can step on just because you have money. I had been through a lot and living in the street was nothing. Just because you have everything doesn't mean that I won't fight you back. You cannot always fight money with money, you know. " Celina told him, angrily.

Jefferson was speechless. He never thought that she could talk back to him like that. John told him that Celina was a poor child. She was an orphan that had been adopted by Nicholson. Thinking that was true, Jefferson thought that she should be easy to deal with, but he thought wrong because Celina was smart.

She glared at Jefferson, and she wanted to say more but decided to hold herself back. She needed to get married to him so she could leave Nicholson. She didn't want to stay with them anymore as she was worried that they would do anything to her and she wouldn't be able to help herself.

"If you want to get married, say your terms and I will listen. Don't try to blame me concerning your separation from your woman, because you have a choice. You're not the only son of God, so don't expect to have the best of both worlds," Celina told him calmly. She was trying hard not to raise her voice. She thought he was hypocritical to point fingers at her solely.

"I can do my duties responsibly and at the same time I won't be a burden to you," she added. Jefferson looked at her and thought for a while.

"You wanted to work this out?" He said.

"No, I wanted us to be civil and respectful to each other," Celina told him.

"Why?" 

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why do you agree to this marriage?"

"I have my reasons, too. You are willing to marry me now because of your company, right? Then I was willing to get married to you so I could leave the family I have without worry."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what my words mean. I'd rather deal with a godly womanizer like you than with them, " Celina said.

"Wait. What? A godly womanizer? Where did that come from? " Jefferson asked.

"Ask your father about it. I am not good at explaining trivial things. Now, do you agree or not? " Celina asked.

Jefferson was confused. He thought he had the upper hand, and it turned out it was the other way around. He thought Celina was easy to deal with and let his guard down, so he couldn't say a word.

"What? Has the cat got your tongue?" Celina pressured him to answer.

"You had the deal. I expect you to be a dutiful wife to me, " Jefferson told her.

"Fine by me." Celina answered until she remembered something.

"Oh, when it comes to women, you can have it as long as you don't flaunt it or you'll never find out by me. Even if we jump from an arranged marriage to a contract marriage, I don't want a husband who cheats."

Jefferson stopped for a moment. He never cheated on any of his previous girlfriends, and he values marriage the most. "You can't have it just to let you know. Whether I knew it or not, you are not allowed to even look at any man. "

"Deal. I don't like men, " Celina said with a smile. Jefferson stared at her, confused about what she meant, but decided not to ask anymore.