Just Married

Damien stood with his back against the sleek-black car with his arms crossed and exuding an air of impatience and elegance. Behind him, his secretary Jack was a bundle of nerves who had beads of sweat trickling down his face. They had been waiting outside the civil affairs bureau for over half an hour and the tension in the air was thick around then.

Jack gulped nervously while casting anxious glances between his boss and the entrance, and silently praying that the mysterious woman Damien was set to marry today would appear soon. If she didn’t, Jack knew all too well the kind of storm that would follow.

To mess up with Damien Callahan was no less messing with the devil himself.

Jack still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that just days before, Damien had been on the verge of finalizing his engagement to Miss Regina Spencer, a woman with great family ties and social standing. How on earth had he decided to leave her for this mystery woman—someone who might not even have the same powerful connections? It baffled him a lot that his boss was not chasing money and profits this time which was completely unusual.

Suddenly, a loud screech broke the silence as a yellow taxi pulled up in front of them. Jack’s eyes widened in shock as the door swung open and out stepped a woman dressed head-to-toe in a white wedding gown. She held a bouquet in one hand and lifted the flowing skirt of her dress with the other and was running toward them with a bright grin. What was even more surprising was the sparkling tiara placed on the top of her head which was making her look like she had just stepped out of a fairy tale.

Her wedding dress was extravagant as if it was straight out of a Disney movie with lace and layers that flowed and swelled with air as she ran. They could only blink in disbelief as she closed the distance between them. Her smile never faded throughout.

“Hey, Damien!” she called, her voice cheerful and carefree. Then, her gaze shifted to Jack, and she waved as if greeting an old friend. “Hi! You must be Jack. We exchanged emails.”

Jack’s mouth dropped open slightly, completely thrown off by her casual greeting and the whimsical nature of her arrival. Who on earth was she? He looked at his boss and realized that it was the mysterious woman that would become the former’s wife.

Damien remained unmoved and his expressions were hardly readable as he stared at the woman approaching him even though the tension in his clenched jaw was unmistakable.

"Oh, you must be pissed because I’m late,” she said, her tone bright and almost apologetic. “I’m sorry, Damien. I really didn’t want to be late for our wedding but since it's our first marriage, I wanted everything to be picture perfect. The women at the salon ruined my eyeliner. I made her redo it ten times until it was flawless." She closed her eyes dramatically and added, "Doesn’t it look perfect? Doesn’t it just scream, ‘Anna, you can marry in this eyeliner’?"

Damien continued to stare at her but saying nothing.

Realizing her mistake, she quickly widened her eyes. "Right, you hate unnecessary chatter."

Jack jumped inl. "Miss Anna, please proceed inside."

Damien’s patience was already thin and he could feel it.

"Wait!" she suddenly said, causing both men to pause. Reaching into the pocket of her wedding dress, yes, it had pockets, she pulled out a rolled-up file and handed it to Damien.

“Please read and sign this.”

He took the file from her hands, staring at her while unrolling it slowly. As his eyes turned down and scanned the title on the front page, a dark chuckle escaped his lips. His gaze shot back to her, searching her face for any hint of sarcasm or mockery but she stood there calmly and completely serious.

The title read:

Contract Marriage

“Are you kidding me?” Damien’s voice was low and dangerous as his anger simmered just below the surface. The mere sight of the words made him feel as if a fire had been lit inside him and ready to burn the entire world to the ground.

He should have known. This woman never did something without meaning. If she proposed a marriage without giving any justification, it meant something was awaiting him.

With a smile, she replied, “Damien, I hope you’ll read every single page and then make your decision. I have outlined all the terms and conditions from my side. If you have any, we can modify the contract.”

His fury only deepened. Without another word, he snatched the pen from his assistant and without even glancing at the contents of the contract, signed his name with swift and angry strokes. "You know what?" he growled as he handed the file back to her. "Let’s just get it over with."

Their eyes locked. His gaze was burning with resentment while hers were calm and unflinching. He could not understand how she could be so calm after destroying everything. Even when she returned almost a decade later, she had no ounce of guilt or apology on her face. She stood there as if the world owed her.

Nobody owed her anything, especially him. If anything, it was her who owed him everything, especially the apology!

It seemed he would have to force it out of her.

They entered the civil affairs bureau and half an hour later, they emerged as husband and wife with the marriage certificates in hand. Little did they know, they were bound by a contract that would change both of their lives.