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Andra stared at her father in shock. She could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth. If Dominic was not there, present, she would not have even tried to comprehend what he was saying. She could feel her heart jumping, pounding against her chest. “This has got to be a joke, right?” “I mean every word I’ve said,” Duke replied decisively. “Like I’ve said time and time again, you are going to ruin my chances in this forthcoming election with your reckless and wayward lifestyle if I don’t do something about it. I told you that I will take drastic action. This is it.” Andra’s heart fluttered with fear as she considered the seriousness of the situation. “So, you’re forcing me into a fake arranged marriage with a stranger just to save your career?” Andra was appalled. “It will give the media something positive to write about this family.” Andra’s expression turned stony with fury. “Daddy, this will not happen.” She protested. Her father was unaffected by her demeanor but c
Andra tried, but she could not picture herself looking for a job. She could not picture herself losing her inheritance. She didn’t know how to hustle. She had never tried and she was not about to try. If her father disowned her, she was finished. She would not be able to party because there would be no money. Neither will there be a car. She would be done for. She thought about the deal and decided it was safer. At least all parties involved in the deal knew it was a fake arrangement, so she had nothing to lose. Andra wiped the tears from her eyes as her decision became firmer in her mind. “Daddy, I want my own rules in this whole bizarre arrangement.” She negotiated. “You are free to bring your rules as long as they don’t interfere with my plans.” Her eyes were glued to his and she was speechless. Duke turned his attention to Dominic. “Dominic.” He said. “Sir.” “I have a contract already prepared that the both of you will sign. You will both study it for today and we will fin
The following day in the early part of the afternoon, Andra stood outside her balcony, deep in thoughts about her current situation. She was wearing soft combat trousers and a tank top with a face cap that she wore backward. Her hair fell around her shoulders, framing her face. Now that the contract had been finalized and the deal was set for execution, she got increasingly disturbed, unable to believe what her father was subjecting her to. Well, she didn’t blame him. If she had not been dependent on him, she would have been independent by now but here she was, having no choice in the matter. Besides, she told herself, why would she have to work when she had a father who could provide all her needs? And why would she have to lose her inheritance over this matter? Molly emerged behind her and knew she was thinking about the situation as she came to stand beside her at the railing. “I told you your dad was serious.” She said. “I still cannot believe he would give me out to a strang
Moments later, Andra paced back and forth in her bedroom, furious about Dominic's SMS.How dare he think that he could tell her what to do? How dare he tell her what to do? Gosh. She didn't blame him. She blamed her father for all this.Once again, she also blamed herself for not having any means of income. She blamed herself more than her father for being dependent on him. Imagine a stranger now telling her what to do. She felt like breaking something even though she was not a violent person.She stopped pacing as Molly entered the bedroom and observed her demeanor. Molly's eyes settled on the wall clock pointedly, forcing Andra's eyes to go there as well. The time was 4:30 pm."What is it?" she snapped, turning on Molly."It's almost time.""Time for what?""Time for whatever has been keeping you pacing about in anger.""Look, I don't have a problem with keeping up appearances. But I do have a problem with being told what to do. Why would he look down on my dressing?""Andra, I thin
A few minutes later, Molly smiled as she stared at Andra who was standing before the mirror, hooked on her reflection. She had just finished plaiting Andra’s hair into a quick long braid as she didn’t have much time before she would have to rejoin Dominic in the car. Andra was now in a black evening dress with red mid-heel sandals. She looked stunning and was wearing vibrant red lipstick to go with her red shoes. “You look simple and outstanding.” “I agree. Thank you.” “You look like a lady.” “Oh, please.” “Hmm. Dominic will be uh…affected.” “Don’t even go there.” “Yeah. Pardon me. I forgot that this is simply business.” “Exactly. This is just business. Which is why I hate that I have to be forced to dress like this. You don’t know how much I hate him. I mean, he is just a taxi driver and is so full of himself. I can’t stand him.” “Hmm. I think he’s a real man. Fearless regardless of his status.” Andra glared at her. “As I said, you are always saying the wrong things.” The
Dominic and Andra continued their meal in silence, each lost in their thoughts.Andra decided that he was right. They had to play their part. She couldn’t wait to hand him her rules.Dominic was glad she was quiet now. He was getting fed up with her shenanigans, but then he had signed up for the job and he had every intention of seeing it through to the end.***Inside an opulent living room, a wealthy-looking aristocratic woman in her sixties was looking at the portrait of Dominic and his comrades in an army uniform.There was a forlorn expression on her face and she dialed his number on her phone.“Mum, hi.” His voice came through.“When are you getting married, son?”Dominic groaned with exasperation. “Oh, mum, not again.” He complained but she didn’t care.“I want my grandchildren.” She declared.“Don’t start, mum.”“Can’t you pity your parents? Some of our mates are already carrying their grandchildren.”“Thank God you said ‘some’ mum.”“Oh please.”“Mum, I will get married in du
Andra could not believe her eyes as she sighted an emotional girl dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Was she crying? Andra thought. She was stunned. So, people believed the scene playing out before them? Wow, she thought with some bittersweet feelings. The sweet feeling came from the realization that she and Dominic were playing their roles perfectly to elicit such strong emotions from the girl. The bitter feeling came from the fact that she and Dominic were only putting up an act that consequently, was messing with the emotions of the people watching, especially the emotional girl she had her eyes on. Well, at last, she was feeling quite relieved that everything seemed to be going on as planned. *** Later that night after Andra was home, she sat inside the living room staring at the engagement ring on her finger. It felt unreal, yet it was there, constantly reminding her that the contract was not a joke. It was happening. They were executing it. She was now engaged in the eyes
A FEW HOURS LATERMolly visited Andra in the apartment. They sat down in the living room, chatting.“I feel like I’m visiting my sister in her marital home.” She said. “It sure feels like it.”Andra rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She said, indifferent about Molly’s feelings.Her demeanor did little to douse Molly’s curiosity about how everything was going.“So how are you guys getting to know each other? I mean, how is it going?”Andra could not hide her shock at Molly’s question.“What?” Molly asked, seeing the unbelieving look on Andra’s face. “I want to know. You cannot blame me for that.” She defended.“Still, I am appalled at your question.”“And why is that?”“Because we just moved in,” Andra replied. “And frankly, I have no intention of getting to know that stranger.”“Fine.” Molly gave up trying to persuade her to say something along her line of thought. She checked her phone as it buzzed with a message. Upon checking, she sighed. “Useless network messages.” She said, disgruntle