Andra was about to retort that he was not her father but she recalled his answer to that sometime in the past. He had said he was her fiancé as though that gave him the right to boss over her.Dominic ran warm water into the bathtub. As the water poured into the tub, he returned to his position behind her, rubbing her back soothingly.Another retch racked her body and she doubled over again with a puke. Dominic continued rubbing her back supportively and she realized that his attentions were helping. For that reason, she decided to do as he had said and focus on getting better.“Let it all out.” He encouraged soothingly.Andra had a couple of upchucks that had her eyes watering but she was starting to feel like she would not puke again. That part was over.Her vision was blurry as she met his gaze in the mirror, so she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, clearing her sight. “I think it’s…it’s no longer coming but my head…my head hurts.”Without responding, Dominic flushed the s
Ten minutes later, Dominic who had been waiting inside the living room, looked up from his phone as Andra stormed in from her bedroom. She wore a casual mid-thigh dress and looked like a nice next-door girl, but he didn’t let that fool him. He knew the brat she was. He observed the brooding look on her face as she glowered at him. “Why can’t you just let me rest?” she demanded. “No, don’t do that.” He responded firmly with a warning tone. “Don’t do what you’re doing, because I know exactly what it is that you’re doing right now and it won’t work with me. You should know that by now.” “What am I doing?” she asked, the brooding look gradually being replaced with a wary expression. “What am I doing?” she repeated. “Playing a game.” He replied. “And like I said, such games don’t work with me. I assure you.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “You don’t?” he asked disbelievingly. “Who are you trying to fool? You storm out here looking all angry. So what will happen? I would t
“Let me go,” Andra repeated with failed gusto. “Let you go?” “Please. Please let me go.” At this point, Andra had let go of her pride. She just wanted to be free from the position she was currently in. “Let you go where?” he taunted. “Where exactly should I let you go to?” “Please. Please just let me go.” She pleaded. Her heartbeat was pumping furiously with fear and uncertainty. She never thought he would have the guts to handle her like that. She, Andra Anderson, is a princess in her own right. If not for her father’s selfishness, she was practically a queen. Now here she was, reduced to a position of submissiveness before Dominic. But she was ready to do anything so he would let go of her, even if it meant begging. After all, what was it that people said; you live to fight another day. “Please. Just let me go.” His palm dropped to her waist, spanning over the area, warm and firm atop her, still looming with a threat. “Rule number one. You do not ever walk out on me again. Do
Dominic let his eyes travel to Andra, meeting her wary gaze. She had been sitting there, observing him quietly with some awe.“Congratulations.” He said. “I have barely finished talking to you and you’ve finally done it again.”A frown marked her smooth brow as confusion and uncertainty hit her. “Done what?” she asked.He flashed his phone screen at her. “Why don’t you come over here and find out?” his voice was rough with impatience.Curious and overcome with worry, she rose and crossed over to the couch he was occupying across her. He patted the space beside him and she sat down there, her heartbeat pumping faster with anxiety.He handed the phone over to her and she saw what he had seen that had him visibly upset. Her face fell as she read the threat that followed.“That party had no paparazzi.” She explained in her defense. “My friend said everyone was screened.”“A fine screening, they did.” He said, taking the phone from her hands.“I am tired of them always targeting me.” She c
“So, who is she?” asked Dominic.“That’s Angie. She’s, my friend. She’s the one that hosted the party.”“Hmm. A fine friend you have there.” He said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.“What do you mean?”“Look, she could very well be the blackmailer.”“No, how can that be?”“Come with me.” He said and led her to his bedroom. There, he showed her the screen of his laptop where he still had Angie’s photo and SIM card registration details. Dominic patiently explained what she was seeing and Andra was distraught at the information. Still, she was doubtful.“Okay, but that’s not her phone number.” Angie pointed out. “The one on my phone ends with different digits from the one here. I’ll get it.”He waited as Angie left the room and quickly returned with her phone. He confirmed the difference but didn’t bother shifting his suspicions.“She should have another number.” He told her. “I mean, people have more than one number, right?”Andra saw his point. Maybe she just didn’t have the particular
Dominic returned to his car and drove into the compound. By the time he got out of the car, the gateman was closing the gate and Andra was heading in his direction. Good, he thought. Because they needed to talk. He folded his arms and relaxed against the car, waiting for her to reach him.“Now, tell me. What is this arrangement?” he asked when she was close enough.“What do you mean by that?” she asked.“I mean, you just brought in staff. So how do you intend to pay him?”She stared at him as though he had just spoken a foreign language.“I or we?” she asked.“We?” Dominic found her reaction preposterous.“Yes, we.” She confirmed as though it was a verdict. “Santus here is going to be opening the gate for us. Won’t that be great?”He ignored her question. “You know, I am trying to figure out or understand how you can make such a decision without first informing me.”“Because if I did, you would give me issues.”“Give you issues?”“Be antagonistic.”“Well, you judged correctly. I want
After carefully checking the contents of the contract, Andra finally spotted the term. It was at the back of the page as an addition behind the page she had signed. At the bottom of the signed page, she had missed the letter P.T.O. which meant Please Turn Over. She would have opened the next page and found the term if she had noticed that. It seemed to be a later addition to the terms listed in the previous section. The term read; The couple agrees to wed in a publicized ceremony four weeks after this contract is signed. Signatures appeared on the previous page over the additional term. Andra sighed. Gosh. And this was how people could easily get into trouble when they didn’t properly study a contract. Well, now her discovery of the term was useless, she reasoned. It was useless brooding over the issue. It didn’t matter anymore what time the wedding took place. The thought didn’t stop her from immediately developing a counterthought bordering on adjusting the wedding ceremony con
Andra didn’t waste time mincing words. She told him exactly what was having her worried.“Getting married even though it’s fake is still a huge step.”“I know.” He replied.“I do not want to bear the title of a divorcee just because of this contract.”“Me neither.” He admitted. “But we won’t be the first.”“You sound like you don’t care.”“We are only executing the terms of the contract.” He pointed out. “After all, we both knew what we were getting into.”“Well, I believe we ought to amend the terms in this current concern.” She suggested.“In what way?”“We can tell my dad that we want to stay as we are until the contract period expires.”“I don’t see him agreeing, especially not without a fight.”“Do you have a better suggestion?”“Yes.”She stared at him curiously. She could not wait to hear it. “Please tell me.” She said earnestly.“I’ll invite him to meet us and then I’ll explain our concerns. We’ll see if he can agree to a private and very secret wedding. Just us. No unnecessar