2 - You are just plain

Ice-cold droplets of water chilled out Monica's face, jolting her awake from her dreamland to the fiery glare of her mother, frantically at her bedside with a spray bottle in hand. "You lazy girl. Go find a job and stop wasting space on my precious mattress."

This wasn't the first time her mum woke her with this method but during the summer heat, it was nothing. With the fall approaching, the cold tainted her blood, shaking her from the core.

"Mum, it's cold already, how long must you do this?" Monica's voice was shaken by her chattering teeth. She lifted herself from a sleeping position to the edge of the bed, hugging her slim silhouette with a blanket.

"Till you get a job girl. Now get out and do as your mates are doing. Get a good job and for once, be responsible," her mother's unfeeling words sent Monica into another battle of self-consciousness. She was bullied in school but never told anyone. Now she seemed not to be safe in her home too.

Her mother wasn't always like this. She used to be her pampered little girl till she graduated from school four months ago. She had long grown numb to her harsh ways but this didn't feel right - the fact that she didn't care if she caught a cold was too difficult for Monica to deal with.

"It's okay Mrs. Del, just leave now. I want to get dressed." She called her mother Mrs. Del because she deliberately wanted to anger her. Her mother hated it when called Mrs. Del by Monica. It made her feel distant. Mom was more bonding for her but as long as she continued waking her with cold water on her face, her little meanness would automatically snap.

"Don't call me that, sneaky girl," Mrs. Del sneered. Monica knew another banter with her mother will lead to nowhere. She would use a distraction to get her mother out of her room.

"Sorry Mama, can I get dressed now?"

Mrs. Del reluctantly walks out of her room, slamming the door behind her. A surge of anger blended with panic caressed Monica with embarrassment. How on earth was she supposed to continue living like this? She always wanted to work, dreaming of being a phenomenal woman. She was nowhere close to achieving her dream.

She sucked at interviews, blaming it on her shyness. She finds it extremely nerve-racking to speak in front of a panel. Not that she is dumb or anything of that sort. She just finds it uncomfortable to be around outsiders. She is brilliant but can't seem to find a way of pushing words out of her mouth in front of new faces. That's why she doesn't even have a boyfriend. What is supposed to do?

Still shivering from the cold, she dawdled into the shower, turning the faucet to a relatively hot temperature. The hot steaming rain comforted her scalp, soaking her entire body from the head, chasing away the cold shiver she felt earlier. It's just crazy that she has to pretend to go searching for a job just to avoid her mama's wrath. She would have continued her dream from where she was rudely interrupted. Feeling her body burning from the heat, she turned off the faucet and dried herself with her large towel. She dries her wet burgundy hair, applying little make-up on her face. Her rare brown and green blended pupil made her eyes lit, complimenting her hair color. 

She pulled out a simple knee-length blue dress and flat shoes from her built-in wardrobe. 'This would convince mama that I'm going job hunting and I won't feel weird visiting Gertrude in the process. This dress is just perfect.' 

She makes her way downstairs, stiffening as a rich and masculine fragrance aerates her senses, staring her social phobia into action, worsened by the sight of Kyle and a man about his age. She hasn't seen Kyle in months, not that she expected him anyway. Ever since he refused to allow her to work in his company, he had kept a distance from the family. He has been very busy since he took over his father's business. She didn't understand why she was supposed to search for a job when she could work with Kyle but she never voiced her displeasure.

Her father Moses Del, sat in his wheelchair - an agonizing look on his face. Mrs. Del was neutral, sitting beside Kyle on the black leather sofa. The unknown man sitting leisurely on the single leather sofa chair, his eyes accessing her with interest. 

Monica felt a hot bucket of bashful unease as she halts in the middle of the stairs. All at once,  their gazes are locked on her, the unknown man making her uncomfortable. She detected something wasn't right but lacked the confidence to enquire. She thought the uncomfortable silence was a result of her presence, seeing they were in the middle of a conversation. Whatever the discussion was, she knew there was some kind of trouble. Whatever it was, she didn't want to get involved - 'I have to get out quickly,' was her immediate thought.

With her eyes locked on the wooden floor, she mumbled, "Morning Dad, Morning Kyle, Morning...." 'I don't know the man's name and for courtesy's sake, I don't even know how to address him. He looks like those male models you will see in a fashion magazine. The rich fragrance seems to be emitted from him. It's such a masculine and yet comforting scent. "Sylvester", the man sighed.

"Syl-vester," she stammered, shifting her gaze to Mrs. Del. "Am out mama, see you later." She brisked towards the door, eager to give them some kind of needed privacy. 

"Monica," Kyle sounded downcast as she turned to meet his pleading eyes. "We need to talk," his words seemed forced but clear.

She could feel her feet decrepit, a whale of uneasiness knocking at her stomach. An unexpected frown lined the corners of her rosy lips. "Sure. Let's go to my room," she tried to sound casual. 'Kyle has never phoned to check on me. Anytime I call, he is busy and wouldn't talk to me. His coming all the way here to talk to me is a bit gruff,' Monica analyzed in her mind.

"It's fine, we can talk here. This meeting is about you," Kyle declared.

Monica was tense. She felt a lump in her throat, the air blocked from her lungs. "Monica, we have problems with the company. We are going bankrupt and urgent measures must be put in place to help us survive,"

Monica was more perplexed. She wasn't allowed to work in the company so why was he telling her this? "So, what has that got to do with me?"

"Sylvester Norman," Kyle gazed in Sly's direction with a forced smile. "I'm shocked you don't recognize him. He is the CEO of Normans holdings. They invest in a smaller company and split the profit," Kyle continued his explanation.

Monica bit her lips, her gaze now set on the lilies in the vase sitting on the glass table. "I still don't understand what this has got to do with me."

"You should allow me to finish, Monica. Sylvester Norman has been managing his family's business for years but his position can only be affirmed after he finds a wife. He wants to strike a deal with us by helping our company back on its feet if you agree to marry him for a year. Trust me, it's just a contract. After one year, you get a divorce and move on but you get to save our company," Kyle concluded.

Monica never felt a  headache in the morning but the throbbing pain assaulting her head could not be excused. Maybe she wasn't hearing right but if she did, her brother was giving her out into marriage for a year and her parents are sitting down doing nothing. She didn't believe it herself when the words flowed out of her.

"So that is it? To this family, I am just some commodity you want to give away to a stranger. Have you thought about how I felt?" She looked Kyle in the eyes for the first time that morning. He was uncomfortable, his lips sealed and his confidence crushed. He couldn't encourage it because he didn't want it too.

What Monica didn't expect was Mrs. Del's polarity. "You haven't in any way proved yourself useful to this family, after all we have invested in you so this is your chance Monica, don't ruin it." 

Monica hadn't gotten over her cold water wakings every morning. The surge of anger lurked in her heart. Yes, she was the family's princess till she graduated from college but was it her fault that she didn't have a job? "Whatever mum, I won't do it," her voice was strangely firm. She seemed to have forgotten the presence of Sylvester, as she dealt with her family. However, Sylvester wasn't one used to his presence being ignored.

"Listen here young lady, don't make this more difficult than it already is," Sylvester said coldly. 

Monica did not dare meet his gaze. Her social phobia taking over. However, she couldn't help the resemblance of Sylvester's tone to the CEOs she met during her interviews. They made her blood boil, yet she couldn't say a word. She nibbled and shook as her anger punctured every word she uttered in reply to him, even though she avoided any eye contact. 

"Excuse me Mr. Billionaire, you rich men think money is everything. Maybe you are right but since you need to purchase a wife, there are as well a lot of women out there waiting to jump at an opportunity like this. Why not look in that direction? Besides, I can't sell one year of my life, and what is the assurance that you won't take advantage of me?"

She couldn't figure out what triggered her outburst and instantly regretted it when Sylvester stood up from his chair. He ambled close to her and lowered his head, a few inches interval between them. Monica could only reach his chest as he hovered over her with his height, making sure that no one except Monica could hear his words. "Trust me, this is just a contract. Physically, you are just plain but I don't care because I don't have the heart to love a woman again. Exactly one year from now, you can walk out with anything you want but right now, I just need - you - to - pretend - to - be - my - wife," he said, word by word.

With the proximity, she dared not raise her head. Just like all those CEOs who thought she didn't deserve to work in their company, this guy thought so highly of himself. He must have sensed her discomfort and strode back to his chair. Monica's words were still stuck in her throat.

For the first time, Mr. Moses Del's voice pierced through her embarrassing silence, as he wheeled himself towards her. "Please Monica, do this for us. Just as he said, there are no strings attached. It's just a year."