Chapter 1

The sound of footsteps echoed through the grand hallway, the only other sound being the soft rustling of his clothe. I swallowed hard, my body tensed up as I awaited his approach. Every nerve in my body was at alert. I stood up immediately our eyes met. He walked with a graceful stride towards me, his body moving effortlessly across the polished marble floors.

I managed a smile, stretching my hand towards him for a shake only to have him ignore it. He glanced at my outstretched hand and back at my face, still not bothering to return the gesture.

I awkwardly put my hand away, finally taking a proper look at him. He is strikingly handsome, with chiseled cheekbones and a piercing green eyes that only drew one in. His dark hair had grown longer than when I had last seen him, it was brushed to the back into a ponytail, a strand set aside on his forehead. He wore a tailored suit that hugged his lean physique. The fabric, a deep shade of navy blue that complimented his skin.

“Let’s not waste our time.” He says for the first time to me. I blink, surprised.

“What?”

“Here, you know what this contains, don’t you? After all this isn’t your first rodeo with contract marriage.” He comments casually just as my cheeks burns red with embarrassment. I’m reminded again that he knows my past. He passes the document to me.

“Sign it and in two days we will be married.” I open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off before I could.

“Also, the money will be deposited once you’ve done your part of the deal.” He tells me, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Of course but we should-" I’m once again cut off, this time by the man behind him, one I hadn’t even noticed was there until he stepped beside him, lifting a phone up, an urgency in his eyes.

“That will be all. I’ll see you in two days time.” He collects the phone from the said man and without wasting time, he turns to leave the same way he came, the man walking behind him. I swallowed hard again, feeling a knot form in my throat, clutching the document in my hand as I watched his retreating figure.

I bit my lip, sighing heavily and willing myself not to let out anymore tears. I am not just doing this for myself but also him. I’m doing this for him. With a renewed strength, I gathered the remaining pieces of my self and walk out of the building.

~

I walked into the house after yet another brutalizing day. The sound of my heels clicking against the tiled floor fills the air. The creaking of the door behind me is barely audible but I hear it nonetheless. I halt in my steps on hearing a chair squeak from behind me. I turned to see Auntie setting her soda on the table, she stands up and walks towards me.

“How did it go? Have you finalized it yet? Did he tell you when it would be taking place? Has he deposited the money yet? I hope you didn’t give him any kind of attitude.” The same old thing. Every single time I walk into the four walls of this house, I am immediately attacked with words.

“Ashley! I am talking to you.” She yells, stopping right in front of me. I halted in my steps, squeezing my eyes close and hoping for the patience all my ancestors possessed.

“I don’t know, Auntie. I have no idea.” Frustration builds inside of me, wanting nothing more but to scream and fight all of these.

“What do you mean you don’t know? You went out there to meet with him. To finalize this whole thing. Are you really going to throw this opportunity down the drain. Are you going to wait till we are down the sewers with nothing else to our name? Will you watch your father wither away?” She sneers, grabbing my arm tightly, the eels of her nails digging deep into my flesh.

“Auntie.”

“You better not fuck this up for us. This is our only way to get out of this situation we are in and I’m not about to let you fuck it up because of some bullshit. You better do what’s right for you. Your father is currently withering away in his sick bed and here you are, fidgeting with the only way to help your ailing father out of the predicament he is in. What a daughter you are.” She spat out with no remorse.

“Can you stop! How is this my fault? How are you trying to blame me for what’s happening when all of this is your fault. It’s yours and yours alone.” I screamed at her, unable to keep calm any longer. No matter how much I try, I am constantly pushed till my back hit the wall and now.

Margret stood in front of me, a cruel smirk making its way to her lips. “You think you’re so smart, right?” She taunts, her voice dripping venom, nothing I haven’t heard before. I blink back the tears threatening to fall. My face flushed with anger, hands clutched into fist.

“You’ve said enough. I’m going to go check on my father now.” I jolt my arm free from her grip. “Excuse me.” I grit out and stormed off into the room he was.

I stepped into the room, my heart breaking into a thousand pieces on seeing him on the bed still unconscious, like he had been since I left the house this morning. An oxygen plugged to his nose, hair shaved to nothing, looking thinner than usual, even more than our normal usual. I slowly walk towards him, lips palmed into a thin line. I stood by the edge of the bed, looking at the man who I call my super hero battling for his life.

I placed my hand on his, making a silent promise to get him all of the help he would need to fight this disease. I would do everything and anything I can to make sure he comes out victorious in this fight and that includes getting married to Colton Daniels.

Things didn’t use to be like this. Things used to be rosy, sweet and loving. It didn’t all use to be all frustrating. Once upon a time it used to a fairytale. My father had his company, he worked so very hard for it and safe to say we were living very comfortably for an average family living in the US. We had everything we could want and more. If I say the problems began the moment my mother passed on and father got remarried to Auntie then I wouldn’t be a hundred percent correct.

It started the moment he trusted her enough to give her his entire life savings and important keys in the company. It didn’t take Auntie less than three months to squander the entire money, leaving us struggling to maintain the house we were living. She had supposedly invested it in some scheme. We lost everything we had and as if that wasn’t enough, Father was diagnosed with prostrate cancer which led to us selling the house we were living in all to raise money for his treatment. His condition deteriorated quickly after that and well, here we are.

A sigh escaped my lips and after a minute of looking at his unresponsive state, I tuck his hand back into the cover spread and walks out of the room and into mine.

I stepped into my room, immediately met with how scattered and rough it looked. I had scattered the entire room searching for my birth certificate. I ran my hands through my hair, the wall clock ticking slowly as a background noise. I had no strength In me to clean up tonight, I only wanted to have my bath and fall right into bed. Without wasting anymore second, I strip off my clothes and had my bath. Five minutes later I got into bed, my hair damp against the pillow case but I couldn’t find it in me to care. I had barely managed to create space for myself on the bed after pushing the heaps of clothes to a side. I face palmed myself, dragging my hands over my eyes. It’s been one hell of a day and now I’m just running my head through the events of today.

I’ll be getting married in two days.

I’ll be getting married in two days. In two days time, my father would get the treatment he needs. Heck! The moment I sigh the document the he will get the care he needs.

The document!

I jump up, the bed creaking at the sudden movement. I’ll be getting married in two days but for me to do that, I’ll need to sign the contract. I grab my bag on the table beside the bed and take out the document, turned on the lamp and went through the content of the contract.

Colton Daniels definitely keeps to his words doesn’t he?

-All bills for my father’s treatment would be paid and in return he will get a wife that he so badly needs for three years.

-I have to leave my current job and take up a job at his company once we are married.

-No Cheating in course of marriage

These were the three conditions laid out for me

They didn’t seem like anything over the top. They didn’t seem anything like Tyler had drafted for me.

I took out a pen, my hand hovering over the empty signature space on the document. Once I sign this, there is no turning back. My life will change forever. I’ll no longer be known as Ashley Tanner but Ashley Colton Daniels. The next three years of my life will completely be Colton’s but for my father, I would do anything.