Chapter 5 Journey

DANIELLE’S P.O.V.

The news of Dad’s illness continued to echo in my mind and yet, it remained a struggle for me to process it. I tried to wrap my head around it, but the reality refused to settle in. The ground felt like it had shifted beneath me and the weight of the news pressed against my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. I wanted nothing to do with the men sited at the dining table, I wanted nothing to do with the arranged marriage, and I most especially wanted nothing to do with the snotty, rude bastard that sat across from me at the table, but I had a choice no more. Dad’s confession had practically forced my hand, and now, I had to endure the torture. For his sake, and his sake alone, I forced myself to go through with the introductory dinner with Adrian Valentino and his father, Alfredo, putting on my best behavior as if having to act so civil with the rude bastard were not killing me inside.

As the evening slowly wore on, I stole quick glances at Adrian, expecting to see a form of resistance or disinterest in the conversations that our fathers engaged us with in terms of our marriage agreement, but to my surprise, he was unnervingly calm and collected. He even seemed to be coming to terms with the idea of our impending marriage. When the subject of marriage was brought up by my father, I braced myself for Adrian's refusal, anticipating that he would reject the proposal and that he would come up with a reason to not go through with the engagement, but he did the opposite.

“My father and I have spoken about it, and I see no reason why the marriage should not take place.” He said.

His calm response elicited a smile of approval from both our fathers, catching me off guard and causing chills of suspicion to run down my spine. As if the night could not get any more uncomfortable for me, it took an unexpected turn when both our fathers suggested that we take a walk together. I was reluctant to be left alone with Adrian, but the imploring eyes of my dad caused me to hold back my inhibitions and like that, I followed Adrian outside the house and into the gardens. Once we were alone and out of ear shot, Adrian suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned on me. His expression turned cold and his poker face, which I was accustomed to, returned.

"Was last night part of your grand plan to get closer to me too?" he asked with a cold tone.

"Why, in the world, would I need to scheme to get close to you?" I snapped.

"You tell me. It wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to use me for their own gain." He said.

"Really, Adrian?" I retorted, “Are you so arrogant that you assume everything revolves around you? Is your ego that inflated?”

He arched an eyebrow, an infuriating smirk tugging at his lips.

"I've learned not to trust coincidences," he replied, his eyes never leaving mine, “Especially when women like you are involved.”

Women like me? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

The insult stung and I felt the patience that I tried very hard to conserve wearing out. How dare he question my intentions after everything that had happened between us? Did he think I was so desperate that I would come up with a plan to get close to him? I did not even have the slightest idea of who he was the night that I met him at the club; that was my first time meeting him. Anger burned in my chest as I looked at him.

"Right, because being engaged to you is such a golden opportunity that I cannot bear to miss." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "I was never even aware of your existence before that night at the club. I advice that you take a good look at yourself and around you, for once in your life. Not everything is about you.”

His eyes glittered with a mixture of amusement and something else; an expression that I couldn't quite place.

"Well, Danielle, if you're so opposed to this arrangement, and unhappy about it, why not prove it? Offer to call off the engagement and prove to me that all of this is not just a part of your plan." He said, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

His words were like a slap across my face, and I felt offense and anger rise within me as he stared at me with that smug expression.

How dare he insinuate that I was the one with ulterior motives?

I wanted, so very badly, to hit him across the face and watch that smug smirk on his lips fall, but I held myself back, reminding myself vividly of the reason why I was engaged in that conversation with the rude bastard in the first place.

"And why can't you be the one to refuse?" I shot back, “Or are you afraid that being rejected by me would bruise your ego?"

At my challenge, Adrian’s lips curved into a wicked grin, infuriating and aggravating me further.

"I assure you. Marriage or not, my lifestyle will not be affected.” He said.

My hands clenched into fists at my sides as my anger reaching a boiling point. Who did he think he was?

Who did that insufferable bastard think he was to speak to me in that manner?

How dare he talk to me with so little regard, and look down on me?

My fury bubbled inside of me and I could barely contain it. I was ready to unleash my frustration. As I prepared to say my next retort, his words stopped me in my tracks and cut through the tension, catching me off guard.

“Or…” he trailed, suddenly rising up his hand. His eyes sparkled as if he had just discovered another wonder of the world, and his lips drew up into a suspicious looking smile.

“Or what?” I asked, looking at him with a suspicious expression and guarded eyes.

"Or," he drawled, his tone dripping with mischief, "we could turn this into a contract marriage. An arrangement of convenience; a trial period to see if we can stay together as a compatible couple that you think we are. We would have rules that would strictly define our current situation, and if neither one of us likes this arrangement, we can walk away from it without having to lose anything.”

A contract marriage?

His unexpected proposition left me momentarily speechless and froze my anger in its tracks. The idea was as bizarre as it was unexpected and I blinked, momentarily taken aback by the suggestion.

Had he seriously just proposed that we enter into a marriage of convenience, without any emotional entanglements or attachments?

I stared at him, searching his eyes for any sign of deception but all I found was that same calculated expression that he had been wearing at the dining table; that same air of nonchalance that he carried around him. It was as if he had just thrown down a challenge and dared me to accept it.

A whirlwind of emotions rolled within me; confusion, disbelief, and an odd sense of curiosity. I met his gaze and held eye contact with him for a few minutes, trying to read his thoughts through his eyes and expression.

"Is this some kind of game to you?" I asked, my voice coming out sharper than I intended for it to.

His gaze held mine and his smirk faded into something that almost resembled genuine interest, but I knew better, and I knew that that insufferably rude bastard could never be interested in anything other than himself.

"It is a solution. Take it or leave it, Danielle. The ball is in your court."

The ball was, indeed, in my court, and I found myself torn between my pride and my curiosity which I could not ignore.

Could I endure this man; this infuriating, rude and cold bastard, even if it was not a real and conventional union?

As the moon bathed the both of us in its glow, I met his gaze, the tension in our eye contact so thick that one could cut through it with a knife.

"Fine," I finally said my voice steady unlike the rollercoaster of emotions in my mind, "Let's do it then; let us see if your so called solution will work out. Let us have a contract marriage, but do not think for a second that I'll make it easy for you."

Adrian's lips curled into a mischievous smile, a sight that caught me off guard.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Danielle."

And just like that, we stood on the precipice of a new arrangement, one that neither of us had anticipated. As we stared at each other, a silent understanding passed between us. Whatever lay ahead, it was bound to be a tumultuous journey.