Chapter 3 - Shall we go get married?

Pov: Zara

I reach back home and see the housekeeper announcing my presence. “Sir, Miss Zara is back.” she looks at me and says, “Sir and Madam are waiting for you inside. Miss Linda is discussing her engagement today, so your brother-in-law is here too.”

I look at the housekeeper in astonishment. “Noah is here?”

“Yes, he went in right before you.”

I ran inside, quite pleasantly surprised only to stop right at that moment. Inside the hallway, I see Linda and Noah standing quite close to each other.

Their lips were almost touching. It was a bad time to greet him. I stand rooted, my legs numb and my eyes red.

When I finally managed to turn around, a slap came on my face which nearly sent me to the ground. As my cheek burned, Hana, my stepmother grabbed and pulled me into a room.

After shutting the door, Hana turned around to glare at me. She pointed her accusing finger at me and said, “You shameless whore. Don’t think I didn’t see what you were up to. That is your brother-in-law. How shameless can you be to dare attempt at seducing him?”

Holding my burning cheek I smirk at her, “If I really wanted to seduce him, I wouldn’t be just standing there and watching.”

“You…” Hana looked like she would explode which gave me immense satisfaction.

As I was about to leave, she yanks me back and pushes me directly onto the floor. “Do you have no shame? We have been looking after you for so long. How dare you talk back to me? We saved you from dying on the streets with your crazy mother. So what if I hit you a little?”

However, her reaction took a ninety-degree turn as if she made a big discovery. She looked at my neck where the marks were obvious and I completely forgot about it. “Well, well… I knew you had bad intentions. You’re just like your mother, only knowing how to go around seducing people. Go somewhere else to seduce people, not here. Do you think someone like Noah would spare a glance at a whore like you?”

Hana’s slap didn’t make me sad at all because I was used to it. But a simple sentence like this was enough to cut through my heart.

But I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of winning over me. I start laughing as I pull my clothes to cover my shoulders and look at her nonchalantly. “If you think I’m not good enough for him, so much so that he won’t even look at me, why are you so anxious?”

Some noises were heard from outside. It seemed like Noah and Linda were chatting. Afraid of being discovered, Hana spoke in a hushed tone as she moves closer to me. “Don’t play any tricks. Some guests of the Cheng Family are coming for lunch later with their son Titan. Don’t say that I don’t care about you. I’ll let you meet him later. They have a good background, if you marry him, you’ll have endless fortunes.”

What the… Of course, I knew the Chengs and their son Titan. “You want me to marry a retard?”

“What, you don’t want to?”

“Marry him yourself if you want to. I’m not a puppet that you can manipulate!” I quickly yanked open the door.

Hana tried to stop me but I pushed all the concerns outside the window and push her aside.

She lost her balance and fell down. “Zara if you dare to leave, I will make sure your father throws you out of the house forever.”

I heard her but I’m not going to be a material of marriage for them. I ran a few before I hear several cars in the driveway noisily.

Hana followed behind saying, “Come on. I’m doing this for your own good. So you’d better be grateful and dress up nicely. Stop trying to run away.”

Hana moved her hand signaling some guards to keep watch and I knew it would be futile to struggle.

I was pushed into a room by Hana to get ready but I could hear the Chengs talking. “We all know that Zara is an illegitimate daughter. She’s not really worthy of our son, but she does look quite good in photographs. As long as she helps continue the bloodline, she will benefit greatly in the future.”

I sneer at the thought. Am I being treated as a tool for procreation?

I peek through the doors at this so-called precious son of the Chengs. He was of small stature, convulsing, shaking his head constantly as he looked around. Like a sloppy child, he was chewing on his fingers.

No, no, no…. I can’t do this. I have to escape. I look around and saw one window open. I push my head out to look if anyone is there. When I saw the coast is clear and jump out and tiptoed toward the exit.

Suddenly, I hear my name being yelled at and a number of people chasing after me. I run for dear life. I’ll die before I get married to that maniac.

Without looking back, I pick up speed and run as fast as I could. Miraculously, I escaped. When I was sure I’m finally alone, I stopped to take a breather.

Right at that moment, a black car came to a halt in front of me. The window rolled down and a more than familiar face appeared. “We need to talk.”

I raise my head hesitantly and asked. “How did you find me?”

Without saying a word, he opened the door for me. I contemplated a little before getting in.

After getting in I look at his perfect profile. He really was attractive. It’s almost a pity that his personality does not match his good looks.

Without giving me a look he asked, “How much money do I have to give you in order for you to marry me?”

“Excuse me?” Did I hear correctly?

He sighs. “Since we can’t undo what we did, I have to fulfill my responsibility by marrying you.”

“Umm… I don’t think that’s necessary.” Is he kidding me?

As if he knew what I was thinking, he says, “I’m not joking. I need to marry you. If you agree, we can sign the marriage document now. I advise you to seize this rare opportunity.”

The first thing that hit me was a wave of hysteria and I start laughing. This man is talking as if marrying him was the world’s best thing. But he’s nothing like Kai. If she could marry Kai wouldn’t that be so good!

“What benefits will I get out of marrying you?” I ask out of curiosity.

“If you’re my wife, I’ll pay for all of your expenses. I can also provide you with accommodations. If you have a boyfriend or someone you like, I’ll give you the money you deserve when we divorce so that no man will be able to look down on you. I can get rid of any obstacle in your way. Trust me; this marriage will only do you good. You won’t regret it.”

Okay, I feel like the joke is getting out of hand. But honestly speaking I was a little tempted after hearing the conditions he offered. If I were to go back to the Wilsons I’ll have to marry that Cheng boy.

But the question is … Can he really help me? Can I trust him? “So… we’ll get divorced eventually, right?”

He nodded. “Yes. When I decide to divorce you, you must cooperate with me. I will find a reasonable excuse and I will make sure not to hurt our reputation. But I must remind you that we will sign a prenuptial agreement. You can’t covet any other benefits.”

“Hey, you’re really rude. I don’t want any other benefits from you.” I feel like I’m reaching my limit of patience.

“We don’t need to be polite with each other. It’s not like we’ll grow old together.”

“But are you absolutely sure that we’re really getting married? You know that I just met you. We don’t understand each other at all.” 

He smirks with evil eyes. “What else do we need to know? I understand every part of your body.”

I blush furiously as flashes of last night flood my mind.  “That wasn’t my fault alone. I’ve already explained it to you!” I glare at him but his face remains impassive. I feel like my head is boiling.

He looks back at me and says, “Fine, I won’t bring this up again. Also, I know that marriage is a serious step to take. As my wife, I promise to respect you and to make our lives as comfortable as possible. I’m not trying to scam you into marriage; since I’ve decided to do it, I will treat it seriously.”

Hearing this, I silently nod. His aura is actually pleasing. Maybe marrying him wouldn’t be so bad. “Just one more thing… What’s your name?”

He looks at me as if I swallowed a squirrel and then sighs. “I’m Kayden Marshall, the second son of the Marshalls.”

“I’m Zara Wilson. I’m…” Well, I can’t say I’m an illegitimate daughter of the Wilsons so I left the sentence hanging. I appreciate it when he doesn’t comment anything on it.

“So… Zara… Shall we go get married?”

I gulp and nod stiffly.

He lets out a breath of relief and asks the driver to start the car.