I stare at Hailey for a few seconds before returning my focus to the dough I'm kneading. "Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm not. It's you who would be crazy to reject the chairwoman's offer." "What the hell are you even talking about, Hailey? I've never even met the woman's son." "What does it matter?" "What doesn't it?" Before Hailey can respond, Alfredo, the head chef with a temper issue directs a string of Italian gibberish my way while flailing his hands. I know he's talking to me about hurrying up with the dough but I intentionally ignore him. Hailey walks to the sink to wash her hands and help me cut the dough into small sizes. Usually, there are three assistant chefs in the kitchen but Callum called in sick this morning and yet another employee who couldn't stand Alfredo's terrible temper quit yesterday. If Alfredo wasn't such a great chef, I'd probably hate him too but in truth, I am actually fond of him. As we cut the dough into pizza sizes, Hailey picks up the conversation. "Natalie, think of all that you'd get from this marriage! As a Martinez, you'd have more than enough money on your hands. You'd be married to a wealthy Greek god and you'd be able to go anywhere in the world that you want!" "Hailey, you know that man is way out of my league." "Well, his mother asked you, didn't she? Tell me why you don't want to accept her offer." "It's hardly an offer when I'm not getting anything out of it." "Girl! You're going to be a Martinez. That is everything!" "That's exactly my point. I'm not sure I can handle all of the glamour that comes with being a Martinez. Moreover, I don't understand why the chairwoman would choose me out of every girl in Seattle." I say quietly. "Then ask her when she comes tomorrow." Hailey stops what she's doing to hold my hands fervently. "Nat, you know that I would support you in anything that you do. I just want you to think this through before you turn it down. Whatever you decide, I'm with you every step of the way." With my eyes on hers, I thank the heavens for bringing Hailey my way. Sometimes, I don't think I deserve her. Hailey is soft as a kitten when I need her to be and stern as a tigress when defending me. "Thank you, Hailey. You know I love you." "I love you too, Nat," she says and pulls me in for a hug. The next second, Alfredo throws a mixing pan our way and it bounces neatly off of Hailey's head. She releases a string of curses his way while I laugh uncontrollably. When the chairwoman shows up at Giancarlo the next morning, I am ready to go with her. However, this morning saw me weighing several options in my head, from quitting my job at Giancarlo to running in front of a train. In the end, I decided to go with Hailey's advice and see if this prospect is anything worth chasing. With a big smile on her face, the chairwoman barely responds to the greetings that fly around and walks me towards her car outside. It suddenly occurs to me that this is what class truly is. The ability to snob people with such a kind smile plastered on one's face. I make the mistake of looking back before the restaurant door closes and catch Mariah's death stare. God knows that that woman would kill me if she got the chance. Outside, a bodyguard opens the car door for me and bows as I sit. The driver also bows and greets me with respect. I am not used to this type of treatment and for a minute, it unnerves me but the chairwoman places a hand on mine to steady me. This gesture makes me wonder why everyone is so scared of Rebecca Martinez. She has been nothing but kind to me since we first met. The Martinez mansion is unlike anything I've seen. It is a stately mansion that exudes elegance and charm. There are gorgeous marble towers along the way and a fountain right in front of the mansion. It is surrounded by a beautiful garden of flowers that make the heart sing. When we step out of the car, it takes all of my willpower not to gawk. Inside the living room is a crackling fireplace that screams elegance. The walls are adorned with family portraits and obviously expensive paintings. A maid comes out to greet the chairwoman and she asks her to bring some wine and get Brandon, then offers me a seat next to her. God! Even the sofa screams money! When Brandon walks into the living room, I feel my heart do a double flip. Well, well, pictures certainly do not do him justice. He bends down to kiss his mother's cheeks and as he takes a seat across from us, I catch his assessing gaze on me. All my life, I've been told that I am very pretty but under Brandon's scrutiny, I suddenly feel plain and unattractive. He soon returns his gaze to his mother. "I can see you have a guest, Mom" "Oh! She's not my guest. She's yours. Natalie, meet Brandon. Brandon, meet Natalie; the woman you will be getting married to!" The chairwoman says casually with a glass of wine between her fingers. Lightning fast, Brandon jumps to his feet. "What the hell do you mean the woman I am getting married to?" He yells. "Brandon, we talked about this yesterday," she says casually again. "And I told you immediately that I wasn't interested" "I told you, Brandon. You do not have a choice." Brandon looks at me with contempt on his face and says the most degrading thing anyone has ever said to my face without batting an eyelid. "Listen to me, mom. I said this before, and I'm saying it again. I don't plan to ever get married. But if I were to consider it, I would rather die than settle for this... this underdressed, ugly swan!" With this, he walks out of the house, and for the hundredth time in the past 48 hours, my mouth is hanging open with my jaw ready to hit the floor.After Brandon leaves, the chairwoman brushes his insult off as childish exuberance and asks me to do the same. Well, easy for her to say but the man that walked out of this room was certainly no child. She ushers me to the dining room and we eat quietly. With servants on both sides of the dining table, all of our needs are met to.In my head, I start to think of what it would mean if I lived like this every day of my life. In all honesty, I believe that it would be exhausting. I like the simple life that I lead and with Brandon's obvious contempt for me, I make up my mind while enjoying the heavenly chocolate cake dessert to turn down the chairwoman's offer.Back at home, I sleep the rest of the day off after the chairwoman's driver drops me off. A loud, incessant knock at the door wakes me up in the evening. With sleepy eyes, I head towards the door. Hailey stands at my door ready to burst with excitement."Tell me everything!" She shrieks.I shrug as I let her in and close the door
The first thing I see when I open my eyes is a huge pair of eyes staring closely into mine. Drawing air into my lungs, I let out a loud scream and flail my hands at my supposed attacker."Oh, just shut the hell up!" Brandon's exasperated command causes me to cease screaming. My breathing is ragged as I try to sit up on the feather-soft bed I lay on."What is wrong with you?" He asks."What?""First, you faint right after I kiss you. Now, you open your eyes to the sight of me and the first thing you do is scream. What exactly is wrong with you, tell me."He places a leg on the bedside chair as he waits for me to respond."Water""What?""I need water," I say with a raspy voice.With anger evident in his every movement, Brandon pulls a switch behind me and a maid scurries inside."Get the lady some water," he says and has the maid scurrying back out. She comes back in with a glass of water which I accept and smile kindly at her. Thank God I don't have to live like this, I think. All my
The wedding is a quiet affair. True to Brandon's words, it happens three weeks after our discussion. While the Martinez family is duly represented by the chairwoman, aunties, and uncles I didn't know existed and Anthony, Brandon's best friend, Hailey is the only person I have with me. After we leave the court, everyone heads towards the Martinez empire where the lush garden has been decorated beautifully for the wedding ceremony.Several people try to strike up a conversation with me but I am not interested. I just stand next to Brandon and smile politely at them while willing the entire ceremony to be over. In truth, it is not that I am completely averse to this marriage, it is the celebrations that bother me. Why put so much effort into something that isn't real? Although there are only a total of 50 guests at the wedding ceremony, it is evident that so much has been spent to uphold a standard of luxury.When people finally start to leave, I breathe a sigh of relief and try to loose
With my breath hitched in my throat, I slowly unwrap my arms from around Brandon's waist. His tone is icy enough to chill me to the marrow. My face takes on a look of genuine confusion when I see the utter disgust on his face.He takes a few steps back and crosses his arms over his chest. "I don't need you to be the sort of wife that I deserve, Natalie. I only need you to keep to your end of the bargain."My mouth hangs open. What is wrong with this man? Here I am feeling sad for him and his auto response is disrespect? Trying hard to shove down the embarrassment that I feel, I count to five in my head and head to the bathroom. Better to remember that Brandon went through a childhood that shaped him into a hard man.I turn on the shower and let the water flow. Now that I know how Brandon's childhood was, I can understand why he is so hard wrung. Of course, I can't let him know that I know. If he suspects that I pity him, he is bound to become defensive and push me further away.When I
Breakfast goes by in a blur. The chairwoman is chirpy and excited, talking about our honeymoon and living arrangements. Unfortunately, neither Brandon nor I are interested in talking about our future together. After breakfast, the chairwoman tells us that she has to be at an orphanage for a charity event. At first, I'm bothered that I'd have to spend the day alone with Brandon but he leaves the house almost immediately after his mom.Alone with barely anything to do, I start to wander around the house. God, this house is so big, I feel like I can get lost inside it. In the kitchen, three maids are scurrying around, preparing what I suspect is lunch for the family. They are startled when they see me in the kitchen, but I smile nicely and ask for their names. Because I can tell that they're uncomfortable and distracted by my presence, I do not spend too much time there but go to find the butler, Miguel.Although he is initially unwilling to converse with me like an equal, he soon lets d
With my hand still resting lightly on Robin's arm, I swallow before turning to face Brandon fully. What is he even doing here? I try to form words but I am unable to. It's not like I have anything to be scared of or to feel guilty for but I still find myself taking a step back from Brandon's menacing stare."Come on, wife. Silence is no way to greet your husband. Especially in front of a stranger. I wonder, does he know that you are married?"My eyes dart frantically to where Hailey was but I can't find her. The realization of what this situation looks like suddenly hits me. But hey, Brandon is a rational man, isn't he? Surely he'll understand that I couldn't possibly be out here cheating on him less than a week after our wedding."Hi, Brandon. What are you doing here?" I ask in a squeaky voice that I do not recognize as mine.He looks me up and down with a smirk plastered on his face. "I own the place, Natalie. Now, how about you introduce me to your friend here." His smirk takes on
My whole life is about to be a hell of a rollercoaster. I stare at the beautifully dressed woman standing before me with a resolute look and for the second time this morning, I find myself unable to utter a word. The chairwoman of the Martinez empire is standing before me and announcing in front of the entire staff of Giancarlo- which is only one of the many establishments that her family owns- that she wants me to marry her son! I count to five in my head and try to steady my breath to form a sentence. "Ma'am, I can't possibly marry your son. I don't... I can't... I don't know...." "Nonsense!" She says pleasantly. "You don't know my son but you must have seen pictures of him all over the news. He's the sort of man that any girl would be happy to get married to." She's not wrong, I know. Brandon Martinez is the heartthrob of Seattle, Washington. He is 6ft tall, built like a Greek god, and controls an empire worth billions of dollars. Who wouldn't want to be with a man like that? Th