Chapter 10

I'm not sure if Gunther's fear and astonishment the moment his eyes met Jaxson's piercing glare caused him to drop to his knees earlier, leading the two of us to tumble into the pool. And get us soaked in the freezing cold water in no time.

As I was drying my hair with the towel that Aunt Elsie had given me, my eyes landed on Jaxson, who appeared to be consumed by his thoughts.

“Whatever it is you're thinking right now, you're completely mistaken,” I groused, following him with my gaze as he took the seat in front of me.

“What exactly do you mean? I'm not thinking about anything,” he replied sternly. “Nothing else, except another fiance of mine is having an affair with someone I trust.”

The words he uttered made my jaws plummeted to the ground.

My lips parted as I struggled to find the right words from being taken aback. But just as I was about to say something, a man came and approached us.

Perhaps he's the Madrigal family's lawyer that Gunther mentioned.

What I don't get is why he dresses this way. Because of his ripped jeans, oversized t-shirt, long gold chain around his neck, and his piercings on both ears, anyone who sees this man for the very first time won't immediately believe he is a lawyer even if he defends himself.

Come to think of it, he looks more like a typical rapper than a lawyer.

When I sensed eyes were on me, I slowly swung around to Jaxson, who had raised one eyebrow and was staring me down.

I lifted my brows and bottom lip in response to his pensive stares, but he simply averted his gaze away from me.

Even though I was a little uncomfortable in this cold and wet dress, I just opted to sit quietly and listen to what they had to say. Aunt Elsie is still searching the house for something I can change into, and that's why I am still in this soaked dress with water dripping down my feet.

“Perfect. Since both parties are already here, let’s start right away, shall we?” The lawyer said, jubilantly calm. “This is the legal agreement that you asked me to arrange last night,” he added as he laid the papers on the table between us.

I scowled and tilted my head obliquely because I believed I had heard his voice before.

“This contract includes all of the terms you specified, Jax. As well as the later compensation. It also outlines the agreements for one year of your marriage, and what should happen after the contract expires. The only thing left for you to do is read it and sign it. Both sides should sign and seal this agreement.” He stated tactfully before handing us the documents, which I accepted without hesitation.

I'm convinced that he was the man Jaxson was having a conversation with at the club that night. Although I couldn't see his face well then, I recognized him by his voice. He always speaks so gently and with emphasis on every word he uttered as if he were a noble man who understood everything there was to know.

It did make sense, though. He became a lawyer at such an early age, thus he is undeniably clever when compared to the average person.

“You can still add and cross out anything that you like and oppose in this contract before I ratify.”

I began focusing my thoughts on the papers he handed me and paying closer attention to what was written on them.

It contains five commitments, and the very first one is what Jaxson and I have previously talked about.

It's all about me marrying him in exchange for my brother Charles' treatment.

I didn't question or even raise an objection to the first agreement since I already knew and clearly understood what it means.

The second statement in this contract refers to me being a Madrigal and only living in their mansion for a year. It is also stated explicitly that there will be no reason allowed for me to use in order to extend my time with the Madrigals any further.

I fully comprehend that this simply indicates that the day after our agreement, Jaxson and I will cut connections. There will be nothing else that he and I can initiate to continue the relationship between the two of us.

My eyes lifted slightly in the direction of Jaxson. He was holding the documents as well, and his gaze was solely focused on it.

Will everything just vanish like a bubble after we've been together for a year?

As in, there will be nothing between us, like

going back to complete strangers? Even being friends will not be possible?

I mean, it's not like I want to be with him for the rest of my life. It's just that... The memories that I share with someone and my relationship with them are very important to me. I treasure the people who come into my life and spend their time with me.

As I recall, it was Jaxson who made the agreement suggestions, according to this lawyer.

Can he really just kick me out of his life as if nothing happened between us after this contract ends?

That stings a little. If I’m being honest.

I realized that I was stunned at Jaxson for a moment, so I decided to bring back my focus to the document I needed to sign.

The third point written is that I will still continue to study, but there is a remark below it that states I cannot prioritize this if the Madrigal family has a significant event.

I wasn't totally surprised at this either as Jaxson had mentioned it to me.

However, the next term written in the fourth agreement caused me to frown.

‘Cattleya Santos will be granted adequate alimony after the contract was void. Alimony pertains to court-ordered payments made to a spouse or former spouse as a core component of a divorce or separation agreement. The objective of this alimony is to provide financial support to the spouse who has a lower or no income.’

My lips twisted as the crease on my brow stayed after reading it.

I quickly picked up the red pen in front of me and scratched the words to erase it.

This was not included in what Jaxson and I had discussed.

As I have said over and over again, it was more than enough for me to accept his offer to support Charles’ medical expenses and let me finish my degree in the same university.

I can't think of anything else to wish for, and it’s also not like he'll turn me into a slave if I stay here.

In fact, staying in this huge mansion was almost like winning a lottery.

If only mom and Charles were here…

Receiving cash after living with Jaxson for a year is like selling myself to him.

I'm not sure what the future holds for me as his wife in the following months. But, for the time being, I believe what he has offered is more than enough to allow me to carry on living without constantly worrying about how I could pay Charles' bills.

I just can't keep adding my indebtedness to Jaxson, because I don't think I'll be able to have guts looking straight in the eye of him, and any other people.

Even just a little bit, I still want to keep some shame and self-respect for myself.

I handed down the pen after entirely erasing the fourth agreement with red ink, returning it to its proper place to continue reading. However, before I could go back to the papers, I caught sight of the feet approaching us, which made me jump up in shock.

The lawyer’s reaction was the same as he straightened up and seemed extremely horrified.

When I realized who these people were, a shudder ran up my spine to the top of my head.

Daniella and Jaxson's step-brother stood in silence watching us.

I surreptitiously glared at Jaxson to call his attention to what was going on around him, but he didn't seem to notice because his gaze was still fixed on the papers.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing as I followed his hand to the table, where he calmly picked up the pen and seemed to be scratching in the contract before finally placing it down and redirecting his eyes to me.

Wait a second, Jaxson also scraped and erased one of the contract's terms? But what was it?