3 - Meet The Family

Wait, why is this man full of surprises? "What are you doing?" I whispered to him, I could still hear the applause of the people around us. Why are they applauding? And why is also I can hear the applause of the people here as well?

"I'm just telling them that you're going to stay here," he said without hesitation.

I clenched my fists, if it wasn't for his men who seemed to kill their boss who made the wrong move, I would have hit the man next to me a long time ago.

“I went along with what you ordered because I thought we would talk, and I thought you would give me a sensible job. I'm not kidding here, man.” I told him.

He looked at me seriously and signaled the people to leave and then they went back to what they were doing. "Let us talk to my office," he said and left first.

I sighed and then followed him. We went up the stairs which you can tell that their stairs are really expensive because it’s a glass. He walked into a room with the word 'Office' written on it, before I followed him in, I looked at the hanging frames. There were different people in different frames and I only noticed one, a boy who looked serious.

"What are you doing? Get in,” I heard him say, I still don't know him so I don't know what to call him.

"Who is this kid?" I pointed at the boy who caught my attention. He looked at at kid in the picture without emotion.

"That is me," he said. I was even more surprised because that's when I also noticed that him and the child in the photo had a same aura on their faces, serious face.

"It's not obvious, the one in the picture is cuter," I told him. He didn't answer, he just went straight into his office and then I followed.

He is so grumpy. Like an old man who is very serious about life.

When I entered his office, I saw a lot of books on the bookshelves, a brown sofa set and a table on the other side, a laptop and a large computer screen on the table, a swivel chair. So this is his office. Does this guy actually read? I looked at the name written on his desk.

Javier Cade Stevenson

"That's your name? Nice." I smiled and told him, I was surprised by what he did because he immediately removed the name plate from the table and placed it on top of a cabinet in his office.

"Have a seat," he said and offered me a chair in front of his table.

I slowly sat in the chair he pointed to, I felt nervous because it was just the two of us in the same room. "Can't I go home yet?" I asked him.

I told my parents that I was only here for a while but what am I doing here. "Didn't you hear what I said earlier that you are going to live here?" he answered seriously.

So, he's not really joking? Is that really true? But why?

"Why? This is not a good time to joke around, Mr.” My face is serious even though I'm still nervous.

I was confused when he placed a paper in front of me. "Read it," he told me.

I hesitated whether to follow what he said but I also took the paper he placed on the table. “Contract?” I asked. What should I do with the contract? And what kind of contract is this?

"Why is there a need for a contract?" I asked.

"Just read it and I will explain everything to you," he answered.

I looked at him for a minute before finally reading the contract. It said here that I will get one hundred thousand a month as my income as long as I am his wife and allowance when his wishes are followed. This is too much and I think it is more difficult than my job at the auction club.

I put the contract on the table and looked at him again, it was obvious from his face that he was impatient to wait for me. There's a lot more written in the contract, taboos and what can be done while I'm at his place. But one thing I wanted to know is why is he doing this? Why is he looking for a wife?

"What is the reason why you want a wife? You seem to be too young to have a wife and you don't have the face to be a husband ," I commented.

"Did you read the second to last part of the contract?" he asked. I just rolled my eyes, yes I read it but I couldn't help it because I was also curious. In the second to the last statement, I am not allowed to ask anything, especially the reason why he will pay me to be his wife.

"Okay fine, can I go home now and think about how to tell my family about this," I told him.

He shook his head. "Not yet, you haven't said that you will agree."

"Do I have a choice?" I asked him, as if I had a choice to say no. He's going to give me a lot of money for this job, it's hard to refuse. How can you see that your salary is one hundred thousand just to be a wife, right?

"You don't have a choice but you haven't sign the contract yet," he said and gave me a ballpoint pen. Yeah right, sign the contract first. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing but it's up to me, it's for my family and especially for Lucy.

I signed the contract. "When will I start?" I asked him. And when will I get the first payment? But of course I did not ask that, he might think that I'm only after money even though the truth is, I need money.

I don't know who this man is and what kind of person he is, but because I am a risk taker, I will gamble on something I am not sure of and in a scary way. I can only get my family out of the hardships of life.

"You can start now, it's up to you to know the helpers and security guards here," he replied.

I stood up and faced him directly. "I need to go home, I need to talk to my family about this first."

"Yes, I will accompany you. I will also introduce myself to your family because our marriage will not be real without your family's blessing."

I was surprised by what he said, is that even necessary? My father will not allow me because he will be angry if he finds out that I am getting married. It is forbidden for me to have a boyfriend and then they will know that I am getting married right away? Hell no!

"Ahm, can I the one who can tell them?" I'm asked, embarrassed.

He frowned as if he didn't trust what I said. "Why don't you want to be with me?" he asked seriously. Ugh, did he even have to ask that?

"It's hard to talk to my family, especially my father, so if it's okay that I should be the one can tell to them about the marriage thing," I explained to him with a smile.

Please agree, Javier.

He looked at me for a long minute until he nodded.

Yes! Thank God! It's good that he agreed.

"Okay, you will tell them but I will still accompany you, I will just wait outside." Oh no!

"Why?" I'm having a hard time with him. Isn’t enough that he can't wait for me.

"To make sure that you will come back and follow our agreement," he said.

He doesn't trust me? I should be the one to lose trust in him because I am the woman here and he just dragged me into this nonsense.

"Excuse you? I know how to keep the agreement, so don't worry. I trusted you to pay me the amount stated in the contract because I knew you could do it, and now, you're the one who doesn't trust me?” I said. He's sick.

"Whatever you say, Miss Janiyah. Just come back, I'll wait in the car. Let's go.” When he said that, he was the first to leave his office. Does he really always to leave first everytime we talked?

I just sighed and let him do what he wanted to do, he drove me to our house and just like he said, he didn't get out of the car because he was just going to wait for me. I'm already in front of our house, if I'm nervous talking to Javier, I'm even more nervous about what I'm going to do now. I don't know how to tell my parents that I'm getting married. Oh God, please help me.

I took a deep breath and opened the door of the house, my eyes were closed and I was waiting for my father or mother to slap me but I just remembered that I hadn't told them yet.

"What are you doing?"

I was surprised by the voice I heard. It was my brother.

"Brother? You're here?"

Yes, we have a brother. He was working abroad and was there for three years. So I was very surprised to see him today at our house. He decided to leave us for his dream and we don't have any news from him about how he is. He didn't give money from his salary to my parents and that's one thing I wanted to ask him.

"Why? Am I not allowed to go home anymore?” I immediately shook my head at his question. Because of the surprise, I was not able to hug him, so he hugged me.

"I missed you, Janiyah. I waited so long to be with you guys," he told me. I responded to his hugs.

I think Dad and Mom are not here yet so he is the only person in the house. "You cooked?" I asked when I smelled the aroma of food in the kitchen. He nodded as a response.

"I was going to surprise you but you were the first one came in," he said.

Before I could answer my eldest brother, someone spoke behind me. It was our mother.

"Liam?!" Mom shouted and immediately hugged my eldest brother. Dad followed and hugged me and I was very surprised to see the person with my parents.

Damn it, I thought he would just wait outside?

"Who is he?" my eldest brother asked after they hugged. They looked at Javier.

"Oh, he said that he is a friend of Janiyah and that he is waiting for your sister. It's embarrassing to wait outside, and it’s hot. He was just standing outside beside the car. He seems rich and a good person, so your father and I let him in," Mom explained.

Oh God! Seems a good person? Mom, I think you are wrong.

My brother didn't react, he even introduced himself to Javier.

My brother finished cooking because of our mother's help, I was preparing the table while our father was talking to Javier in the living room.

"Mom, who's watching Lucy?" I asked.

"It's Julie again, she said she doesn't have a job anymore, she just passed by her office a while ago so she immediately returned to the hospital," he replied. I just nodded and finished fixing the table.

When we were all at the dining table, no words came out of my mouth and I couldn't even interrupt because my family had been talking to Javier.

"Thank you for all your stories. But I'm here to say something about your daughter," said Javier. My family became silenced. Will he be the one to say we're getting married? It should be me!

"Why? Did my daughter do something?” my mother asked. And that's actually what she asked first? Gosh, this is so hard.

"No, no Mrs. Hardin. I just want to tell you that me and your daughter are —”

"We will be gone for a few days, do you remember that man from the hospital who picked me up? Javier is his boss, I got the job and Javier is also my boss. In fact, he is here to say you guys and hopefully that he will take me along for a business meeting for a few days." I said immediately, interrupting what Javier was about to say.

Javier looked at me with a frown. "Really?" he asked with his face full of questions.

"Oh, that's good. I will agree, are you honey?” Mom asked Dad.

Dad just shrugged his shoulders and nodded, so did my brother.

Javier did nothing but follow me out of the house and immediately bombarded me with questions.

"What was that? We're going to tell them. What the hell are you doing? I thought you were going to say what you planned?”

I shook my head. "I can't," I said. Yes, I can't.

"Why is that?"

"Our youngest sister is in the hospital, I agreed to your offer because we need money for her operation. And I can't tell them that I am getting married to a stranger because I don't want to add up the situation." I stopped talking and looked directly at him.

He was also silent but he needed to know. "Please let me find a way and a timing to tell them, let them believe first that I will work with you as your secretary or something so they won’t be asking why I am always with you."