Chapter 7

I watched them longer than I should have. Finally, they broke the kiss and Sterling began to lead the girl my way. I saw that as my cue to get my behind in the mansion. 

I was a bit confused though. Why was Sterling kissing and groping a girl when he and I were supposed to be getting into a legal and binding marriage agreement? But I guess he had the freedom to do what he wanted, I had not signed the papers yet. 

When I touched the doorknob and turned it so I could open the door, I got stopped by the voice of Sterling. “Hey! Heather, wait up!” 

I breathed out a sigh and removed my hand from the doorknob. I then turned to face them. “Why?”

The girl next to him chuckled. “She’s a cute one,” She said in a low tone to Sterling but I heard her all too well. 

“I want you to meet my girlfriend, Patty. We have been dating since high school.” Sterling gestured to the blonde. 

I forced a smile even though I felt a bit awkward. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Heather.” 

“Nice to meet you too, dear.” She winked. “I figured that since you are going to be getting into a contract marriage with my boyfriend for four years, I’d at least meet you in person.” 

All this had me thinking. If Sterling needed to marry someone so he could be heir to the fortune, why didn’t he just marry his girlfriend? That way, it would have been real and way better for everyone. 

But I guess that there were still many things that I was oblivious to. One thing though that I knew all too well was my love for Samuel. That was not going to change. 

“Okay,” I replied in a monotone. Up close, she looked way better than at far. She had perfect lips and her eyes looked surreal. She was a true beauty and it seemed like she was not even wearing makeup. 

“And oh, you should know that I’m still going to screw him even after you sign the papers,” Patty added, and Sterling chuckled deeply, showing that he liked the way his girlfriend talked. 

I on the other hand felt awkward and just wanted to get the hell out of there. “Good for you.” 

“But unfortunately if we get caught, I could lose it all. The marriage would be void and all of it would be for nothing.” It was now Sterling’s time to speak. “So we would have to be very careful and secretive while you just have to keep your mouth shut and be pretty.” He smirked. 

“Whatever,” I mumbled weakly and then turned away. I needed to get away from them. At first, when I met Sterling, he seemed like a gentleman. He seemed like someone that I could even remotely like and be friends with. 

But within a few hours, I have seen more glimpses of who he was. And sadly for me, this was not even day one of being married to him. This was the day before signing the papers. 

I opened the door and I walked into the huge house. They followed right behind me. I just wanted to be alone right now and maybe try to call Samuel. I did not really have any friends, so I did not have many options when it came to calling people. 

I used to have really good friends but my parents would always sabotage the friendships. They wanted me to only be friends with high-class people. And I could not stand superficial and vain girls. They annoyed me. 

“You’re not staying in the master bedroom.” I heard Sterling as I approached the stairs. “That is where Patty and I would stay,” He informed me. “So get one of the maids to show you the biggest guest room and get your things there.”

Instead of replying, I let out another sigh and avoided climbing the stairs. I walked to the other side of the house in hopes of running into a maid. The marriage had not even started and I was already sighing so much. 

This was not a great start. I wish that I was not placed in such a complicated and confusing situation like this. All I wanted was a perfect life with my boyfriend, Samuel. But I guess life did not work that way. 

I was in the real world and therefore had to face real-world problems. 

Patty’s giggles faded as I put more distance between them and me. I was now on the other side of the house. I could see a pool area from this side and a few maids; some cleaning and some running errands. 

“Hi, excuse me?” I stopped one of them. This maid was a short-haired brunette. She had doe eyes and her skin was pale as snow. 

“Yes, ma’am. How may I help you?” She lay the broom she had in her hand on the wall. “Do you need food? Something to drink?” 

I smiled shyly. “No, thank you. I just need you to show me the biggest guest room here. And for you to get the guards to take my things there.” 

Her face twisted in confusion. “Wait, what?” She laughed lightly. “Allow me to speak freely?” 

I took a few seconds to reply. “Yeah, sure. Just don’t cuss me out,” I joked but she barely laughed. 

“I would never do that.” 

“I know. I know. It was just a joke.” I brushed a few strands of my hair behind my ears. 

She forced a laugh and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. 

I shook my head slowly. “You don’t have to laugh.” I scoffed lightly. “Just tell me what you wanted to tell me.” I folded my arms on my chest. 

“Okay. What I wanted to say was that you are the Lady of the house. You are not supposed to be sleeping in the guest room. You belong in the master bedroom with the lord of the house,” She explained. 

“I guess.” I clicked my tongue. “But…” I wanted to tell her why I could not stay there but I did not think it would have been wise. “You know what? You’re right. But also, I would like to try sleeping in the guest room for a few nights until I have eased into the house. This is all still new to me.” I forced a chuckle. 

The maid nodded once. “Of course, ma’am.” She smiled. “This way.” She began to lead the way. 

I followed her and in no time, I was standing in the biggest guest room in the house. It was really nice and had an expensive feel. The air smelt like lavender and natural light shone through even though the sun was almost set now. 

“Have my things brought here, please?” I flashed the maid a smile and she nodded. Before she could walk off, I stopped her. “May I know your name?” 

The maid played with her fingers nervously. “I’m Cece, ma’am.” 

“Okay, nice to meet you, Cece. You can call me Heather.”

“Wouldn’t that be, uh, a little bit unprofessional?” 

“Oh, come on. I would feel more comfortable if you don’t call me ma’am. And your job is to make me feel comfortable, right?” 

She nodded and smiled faintly. “I guess so.” She rocked her jaw and then spoke again. “Okay. I would call you by your name. But out of respect for you.” 

“Sure.” I laughed lightly. 

She then excused herself and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I walked slowly to the bed and sat down on it. It was soft and very comfortable. 

I took my phone from my pocket and called Samuel. I was a bit nervous because I thought he might not answer but he did, and on the second ring. 

“Hello, Heather?” His voice was like a fresh breath of air. I savored it. I was already starting to miss him. 

“Why did you lie to me for so long?” I began, and I heard him sigh. 

“You want me to tell you the truth?” 

“Of course, I want you to tell me the truth. I want nothing but the truth.” 

“Okay. I lied because I wanted you to like me for who I am. Not because I was wealthy or came from a powerful family.” 

“But you know,” I scoffed the words out. “You know that I don’t give a hang about status or wealth. You know that I hate vain things.” 

“Yeah, baby. I know that now, but when I met you, I didn’t. So that was why I put on that mask.” 

I shook my head slowly as if he could see me. “You still could have told me the truth after a few months or even after a year,” I made my case. 

“Yeah. Yeah. But how do you think that you would have taken it?” He made a small sound with his throat. “You would have broken up with me. And I did not want to lose you. I still don’t.” 

I let a few seconds of silence pass between us before speaking. “Okay.” 

“So do you forgive me for what I did?” 

As I said, Samuel was the perfect boyfriend. He was loving, kind, forgiving, and communicated well. And that were just a few of his many great attributes. I was the one that had trauma from my past and kept bringing drama into our relationship. 

But yet still, he was always the bigger person. He was always the first to make peace; always the first to apologize even if I was the one that was wrong. 

If I did not forgive him then it wouldn’t be fair in the least and would mean that I did not really love him 

“When can I see you again?” My voice was soft, and I retired from my sitting position by laying on my back and staring at the ceiling. 

“Does that mean that you forgive me?” His voice was filled with hope. 

“Um, yeah, I guess. I forgive you.” I could not help but smile. 

“Yes!” He cheered in a child-like way that made me laugh freely. “Thank you, my love. I promise you, from now on, I’m never going to lie to you again!” He exclaimed. 

“Alright, Sammy. I hope so too,” I replied happily. “So, back to my question. When can I see you?”

“Considering that you’re getting married to my brother tomorrow and I have been kicked out, the only way for me to see you again and for us to have the life we had before but this time better, is for you not to sign those papers tomorrow.”

I made a small sound. “Sammy, I–”

“Heather, my love. If you don’t sign those papers, I would be able to reclaim my position as heir. You could introduce me to your parents, and we could get married and live happily ever after.” 

I chuckled without humor. “Happily ever afters don’t happen in real life. Trust me.” 

“The hell? They do, Heather! I don’t want you to sound like that, my love. All you have to do is stay home tomorrow and don’t sign the contract.” 

“You don’t understand, Sammy.” 

He laughed lowly. “What is there to not understand? It’s quite simple. Don’t sign the papers and we would have all that we dreamed of.” 

“My parents. My parents, Sammy. They f*cked up in some way and now Sterling has them under his thumb. If I don’t sign the papers tomorrow, they would surely be going to prison,” I explained. 

“We could lose it all. Our dignity, our reputation, our businesses, our economic relations; we could lose it all,” I added. 

“Oh,” Samuel said in a tone that I could not recognize. “And let me guess, you confronted your parents it’s true.” 

“Yes. They would be coming to London in a few days. But until then, they would like me to sign the contract for the marriage to your brother.”