The Marriage Contract

"What is going on in here?" Nolan asked, unable to disguise his disgust. Both Hailey and Max were sitting on the same couch, engrossed in a book, and they were so shocked when the young master rolled in. They quickly gave each other some distance, and Hailey was terribly flushed, patting her palms on her cheeks. Max, on the other hand, was less embarrassed and more surprised.

 

"Hey, Nolan. Hailey got lost, and I thought I would show her where the library was. Turned out she is a Shakespearean, just like your mum was," Max explained, picking up the dusty book they had been reading and showing the cover to Nolan. It was a comedic play by William Shakespeare titled "As You Like It." However, Nolan was not satisfied with the innocent explanation and frowned at the other occupants of the library.

 

"So, let me get things straight: I asked you to get guidance from your maid, and instead, you somehow managed to drag my busy uncle into a book study with you. Am I on track, Miss Lincoln?"

 

"It wasn't like that!" Hailey exclaimed, clutching the skirt of her dress passionately. "I did get lost even after Mika gave me directions. There are just so many rooms in this house!"

 

"And whose fault is that?" Nolan was aware that he was being quite unreasonable, but for some reason, he couldn't control himself. He wasn't one to easily lose his temper, and he loved intimidating his opponents without even having to say a word. However, he wasn't currently in control of his tongue and the words he was saying. Uncle Max noticed this too and wisely stood between him and Hailey, knowing there wasn't much Nolan could do from his wheelchair.

 

"Ok, take a deep breath, Nolan, and calm down..."

 

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he exploded. "I am not a child, and this wheelchair does not diminish my importance!"

 

A whimper escaped from Hailey's lips, and soon tears started streaming down her face. Max was torn between admonishing his rude nephew or consoling the weeping young woman. Finally, he walked out of the library, slamming the door behind him. Hailey's soft sobs were the only sound in the room, and eventually, the prick of conscience reached Nolan.

 

"Sit, Miss Lincoln, and stop those tears."

 

She nodded once and moved to sit far away from him, resting her jaw on her arms. She resembled a docile lamb that had been wrongly spanked by its owner. Her watery eyes shone in the afternoon sun, and the tips of her hair spilled onto the table. Nolan approached cautiously and stopped about a foot away from where she sat. She adjusted herself slightly, physically rejecting his proximity. He couldn't fault her and allowed her to have her space. Picking up the book they had been reading, he leafed through it briefly and laid it on his lap.

 

"This was my mother's favorite book, and she used to read it to me sometimes. Sadly, I wasn't in love with Shakespeare like she was, but I still remember her reading some of the words to me or quoting lines that suited any situation."

 

"I heard what happened to your parents. I'm sorry," Hailey said, her voice choked with emotion.

 

Nolan shrugged and glanced at the woman he was supposed to marry in a month, courtesy of his grandfather. She had been hurt by him, and now she was feeling sorry for him. It was rather ironic to think about. Her wet lashes swept back and forth every time she blinked, and they were remarkably long. In that moment, he decided that if the lamb before him was going to be his bride, she had to know

 

 what she was in for. If she could endure it, she was welcome to stay, but if she couldn't, he couldn't exactly run after her. She could leave whenever she wanted because she wasn't a prisoner.

 

"I overheard your conversation with your sister, and I am aware that you're not the woman I am supposed to be getting married to."

 

Hailey immediately sat up, ready to defend herself, but Nolan held up a hand to stop her from speaking.

 

"I'm not done speaking yet. I believe we can help each other achieve our individual goals. My grandfather wants me to marry you, or he will pass my inheritance to my uncle. Your father has forced you into this union to save his daughter from being attached to a cripple. I need my inheritance and my freedom. You want to get revenge on your father and your step-family. Therefore, I think we can both assist each other. What do you think?"

 

Hailey pouted out of habit whenever she was thinking, and Nolan was slightly distracted by her full, rosy lips. What they would taste like was still a mystery. Where he wanted them was a delicious imagination, and the lower half of him ached. His legs might be useless, but the organ between them was very much virile and sensitive. Before his accident, he had been known for his harem of women, and they could never say no to his charms. By the time he realized Hailey was speaking, she had repeated herself.

 

"Master Nolan?"

 

"Yes, you were saying?" he asked, chiding himself for getting carried away.

 

"I said I was interested in what you have in mind."

 

"Okay then. Listen to me. My grandfather is ill and about to die anytime soon, according to his doctors. He wants me to get married before he dies, hence the early wedding date. However, you don't want to get married, and neither do I. So, I say we run the whole show to impress both of our guardians, but we still keep our freedom to do whatever we want. It will be a marriage on paper alone, with no emotional attachments involved. You will only bear my last name as a form of protection from your family, but I will demand no more than that from you. Any questions?"

 

Hailey exhaled heavily, processing everything he had said. It was an arranged marriage from the beginning, but now she was being given a chance to reclaim her life. She had studied Business in her past life to impress her father and had been unhappy with her decision. Once she was married to Nolan, she could pursue her dreams, and her father would have no say as long as her husband was fine with it.

 

"Can I go back to college afterward?" she asked, hoping for a miracle. Nolan actually rolled his beautiful eyes, not expecting such a simple question.

 

"You can do anything you wish then, Miss Lincoln. Anything else?"

 

"Yes. Can you please call me Hailey?"

 

Nolan scoffed, but when he saw how serious she was, he converted it into a short cough. "Okay. Do we have a deal, Hailey?"

 

She smiled at the mention of her name, meeting his handshake halfway. "It's a deal, Nolan."