Chapter four

Jazmine's POV

I stared at the chairman, shock written all over my face and my mouth slack. How could he just say that so casually? The first one was about sleeping with him, now marrying him. Does the chairman have something wrong with his brains or something?

"Sir, I don't understand what you mean by that." 

He stood up and walked towards me. As he approached me, my pulse hammered in my throat and my first instinct was to run out of the office, however I remained in the spot.

As he stood in front of me, his gaze flit down to my mouth and returned to my eyes again, and fir some split second, I thought he was really going to kiss me. My throat went dry and I blinked my eyes rapidly. 

"You need the money and I need you!" He suddenly said and I frowned in confusion.

Need me? He must be joking. Wait a minute, he needed me in his bed? He wanted to marry so he could sleep with me? What kind of a lunatic is this man? Ferdinand Steel, or whatever Mr O'Connor had called him earlier.

Alright, I've had enough. "Thank you sir. I see it was a wrong idea to come ask for your help. I'm not interested in marrying you. Thanks once again." I turned to leave but he pulled me back.

"Yes, you are!" 

He pinned me against the door and I was trapped between his hard chest and the door. What was he trying to do? I felt panic shooting in my veins. He placed both his hands above my head and whispered into my ears.

"Will you please listen to what I have to say?" He said, but his voice wasn't pleading, it demanded surrender.

"Stop what you're doing now, Mr Steel! I could really sue you for harassment!" I yelled.

He was intrigued, or so it seemed. "And what if I refuse to stop?" He was challenging me and I knew it. I could feel his breath hit on my skin and I hated the way it made me feel. I balled my hands into a fist and began hitting his chest nonstop. He let out a low growl in his throat as if I wasn't even hitting him at all.

His eyes flashed coldly and I knew I was in trouble, then he suddenly let go, leaving me to frown. "Please have your seat and listen to what I have to say." He sounded different now and I had to wonder if he had double personalities or something.

"The thing is this," he began, maintaining eye contact with me which I struggled to maintain. "I just got a call that my father is dead. He owns a consortium and before his death, he had already told me and my siblings that the consortium would go to the eldest son. So, naturally it would go to me."

So why was he telling me? Was he showing off? Or was he trying to convince to marry him since he would soon inherit his father's consortium. 

I threw him a dirty look. "I don't understand why I'm hearing any of this." I told him.

"Calm down, will you?" The coldness was back in his voice. "The consortium should naturally become mine, but then my father has another son from another woman. My step brother and I are of the same age. According to my father's written will, the consortium would go to the married son." He finished.

Realization filtered down. So he needed a fake wife so as to claim the consortium. Even at that, I wasn't interested in something like that. That was a fight between him and his family. I couldn't interfere by marrying him.

I opened my mouth to say just that when he spoke. "I would give you ten million dollars upfront and pay you the rest when you sign the contract with me. I want you to enter a contract marraige of just five months with me. You could include your preference in the agreement."

Ten million dollars? That was huge but, "Why me?" I didn't know I had said that out loud, but seriously why did he want me? He could go for other women. Everyone would fight for a chance to stay with a rich man like him.

"Are you in or out?" He asked me instead.

I considered it for a while. Ten million dollars, that was enough to cater for the hospital bills and the surgery and it would still remain some that I could use to take care of Layla afterwards. I could really do it. It was a good idea and I would jump on it. It wouldn't kill me right?

"If you're worried about the sexual part, be rest assured, I wouldn't touch you. You're not even my type." He said.

His last words kind of made me angry than relieved. I should be happy he wouldn't touch me, but that wasn't the case. Does it mean he didn't see me as a woman at all? Seriously? I caught myself. I shouldn't be thinking that way when my sister was battling with her illness in the hospital.

"I will do it!" I suddenly said. I had to do it. That was the only way out. It was an opportunity in a life time that I may never get again. And I had promised Layla that I would get the surgery for her no matter what. Besidesl, he said it was just for five months. I would survive it.

Few minutes later, a man entered and Ferdinand introduced him as his lawyer. We exchanged pleasantries and went straight to business.

"Miss Jazmine, the first condition is that you have to live together with Chairman Steel, do you agree?"

I nodded. It wasn't like I had any other option. It was even good in a way. At least, I wouldn't starve anymore.

"The second one is you have to use his last name throughout those five months and you must not see any other man. After the signature, neither of both parties can opt out of the contract marraige until the end of the agreed period. If so, it would be seen as a breach of contract and legal actions would be taken."

I nodded. "Can I add mine too?"

"Yes, you can."

"Throughout those five month, the man would not make any sexual attempt on the woman, do we agree?"

Ferdinand agreed and they added the clause in the contract. Both of us signed the papers and the lawyer left. As I stood up to take my leave, my phone rang.

"Hello, Jazmine." Dr. Rodney's voice came from the other end, laced with urgency.

I felt sick immediately I heard his voice and I prayed fervently in my heart that my worst fears wouldn't come through. 

Clutching the phone in my hand, I answered, my voice sounding rough and strange in my own ears. "What's wrong with Layla?"

"I'm so sorry." He said quietly and I could feel my heart stop beating. I could almost guess what he was about to say. What else would he be sorry about. No! That couldn't happen. I screamed in my head. 

"Layla's dead!" He declared.

Even as I had guessed that he was going to say that, hearing him say it made my heart squeeze in my chest. My throat felt itchy and my lungs stopped working. The world stood still and then it came tumbling down. Why did this happen after I had signed the contract.

The phone slipped form my hand along with my conscious and I was plunged into utter darkness.