Ana
Now it was my turn to stare at him like he was crazy. “Are you crazy?” I asked genuinely, because I was expecting to get a direct answer to the question. Granted, he didn't look like someone who was crazy. He looked quite normal. But asking a stranger to marry him? That was crazy. “Quite the opposite," he said, his tone measured and calm. He slipped his hands into his suit pockets, retrieved a soft cloth, and began to meticulously clean his glasses. He didn't even look at me. He was sexy with the glasses on, and without it, he was simply a snack. When we met at the coffee shop, I was too distracted by Tony to even remotely take note of his features. A waiter appeared, carrying a tray with two glasses of wine. He took one and nodded at me, “drink?” “I don't drink.” I said, eyeing him cautiously. My father was an abusive alcoholic. Each night he stumbled home, reeking of cheap alcohol. He would descend on my poor mother and proceed to beat her mercilessly. My sister and I could only do so much to save her from his demonic fury. He died 3 years ago and we couldn't be happier. But ever since then, I'd stayed away from drinking because it made me remember my father whom I despised so much. “You don't know me. So why would you want to marry me?” I asked him, looking perplexed. “I don't need to know you. Hell, I don't even want to know you.” He scoffed. “Well, you just answered my question.” I angrily picked my bag and started to leave but he held me back. “I’m sorry. I just need you to make me look good in front of my investors, that's all.” I could see a bit of remorse in his beautiful blue eyes. “Are your partners some kind of creeps? Why would they need a woman to make you look good?” I asked, turning to face him. He stared at me in disbelief, trying to ascertain whether I actually meant to ask him that question. “I'm sorry but I'm not doing it if you don't tell me the details.” I said and began to walk away. “Fine,” he groaned, and I stopped in my tracks. “It's for a business deal. The investors are senior citizens; the traditional type. And they are very much obsessed with family values. And the deal is guaranteed to go south if I don't turn up with a wife.” he finally explained. From his expression, it seemed like I had dragged out his deepest darkest secret. I took a deep breath and came back to sit. “And that's all I have to do? Pretend to be your wife until the deal is signed?” “Yes.” He stared at me intensely, his jaw clenched as he waited for my answer. I took another deep breath, trying to weigh my options. I thought about my son Liam, and how I needed to buy baby things for him. The house that I lived in with my sister Beth, was due for rent and I didn't exactly make much to take good care of my son, my sister, and pay rent at the same time. “When is the meeting?” I asked. “Here, in a few minutes' time. But first, I need to get you real outfits.You can't meet the investors dressed like this.” He said, giving me a once-over yet again. “It'll reflect poorly on my capacity as your husband, but also on my brand.” “I haven't even said yes,” I protested weakly, the embarrassment heating up my face. He didn't seem to notice, or even if he did, he didn't care. The man was like a statue with no feelings. You couldn't tell what he was thinking. He brought out a stack of files from his briefcase and placed them in front of me. “Sign it.” He dropped a pen on top, and waited for me to sign. All I had to do was pretend to be his wife for the deal to go through. I can handle it. And if he tried anything funny, I can always opt out of the deal. I slowly took the pen and signed. “Now we're married.” He said as he gathered the files and put them back in his briefcase. Worry lines creased on my forehead as I thought about it some more. “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, when he noticed my expression. “If you are not sure, I can find someone else.” he added with a sense of certainty. I had no doubt he could easily find another woman to make the deal with. The man was obviously rich and he was handsome. Women would fall over themselves just to be close to him. This was a huge opportunity for me to finally get rid of disgusting Tony who had tormented my life for 3 years. And to make enough money to take care of the two people that gave meaning to my life. “I'm sure.” I finally answered and swallowed hard. I debated whether to tell him I had a son or not. I didn't know if it was going to affect the deal. But surely, he wouldn't want a wife with a baby. So I kept my mouth shut. He brought out his card and placed it on the table in front of me. “Go and get yourself some nice clothes. Something fit for a business dinner. And be fast about it, I need you back here in 10 minutes.” He was rude. But the money was too good to turn down. I promised myself to endure it. Afterall, the meeting won't last more than two hours. I gave him an icy stare, took the card and left in search of a boutique around. ~~~~~ As I walked into the boutique, a young female attendant came up to help me choose fitting clothes. I described to her exactly what I was looking for. We chatted as we browsed the aisle for a formal dinner dress. She noticed the American Express card dangling from my hands and her eyes lit up in expectation. “I bet your husband takes great care of you.” She commented, and smiled warmly at me. At the mention of husband, I remembered that I wasn't wearing a ring. I would have to buy one if we were going to successfully convince these investors that we were a couple. “Do you sell rings here?” I asked the attendant. She gave me a confused stare. “Yeah, I forgot my ring at home. My husband and I have to meet a group of friends and it would seem strange if I wasn't wearing my ring.” I told her, in a bid to quench her suspicions. She smiled “Sure we do. This way.” And she led the way. I didn't have to explain anything to her, but it was fun watching her expression. If only she knew. It would be nice though, having a husband to provide for and protect me, especially from assholes like Tony. But a girl can only dream. I was all dressed up and ready to go when a message came into my phone. I unlocked, and when I read the message, my heart stopped, and the color drained from my face. I quickly gathered the rest of the clothes, paid for them, and ran out of the boutique, my heart racing against my chest.BenI glanced at my watch for the umpteenth time, the same old dreaded anxiety creeping up on me. Where was she?I hated having to wait on people. It was one of my pet peeves. Shirley had made sure of that.“Damn it.” I swore under my breath. If she doesn't show in the next five minutes, I would cancel the deal. To hell with the business.The door to the lounge opened and my business partners walked in. There were three of them; two men and a woman. I wasn't exactly comfortable meeting with them again, given that they'd witnessed my humiliation five years ago. But I had to do this for my father. He needed this deal to go through.I stood and came forward to meet them. We shook hands and I took them back to the seat where I sat with the woman not quite long ago.Dressed in suits, they looked like they didn't have time to waste, and I wasn't one to dally when it comes to business either. But my new wife - I didn't even know her name - was nowhere to be found.“We thought you'd be her
AnaThe text I'd received earlier from Beth was vague, but I didn't care. My baby was running a serious fever and was crying incessantly. Not even food could pacify him. I had to rush home and take care of him myself.I left the lounge and sprinted home, the only thought in my mind was my baby, Liam. I would've flown if I could.But then I remembered I had some money from the man, and immediately stopped a taxi.20 minutes later, I burst into my house and headed straight for Liam's crib. “Oh, my poor baby,” my throat tightened as I touched his hair. He cooed and turned on his side. He was sleeping peacefully, but his body was still warm. Beth was lying down close to the crib, sleeping. She looked exhausted.I tapped her, “Beth, wake up.”She opened her eyes, and on seeing me, she instantly sat up, rubbing her eyes.“Ana. Liam is sleeping now.”“Yes but I still need to take him to the doctor, he's still running temperature.” I said, searching round the room for his pacifier.Somethin
Ben “I'm sorry, wha–” I hung up on her, reclined in my chair and released a deep sigh of victory. What I wouldn't give to see the look of anger on her face right now. The woman was a complete piece of work, and she was stubborn. It was high time she got a taste of her own medicine. She was still trying to process the news and definitely start something when I ended the call; I wasn't going to give her the chance to protest. I didn't like the obvious mess I'd gotten myself into with this arrangement. I have no interest in being in anyone's space, especially not a woman's. But I'd do anything for my father, and for the company. So, unfortunately for me, I needed her. But I would never let it show that I really needed her that bad, or she would smell my desperation and use it against me. I didn't doubt that because she already showed me what she was capable of. This was a game and I know all about that too well. And I'd never be caught hands down. Never again. It was l
Ana When I woke up the next morning, I had an uneasy feeling. Ben's last words over the phone kept echoing in my head. I didn't exactly like the man so the thought of being his pretend wife for 30 days annoyed me. 30 whole days! What would I do about Liam? How would I take care of him and at the same time pretend he doesn't exist when I'll always probably be around Ben? I could hire a long-term nanny with the money he gave me but Beth needed new kits or they would kick her out of the music program. My life was a whirlwind of challenges that never seemed to end. I took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from my brow and continued to serve customers. The shop was already filling up with customers who either joined the queue or took a seat and waited for a waiter to come to them. I got busy serving and chatting with customers. However, the thought of making a decision about Ben skirted around in my mind still. While I was mulling it over, the door to the coffee shop opened and a man
Ana I entered the office to find two men seated and discussing. One was Ben, and the other was a man I'd never seen before. Ben gave me a strangely comforting smile and asked, “How was the ride over?” “You basically forced me to come here but sure, it was fine.” I glared at him. He ignored my retort and continued. “Ana, this is my lawyer, Remi Laurent. Remi, this is my wife, Ana.” Remi chuckled mischievously at the mention of ‘wife’ and Ben gave him a warning stare. I could tell that their relationship was more than that of lawyer and client. They were friends. Remi rose and came over to where I stood. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Please, call me Remi.” We shook hands. He was friendly, warm and courteous. He was so different from Ben's brooding personality and that was a welcome change. I liked him right away. Ben poured himself a drink from the bottle of whiskey standing on his desk. He got up, picked up the glass, and went over to stand at the window, his hands in
AnaLeaving Ben's office, I pondered over his demand to move in with him. I'd only known the man for 48 hours so he was basically still a stranger, but I took comfort in the fact that he was a well known figure in Los Angeles. A celebrity so to speak.Before leaving his office, I'd already resigned to fate. Ben has got me in a chokehold and there was nothing I could do but move in with him. I couldn't afford to go to jail, not when I had Liam and Beth to take care of.But I made a silent vow to myself: He would not get off lightly with deceiving me. I would pay him back in kind.Sooner or later.Riding down the escalator, I came across two women discussing with hushed tones. But they suddenly stopped and waved when they saw me. I was still agitated following my meeting with Ben so I ignored them and continued on my way.Getting to the revolving door, a voice called out near me, “Mrs. Pierce?”But I continued moving and was about to push the door when the security man stopped me wit
~Sunday, the day of Beth's Piano Recital~ “Hurry up, Ana! I can't be late to my own recital.” I heard Beth yell out from her room where she was probably struggling to wear her shoes. “What are you talking about? I'm literally out the door. You're the one who's gonna make us late.” I replied from the kitchen, chuckling lightly. I had a piece of bread dangling from my mouth, with Liam in my arms. I fed him and ate simultaneously, as I tried to hurry up for Beth's piano recital. Beth came out of her room and sighted me feeding Liam. “Oops,” I said. I gave her an amused look, with a raised eyebrow, a slight smile, and a hint of 'I've been caught and I know I'm in trouble, but I'm not going to try to talk my way out of it' written all over my face. She laughed and shook her head. “Where's my purse?” She asked, looking around for it. “Under the throw pillow. And come here for a minute. I want to look at you properly.” She found her purse and came to meet me where I sat. S
AnaTony stared at me with bloodshot eyes, his chest rose and fell as he took in heavy, angry breaths.“Did you really think you could run from me?” He approached me menacingly, the trudging sound of his boots echoing in the deserted restroom.I took a step back and soon my back was touching the wall and there was nowhere else to run to. I felt trapped and helpless.“What do you want from me Tony? Why are you doing this?”“You. I want you. And nothing is going to keep me from having you, not even you.” He cackled and wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.I couldn't understand Tony's obsession with me. Since when is it a crime to reject a man you weren't compatible with? And so what if it happens three years into the relationship?“Please, just leave me alone. Please.” I begged, as my voice quivered in fear and desperation.“Not until you give me what I want,” he snarled and approached me.“Okay okay. Fine, fine. I'll do whatever you want.” I was desperate and said a