All Chapters of A Contract Marriage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Lena, we’ve lost all our wealth, all of our fortune’s gone” mom sobs loudly. “Another nightmare” I mutter under my breath as I sit upright in bed, grabbing a glass before pouring myself a glass of water.It’s weird that I still have these dreams, seeing how long ago this happened. Every night I cried and hoped my parents were just playing a cruel prank on me. But as time passed by, I realized that this was our reality.My eyes roam across the room as I take a sip of the water. My sisters Carla and Dora are softly asleep on their beds, causing a sigh to escape from my lips. I wouldn’t want to wake them up, they should sleep some more seeing the amount of chores we had to cover yesterday.Dragging myself out of bed, I place my feet into my worn out cotton slippers, nothing like how it looked when it was first purchased. Another sigh escapes my lips as I remain transfixed on my slippers, my thoughts running wild.“Another day” I shake my head, pulling myself out of my thoughts. “Snap ou

The school is in a buzz, there’s more chatter than there usually is. You can literally feel the energy on campus, people are budding with excitement.“Do you know what’s going on?” I ask Ella, turning to face her. She shakes her head silently chewing her cinnamon sticks.“Give me a second” she says, running off leaving me all by myself. I sigh, “I’ve told her several times to stop doing that” I mutter, remaining rooted to the spot knowing she’ll meet me back here in some seconds.Glancing up I notice her running towards me, “David Carter is having his 35th birthday today” she manages to say in between breaths.“Here” I say, handing her a bottle of water, “you really should stop running around campus. You’re a grown woman, and grown women walk not run” I scold.She rolls her eyes, “didn’t you hear what I just said, David Carter is having his 35th birthday today”“Yeah, there was so much bustling around the house today” Rita says, joining our conversationElla crosses her arms, “how cou

David’s POV“Hi David” an unfamiliar voice says, my eyes scan her face for any sign of recognition, but nothing comes to mind.“I’m Daniella” she says, her hands obstructing my view as she pushes her hand out in the hope of a handshake. “David” mom calls out, waving me over, “come here, there’s someone we want to introduce you to”.I smile, grateful for the interruption, “please excuse me, I’m needed elsewhere” I say, leaving her hand hanging in the air as I walk away from her.“Is something the matter?” I ask, joining the group. Asides my parents, I notice two ladies, one who looks to be in her late 20's, her face ringing a bell though I can’t place where I know her from and the other in her early 50’s.“Hello” I say, exchanging handshakes with them, acting like the gentleman I was brought to be. “I feel like I know you, is there a chance that we’ve met before?” I ask, my eyes pinned on the lady in her late 20’s. Mom chuckles, “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize her?”. I smile, turn

“I want to get married to you” I blurt out, his eyes widen and his lips curl up into a smile not a usual smile but a mocking smile, “you… want to get married to… me” he chuckles.I nod, ignoring the queasy feeling in my stomach, “I want to get married to you but it’s not in the sense you’re thinking. I’m proposing a marriage of convenience” I say, nervously biting my lips.“A contract marriage?” He says, I nod, “yes, a contract marriage between the two of us”. He smiles, “I understand what you’re trying to say, but why do you think I need to get into a contract marriage and if I did, why will it be with you?” He asks.“Well, I know that your parents want you to get married in the span of two months. I also know you’re not dating anyone, please don’t ask me how I know, I just know. I also know that you need to get married to inherit your parents business and you need to give your parents a grandchild in the span of a month of your marriage. How I know is left to my discretion” I smile,

Lena’s POVMy eyes flash to my phone screen, the name David Rome appearing on the screen. Without thinking too much, I pick the call. “Hello” I say, suppressing a smile, still feeling excited at the decision we reached yesterday.Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’ll be marrying David Rome of the Rome family, yes I closely watched him but I never thought it’d really happen.I know it’s not a love marriage, but that’s what make me even happier. I didn’t have to deceive him into falling in love with me, though I doubt I can and he knows my conditions and I know his, conditions that I don’t mind fulfilling.“Good morning” he replies, his deep voice resounding from the other line, “we need to meet up at the marriage office today, to get our marriage registered”“Today?” I ask, completely shocked. I knew we were going to get married, I just didn’t know it’d be this quick. I was expecting family introductions, then a wedding being planned.“You don’t want to?” He asks, his voice sound