Chapter 1 A contract marriage?
"There is half a million in this card. It is enough for you to pay your mother's medical expenses."
Hearing Orlando's deep and attractive voice, Jessica stared at his slender yet strong hands. As she looked up, their eyes met, and she couldn't deny his attractiveness. His white shirt and black pants perfectly fit his body, while his slightly open collar revealed a glimpse of his attractive collarbones. The sunshine brightened his face, making his facial features more well-defined.
He pursed his thin lips slightly and said, "I have only one request. Break up with your boyfriend."
Orlando Pratt was a powerful man in high-society circles in Wingpool because he was the eldest son of the influential Pratt family.
He was very distant from Jessica. But the reason he met her was simple. His beloved woman fell in love with Jessica's boyfriend, Cason. As a "knight," Orlando could not bear to see the beauty suffer, so he offered to give Jessica half a million to make her break up with Cason.
Jessica withdrew her gaze, stood up, and sneered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Pratt. I'm different from you. I know I should respect other people."
After finishing speaking, she turned to leave without looking back. When she put her hand on the doorknob, Orlando flirtatiously said with certainty, "Ms. Kirk, you will soon know backbone is the most worthless thing in the world."
Jessica's body went slightly stiff. And it took a few seconds before she returned to her senses and opened the door to leave.
Walking out of the housing estate, Jessica hailed a taxi at the intersection. As she was about to open the door, she suddenly received a call from Daisy. Her heart skipped a beat before she quickly answered the call.
Then, Daisy anxiously said, "Miss Kirk, please hurry to the hospital. Your mother is in danger. The loan sharks came to the hospital and quarreled with her. Now, she is undergoing the emergency treatment."
Jessica hung up and asked the driver to go straight to the hospital. And her heart beat violently along the way.
After their company went bankrupt, her father tragically took his own life by jumping out of the building due to the overwhelming debt. Meanwhile, her mother suffered a heart attack and had been hospitalized. Her father had borrowed money from loan sharks before his death, and those people were making trouble for them every day. She had transferred her mother to several hospitals, but they still found her.
Daisy was waiting outside the emergency room. Seeing Jessica, she hurriedly held her hand and said, "Miss Kirk, don't worry."
Jessica looked around but didn't see the loan sharks, so she asked, "Where are those people?"
Daisy sighed, "The hospital called the police. The police took them away. But things can't go on like this. The hospital will let us change a hospital if those people come to make trouble again."
While speaking, she worriedly looked at Jessica.
"I see."
Jessica fixed her clothes, sat on a chair, and closed her eyes with a deep frown. She used to be a wealthy lady with no worries. But everything had changed since her father's suicide. She must fight against the debts and her mother's illness alone now.
Sometimes, she wondered if she could solve the problems by killing herself. But she could not abandon her mother. So, she kept telling herself their situation might have a favorable turn if she held on.
Hearing the wheels sliding on the ground, she guessed the operation was over. So, she immediately opened her eyes, and rushed over to ask, "Dr. Philip, how is my mother?"
Philip glanced at her and asked the nurses to return the patient to the ward. Then, he said, "Let's talk in my office."
Jessica followed him into the office. As Gail's attending doctor, Philip had long known about their situation. But the loan sharks had startled the hospital administration, so he helplessly said, "Jessica, I hope you can be mentally prepared. Your mother's condition is not good. After today's heart attack, she urgently needs a heart transplant. And the hospital talked with me today..."
He looked sympathetic when continuing, "Preoperative preparations, heart transplant, and postoperation treatment will cost at least five million dollars. You must raise the money within three days."
Philip didn't have the heart to tell her the hospital would immediately ask them to leave if they couldn't pay the money in time.
Jessica's heart sank because she did not know how to raise so much money within three days.
She had sold all the valuable things during the past year to treat her mother's illness. She had saved some money during the internship, but it was far from enough. And her father's friends were all avoiding them.
Jessica lowered her head and found a person's phone number in her address book. She remembered he still owed them hundreds of thousands of dollars. But after she dialed the number, he refused to answer the call.
When Jessica frowned, a pair of feet suddenly appeared before her eyes. She looked up and saw an unfamiliar face.
"Ms. Kirk, Mr. Pratt asked me to give it to you."
While speaking, the strange man handed her the bank card she had seen on the coffee table this morning.
Seeing her in a daze, he continued, "He asked me to tell you opportunities do not wait."
Jessica had never hated herself as much as now. But she had no choice. She quickly reached out to take the card and said, "Thank you."
After swiping the card to pay the medical expenses, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Philip comforted her, saying, "Don't worry. We will arrange for a heart match as soon as possible."
"Thank you."
Jessica’s mother remained asleep. She stood by the door without entering the ward to avoid disturbing her.
Seeing this, Daisy expressed concern and said, "Miss Kirk, you are exhausted today. Go home and get some rest."
Jessica nodded, "Please call me when my mother wakes up. I'll come right away."
"Alright! Take care and get some good rest!"
The man who had given her money stood beside a car at the hospital entrance. Seeing her coming out, he stepped forward, opened the backseat door, and said, "Ms. Kirk, please get in the car."
After the car door opened, Jessica saw Orlando's long legs wrapped in suit pants. She was startled before realizing he had also come.
Seeing her, Orlando raised his exquisite eyebrows, stretched out his long arms, and brought her into his arms.
Jessica reached out to push his chest and said, "Mr. Pratt, I will do as promised. Please give me some time."
She had dated Cason for three years, and he treated her well. So, she didn't want to hurt him.
Seeing her innocent look, Orlando put his hot hands on her waist, tightened his grip, and leaned forward to kiss her lips regardless of her resistance. He was so strong that she could not break free.
She struggled and bit his lip. While struggling, he blew warm air to her ear and said, "Ms. Kirk, I changed my mind. I want you now."
Talon in the driver seat wisely raised the baffle, while Orlando in the backseat licked his broken lip with the tip of his tongue and showed a half-smile.
He held a cigarette between his fingers, playfully blew the smoke on her face, took out a document, and said, "It will take some time to cure your mother's illness. Why don't you cooperate with me?"
Jessica took the document over, looked at him, and asked, "A marriage contract?"
Orlando chuckled, "The term of the contract is one year. It's mutually beneficial."
