Chapter 6 - Terms and Conditions
1435 Words
"Master, I---"
The voice of another person rambling for her life, then a bang of a g*n interrupted him.
"I'm too busy for any situation going on over there right now."
There was a ding from the laptop, signifying the arrival of a mail.
"Fix it."
The line went dead and immediately Girald turned to her, walking intently with the laptop in his hand.
Ivy started scurrying away, almost falling from the chair.
"I won't press charges, I already said I wouldn't. There will be a peaceful annulment, I won't ask for anything, I swear. Please don't kill me."
Unlike before, she wasn't worried about her face. The cut on her neck still hurt terribly, and she didn't want to imagine how badly it would hurt, if he decided to carve a larger cut.
"I will not kill you." He sat down on a chair in front of her. "Yet." He added and she gulped.
"Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. Just let me go."
"Desperate? Good." He turned the laptop towards her so that she was staring at the screen. "The Master has sent a contract for you to sign. Do read it carefully, going against the contract in any form might cost not just your life." He moved the censor tapping a picture. "But the lives of those precious to you."
The pictures of her family popped up on the screen, then Elsa's.
Ivy let out a frightened gasp. "I already promised that I'll cooperate, please don't hurt them. I'm begging--"
Another thing popped up the screen. It was a document, containing the contract.
It was only two pages though.
"I need time to read through--"
"You have five minutes."
"It isn't en--"
"Make do with it. Your time started 31 seconds ago."
"Are you kidding me!"
"35."
She immediately pulled the laptop closer, reading through the pages as fast as she could.
"This is under duress. It will not hold in court, my lawyers will--"
"Three more minutes."
"No!" She blurted out. "I deserve more time. I said I'll cooperate, didn't I? I only have some questions to ask. Once I'm done, you can go back to being a Count Down Timer!"
He stared at her for a while amd stared back.
Seriously, if after all these staring, he just replies her by telling her how much time she had left, then she was sure she would commit murder.
Right here and now!
She had the moves all planned out in her head.
"What are your questions, Intruder?"
Relief! Because those moves had ever only worked out in her head.
"It says here that there will be compensation for the inconvenience today has caused me, ho--"
"Your father's company's debt will be paid in full once you sign this. Also some funds will be sent to him to r****d his business. Your expenses for a whole year will also be taken care of."
"Are you sure about that? Cause, not to brag but, I'm a material girl."
He looked away and looked at his wrist watch. She quickly said, "It says here that I have to return home and live a normal 'unmarried' life? What is th--"
"You will have to exit the Villa, Intruder."
"Once again, my name is Ivy."
"Also you may be with anyone of your chosing."
That kind of hurt her pride. Ivy believed she was drop dead gorgeous. How could this Master be willing to give her away like that? He probably had seen her picture and thought to himself that he was undeserving, because the problem couldn't be her.
It had to be him.
It also couldn't be because he was in love with the real bride because if that was it, he wouldn't have made a mistake and married the wrong one in the first place.
Seemed like an arranged marriage, worse than hers even. Because in her case, she was the only one that didn't know the groom but in his, they all didn't know the bride.
"You mean... a relationship? Even when it gets... intimate? You know normal marriages--?"
"Anymore questions?"
"There is also a secrecy clause here. I can't tell anyone I'm married."
"Self explanatory."
"I already told my Ma. Besides, What do I tell my parents when they ask me why I missed--"
"All that will be taken care of once you sign."
"You never let me finish! Then the next condition is that I must be ready to return to the Villa anytime my presence is requested for."
"So?"
"It's a bit inconvenient. What--"
"A minute more."
"Will any conditioms be added later on?"
"If the Master pleases..."
"Then what is even the point of--"
"30 seconds."
"The penalty for breach is death, what-?!"
"10 seconds."
"Arrgh.." she quickly drew her signature and handed over the laptop.
He took it from her carefully, handing it to the bodyguard next to him before he signalled to another one and she walked away.
"Can I go now?" She asked, her fear creeping to the surface again.
"Immediately after your parents call."
"My---"
A call came in at that moment, they handed her phone to her and as he had said, it was indeed her mum.
"Hey mum--"
"Ayyi, my Romito."
Ivy rolled her eyes at the nickname her mother called her anytime she was silly happy. Her father had once complained that the nickname was that of a guy but her mother was an adamant woman who did whatever she liked.
Wait? 'That' was the name her mother called her anytime she was 'silly happy'? What happened?
"Mum, what happ--"
"Why didn't you tell us you were pulling strings for the debt and extra funds? Why didn't you tell us that the important meetings took place this morning? Now I understand why you missed the wedding. You should have told me, Romito, I would have never be mad at you."
Dumbfounded, she looked up at Girald who nodded lightly.
"Your dad wants to speak to you. You better be damn right grateful to your daughter, Maxwell. Sitting through all those long boring meetings because of you was definitely no easy task."
"Rominnez." Her father started. He only called her by her surname when he was super serious. It reminded her of the fight they had four days ago when he had told her that she would he getting married.
"Yes, Pa."
"You answer my question with either 'Yes' or 'No', do you hear me."
"Yes."
"Are you alone?"
"No."
"Do you need us to find you?"
"No."
"Are you safe?"
She thought of everything that had happened within the last hour before replying, "yes."
There was a pause before she heard his voice.
"Will you be coming home?"
"Yes."
"Then I will neither eat, drink nor sleep till you do."
Then the phone went dead and she handed it back to Girald.
"Colin will be driving you. Drop the ring here,"
She did, the ring clanking lowly as it hit the plate.
"Don't forget to abide by the contract."
"It is my new breathing, I can't for--"
"Here is a copy of the signed contract."
She took the hardcopy, looking it over, only now noticing the intricate signature of the one they referred to as Master.
"If you leave now, your father will be able to eat Lunch and have his usual Sunday 6 o'clock naps."
Nah, these people were dangerous!
"It was nice doing b-business with you?" She stammered, awkwardly extending an handshake which grew heavier and heavier in the air as Girald walked away, brushing her off.
While she rode in the car with Colin with the contract tucked in her hand, now in a lovely green dress. She looked back at the Villa and once again wondered the groom she had 'married' to.
Whoseover he was, he was rich and powerful, most likely in his prime too. He didn't sound like an old man from all the calls.
Besides, if he had opted for this instead of a divorce, it must be because he was a public person.
An important public person... Or someone that wanted to stay hidden.
Was he a Minister? A mafia? A CEO of some multi International company? Or... maybe the President of MoonCity?!
She chuckled.
How ridiculous.
Anyways, no matter how curious she was to know the type of man that commanded this kind of power, she would never know.
This contract she had in her hand signified that she would never meet him and considering how Girald and everyone else seemed to fear him, maybe that was a good thing.
- Writer
