WIFE IN 365 DAYS

Chapter 06

Manuela had just pulled up in front of her company, but she remained seated in her car, her face buried in the steering wheel. The weight of her encounter with Uno pressed down on her, a crushing burden that she couldn't shake.

They had signed the contract. Soon enough, she would be playing the role of Uno's wife, fulfilling his twisted agenda with his grandfather. But the thought of a fake wedding, of a charade of love, gnawed at her. For Manuela, marriage was sacred, not a game. She had already agreed to be Uno's wife for 365 days, but this fake wedding felt like a betrayal of something deeper, a violation of a sacred vow. She knew she couldn't argue with Uno's plans; he had clearly orchestrated this entire thing, leaving her with no room to object.

"Does he think marriage is a game? I'm just going to pretend to be his wife, but why does it have to be a wedding? Can't he just introduce me to his grandfather as his wife? Why do we have to involve the church in his plans?" she muttered, pounding the steering wheel in frustration. The injustice of it all, the feeling of being manipulated, the violation of her beliefs, all swirled within her, a storm of anger and despair.

Manuela couldn't believe it—Uno was planning their wedding for next week! She had no idea what he envisioned, and frankly, she didn't think it was necessary at all. The whirlwind of it all left her reeling.

"If I marry him next week, I'll be Mrs. Urquio in a year," she mused, a sigh escaping her lips as she exited her car. "Can I even handle being married to that man? And I need to explain this to Lucas. My 'no boyfriend since birth' brother is going to be so confused!" The mountain of work awaiting her at the office only added to her stress.

"Ela."

Manuela turned at the soft call of her name. Peter, just emerging from her company building, stood there.

"Peter? What are you doing here?" she asked, her brow furrowed as she approached him.

"I stopped by to ask you to lunch, but your secretary said you weren't here. I was just leaving, but then you came out. Have you had lunch yet?" Peter asked, his smile warm and inviting. Manuela's mind drifted back to Uno abandoning her at the restaurant without even a shared meal. Her appetite had vanished completely, overshadowed by the impending, rushed wedding.

"I ate out," she replied, "Besides, I have a lot of work to finish."

Manuela and Peter had known each other for a long time. Even when her father was alive, their families were acquainted. Manuela was well aware of Peter's feelings for her—he'd made them quite clear. But a relationship wasn't on her mind; she was about to marry a man she barely knew, a powerful mafia boss, no less, and one her father was deeply indebted to.

"How about dinner then?" Peter suggested, his voice hopeful.

"Peter..." Manuela began, her voice laced with a mixture of sympathy and regret.

"I know," Peter interrupted, his smile faltering,

"..but I can't give up on how I feel about you. Just let me show you how I feel, give me a chance. Try to love me, Ela. If it doesn't work out, then I'll accept that I need to let you go." His words were a plea, his eyes filled with a vulnerability that tugged at her heartstrings.

"But you'll only get hurt, Peter," she replied, her voice filled with a heavy sadness.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up, even though I consider you a friend. Besides, I... I can't even try to love you. Especially now, with my wedding next week." Manuela's words hung heavy in the air, and the shock on Peter's face was undeniable.

"W-what? You're kidding, right?" he stammered, his voice laced with disbelief.

"I'm serious," she confirmed, her voice firm, but tinged with sorrow.

"I'm getting married next week. Please, Peter, try to move on. I'm so sorry." Her words were a final blow, a brutal reality check that shattered the fragile hope that had bloomed in Peter's heart.

"Who in the world are you marrying? And how on earth did this even happen?" Peter's voice crackled with disbelief, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and hurt. Manuela felt a knot tighten in her stomach, unsure how to explain the whirlwind of events that had led to this moment. She knew she couldn't tell him the truth, the real reason behind her impending marriage.

"I'm marrying Uno Juaquin Urquio," she managed, her voice barely a whisper. "He's a businessman, a very successful one. He's a good man, and I accepted his proposal." The words felt foreign on her tongue, a carefully constructed facade she hoped would hold.

"But you told me you were too busy for a relationship, that you had other priorities! And now you're getting married next week? What happened to all that?" Peter's confusion was palpable, his voice laced with a hint of desperation.

"I know, I know," Manuela said, her voice strained. "I didn't expect things to change so quickly. I didn't expect to fall in love, to find someone who... who would want to spend the rest of his life with me." The words felt like a betrayal, a hollow echo in the empty space where her true feelings should reside.

"Just tell me you're lying, Ela," Peter pleaded, his voice breaking. "Tell me you're just saying this to make me give up. I know I don't have a chance with you, but please, don't do this to me. Don't joke about something like this." The pain in his eyes was a physical weight on her chest, a constant reminder of the truth she was hiding.

"I'm not lying, Pet--" Manuela started to protest, but her words were cut short.

"Ms. Manuela?"

A deep, resonant voice cut through the air, drawing their attention. Both Manuela and Peter turned in unison, their gazes landing on a man who exuded an aura of power and confidence. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his dark hair neatly styled, his features sharp and handsome. He stood there, a picture of composure, his eyes fixed on Manuela with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Good day, Ms. Manuela," Santi Calíel's voice sliced through the air, smooth and polished like silk. He stood there, an imposing figure, exuding an aura of authority that both intrigued and unnerved her.

"I am Master Uno's consigliere. He sent me here with an important message—something he inadvertently left unsaid." Manuela's heart raced, her brow furrowing in confusion and concern.

"He forgot to tell me something? What is it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as if fearing the answer.

"Make time for tomorrow," Santi continued, his tone calm yet insistent, each word deliberate.

"Don Victorino wishes to meet the future Mrs. Urquio." The revelation hung in the air like a dense fog, and Manuela's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What?" she stammered, her thoughts swirling like leaves caught in a tempest, grappling with the implications of his words.

"Don Victorino is Master Uno's grandfather," Santi elaborated, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips, as if he relished the dramatic impact of the news.

"He wants to meet you, Ms. Manuela."

Peter, who had been a silent observer, felt a surge of emotion welling up within him. He stepped forward, his grip tightening around Manuela's arm, his eyes burning with intensity.

"Tell me, Ela," he urged, his voice strained with desperation.

"Are you being forced to marry this Uno? Do you have no choice but to marry him because he's threatening you? Tell me." His words were laced with a mix of concern and accusation, uncomfortably brushing against the truth of her situation.

"I suggest you refrain from making baseless accusations against my master, Mr.," Santi interjected sharply, his gaze unwavering as he turned to face Peter, a subtle warning in his posture.

"I'm asking Ela," Peter insisted, his voice firm and unyielding.

"Her answer is what I want to hear."

At that moment, the sleek black BMW's back door swung open with a soft thud, and Uno stepped out, his presence commanding and magnetic. The world around them seemed to fade as he emerged, a dark figure against the backdrop of an ordinary day. Manuela's breath caught in her throat, her heart racing as surprise and dread coursed through her veins. He had been right there all along, cloaked in shadows.

Santi, ever the loyal servant, bowed slightly, stepping aside with a practiced grace, allowing Uno to survey the tense scene unfolding before him. Uno's piercing gaze locked onto Peter, his expression inscrutable yet brimming with an unspoken threat.

"What you were holding is bound to be my wife," Uno declared, his voice low, each word resonating with an unmistakable power.

"So keep your hands off of her." The air crackled with tension as Peter met Uno's gaze, a silent battle of wills igniting between them, each man unwilling to yield.

"Are you Uno---" Peter began, but his question was abruptly cut off.

"--Manuela, come here," Uno commanded, his voice a mixture of authority and something deeper—a promise, a warning. Manuela felt a wave of resignation wash over her, knowing that she couldn't evade this confrontation any longer.

Desperate to avoid a public spectacle in front of her employees, Manuela gently disentangled herself from Peter's grasp, his bewildered expression piercing through her resolve. She walked towards Uno, each step heavy with the weight of her choices and the uncertain future ahead.

"Don't cause a scene in front of my company," she warned, her voice low but firm, a flicker of defiance igniting within her. Uno turned to her, his gaze sharp and unwavering, searching her for any sign of rebellion.

"You read the contract, didn’t you? It clearly states that cheating is forbidden," he replied, his tone cold and unyielding, as though he were reading from a script.

"I'm not cheating, oka—wait? There's no such rule in the contract—" Manuela's protest was abruptly silenced as Uno pulled her close to him, his arm encircling her shoulders in a possessive gesture that took her by surprise.

"Don't approach her anymore," Uno stated, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.

"She’s not single anymore." With that, he drew Manuela into the company’s entrance, his grip firm and unrelenting, leaving Peter standing there, a statue of disbelief and despair. As they vanished inside, the employees turned their heads, whispers swirling like autumn leaves in the wind, leaving Peter alone, his heart heavy with the crushing reality that his hope for a future with Manuela had been irrevocably extinguished.