The Contract Marriage

3. The Contract

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"That will be all." Christina dispersed the meeting as she looked at her watch. It was twelve. She had an hour to reach Trent's office to sign the contract.

As all the employees filed out, Gwen, Christina's best friend, walked in with a grin on her face. "Hey bestie, ready for that seafood date you promised last month?"

Christina bit her tongue. She had not fed this particular appointment onto her schedule.

"I will have to take a rain check." She shrugged sheepishly.

"You forgot again?"

"I am sorry." She said.

Gwen shook her head. "A sorry won't cut it. You better treat me to two lunch dates now."

"As you wish, Your Highness!" Christina bowed dramatically as her father walked in.

"What are the besties planning?" He laughed as Gwen greeted him.

"She is ditching me for her new beau." Gwen dramatically swung her hand to her face, resting the back of her wrist on her temple. "Who needs besties when they have a fiance?"

"Shut up, G." Christina rolled her eyes. "Come meet me at the office after I get back, by the way. I have some things to discuss with you."

Gwen nodded and wiggled her eyebrows at her best friend before walking out while Frederick laughed.

"You better not forget your old friends and family when you get married to the most eligible man on the West Coast!" He laughed as he side-hugged her.

Christina scoffed under her breath. It was rich coming from someone who had indeed forgotten his old friends and family when he became the CEO of his father-in-law's company.

"So what brings you to the twelfth floor, Dad?" Christina asked, picking up her laptop and making her way to her office, Frederick in tow.

Frederick clapped his hands together. "I am so glad that you took my advice and decided to marry Trent, Chris. He is a good guy." And he is my lottery ticket out of the hellhole called bankruptcy. Christina filled in what he had left out of saying. "But who was that woman with him yesterday?"

She rolled her eyes. "His best friend, Dad."

"A female best friend?"

She stopped to turn and face him. "And?"

"And nothing. I am just saying that-"

"You don't have to say anything." She turned and pushed open her office door and walked in, dropping her laptop off on the desk before picking up her coat and purse.

"Where are you going? Ah, to meet Trent right?" He was as excited as a little child was for their birthday cake.

"Yes, Dad."

"And then we will all meet up for dinner at seven?"

Christina bit her lips as she nodded, "Yes, Dad."

She was more nerve-wrecked about it than she let on. And she was sure her father would turn up way before seven out of excitement. She hoped Trent's parents showed the same excitement or it would be embarrassing for the John family.

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"You can take your lunch break," Trent told his secretary, Tanya, after she had seen that the caterers had set the table for three at the conference table in his office.

Tanya looked quizzically at Victoria but did not comment as she took her leave.

Word had traveled fast.

Trent Black was getting married to Christina John.

But Tanya wanted to know more about the gossip. She was a gossip girl. She wanted to know what the legal advisor c*m best friend was doing on a supposed lunch date but she had no way of knowing.

Victoria checked her watch. It was one minute to one and right on time, the office door pushed open and Christina walked in a black bodycon that hugged her curves, a beige coat, and a dazzling smile.

Victoria got up from her seat while Trent remained seated, a grin on his face. The lawyer walked over and surprised Christina with a hug this time. Surprised Trent as well.

"What's with the three-course meal?" Christina asked, "So that no one finds out about the 'illegal business' that we are doing here?"

"Illegal huh?" Trent tipped his head backward onto the headrest of the chair as Christina walked across him.

"Something like that." She shrugged as she took her seat.

"Is the contract ready?" Christina asked.

"Yes, it is." Victoria had come prepared with the two copies of the contract.

"Can we finish the food first?" Trent rubbed his abdomen. "I am starving."

The two women looked at each other and rolled their eyes before collectively nodding.

As they started eating, Christina waited for a minute and then spoke. "We need to go house hunting, you know that right?"

"We can just move into mine since you live with your parents." Trent shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"Your place? That bachelor pad?" Victoria gave him a 'Are you serious?' look. "There isn't enough space there to hang Christina's coats."

Christina didn't know whether to be offended or grateful for the statement.

"I like my place."

"I have my taste." Christina rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed look. "We are getting a new place that match both our tastes, final."

"You are so pushy." He pointed a fork at her.

"You will get used to it, pumpkin."

Trent's breath hitched in his throat and Victoria tensed at the change in his demeanour. "No need to call me that." He gritted out.

Christina was taken aback. One second the man sitting in front of her was calm and fun and talkative but then suddenly, he had gone stone rigid.

"Did I say something..."

"Let's just move on." Victoria waved both her hands in front of her chest, looking nervously between Trent and Christina

They made small talk as they finished their lunch but Trent continued to stay silent. They moved on to the other end of the conference table where Victoria whipped out the two copies to be signed and her reference copy.

Christina took it and skipped through the clauses. Everything seemed okay. Nothing was against her. Nothing was against Trent. There was a clause about Sirius too, as promised. It was the perfect contract for the perfect plan that she had devised.

She put down the paper and Trent did the same, an ounce of his carefreeness back in his face.

"I am satisfied with this contract." Christina let him know. "If you still want to go ahead with this, then we can sign."

"I am okay with this too." He nodded towards Victoria. "Where do we sign?"

Victoria supplied them with two expensive pens and tapped on their names.

Trent signed without a second thought but the nervousness that Christina had been feeling the whole day made her hand shake.

"This is going to be alright, right?" Trent saw vulnerability in the woman for the first time since they met. "I hope this doesn't end up blowing up in my face!"

"Are you having second thoughts?" Victoria asked. Trent narrowed his eyes at her. What was she trying to do now?

"Every girl has second thoughts about her wedding right?" Christina laughed nervously as she uncapped the pen and with a deep breath, finally signed the papers.

She looked up and they exchanged smiles along with the papers and cross-signed them as well.

"That's all." Victoria took the papers from them. "Congratulations. I hope I am invited to the wedding?"

"You are the best woman." Trent winked at her.

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Christina beelined for her office as soon as she got out of the lift. She had gotten stuck in unusual traffic due to a minor accident.

She was to meet a client at three so that left her and her best friend fifteen minutes to talk about what was going on.

Gwen was already there and sitting on the desk.

"Ms. Always On Time is late?" The best friend looked up from her phone. "Beau couldn't let you go?"

"Sometimes, I can't control traffic." Christina shrugged.

"Right. Mid-noon and traffic." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Now tell me, are we already planning the wedding? When is it? I am all in for this marriage business."

Christina let out a snort, amazed at the aptness of the terms her best friend had used.

"Funny how this marriage is actually business."

"Huh?" Gwen had her full attention. "Don't tell me you went delusional because of all the books you read and went for a contract marriage!"

"Bingo!" Christina sat down on her chair.

"The real deal?"

"The fake deal." Christina winked.

"Whoa, that is a lot to take in though said in very few words." Gwen started to pace the room.

Christina explained the rest of everything that went on to her best friend as well. Gwen did not approve of it much but she was willing to be the supportive side character.

"But there is a problem." She sighed.

Christina raised a brow?

"What if you fall in love?"

Christina frowned "Fall in love?"

"Yeah, you know where the hero and heroine-"

"I know what that means, you dummy." Christina may come across as a workaholic but she loved to read as well, especially trash novels with a lot of fluff and smut. She was familiar with everything in the romance genre.

"Yeah, so what if one of you falls?"

"That's not going to happen. We have a clause against it." Christina flipped her hair.

Gwen face-palmed. "Clauses are on paper, you can't put clauses and conditions on your heart and your feelings. Two years is a very long time."

Christina wanted to argue but she had no words.

Her nervousness made a comeback.

The plan that seemed so flawless did not seem so flawless anymore.

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