Chapter 16
" So? " She asked the minute they passed through the tall gates.
Liam sighed again " Carla, will you marry me? " He blurted out.
At first, Carla thought she had misheard him " What? " She asked hoarsely.
He stared at her, his gaze unwavering " I asked if you would marry me " He repeated in the same cool voice.
Carla looked too stunned to speak as she stared at him, her mouth agape in shock. Did he just asked her to marry him?
" What? How is that that possible? Why should I marry you? " She asked all questions at once, confused herself.
" Please listen to me while I explain everything " He said pleadingly.
" Okay shoot " She managed to regain her composure.
He swerved the car to one side of the road and parked.
He took a deep breath and started talking " It all started when Dad threatened to take my company away from me except I get married and give him a grandchild within a year of my marriage, you heard some of it to back in there, didn't you? "
She nodded " Yeah I did , go on "
" But I refused, saying I was damn free to do whatever I wanted. Then he arranged a marriage for me, of course I refused to get married to a girl I didn't love, Mom called to tell me the only way I could get out of this was to bring my girlfriend to the family dinner " He finished and exhaled a long breath.
Carla looked at him suspiciously " So where does my marriage with you comes in? "
Liam stared at her in disbelief, was she really pretending not to know or she really didn't know why he asked her to marry him?. Maybe she just wanted him to say it, he thought.
He sighed " I want you to marry me, Carla. Of course, it's a fake marriage. I just want you to give me a baby within the year of our marriage and we can file for a divorce and we'd go our separate ways. We would sign a baby contract which would be known just to us and the lawyer " He took a pause and looked at her intently to see if she understood all he had been saying. Of course she did.
He continued " To others, it would be a real marriage and you get fifty million dollars if you agree, thirty will be paid once you sign the contract and the remaining twenty will be paid once the marriage is over "
Carla opened the door and got out. It was all too much to take in, she felt she would suffocate if she stayed in there a minute longer. Fortunately, they were on the side of a bridge so she looked far away above the water and breathed in fresh air, for she loved to think about things bothering her by the sea.
Liam came out and stood beside her without a word. Not that she had any answer to give him anyway. Marriage? A baby contract? The offer sounded too good to be true except she would spend a year of her life with someone she didn't love. She was attracted to him, that was true but was that enough to agree to the marriage? Was she ready to share a year of her life with him? Was she ready to share a bed with him? Was she ready to give him her body?
Was she ready to take the big step and become a married woman now? Make a child with him? She exhaled a deep breath. He was offering her a lot of money, and with that, she could pay off her family's debt and also lived the comfortable life she had dreamt of. Just one year, was it that hard? She asked herself. Her virginity was at stake, was she ready to lose it to a man she barely knew?
All her life since she was young, she had never dreamt of being proposed to this way. She had imagined a quiet, serene place where her partner would propose to her on his knees. So that was all fantasies, she mused and laughed at the ironic way it turned out.
" Are you okay? " He asked quietly, sparing her a glance.
She shook her head " Not really, to be honest "
He nodded slowly " I understand this is a bit too much to take in, just take your time "
" We barely know each other " She blurted out after a minute.
" I know, but we will if you agree to sign the baby contract. I know we're not doing this because we loved each other but I'll promise you one thing " He said in the same quiet tone.
She raised her eyebrows " And what would that be? "
" Although we don't love each other, I promise to take care of you and our baby, give you all the protection you need and make sure you never lack anything " He said softly and Carla knew right then that he meant every word.
" I'll treat you well even though ours won't be marriage of love " He added, shoving his hands into his pockets.
She nodded slowly " So I just have to give you a baby and the marriage will be annulled after a year? " She asked
" File for a divorce " He corrected.
" And you'll give me fifty million dollars? " She asked again.
He nodded " Of course "
" And what happens to my baby after we divorce? " She asked earnestly.
" I'll either be given custody of our baby or you will, we'll discuss about that later, not now "
" I'd still be your personal assistant, won't I? " She asked in a serious tone and he shook his head.
" Of course not. Once we get married, you'll stay home and focus on giving me a child. Everything you need will be provided to you, servants will be at your beck and call " He said and Carla sighed.
It sounded like a dream come true but she never wanted to be a full house wife, she wanted to do something too, not stayed idle.
" So I'm just a baby factory " She lamented and smiled bitterly. She was doing this for the money, she knew. Heck, she would do almost anything if it would pay her family debts and made her mother happy. She was selling her own happiness, she knew but she didn't care.
