THE CONTRACT BRIDE

THE OBNOXIOUS CONTRACT

CHAPTER 10: THE OBNOXIOUS CONTRACT

SOPHIE:

I glanced through the document Damien had handed me, and my heart pounded in my chest.

"A marriage agreement?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I looked up at him. He was leaning against his desk, arms crossed, watching me like a hawk.

"Read it," he said, his voice impassive.

I flipped through the pages, my fingers trembling. The clauses were clear, bold, and brutally unfair.

"I'm not allowed to fall in love with you?" I said, blinking rapidly. “I never intended to fall in love with you.”

“Good!”

"But how do you expect me to stay out of your personal life when we're married?"

He snorted. "You're the one who thinks we're married. I know my father forced me to sign a marriage licence with you but I don't consider you my wife.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “And neither do I consider you my husband.”

“Good!” he repeated. “But you have to remain loyal to me for the period of one year before we get a divorce. No affairs, no scandal.”

I scoffed. "And what about you? Are you going to stay loyal to me, Mr. Sinclair?"

Damien stared at me for a while then burst out laughing. "Don’t be ridiculous, Sophie. You expect me to abstain for a whole year? I’m not a priest."

My jaw clenched. "So let me get this straight. You want me to stay loyal while you live your best promiscuous life? That’s not just unfair, it’s disgusting."

He rose from his seat and moved closer, narrowing his eyes. "You should’ve thought about that before you schemed your way into marrying me."

"What?" I shifted away from him. "Schemed? Are you serious right now?"

He leaned in, and locked eyes with me. "You don’t honestly think I believe you hit my car by accident, do you? And that whole act of saving my father? Please. It was all a setup."

I felt like he’d slapped me. "That’s not true," I whispered. "I didn’t plan any of it. It was just bad luck—or maybe fate, but never a scheme. I would never—"

"Spare me the innocent act," he snapped, brushing past me to stand behind his desk. "You wanted a rich husband, so you can get out of poverty and now you’ve got one.”

My mouth fell open as I stared at him in disbelief. “You're so mean.”

“You're the mean one here,” he retorted. “If I were you, I would've looked for a good job rather than force myself on a man I barely know. You didn't even bother to know if I had a fiance I wanted to marry before you schemed your way into my life. Fine, you've succeeded. Play your role, and you’ll be rewarded.”

“What role?”

“We will remain married only in name for a period of one year. If you don't cheat or cause a scandal during this period, I will pay you a million dollars. And I will give you a house. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it."

“What if I refuse the terms of divorce?”

“Then you're asking for trouble. I agreed to this nonsense because I didn't want to upset my Dad who already has a heart problem. But if you try to be a pain in the ass, I won't hesitate to throw you out and make sure you regret ever crossing my path.”

I shuddered and glanced through the contract agreement one more time. Getting a million dollars and a new house just for answering Mrs. Sinclair for a period of one year wasn't really that bad.

My hands trembled as I reached for the pen. The way he rejected me hurt me badly. But I kept it hidden. I’d never been this humiliated in my life.

With trembling fingers, I signed the damn papers.

I dropped the pen on his desk and held my own copy of the agreement, then rose to my feet. "I’ll play the role of your perfect, faithful little wife, Damien. But don’t expect me to smile about it."

“I only need you to smile when we're around my Dad.”

I ignored him and headed toward the door when it opened from the other side.

A tall man walked in, dressed in a sharp navy suit with a confident smile that faltered the moment he saw me. His eyes roamed over my face, then trailed slowly down the length of me like he’d never seen anything quite like it before.

"Wow," he murmured. "You have quite a catch here, Damien. She looks like a goddess."

“She's just an acquaintance.” Damien’s voice turned glacial. "Nathan. What are you doing here?"

Nathan didn’t take his eyes off me. "I was in the building. Thought I’d drop by. Looks like I picked the right moment."

Nathan extended a hand to me. “Hi, I'm Nathan.”

I took his hand, “I'm Sophie,” I responded with a smile.

“Nice to meet you, Sophie.”

“Nice to meet you.”

He turned to Damien and winked, as a way of making him know he likes me.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I was just leaving."

But Damien stepped in front of me, his hand brushing my waist a little too deliberately. "I'll drop you off."

"No need," I said, lifting my chin defiantly.

Nathan chuckled. "Clearly, she has a voice of her own. I like that. Mind having lunch with me,. Sophie?”

Damien’s jaw ticked. He stepped closer to me, his touch firm at the small of my back. "She’s not available, Nate."

Nathan raised a brow. "Relax, man. I’m just being friendly. Besides, you said she's just an acquaintance. Why are you acting all so protective?”

Damien shifted a bit but still held on to me. "I just don't want her falling into the hands of a playboy like you."

Nathan laughed. “This is the case of a pot calling the kettle black.”

I looked between them and felt amused. It was ridiculous. Damien didn’t want me—he’d made that painfully clear—yet the sight of Nathan even looking at me was enough to set his blood boiling?

I shrugged off Damien’s hand. "Don’t worry Nathan, I will find time to have lunch with you sometime. I’ll leave you to your business."

Nathan gave me a short nod, but his eyes lingered. "It was nice meeting you, Sophie. I hope we run into each other again."

"Likewise," I said, meaning it just to spite Damien.

Damien’s hand closed around my wrist. "Don't leave yet. I will have my driver take you home."

I yanked it free. "Oh, I’m definitely going by myself. Don't worry, I understand every single word in the document I signed. I will adhere to it and not cause a scandal. But I need air before I suffocate in your hypocrisy."

"What hypocrisy, Sophie?"

"Save your breath" I snapped. "Your friend’s right. I do have a voice. And I’m going to use it whenever there's a need for it."

I marched out, not caring that Nathan stared at me without blinking. And Damien's eyes burned holes into the back of my head.

I might be his wife on paper but he'll never own me completely or decide how I run my daily life.

Not now.

Not ever.

Just then my phone rang. It was Beth and her voice sounded urgent when I picked the call.