Natalie knew that she had only agreed to the deal because of the large sum of money involved. If her shop hadn’t been burned down and she had some money in her bank account, she wouldn’t have signed any marriage documents.
After a long silence, Natalie’s lips suddenly stretched into a smile as an idea struck her mind. This made Javier wonder what was making her smile. “I never knew you were this smart, Mr. Arrogant,” she taunted, still gazing at the paper in her hand. “And it’s so foolish of you to think you can control me with your terms and conditions,” she scoffed, tearing the file into pieces and angrily throwing it across Javier’s face.
“You should consider yourself lucky that the world’s richest billionaire is proposing to marry you. Do you know how many TV stars, models, and celebrities are vying for my attention?” Javier boasted with his head held high.
‘I can’t understand why Natalie isn’t falling for my charm. I’m handsome, rich, and every woman’s dream, so why not hers?’ He thought.
Natalie let out a loud scoff, “You can say whatever you want. But if I’m going to sign that paper, you’ll have to agree to my terms and conditions as well,” she stated.
Javier furrowed his brow. “You have your own set of rules?” His jaw dropped. ‘I wanted to surprise her, but she ended up surprising me,’ he thought.
“Of course,” she said with a smirk, spreading her hands. “You aren’t the only smart guy here. First, tell Douglas to start my mother’s surgery immediately. Second, no physical contact. Stay in your lane and I’ll stay in mine. Third, I will resume my artwork. Fourth, we won’t be sharing the same…”
“How will the family believe that you are married? His father and grandfather are smart,” Elvis, who had been quiet, chimed in.
“We can pretend to be in love in front of the family and act like strangers when we’re alone,” she responded, turning her gaze back to Javier, who had been listening quietly but planned to reject her rules.
Elvis got up from his seat and walked over to them, positioning himself in the middle. “Enough of this drama. The wedding is tomorrow, and you both need to make a decision now,” he scolded, his patience wearing thin. He turned to Javier and asked, “What are your terms and conditions?”
“She can never work while she’s married to me, never!” Javier objected, glaring at Natalie.
“You will-” Natalie began to protest.
“Natalie, please,” Elvis pleaded, cutting her off. He didn’t want to prolong the issue. Turning to Javier, he said, “You two are adults. I don’t care about anyone’s rules. You can even kill each other under the same roof for all I care. But first, let’s get this marriage done.” He then handed a paper to each of them.
“But she…” Javier tried to protest.
“Keep your words to yourself,” Elvis snapped, glaring at Javier. “I received this from my lawyer. It contains your contract marriage and a deal for divorce after one year. You two should sign here.” He handed them a pen to sign.
Javier and Natalie gazed at each other with pure hatred as they grumpily collected the pen from Elvis and began signing the papers, cursing under their breath.
Elvis’s lips curved into a smile when he noticed Javier snatching Natalie’s pen away just because his own pen stopped working. Natalie raised her gaze as she stared at Javier, who seemed careless about what he had done. Elvis quickly excused himself to get something outside.
“Mr. Arrogant, give it back. That’s mine,” she said, stretching her hand toward Javier.
Javier scoffed, “Mrs. Arrogant. Your name wasn’t written on the pen, so I don’t think it’s yours,” he retorted, smirking as he saw how his response was making Natalie angrier.
He wanted to walk past her, but then he stepped on the pieces of paper Natalie had torn moments earlier, causing him to lose his balance. Natalie rushed toward him and wrapped her hand around his chest from behind, preventing him from falling to the ground.
“Next time, I’ll let you fall if that will help reset your brain,” she scoffed from behind, slowly letting go of him once he was standing upright.
Javier was stunned, unable to believe that she had just saved him from a hard fall.
Taking advantage of his shock, Natalie snatched the pen from him and attempted to walk past him. However, she stepped on the scattered pieces of paper, causing her to slip and fall directly into Javier’s waiting arms.
Javier gently wrapped his arms around her waist, locking their gaze. Natalie shivered as Javier’s skin touched hers, blushing at his touch and gaze. She didn’t notice when Javier let go and she fell to the floor, landing hard on her buttocks. “Ouch!” she moaned, glaring at him. “You idiot, how could you let me fall?” she said angrily, pointing her finger at him.
Javier chuckled, “Wifey, I know I’m cute. No need to blush when I’m all yours,” he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
Natalie, seething with anger and repulsion at being called ‘Wifey’, wasted no time in grabbing Javier’s ear to pull herself up from the floor. “I’m not your wifey, got it?” she yelled before grabbing her bag and storming out of the office. Javier watched her leave, wondering where she was headed.
Just then, Elvis walked into the office and found Javier alone, absorbed in his phone. “Where’s Natalie?” Elvis asked, looking around for her.
“She’s gone,” Javier replied with a shrug.
“Gone? To where?” He asked. He hadn’t expected her sudden departure. “I thought you were going to take her straight to the mansion for your family to see her, so that this marriage thing would be called off,” Elvis said, gesturing with both hands as he spoke.
Javier let out a loud chuckle, stood up, and walked over to Elvis. “And why would I do that?” he asked, resting his hand on Elvis’ shoulder. “That would ruin my pending fun, you know.” Javier chuckled again, relishing the thought of humiliating Olivia and her father in front of a large crowd.
Javier’s words made Elvis’ eyebrows knit in confusion as he stared at Javier for clarification.
“You know, I want to introduce Natalie on my engagement day,” Javier began, moving away from Elvis and tucking his hand into his pant pocket as he stood facing the window. “I will leave no stone unturned in humiliating Olivia that day. I can’t wait to see the shock on Alverdo’s face when his plan fails. Tomorrow is going to be a blast,” Javier disclosed, turning to face Elvis.
Elvis nodded, smiling. “Bad guy,” he said, and they both burst into laughter, slumping down on the couch.
Suddenly, silence fell between them as Javier remembered the second reason why he came here in the first place.
“Elvis,” Javier called.
“Yes,” Elvis answered, turning to face Javier.
“I’m sorry about what Carlo said to you. I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Javier apologized softly, his face melting in concern.
Elvis’s lips stretched into a smile. “It’s so funny how I thought I had gotten used to Carlo’s hurtful words,” he muttered, shaking his head. “But each time he taunts me, I feel as if he’s piling on already healed wounds. But it’s fine. I will try as much as possible not to take his words to heart as long as he stays in the mansion,” he concluded, moving away from Javier.
“I can send him back, if you ain’t…”
“No, no, Javier, please don’t do that. Just let him be,” Elvis quickly rejected, not wanting to be the reason why Carlo is ousted.
Javier stared at Elvis in amusement, unable to understand how Elvis managed to handle everything all at the same time. He wished he could heal him of all the pain he carries in his heart or help him carry all his burdens.
Javier suddenly wants to cheer him up. “Uncle Marcus is at the mansion,” he informed.
Elvis looked up, surprised. “Uncle is there now?” he asked eagerly.
Marcus was one of the few family members who had accepted him, aside from his wife, Zoe, who always made it clear that she didn’t approve of him being taken in by Reyes from the streets. It was clear that Carlo took after his mother in hating him. “I hope Zoe didn’t come,” he added quickly.
“Nope,” Javier replied, smiling at Elvis’s excitement.
Elvis immediately grabbed his car keys and headed out, leaving Javier puzzled. He didn’t care about the disapproving look from Javier, as his heart was filled with joy.
He hadn’t seen Marcus in years, and he was like a second father to him. “Let’s go to the mansion right away,” he said, running outside, with Javier following behind.
They both got into the car and zoomed off.
*****
Natalie got out of the shower when she heard her phone vibrating. She saw that it was Kate calling and quickly answered, turning on the speaker as she continued to clean herself.
“Hello, Kate,” she greeted. “How’s work? And how’s Mr. Khan?” she asked as she started to dry her hair.
“Everyone here is missing you, Nat. Clients are pulling out as soon as they find out you’re no longer with us,” Kate said with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
“I signed the marriage contract today, and the engagement is starting tomorrow. Can you come with me?” Natalie asked, changing the subject quickly.
“Of course, I’ll be there. Count me in. See you tomorrow, then,” Kate replied before ending the call.
*****
Olivia entered the room given to her and dumped her luggage in the wardrobe without bothering to unpack. She felt a presence behind her but didn’t hear the sound of the door opening. Turning around, she saw Carlo standing at the door with his hand in his pocket.
“Hey handsome,” she greeted, walking towards him and placing her hand on his chest. Drawing an invisible line on his open bare chest.
Carlo smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “How can my brother handle such a beauty?” As he inhaled her strawberry scent, his mind wandered with the thoughts of bending Olivia over, thrusting into her from behind.
“You can touch me too, if you want,” she whispered, trailing her hand down from his chest to his hardness. She fearlessly slid her hand into his pants, grabbing his already hard dick. “You are so huge down there,” she whispered again, using her tongue to lightly lick his ear.
Carlo shivered under her cold touch, feeling goosebumps cover his skin. He struggled to keep himself under control as she continued to stroke his hard dick. “Do-Don’t start what you cannot finish,” he stammered.
“Why?” she whispered seductively.
“You can’t handle…” he trailed off as he felt Olivia fondling his balls.
Olivia chuckled softly. “Can you last for five hours straight? If yes, then…”
“Strip!” Carlo’s groan interrupted her.