JOAN’S POV
I shivered in the back seat of the limo, staring out at the blur of streetlights through my tears. My fingers trembled in my lap, and I could still feel the cameras flashing in my face, the shouts of the paparazzi hurling questions at me. I never imagined it would feel like this, being thrown into the public eye. The pressure, the eyes always watching, the fear of slipping up. It felt suffocating.
The worst part? I just begun. This was just my first outing. Is this how it’s going to be for the next few years?
“Stop shaking. You’re acting like a child,” Sir Derrick scoffed.
I snapped my head towards him. My eyes stung from the tears I’d been trying so hard to hold back.
“How?” I asked him.
His words made something inside me snap.
“You’re whining. You need to grow up” he muttered.
“Acting like a child? I just got ambushed by a mob of reporters, Derrick. What do you expect me to do?” I whispered.
He barely glanced at me. His hands gripped his phone tightly “This is your life now, Joan. Get used to it.”
I felt my heart pound in my chest. For some reason, his words annoyed me. Why was he dismissing my feelings? Oh wait… I forgot just how cold hearted he was.
“Get used to it? You say that like it’s nothing! Like I’m supposed to just accept that I’m part of your world now, with people pushing into my space” My voice cracks, but I pressed on. “You might be used to it, sir, but I’m not! I’m human! I feel things! I can’t just switch off my emotions like you do.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I see something flicker in his eyes. Anger, maybe? Or is it something else?
Soon, the car pulled up at the long driveway leading to the mansion. The silence between us grew heavier, like a storm ready to break
I couldn’t stop myself.
“You can be really mean some times,” I said “Clearly, you don’t care about anything except yourself. I saw the way that waitress flirted with you back at the restaurant, and you didn’t even-”
“Stop,” Derrick cut me off.
His eyes flashed with so much anger that sent a chill down my spine.
“Don’t even start with that. We both know what this is. Our marriage is a contract, Joan. You signed up for this, just like I did. Don’t act like you didn’t know what you were getting into.” he said “What I do is none of your business”
The words hurt me, but I refused to back down. I knew it was the jealousy talking but I didn’t care.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” I spat back “I didn’t sign up to have cameras in my face”
We got out of the car. I slammed the car door harder than necessary, the sound echoing in the silence. Sir Derrick is already heading towards the mansion, and I followed him with anger burning in my chest. By the time we stepped inside, the tension between us was suffocating. The
Derrick stopped in the middle of the room and turned to me “This is the deal, Joan. If it’s so bad then get the fuck out. It’s not too late”
I stepped closer, not caring that my hands were trembling, my pulse racing. “And what about you, sir? What’s in it for you? You still haven’t told me why you chose me. Now might be the best time to talk about it”
His expression hardened “I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“Of course, you don’t. The almighty Derrick Stonewood answers to no one. Isn’t that right?”
We stood there, breathing hard, staring at each other. My anger spreads within my veins but there’s something else, too. Something I couldn’t quite name. My body was tense, not just from the argument, but from the way he looked at me. His gaze was intense, his eyes burning into mine, and despite everything, I felt a pull towards him.
Why do I feel this way? I’m furious at him, at this whole situation, yet my body betrays me, heating under his gaze, due to his presence.
Before I could say anything else, Madame Helen walked into the room. Her sharp eyes take in the tension, the way we’re standing too close, the anger radiating off both of us.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
Derrick grumbled something under his breath and turned to leave, clearly not in the mood for more confrontation.
As sir Derrick disappeared down the hallway, Madame Helen turns to me, her expression softening. “Joan, my dear, you must be patient with him.”
“Patient?” I asked “I’m sorry to say, ma’am but that’s not possible. He’s cold, distant, and would rather not even talk to me”
Madame Helen sighed “Derrick has his reasons. He’s been through more than you know.”
I tried to ignore my curiosity at her words. Did he go through something? What could possibly justify the way he acts?
“It hurts” I said “I’m not used to this”
She stepped closer, placing a hand on my arm. “I’m not saying it’s easy. Derrick has built walls around himself, and those walls are not going to come down overnight. But believe me when I say that there’s more to him than what you see. You just have to be willing to look.”
I shook my head, still frustrated. “I don’t know if I can do this. It’s too much. The paparazzi, the pressure, pretending like everything’s fine when it’s not… I feel like I’m drowning.”
Madame Helen squeezed my arm gently. “You’re stronger than you think. Give it time. You may find that there’s more to this arrangement than either of you expected.”
I bit my lip, unsure what to say. I wanted to believe her, but it was hard to see past the cold, hard exterior that sir Derrick puts up. Still, there was something about the way she spoke, something in her tone that made me pause.
“Just… think about it,” she said softly before turning to leave.
As I stood there alone in the massive, empty living room, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any truth to her words.
Could there really be more to Sir Derrick than the ruthless guarded man I’ve come to know? Or is this just another part of the game?
I sighed, wiping at my eyes and staring down the hall where Sir Derrick disappeared. I don’t know what’s worse-the fact that we were trapped in this fake relationship, or the fact that I couldn’t seem to stop feeling something for him despite everything.
With a heavy heart, I headed to my room, hoping that tomorrow will be different, but at the back of my mind, I feared that nothing would ever change.