“Marry you?” June repeated in an incredulous tone and picked up the documents.
Rafael remained still, watching her go through the documents as her eyes widened with every page.
The agreement was arranged like a business proposal. She was going to get married to him for a period of six months. She got to be Luis’s nanny and lived in their home with a generous pay of fifty million dollars.
It all seemed too absurd and too fast.
“What the hell?” She threw the document on the table, “What the hell is this?”
“I know that you have been wronged by your ex-husband, and betrayed by your family. You have nowhere to go, no money on your name, and desperately in need of a job.” Rafael stated.
“If you become my son’s nanny, you automatically have a job which would also provide you accommodation in my home. Killing two birds with one stone.”
June looked at Rafael like he had grown a second head.
“And the part about being my wife, it’s nothing serious. I just happen to need a wife to stop my mother from setting up any more blind dates. You can have your own room and you absolutely don’t need to fulfil any marital obligations.”
“Unless of course in cases where we need to put up the act to convince people to stay the fuck away from me.” He finished with a distasteful look on his face. “What do you say, June? Are you willing to sign the contract?”
June looked flabbergasted, unable to make sense of the offer given to her. However, Rafael didn’t have much time on his hands.
“I will give you till the end of today. I want an answer then. Have a good day.” June watched him get up from the table, leaving the copy of the contract with her, while she sat on the table, her mind occupied with thoughts.
Throughout the day, June pondered on the deal. If she decided to reject it, she had nowhere to go. Her family had tried to kill her and she was not certain that her ex-husband would be willing to give her the money she’s made from her years of working as his wife.
Neither did she have a chance of dragging him to court and demanding alimony for her divorce. As it was, she couldn’t even afford a lawyer, talk less of dragging her ex-husband’s family, who now had the support of the public.
She had gone online with a desktop she found in Luis’s room and not only were people raining insults on her, they were all supportive of her sister’s marriage to her ex-husband, to the point that they wished her death.
Thankfully, not many knew her face, and that was because after she was lost as a child and returned home, she had all her data erased from the internet, including pictures, alongside a stiff warning against making a reappearance online by her mother.
Her marriage was not made public, the occasion being a very intimate one as requested by her mother at the time. Despite wanting a big wedding, her need to get out of the house and begin a new life with her husband trumped every other, so she did that.
The marriage was only mentioned in passing, where Ethan was reported to have conducted a wedding with the eldest miss of the Rivera household. Nothing to celebrate, nothing too grand.
As a result of the quiet life she’s led, not many people knew or cared about her. She was used to being relegated to the background since she returned home as a young girl and met her adopted sister.
April on the other hand was the trophy daughter of the Rivera household. Known for her business prowess and dedication to the family business. It was no surprise that the public would favour her with the news of her infidelity and divorce as the most searched topic in the media sphere.
By the time the day was over, June had convinced herself that there was no way she could face the people who had hurt her in her current state. If she was going to clear her name and make them pay, then she needed to become stronger.
She needed to get on her feet and be someone formidable enough to fight off the two families who were now in alliance. She needed to build her own empire to rival them and take everything they had done to her and return it with an equal measure.
That evening, June was oddly quiet. After playing some puzzle games with Luis who was made to retire to bed early for school the next day, she headed to the living room, patiently waiting for Rafael’s return.
Soon enough, she heard a car drive into the compound. Without a second thought, she headed to the window and pulled the blinds slightly, hoping to catch sight of the car coming in.
When she saw Rafael step out of the car, her heartbeat accelerated and she made her way to the sofa, trying and failing to act natural. By the time Rafael stepped into the house, the first thing he saw was June, seated in a single chair, acting like she had been asleep.
Usually, the housekeepers turned off the lights in the living room whenever he came in late and no one was awake. It was a secret memo that his son was now in bed and they had retired to their quarters.
If he needed them, he would make use of the intercom in his room.
So it was painfully obvious that the woman in his living room was pretending to be asleep. Deciding to ignore her attempt at a joke, he continued his stride, only to be stopped by an unnaturally high-pitched voice greeting him.
“Hey! You are back! I didn’t see you coming.” June said, stretching ridiculously. “Do you always come back this late?”
She wasn’t his wife and she was already nagging about the time he returned home. That was the thought that ran through June’s mind when she saw his raised brow.
“Were you waiting for me?” His voice was raspy, and for some reason, it took the wind out of her lungs.
“The contract.” She managed to say. “You said I had up until tonight.”
Rafael fought a wince and nodded. If he was being sincere to himself, he was hoping she had fallen asleep. That was the reason he worked some extra hours in the office.
He hoped she could have more time to think about it before rejecting him.
“Yes.” He walked towards her and took a seat on the couch opposite to her.
“If I am going to sign this agreement, there are some conditions that must be fulfilled.” She said and he felt a bit surprised.
She hadn’t rejected him and told him how stupid and flat-out ridiculous his proposal was. That has got to count for something, right?
“I’m all ears.”
June took a deep breath and stared him in the eye as she spoke, “First, for the six months we will be married, unless you absolutely have to reveal it, I’ll be glad if we can keep it under wraps.”
His brows narrowed and June panicked.
“I understand that you want to ward off women from your mother, but unless push comes to shove, I don’t want to be known as your wife. I already have enough bad press to my name, the last thing I need is you getting roped into that.”
Rafael wanted to protest but he swallowed his word and nodded. It seemed fair for now. June released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“Anything else?” He asked,
“You will have to pay me an upfront of the money. I want half payment of the initial sum.” She said with a straight face. “Twenty-five million dollars.”