Love Contract

Chapter 2 The Wedding Night

Mary walked into the hospital and headed over to her mother's enclosed room. She had already gotten used to staring at her mother through the glass window.

For the past year, her mother had slipped into a coma. She knew in her heart that her mother didn't have much time left. 'Mom, you have to wake up please. I have yet to tell you the good news, ' she thought as she placed her hand onto the glass, hoping that her mother could hear her pleas.

After watching at her mother for an hour, Mary had already given up on the idea that her mother would wake up today. She shook her head, and walked away.

Suddenly, as she turned, Mary bumped into someone by accident. When she looked up, she caught sight of a delicate woman and an elegant man. It seemed as if she had met them from somewhere, but she just couldn't tell where.

The man was holding onto the woman, shooting Mary a glare.

"I'm sorry," Mary quickly apologized.

"Watch your damn way! What the hell?" Although the woman's voice was charming, the same couldn't be said with the profanities that had slipped out of her mouth.

'Is my luck really that bad?' Mary thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She consciously moved to the side to pave way for the couple.

Her mother had always taught her not to waste her time in fighting other people.

"Nancy, let's go to the doctor, okay? Didn't you say that you feel uncomfortable?" the man said softly, finally stepping in between them. At the man's voice, the woman's arrogance disappeared in an instant. She shyly held the man's arm and strutted away, not even bothering to look back.

Mary snorted quietly. It was time for her to go home.

As she walked away, she didn't see that the man had turned and shot her a meaningful look before disappearing into the crowd.

Mary went back home. At least, it was her home for the time being while her marriage certificate was still valid.

The house was located in the Kylin International Community at the center of the city. It had twenty floors. The South Wing was facing the sea, while the West Wing was near to the mountains. It was modern yet still so close to nature. Mary was ecstatic to see such a luxurious place. She had never lived in such a good house ever since her father had abandoned them.

However, it was obvious that this wasn't William's actual house. All the furniture was new, and there was no one. Absolutely no one. At this point, Mary wasn't surprised. Being the CEO of such a large company, William wouldn't return till late at night.

'What about food?' she suddenly thought as she scoured through the kitchen.

Even then, she couldn't find anything. It seemed that the refrigerator needed to be stacked up. Mary went out to the supermarket to find food that was convenient to cook. Given that she didn't know how to cook, she settled for things that were more instantaneous. Soon enough, she returned to the mansion with bags of frozen dumplings, instant noodles, and a few snacks to keep her busy.

As soon as she entered, the phone rang. She rushed over to the living room and answered, ''Hello?''

"It's me." A low voice came from the other end of the line.

"Um...who are you?" Mary furrowed her eyebrows.

William gaped before rubbing the space between his eyebrows. This woman was truly testing his patience. "This is William."

"Oh, it's you." Mary flushed. "What's up?"

"I won't be going home tonight."

"Okay." 'He really is polite, isn't he?' Mary thought.

There was a moment of silence as both of them struggled to speak.

"Then..."

"Then..."

The two of them had spoken at the same time.

"You first," William stated.

"N-nothing," she stuttered out. "I'll hang up now."

"Don't stay up too late."

"Got it. You too..."

Before she could finish her words, he already hung up the phone.

'I may have praised him too soon, ' she thought, glaring at the phone in her hand.

Even then, Mary couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. Today was supposed to be her wedding night after all. Although it was fake, she still felt a bit down. With a bowl of instant noodles

in her hand, Mary curled up on the sofa and watched a variety show. She stared at the TV screen. At the glassy look in her eyes, no one could tell what she was thinking.

The AJ Group was founded in 2000. Its main business included real estate, clothing lines, entertainment, and many more. In fact, it was a company that dabbled in different industries, and it had excelled in every one of them. The company had developed so fast, and it was all thanks to William, the AJ Group's CEO. He was already so great at what he was doing, so why did he have to ask her to marry him?

'No. Just mind your own business. What are you even thinking?' she thought suddenly. Shaking her head, Mary turned her attention back to the TV.

The dim yellow light in the ceiling sent such homey vibes around the household. It was a shame that she had to spend the night all by herself.

Meanwhile, the lights in the CEO's office were also turned on.

With a glass of red wine in his hand, William stood near the French window and looked at the lights that spread across the city. Even at the sight of the bustling city, he couldn't help but feel as if something was missing. He downed his drink in a second.

A part of him couldn't help but feel disappointed in himself in hanging up the phone. It was the first time he had reported his whereabouts to someone in years. William was still so new to all of this.

While he was deep in his thoughts, the door behind him was pushed open. Soon enough, he could see a man's figure reflecting on the window. William frowned.

It was the man who Mary had run into back at the hospital.

"Why are you drinking all alone? Shouldn't you be celebrating your wedding night?" the man mocked.

"You know why I got married. Are you really going to mock me every time you see me?" William snapped.

"Well? How do you feel?" He walked towards William. The two stood side by side.

"If I did feel something, do you think I'll still be here tonight, Frank?" Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

There was silence between the two men

as they gazed at the open night.

"What do you think awaits us in the future?" Frank Liang asked.

"Honestly? I don't know."

"My parents have been urging me to have a baby," Frank Liang noted. That day, he had accompanied his wife to the hospital for a physical examination.

"If you get married, it's expected that you have a child," William responded.

"Well, in this life or the next, at least we have each other to mourn over."

Frank Liang smirked before suggesting, "Or we could always go abroad."

"Knowing our fathers, I doubt they would let us."

Frank Liang laughed bitterly as he drank the remaining ounces of his wine. There were just some nights that were destined to be lonely.

As soon as Mary woke up, she breathed in the fresh air. She stretched herself and got up to get dress.

As soon as she got into the company, the assistant of the CEO already called her up to tell her that William was looking for her. Without another word, Mary rushed into his office on the thirty-second floor.

She knocked on the door.

"Come in," William replied lowly.

"Sir, what can I do for you?" Mary walked in, bowing her head respectfully.

Looking up from the pile of documents, he stared at her. Her black business suit hugged her curves in all the right places. Her dark hair was tied up, showing more of her soft features.

"Mr. Lan?" she asked him again.

"Call me by name from now on," he responded.

After a short pause, she nodded.

"Then Mr.- I mean William." Mary corrected herself quickly.

"I'll find a new job for you," he said.

"What? But I did such a great job in the Public Relations Department!" She waved her hands up in the air.

"What I've given you is an order, not a suggestion." As he signed his name onto the documents, he said, "From now on, you'll be my personal assistant."

Oh my God! Did she just hear him right? William had never chosen a female personal assistant. In fact, his office was rarely open to women. Why would he choose her to be his assistant?

"Don't think too much," he snapped. "It's in the contract."

"But I haven't been an assistant. I haven't done any training yet," she stuttered out.

"Then it's time for you to learn, isn't it?" He cocked up an eyebrow. "Fine." There was a short pause before she spoke up again, "What about the salary?"

"It will be more than your present sala-"

"Got it." She nodded her head rapidly, not even giving him a chance to finish his words. As long as she could get more out of this, then she was fine with anything! When he shot her a glare, she immediately shut up.

"Get back to your work. I'll tell you the details once I get home."

"Um, will you be going home tonight?" Mary asked suddenly, eyeing him.

"Yes." He didn't even raise his head.

"Okay. I'll be going back now."

"Wait a minute," he said, stopping her right on her tracks. "I —I slept in the company last night."

"What?" Mary could already feel her heart beating so fast that she was afraid that it might burst right out of her chest at any moment. 'Is he explaining himself to me? Why do I feel so happy?' Shaking off her thoughts, she allowed a smile to thread across her lips as she nodded.

"Okay." With a flushed face, she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her gently.

As if by a switch, all of her politeness had disappeared almost completely. She jumped in joy as she punched the air excitedly. "My salary's going up!" she whispered excitedly, looking like a kid who was just told that Christmas would come early.

William raised his head silently and gazed at her lively figure. The corners of his lips inched up into a smile, and he didn't even notice it.