Married At First Glance: I Am Not Ugly

Marissa nodded, trying to push her doubts aside. They had committed to this plan, and now they had to see it through, no matter how complicated it might become.

“Alright.” she said.

“I’ll call Anderson so he would prepare the place where we would take pictures and exchange rings and all. You need to pick a dress so, my driver will pick you up and take you to one of the best fashion houses so you will pick a dress.” he said.

“Okay…. What time?” she asked.

“By 2pm….” he said.

“I’ll be having a meeting by that time with the board so he should come home here and pick you up so you’d go pick not only the dress for our fake wedding, but also other dresses you’d be wearing for the next three months while staying with me.” he said.

“I won’t be home by that time. I have a place I need to be.” she said.

“And where is that exactly?” he asked.

“It’s none of your concern.” she said coldly.

“Whatever, suit yourself.” he said, sounding like he didn’t care.

But he was, what was she hiding? Why did she agree to this because he had noticed that she wasn’t some gold digging lady out there who would even sell their bodies for money.

So why was she going through all these and for who?

“And also you have to quit your part time job and face this full time.” he revealed.

“Wait…. what?!” she exclaimed. “You mean I won’t get to have a social life because I would be your fake wife for three months?”

“That’s exactly it.” he said.

“You can’t be serious.” she said.

“Well… Marissa, I’m seriously, honestly and sincerely serious.” he said. “And besides, I’ll be paying double for all and whatever I will pay you is more than they would ever pay you working in that cafe.” he said.

Marissa’s eyes widened in disbelief as Alexander dropped the bombshell about her quitting her part-time job. It was another layer of complication to their fake marriage arrangement.

“Quit my job? That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?” she protested.

Alexander didn’t seem swayed by her objection. “It’s necessary for the credibility of our fake marriage, Marissa. Besides, I’ll compensate you generously. You’ll be better off financially.”

Marissa was torn. Her job was important to her, not just for the income but also because it was a place where she had friends and some semblance of a normal life. But the lure of financial stability was hard to ignore.

“I need some time to think about it,” she finally said, trying to buy herself some room to consider this new development.

“There’s no time. You’d have to make a decision right now.” he said.

“You can’t do this to me. I’m the one who is losing here.” she said. “You get to live your perfect CEO life, attend meetings and all, while I get to be cooked up in here and be deprived of any social activity.”

“What do you mean? You’ll be attending social events with me and when I travel to secure that contract, you’ll be going with me. So I don’t see how that’s a problem.” he said.

Marissa felt the weight of the decision bearing down on her. She knew that Alexander was right in some ways, but it was hard to let go of her independence and the life she had built for herself.

“Fine, I’ll do it,” she reluctantly agreed. “But you have to promise me that you’ll compensate me as you said, and that I won’t regret this.”

Alexander nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. “You won’t regret it, Marissa. This is a win-win for both of us, remember?”

Marissa wasn’t entirely convinced, but she had made her choice. Now, she had to face the consequences and the challenges that lay ahead as she embarked on this fake marriage journey with Alexander.

“So which room am I gonna sleep in, because I know we are definitely not sleeping in the same room.” she said.

“Why? Are you scared that I might do something?” he teased.

Marissa rolled her eyes at his comment. “No, it’s just a matter of personal space and boundaries. We’re supposed to make this look real, right?”

Alexander chuckled. “Alright, you can have the guest room down the hall. I’ll take the master bedroom.”

Marissa nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good. Let’s get this charade started then.”

She went to the guest room and opened the door.

She noticed it was way fancier than her rundown room.

Marissa found the guest room quite fancy compared to her own place. As she unpacked her things, she couldn’t believe the situation she had gotten herself into.

She was about to spend three months in a fake marriage with a man she barely knew, in a completely different world.

But she had made this choice for her brother’s sake, and she was determined to see it through, even if it meant enduring this unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation.

In the master bedroom, Alexander was lost in thought too. He knew this fake marriage was a business move, but he couldn’t help worrying about how it might affect his relationship with Jessie.

Nonetheless, he decided to focus on making the fake marriage appear real, as that was his primary goal.

A thought crossed his mind as he sat down on his chair. He thought about what Marissa said about Jessie being the woman he wanted to marry.

Alexander contemplated Marissa’s words about Jessie being the woman he truly wanted to marry.

It was a nagging thought that had been bothering him ever since he agreed to this fake marriage.

He knew that deep down, there was truth in Marissa’s words. Jessie’s ambitious nature and her dedication to her career had always come between them, making it difficult for their relationship to progress.

But he also couldn’t deny that he loved her.

With a heavy sigh, Alexander pushed those thoughts aside. Right now, he had to focus on making this fake marriage with Marissa work.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

It was a means to an end, a business strategy that he couldn’t afford to fail…..