Chapter 14: Clause Number One

Chapter 14 - Clause Number One Bianca returned to her desk with her mind slightly adrift. She still couldn't believe she had actually agreed to marry her own boss. Adrian Williams. Even though the contract had been signed, everything still felt surreal, like a strange, unfinished dream. Still, she carried out her tasks with the same professional demeanor. She answered emails, checked the meeting schedules, and ensured everything ran smoothly for the day. Lunchtime passed like usual. Once the office returned to its steady rhythm, the phone on her desk rang. She picked it up and answered. "Yes? Hello?" she answered calmly. "Come to my office. Now," came his short, firm response. Bianca nodded, even though he couldn't see it, and stood up, making her way to his office. When she entered, Adrian was already seated behind his desk, waiting with a serious expression. "Please, sit," he said without preamble. Bianca took a seat. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Adrian exhaled briefly and looked at her. "We need to talk about something important." "Something important?" Bianca echoed. "How we're going to explain this marriage to people," Adrian said plainly. Bianca nodded slowly. She had been thinking about that too, but hadn't figured out where to start. "People are going to ask questions," Adrian continued. "Family, coworkers, even the media. We need a story that makes sense." Bianca bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "I understand. We can work on it together. Something simple and believable, right?" Adrian nodded. "Yes. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to be convincing." While Adrian was speaking, Bianca's mind had already drifted off. She wasn't paying attention to a single word he said. SH*T! I can't believe I'm actually going to become Mr. Adrian's wife. And what about Rafael? Aren't they friends? Ugh, my head hurts. Whatever. This is for Mr. Williams Senior anyway. Think of it as helping someone in need. Besides, how hard can it be to be the wife of the big boss? "So, what do you think? You agree?" Adrian's question snapped Bianca back to reality. "Huh? Agree? Agree to what, sir?" What on earth is he talking about now? Suddenly, the atmosphere in Adrian's office shifted, heavier, colder. Bianca swallowed hard. When their eyes met, she felt a chill creep down her spine. Even the tiny hairs on her arms and legs, uncut for the past five days, stood on end. "Where exactly did your mind wander off to while I was talking just now?" Adrian asked, his voice lower than before. "I'm sorry, sir. I was just—" "Forget it." Adrian cut her off, not interested in her explanation. He leaned his broad back against the sofa and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he began massaging his temples slowly. "So," he said suddenly after a long, five minute silence, "What do you think we should tell people about this sudden marriage of ours?" "You mean, why you and I are getting married?" "Mm." "Up to you, sir. However you want to spin it." Adrian's eyes opened at her words. He sat up straight in one smooth movement, his relaxed posture instantly gone. "I've been talking until my mouth went dry, practically foaming, explaining everything, and you didn't even pay attention. Now when I ask for your opinion, you just throw the question back at me?" he said, clearly irritated. "Mr. Adrian, can I ask a favor?" Bianca said with a sweet smile. And the sweeter she smiled, the more obvious it was that she was trying to keep her cool. She saw a crease form on Adrian's otherwise flawless forehead as soon as her words landed. "What is it?" "Could you please read condition number one?" "Condition number one?" Adrian looked confused by the sudden change of topic. "Yes. From the agreement you just signed." Adrian, with his long fingers, reached for the crisp white sheet containing their contract marriage terms and began reading it again. "Clause number one. Mutual respect and consideration." "Could you read it again, sir? But louder this time," Bianca said, still smiling sweetly at him. "Mutual respect and consideration," Adrian repeated, already memorized without even looking at the paper. "Mutual respect and consideration. That's a nice clause, don't you think, sir?" With a flat expression, Adrian replied, "Nice." "If it's nice, then why did you break it?" Bianca challenged, drawing his full attention. "What do you mean?" Adrian frowned. "I mean, it seems like you just broke clause number one." "When?" "Just now." "Just now, when?" Adrian looked genuinely confused. He truly had no idea when he had supposedly violated the first rule. "When you said you talked until your mouth went dry and I wasn't listening, and then when you asked me a question and I didn't know the answer, you snapped at me," Bianca said, clearly still bothered by his tone earlier. "So you're saying I didn't respect or consider you just because I said that?" Adrian questioned, not backing down. "That's how I felt," Bianca answered bravely. "And what exactly was wrong with what I said to you earlier?" Adrian challenged again, not letting it go. "Huh?" "Was there anything wrong with it? No, right? What I said was true, wasn't it? I talked at length, and you didn't listen, did you? Something that should've been heard clearly, you didn't hear. Then when I asked you about it, you just said, 'Whatever you want, sir.' Whatever I want? What do you expect me to do with that? Do you want me to repeat everything I just said? And now you're accusing me of not showing respect or consideration. So what, you not listening to me, does that count as respect and consideration for me? Is that it?" Adrian's voice rose as he let out his frustration. Bianca's throat went dry. She couldn't respond. Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected her boss's words to sting that much. He had twisted everything so easily. From his perspective, sure, he seemed right and Bianca wrong. But that was just his point of view. He hadn't even tried to see it from hers. ***