The Contract Husband
By clefairy
Date: September 21, 2022
Ch. 21Twenty


"TEN million dollars? You're gonna pay that man ten million dollars just to marry you?" Marcus asked me, his head shaking in disbelief.
He was here in my office, sitting on my couch, his laptop was on the coffee table. He even brought his work here in my office just to talk to me.
"Well, I don't have a choice, Marcus. I can't tell my parents that I got pregnant from a one night stand, can I?"
My cousin frowned at me. "You can just be honest with them, Claire."
I shook my head. "I can't, Marcus. You know Dad's condition, right? And Mom! She was running for senate. Our family can't afford any scandal right now."
I had already told Mom about Adam. That the man's my boyfriend and that we're already planning to get married.
Marcus gave me a disappointed look. "You can't fix your mistake by creating another mistake, Claire."
I looked at him. "This isn't a mistake, Marcus."
"And what about that guy Adam? Are you sure he can be trusted?"
"He's the father of my child, Marcus. I may not know him and we may not love each other but I can guarantee you that he's not a bad person." I said in a certain voice. "Besides, this is only for a year. Once my baby is born, I will file for a divorce."
I remembered everything Adam and I had talked about the other night.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked, concerned in his voice as he scanned my face.
We were in a Chinese restaurant near the bar where I found him.
"Yeah. I'm fine." I picked up the glass of water in front of me and sipped from it. "I was just sensitive to the smell of smoke."
He looked at me. His eyes went down to my belly.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier." He sighed before his eyes drifted back to me. "I just… I couldn't believe I'd see you again and the first thing you'd said to me is that you're pregnant."
I nodded and gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I understand."
"So… everything you've said earlier. Is that true?"
"That I'm pregnant and you're the father? Well, yes."
"No." He interrupted. "That you're going to pay me just so I marry you?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Yes. That's true. I'm willing to pay ten million dollars."
The frown on his handsome face came back. "Explain. I need to understand, Claire." His hand went to his stubble chin. He already had a five o clock shadow on his face. I also noticed that his hair was a bit longer than the first time we saw each other.
I took a deep breath and tried to explain my situation.
"My parents already knew I'm pregnant. And I lied to them. I told them I have a boyfriend… and that is you."
His thick eyebrows almost crossed in one line. "What? Why did you do that?"
I bit my lower lip as I met his stares. "You see. I can't upset my parents. My dad… his health's not good. And mother… she would be running for a government position. Admitting to them that I got pregnant out of a one night stand would surely be a scandal…"
He raised his brow. "You have a very primitive family."
I managed to smile sadly. "Yeah. But they're my family and I love them. I don't want to disappoint them."
He shook his head and pursed his lips as he continued to look at me. "What happened to finally doing the things that you love? You just found out you're not dying and now you're back to your goody two shoes self?"
I frowned. "You don't understand. I'm not being a goody two shoes. I just don't want to upset my parents at this crucial time."
"Alright." He said after shaking his head. "Tell me your plans. When are we tying the knot?"
"You're really agreeing in marrying me?" I asked, wanted to make sure what I'm hearing from him.
He raised his brows. "Well, I can't refuse the ten million dollars."
I nodded confidently. "I am really gonna pay you, Adam. Five million after we got married and another five after we filed for divorce."
"How long are we going to stay married?"
I showed him my business face. "Only for a year, Adam. After the election, we would already file for a divorce."
I explained everything to him about my plan. Of course, I had already thought about this. Even before talking to Adam, I had already planned everything out. I just needed him to say yes to me.
"The baby will stay with me. But you could have shared custody, if you want of course."
His brows furrowed. "Of course, I want to. That's also my child, Claire. I know that you can very well provide for the baby's needs but I still wanted to share the responsibility."
I cleared my throat. "Alright." Well, it's good to know that he wanted to take part in our baby's life.
Adam nodded. "Now, what's the plan?"
I pursed my lips. "We'll have dinner tomorrow at my parent's house. They wanted to meet you."
"Do I need to prepare for something?"
I shook my head. "Just make sure to be there on time."
"Sure."
"Tomorrow, I'll send you the contract." I gave him a smile. "Thank you for doing this, Adam. I know this is so absurd…and given your free spirited nature–"
"Claire," he cut me off. The corner of his lips were curled up in a smile. "The ten million dollars was more than enough payment."
"Well, then…" I cleared my throat and met his gaze. "Let's just consider this as another business transaction."
"Alright, Claire. It's a deal." He extended his hand on me. I stared at it for a few seconds before accepting it. I instantly felt the warmth of his palm travel to my skin.
"Now that we're done. You should eat." He motioned to me my plate of food that I still hadn't touched.



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