Contract marriage

chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Mom, why did you call me here suddenly?" Charlotte asked in a severe tone, all traces of friendliness gone.

"Come, let's discuss this in my room," Martha said, gesturing for Charlotte to follow her.

Henry, Charlotte, and Martha all headed into her room, with Henry closing the door behind them.

"Have a seat Charlotte," Henry said, making Charlotte feel more anxious. She did as her older brother told her to and sat down on her mom's bed.

"Charlotte..." Her mom started. "What I am about to tell you will change your life forever." Martha walked over to her daughter and sat down beside her.

"Before your father died, he had a best friend. They grew up together and did everything together. They were inseparable." Martha started.

"Mom, why are you telling me this?" Charlotte asked in irritation.

Talking about her father always made her sensitive as she never knew him before he died. Her mom was eight months pregnant with her when he died in a car accident.

Charlotte had lived her whole life without her father, and she preferred not to talk about him.

Her mother knew this, so why was she talking about him?
Martha rubbed her thighs nervously and glanced at Henry, and the latter avoided her gaze.

"Well, your father made a contract with his best friend before he died, and it involves you and your father's best friend's son."

Seeing her mother nervous also made Charlotte nervous as she did not know what to expect.

"Go on, mom; what does the contract say?" She asked her mom nervously.

"Well..., " Martha paused, hesitant to say what she wanted to say.

"Oh, for God's sake, mom, just tell me what the contract says!" Charlotte snapped irritably.

"It says that you are to marry your father's best friend's son as soon as you turn twenty-four," Martha said quickly and breathed out deeply as if a heavy load had been lifted from her chest.

It took a while for Charlotte to process what she had just heard, and it took even longer for her to understand it.

Her mother was clearly joking.

She could not possibly be serious about her father making such a contract.

The world had significantly evolved, and young adults were allowed to make their own decisions.

They were supposed to choose their own partner, who they wanted to spend their lives with, and not their parents.

Martha and Henry looked at themselves nervously. Charlotte had not said anything after Martha told her about Will's contract with his best friend.

Charlotte suddenly started laughing, and this made the mother and son even more scared. She stopped laughing, and her expression turned even colder.

"So you're telling me that my father made a contract that involves my life with his best friend, and you did not try and stop him? Charlotte asked in a low and dangerous tone.
Martha wiped her forehead nervously. "I did not know anything about the contract until after he died when the lawyer told me about it."

"If dad and this so-called best friend were so close, how come I have never met him or his family?" Charlotte asked her mom.

"That was because I kept you away from them. After your father's death, I found out about the deal your father made," Martha answered.