The Contract

chapter 13

Two weeks.

Two weeks into a fake marriage and Roman was sure she already wanted to bail out

Erin had left all the cars at her disposal,  and a chauffeur whenever she needed one, she insisted that she only needed a ride to work, but the chauffer that she had come to know as Hunter, wouldn't let her, he was there after office work, drove her to the hospital, to the mall and to the park, any where she wished to go

She had not seen much of Erin since then
They hardly saw each other at work
She worked on the eighth floor of the building, under a very authoritative but kind woman, Gail.

She was scary at first as her new boss, but learned that hard work was the only way to impress Gail and she was good at that
So they weren't off to a bad start...

Gail wasn't the bitch her staff claimed her to be, she just demanded effectiveness and she had passion for her work

Roman could understand that, other than that, she hadn't received news from the hospital that her mom was awake

After work she would spend more of her time volunteering at a nursery,  even on weekends

It kept her mind of her mother for a while, some times Moira would tag along, they had gotten closer since that night,

She still hadn't embraced the manor as her home, she still felt like a guest despite nana G's efforts to make her feel comfortable

She missed the comfort of her small apartment, everything in this manor felt foreign, she wondered why she agreed to it in the first place, but her answer came when her bank statement read different every week

She was reluctant using the money,  but she gave in, she traded a piece of her dignity and pause as someone's concubine to be able to cover for her mom's medical expenses

She managed to transfer her mother to the most expensive well equipped hospital and get her excellent care where she'd be comfortable and well taken care of by her own personal attendant

And she had never felt at peace.

As she thought she was having another day of work, the door to her small office was knocked,  she answered and a girl, called Gina who worked on the same floor as hers walked in

"I was asked to give you this, you are supposed to sign the papers and have them taken to Mr. Armstrong"

Roman nodded , her eyes on the huge envelope, as Gina walked out she quickly spilled the contents that were in the envelope

She read what was printed on the white papers quickly and felt bile rise in her throat

She grabbed the papers and stormed out of her office into the elevator

As soon as she got off the elevator she strode towards Erin's office, she didn't care if there was someone inside or not

"Erin??" She called as she barged in

Erin looked up, unfazed

If it were any other day, Roman would have lost her breathe at the sight of him, he still had that effect on her despite everything

"What is this?" She demanded
"Papers that need your signature "
"I'm well aware of that"

Erin rested his chin on his hands, looking at her as if she's lost her mind

"I am taking precautions"

Roman couldn't help the huge O formed by her mouth

The documents specifically specified that, Roman was involved in a nuptial  arrangement that would only give her access to the money she demanded as payment for personal  reasons which will only last for six months and isn't entitled to anything else after the arrangement is completed

"I had my lawyer draft it for me, just in case"
"Just in case what? I ask for a share in your company because we are legally married, you think I'd do that?? You think I'd get comfortable,  you think I'll get greedy"

"I'm a business man Roman, I don't take such risks"

Roman was pulled back to when Jennifer was hauling insults at her, now she understood how Erin felt, and despite their differences,  she had hoped, they at least trusted each other

The hurt on Roman's face was visible,  but so was the resolution

"I need a pen" she said below a whisper

Erin gingerly handed her one

She turned around, put the papers on the nearest table with her back towards Erin and bent to sign them

Erin didn't like it when he had to see her bend like that, it made him question everything

A few seconds after, Roman shoved the papers back into the envelope and threw them on Roman's desk

"One more thing, I quit"

She said through her teeth and stormed out of his office

Erin was the one shocked this time, he for one...didn't expect her to do just that