Rosa’s POV
For a moment, I thought it was the after effect of drinking too much. Maybe I was imagining things. So I stared intently at the paper, so much that I felt my eyes would fall.
Contract marriage.
Three years.
Alex Kane.
Rosa Castillo.
It was true.
What the f**k?!
Were all the men in America suddenly sick?
Just because we had a one night stand - which shouldn’t have happened in the first place - it didn’t mean anything.
I pushed the paper away, angry now. “I don’t need this,” I said firmly.
I wasn’t a charity case. Neither did I need his pity.
I was done with men and their cheating ways.
He was smiling smugly. “You can’t undo it, Rosa,” he said, grinning widely. “You’ve signed it already.”
I reached for the piece of paper and tore it. “I don’t need you…or anyone!” My chest was rising with indignation. I took a deep breath. He was still my boss and I needed this job.
“I’m sorry for yelling,” I said. “I don’t need a marriage right now. What I need …” I sighed again. “I need a break.”
I didn’t wait for a response before I hurried out of the office. I grabbed my phone from my desk anaad tossed it into my purse. Patra was on seat when I passed. I had hoped she wouldn’t.
I stopped by her desk.
“You look flustered,” she said, inspecting my face. “Don’t tell me you projected on the boss.”
I sat wearily on the table. “It’s worse than that.”
She stopped typing. “What can be worse than shouting at your boss?”
“Having s*x with him.”
She gasped, drawing the attention of the other workers. She covered her mouth, stood up, and dragged me to a corner.
“This morning?”
“Last night.”
She frowned. “You f****d Alex Kane last night and I’m just finding out?”
I scoffed. There was nothing exciting about sleeping with your boss, walking into his office, and remembering how you sat on his table and cummed on it.
“I was drunk! And I regretted it when I woke up.”
She grimaced. “Why? Is he bad?”
I didn’t want to think of that because it was the best s*x I’ve had in years. Just the mere thought of it made my insides tremble. But it was wrong.
Alex Kane was my boss. And he was not my type.
He was a playboy.
RIch, good looking, and not committed.
“Is he?” Patra pressed.
I shook my head. “No.”
“If Alex Kane f****d me last night, I would not be in a tent the next morning.” She eyed my outfit.
“First, I got it from your wardrobe. And second, I don’t want your Alex Kane…And third, what happened this morning is even worse.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you -”
“Shut up, Patra,” I said, silencing her. “Even though I hate Charly right now, he’s the only one I’ve known for five years. You think I’ll just forget about it over some s*x I had when I was drunk?”
She frowned. “Don’t tell me you’re going back to Charles.”
If all he said last night was a lie, I would forgive him for cheating. Maybe I had imagined things. I had to face him and hear the truth for myself.
“I still love him, Patra. And the boss is sick. I was not in the right state of mind and I unknowingly signed a marriage contract with him.”
“Wha-!”
I covered her mouth this time. “Quiet down, Pat. I shouldn’t have told you.”
She pulled her mouth from my covering. “That should have been the first thing you said, Rose. You’re now a Kane?”
I scowled. “No. I rejected it. I’m done with relationships, Pat. If I get a good pay, maaybe Alex can forgive me satisfying his ego, anad give the poor, single woman a raise. I’m gonna get aa sperm donor and have a kid. And I’ll surely not be getting an American sperm donor. Don’t want no madness.”
Paatra was still stupefied.
“I’ve got to go, Pat. You look flustered now.” I chuckled soflty. “I’ll be back to your place if things don’t work out with Charles.”
I turned away and walked out of the company. The air felt lighter outside.
I slid into my car. It had been our wedding gift. For two years, I had driven this car, hoping I would be getting a better car during our third anniversary. Now, it hurt so much when I think of it and I only hoped it was not true. My marriage couldn’t have been a lie.
I headed towards the estate where I have lived with Charles for four years. It was a weekend. Charles was usually home on weekends until midday. I stopped in front of the house, heart racing.
Just yesterday, I had walked in and meet the absolute shock of my life.
My hand trembled as I reached for the door. I gripped the door handle and took a deep breath. When I pushed the door open, my eyes fell on the floor. No bra or shoes.
Maybe I would meet a remorseful Charly.
I took the stairs with caution by the side. I was expecting anything and secretly hoping that there wouldn’t be a naked woman in bed with my husband again.
Just as my feet touched the corridor, I heard a chuckle.
A woman’s chuckle.
My heart banged against my chest.
“I need a new car, babe,” I heard the woman whine. “The one you got for me six months ago is no longer new. I want a new model. In fact, I have one in mind.”
The hurt choked my throat and twisted my heart.
But it was Charles’ response that hurt the most.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “There’ll be an awarf tomorrow’s evening and that would be the perfect time to announce you.”
The award night, yeah.
I haad prepared so haard for it. Even chosen a dress. It was going to be the night to celebrate the tecch companies and award the leading company in the city.
“I’m sure Baker Tech would win the award,” the lasy saaid. “You’ve been so hardworking.”
Tearas streamed from my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“And tomorrwo, the whole world would know who my real woman is.”
Five years.
Five f*****g yeaars was what I gave Charles.
I should have been one of the biggest forces in the tech industry. But I settled for becoming a PA so I could make him survive in this competitive city. And this was what I got.
I wanted to walk away in that moment.
I had gotten the answers I wanted : Charles Baker didn’t give two shits baout me.
But I wanted to challenge him. I wanted to look him into the face and tell him how much I despised him.
I fisted my hand, tigghtened my resolve, and moved towards the room as their chattering continued. I stood by the door. They were naked in bed, probably gisting after having s*x. Just the way it used to be in the past.
His damnn phone?
It was on the nightsatnd, forgotten, while his arm was wrapped under the blonde b***h’s head.
Chaarles was paying attemtion to everything she said. Suddenly, there was no important thing he haad to do on his phone.
More tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t even find hte voice to say anything. I just wished the walls would close in on them and I won’t remember the hurt of his betrayal. I sniffed back the tears that raan down from my nose and they realised that someone was in the room.
Charles sat up on thebed while the woman scoffed when she saw me. They didn’t eve try to hide their naakedness or feel ashamed.
“You should have told me you were coming,” Chaarles said without empathy. “How long have you been standing there?”
I bit back the teaars that wanted to pour again. “Long enough to realise that I have been a fool.”
The woman laughed. “Charles doesn’t love you, hon. Okay? If I were you, I would move on.”
I ignored her andd trained my eyes on Charles. “Why?”
“Why?” he repeated.
I needed to know. If he needed a spy for Kane Tech, he could haave used anyone. Why did he have to lie to me all these years?
I stood up. “Oh crap,” he said. “I have having a hard on until you stepped in.”
The woman laughed and walked up to him. “Don’t worry babe.” She kissed him and massaaged his member. “I’ll be giving you one that would last for hours after you deal with your…” she glanced at me for a second. “...thrash.”
I didn’t know how I held myself. Maybe it was because so many things were happening out of my control. Maybe it was because I was losing.
Charles walked up to me and pulled mee to the mirror. I stared at my reflection and his.
“Take a good look at us,” he said. “Do we look like a match? Do you look like the kind of woman I would introduce to my colleagues as a lover?”