Chapter4
1134 Words
Adrian got jittery as the days went by. It had been a month since his father made the threat to him about getting a wife, and he knew his father for one thing— he never made empty threats. The thought of losing his position as heir to the AdriaBlooms empire scared him, and he was determined to not permit it. But he didn’t know how he would go about it. He couldn’t just go out to pick any lady to present to his father simply because he wanted to preserve his position. But he knew he had to do something, and fast.
He picked up his car keys with the intention of going for a drive. He was filled with lots of thoughts and he needed to clear his head. His hands grabbed the keys to the Challenger, and he went down to the car lot, went in and drove off. He thought of what would happen if his father actually stripped him of his position. It would be drastic, and the news would make the blogs. His father could even go as far as cutting him off and denying him access to the family account. That would be a disaster, and he didn’t want that to happen. But he searched his mind for possible solutions and still couldn’t come up with any.
He needed a drink.
He stopped by a mall, and got a six-pack of Budweiser, and as he was about getting into his car, he saw Rosie getting out of a cab in front of the mall. And then it came to him, what seemed like the perfect idea. But he didn’t know how he would go about proposing the idea to her. He knew it was going to be hard, most especially for the fact that he had been mean to her most of the time. He regretted his actions immediately because Rosie had always been dutiful and committed to her job, yet he treated her like trash most of the time. He was ready to fix things and make things right, only if it’d make her give in to his plan. He decided to wait in the car.
Rosie came out a few moments later holding some shopping bags and Adrian ran out to meet her. She was surprised to see him there. “Good evening, sir. Quite a surprise.”
“Good evening, Rosie. How are you doing?” Adrian said.
“Very well, sir. What are you doing here, sir?” Rosie asked.
“Well, I was just heading somewhere to chill and I saw you getting in so I decided to hang on for you,” Adrian said. “You heading anywhere else?”
“No sir, I was planning on getting a cab that would take me home.”
“Okay, cool. I’d like you to join me so we could go chill somewhere,” Adrian said. “Do you mind?”
“Err… I don't think it’d be possible, sir. I’ve got some work to do at home,” Rosie said.
“Come on, Rosie. Look, I know I've always been mean and rude to you, and I'm truly sorry, trust me. I’m asking politely this time. Please don’t say no,” Adrian pleaded.
Rosie looked at him and saw the remorse in his eyes and wondered what had brought about the sudden change. She couldn’t believe Adrian, of all people, could be this nice to her. “Okay, but we won’t stay long.”
“No problems at all,” Adrian said while he got her bags from her and put them in the back seat of the car. He said while he held the passenger door open for her to get in. “ Thank you,” Rosie said.
They drove to a fancy restaurant where he ordered them food and drinks and after they were done, they discussed over a bottle of wine. Adrian was nervous, but he knew it was now or never.
“There’s something I'd like to discuss with you, Rosie.” Adrian said.
“What's that, sir?” Rosie asked.
Adrian told her everything, how he’d been unlucky in love and how his father was threatening to strip him if he didn’t get married in the next one month. “And I'd need your help, please.”
Rosie was confused. “How do I come in, sir?”
“I want to offer you a deal. You’d act as my contract wife for a year, and I'll pay you handsomely for it, please.” Adrian said, pleading.
Rosie couldn’t believe her ears. “ What?”
“Look, Rosie. I know this is crazy, but I've got no other option, trust me,” Adrian pleaded. “For starters, I'll pay you $500,000… and then place you on a monthly salary of $20,000. This is just so you act as my wife, nothing more.”
Rosie was dumbfounded. Over $700,000 just to be a pretend wife? That was enough to make her very comfortable. But then she thought of the odds, and she couldn’t afford to bear whatever ugly incident it would result in. And she still disliked Adrian, very much. “I’m sorry sir, but I can't do it.”
Adrian was almost on his knees. “Rosie, please. Think about what this would mean for you. Please do this for me, please.”
“I can’t, sir. I just can’t. And if you don’t mind, I need to go home.” She walked out and went to wait by the car.
**********
Rosie got home to find a note on the table. Meet us at Albatross Hospital. It’s Emilia, hurry. She hurried out immediately and was in tears by the time she got to the hospital.
“What happened? Where’s my daughter?” Rosie asked all at once.
“She’s in the ward. She’s been diagnosed with having a hole in her heart and she needs urgent surgery. The doctor says it’s going to cost $250,000.” Ann’s voice was shaky. Rosie burst into tears.
“Where’s the doctor? Can I see her at least?”
“No, she’s in a critical condition and we can’t see her now. The doctor says we have to raise the money in 48 hours max. What are we going to do?” Ann asked. She looked so confused.
Rosie wiped her tears. “I know what to do.”
She went outside and dialed Adrian’s number. He picked up at the first ring. “Hello?”
“I’m ready to do it,” Rosie said, trying to control her sobs.
“Are you sure? You don’t sound fine. Are you alright?” Adrian asked.
“I’m very sure. I’m ready,” Rosie said. She ended the call and wept uncontrollably.
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