Chapter 4: The first scandal
1462 Words
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same scene again.
Raymond standing beside his car.
The woman running into his arms.
Her voice calling his name.
Raymond.
I still hadn’t seen her face. The darkness and the distance had hidden it. But the way she held him… the way he spoke to her…
There had been nothing casual about it.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the sunlight creeping through the curtains.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Another notification.
Another news article.
Another congratulatory message about my engagement.
The entire world seemed to think my life had just become perfect.
If only they knew.
A knock came from the door.
“Blessing?”
My mother’s voice.
“Yes?”
“Your father wants to see you in his office.”
I sighed quietly.
Of course he did.
The moment I stepped into my father’s office downstairs, I knew something had changed.
He was standing by the window with his phone in his hand.
“Sit down,” he said.
I crossed the room slowly and sat across from his desk.
“You’ve seen the news?” he asked.
“About the engagement?”
“Yes.”
I folded my hands together.
“It’s everywhere.”
Business channels.
Financial blogs.
Society pages.
Apparently my engagement had become the most exciting business alliance in New York.
My father finally turned to face me.
“This marriage is important, Blessing.”
“I know.”
“More important than you realize.”
I looked at him carefully.
“Did you know?”
His brows furrowed.
“Know what?”
“The papers you gave me last week.”
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
That was enough.
“You knew they were marriage consent documents,” I said quietly.
He exhaled slowly.
“Yes.”
The word felt like a small knife sliding into my chest.
“You tricked me.”
“I protected you.”
“Protected me?”
“Yes.”
“How exactly does forcing me into a marriage protect me?”
My father walked back to his desk.
“Because the world we live in is not simple, Blessing.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“The Anderson alliance secures our company’s future.”
“And my future?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
“That comes with the alliance.”
I laughed softly.
“That sounds like a business transaction.”
“In many ways, it is.”
I leaned back in the chair, suddenly exhausted.
“So my life is just part of the deal.”
My father’s voice softened slightly.
“You will be well taken care of.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?”
I looked down at my hands.
The image of Raymond and that woman flashed in my mind again.
“You wouldn’t understand,” I murmured.
My father studied me for a moment.
Then he said quietly,
“Raymond Anderson is not a bad man.”
That almost made me laugh.
“You sound very confident.”
“I’ve known his family for years.”
“That doesn’t mean you know him.”
“He will treat you with respect.”
I didn’t say anything.
Because respect wasn’t the problem.
Love was.
A knock interrupted the conversation.
A maid stepped inside.
“Miss Blessing, Mr. Anderson is here.”
My heart skipped.
“Raymond?”
“Yes.”
My father nodded toward the door.
“Good. Go speak with the gentleman.”
I stood slowly and walked out.
Raymond was waiting in the sitting room.
He stood when I entered.
As always, he looked perfectly composed.
Dark suit.
Calm expression.
Like nothing in the world could disturb him.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning.”
He gestured toward the sofa.
“Can we talk?”
“Okay.”
He sat down anyway.
I took the seat across from him.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then Raymond placed a thin folder on the table between us.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“A draft.”
“Of what?”
“Our marriage contract.”
Of course.
I opened the folder slowly.
Several pages of neatly typed legal text stared back at me.
Raymond leaned back slightly.
“I asked my legal team to prepare it.”
“That was fast.”
“They’re efficient.”
I began reading.
Public appearances together.
Shared residence after the wedding.
Joint attendance at business events.
Then the part that made my chest tighten.
Personal lives remain separate outside public obligations.
Meaning he could continue seeing whoever he wanted.
Including that woman.
I kept reading.
Divorce permitted after business alliance stabilizes.
I closed the folder.
“That’s very… detailed.”
“It avoids misunderstandings.”
“Very romantic.”
“This isn’t about romance.”
“No,” I said quietly. “Clearly not.”
Raymond watched me carefully.
“If you want to add conditions, now is the time.”
I hesitated.
Then I said quietly,
“One condition.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Raymond’s expression didn’t change.
But he looked at me for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
“Fair.”
I slid the folder back toward him.
“Everything else is fine.”
Raymond picked it up.
“Good.”
Just then the door opened again.
One of Raymond’s assistants stepped inside.
He looked slightly out of breath.
“Sir.”
Raymond frowned.
“What is it?”
The assistant approached and handed him a tablet.
“Something just started trending.”
Raymond took the tablet and glanced at the screen.
Something changed in his expression.
Very quickly.
But I noticed.
“What happened?” I asked.
Raymond didn’t answer immediately.
He scrolled through the article.
My curiosity grew.
I leaned slightly toward him.
But Raymond tilted the tablet away before I could see the screen.
“Nothing important,” he said calmly.
I narrowed my eyes.
“If it’s nothing important, why does your assistant look so worried and tensed?”
The assistant immediately looked away.
Raymond placed the tablet face down on the table.
“Media speculation.”
“About what?”
“About me.”
“That’s not very specific.”
“It rarely is.”
Something about his calmness felt… forced.
My thoughts drifted back to the woman from last night.
The hug.
The way she said his name.
Before I could ask another question, Raymond’s phone started ringing.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression hardened slightly.
“Excuse me.”
He stood up and walked toward the balcony doors.
I watched him go.
The assistant quickly left the room as well.
Leaving me alone.
Through the glass doors I could see Raymond standing outside with the phone pressed to his ear.
He looked annoyed.
No.
Not annoyed.
Controlled.
Like he was holding something back.
The call lasted several minutes.
I couldn’t hear what was being said.
But I noticed Raymond running a hand through his hair once.
Something he rarely did.
Eventually he ended the call and stood there for a moment before returning inside.
By the time he walked back into the room, his expression was calm again.
Perfectly composed.
Like nothing had happened.
I watched him closely.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes.”
He picked up the tablet from the table.
Then he turned it off before sliding it into his briefcase.
“What was that about?” I asked casually.
“Nothing important.”
The exact same words again.
I nodded slowly.
“Of course.”
Silence settled between us.
Raymond picked up the contract folder.
“I’ll have my lawyers finalize this.”
“Alright.”
He stood up.
“I should go.”
I walked him toward the door.
When he stepped outside, he paused.
“Blessing.”
“Yes?”
“This arrangement will work better if we trust each other.”
I looked at him for a moment.
Trust.
What an interesting word.
“I agree,” I said softly.
Raymond nodded once before leaving.
I watched his car disappear down the long driveway.
Then I leaned against the doorway.
Something about today didn’t
feel right.
Raymond had hidden the news article.
His father had called immediately after.
And the media was suddenly interested in his private life.
I didn’t know exactly what was happening yet.
But one thing was becoming very clear.
My future husband was hiding something.
But actually, I kind of like Raymond.
He's charming, handsome, tall with the right body structure.
“Will I be able to endure this? Another woman.” I asked myself.
- Writer
