Married to the Arrogant CEO

THE DEAL

Anna ordered a bottle of water to quench her thirst as she felt tired and to brace herself for the rest of the story, she tried to calm herself as she wiped the tears off her face.

“I found out he was a ruthless Mafia boss, a drug dealer and he is a weapon trafficker”

Mrs. Vance was shocked, her face widened in surprise, “A drug dealer? And not to mention he is a mafia Lord, and is your father aware of this?”

"Yes, but he didn’t believe me, he was too blindfolded by Anthony’s act of kindness toward our family", Anna replied.

"I needed to stand up for myself and fight for what I want, So I decided to confront Anthony myself to beg him to just let me go and my family won’t be his burden" she continued

"So how was your encounter with him?", Mrs. Vance asked leaning forward in anticipation.

"I got to his house, and I was welcomed by their maid; Alice, I inquired from her of her boss's whereabouts and she pointed upstairs to his room, when I got to Anthony’s room he was sniffing cocaine when I entered, and some of his friends were also with him with a pile of drugs in one corner of his room, and this confirmed my research", Anna said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh my God!", Mrs. Vance exclaimed.

"He saw me watching him as I entered, he ran towards me and as I was about to reach for the door, he grabbed me from behind and pushed me onto the bed, I screamed for help and Alice rushed inside to check what was happening, she saw everything but the evil glare Anthony gave scared her away", Anna wept as she couldn't control her tears.

Mrs. Vance was filled with compassion, "What about the guard or other maids? Is there nobody else around to come to your aid?, What happened next?" she inquired.

"It was only Alice and the gateman that were at home, I told Alice to just wait behind the door, the moment she rushed in to see what was happening, she was so afraid as Anthony's facial expression scared her away" she replied.

“He was distracted when Alice barged into the room, so I used that as a means to escape, his friends tried to capture me but I escaped before they could reach me, though they pulled my clothes before I could reach for the door, leaving me half naked”.

Anna wiped off her tears, her voice was getting husky and her breath was unstable, she took a sip from the bottle of water before her, “I met his father and my Dad downstairs, they were surprised to see me half naked”.

"That must be so hard and traumatizing for you, what was their reaction when they saw you?" Mrs. Vance asked.

"I tried catching my breath as I tried to dress up myself and explained the whole scenario to them, but Anthony came rushing downstairs and told the opposite of the whole issue making himself the victim and lied I was trying to seduce his friends, they believed him, even my father didn't believe me, rather he just kept quiet", Anna said, her voice breaking as she wiped off her tears.

"That's so disappointing, even your father couldn't support you, now it's obvious the money Anthony offered to him has clouded his judgment, and that even towards his daughter", Mrs. Vance responded, anger lacing her tone.

"What about Alice; the maid? She saw the whole thing, she should be able to defend you" she asked.

"She ran away when the whole issue turned upside down, I'm still trying to find her, I could no longer feel my worth to my father and that's why I left Italy to come to California, and now that same person who ruined my life is back to finish his business" Anna replied, her voice trembling in fear as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Mrs. Vance felt so sorry for Anna, she held her hand and let out a little smile, "You've been through a lot in the past, and I feel your pain, but I can help you find this maid and get the justice you so much desire if we can have a deal that'll be beneficial to us both" she said glaring at her in compassion.

"I-I don't understand", Anna said, wiping off her tears, her voice barely audible.

Mrs. Vance leaned forward, holding Anna's hands gently, "Marry my son, you can use his name to conceal your identity and use his connections to find this missing maid and get the justice you wanted", she said in a soft and calm voice.

Anna's countenance changed, her eyes wide opened in awe, she withdrew her hands from Mrs. Vance's grasp, "M-Mrs. Vance, I-I don't understand you", she said, her voice breaking, trying to find the right word to say.

A little smile crept from Mrs. Vance's lips, "My son needs a wife at the moment, and knowing you for a while now, you're the perfect person to fit in that position", she said smiling.

Anna's heart raced within her, she couldn't comprehend what she just heard, "A wife?! I can't just marry someone I don't know, I’m still trying to escape the one I found myself in years ago, and besides, doesn't he have a girlfriend to marry already?" she asked anxiously.

"Don't quote me wrong my dear, it's just a contractual marriage for a year, he needs a wife to get the company's biggest investors' contract, and after that, you can both go your separate ways, if you can agree to do it, then I'll do everything in my power to help you" Mrs. Vance replied.

"I-I don't know what to say, this is so sudden and I'll need some time to think it through" Anna replied rubbing her hands with each other in confusion.

Mrs. Vance's phone buzzed, a call came in and she needed to leave to attend a conference, "You don't need to think too much my dear, this deal will be of benefit to both of us, I'll set up a meeting between you two so you can discuss it, and if you find him appealing or not, you can decide to accept or reject this proposal", she replied as she stood up preparing to take her to leave.

"Let me know what you decide, I hope you make the right decision", she added, placing her arms on Anna's shoulder as she left the restaurant.

Anna gave a deep sigh as she watched Mrs. Vance walk out the door, she placed her hands on her head, trying to comprehend the deal she was offered, different thoughts rumbling through her mind, she was at a crossroads, her desperation to find Alice at all cost but at the cost of her getting into a contract marriage with a stranger made her heart raced in anxiety.

"What if everything didn't work out as planned? What if Anthony gets to me before she can find Alice? What if Mrs Vance's son doesn't even want me? She thought to herself.