Twisted Vow

A Contract With Condition

Olivia sits across from Brandon the next day in his penthouse office, holding the contract drafted by his lawyers.

Brandon Sterling sits with the ease of a man who already knows the outcome of his game. His navy suit is crisp, his face unreadable, save for the ghost of amusement playing at the corner of his mouth. The only movement he makes is the slow, rhythmic tapping of his fingers against his mahogany desk.

Olivia darts a quick look at him and returns her gaze to the contract in her hand. The sheets of paper are heavier than they should be in her hands. Her fingers tremble as she flips through the contract, trying to read and understand, as his lawyer had instructed.

Her heart hammers in her chest, reading through the contents of the contract. She swallows hard when she gets to where her duties were illustrated.

Play the role of the perfect wife. Attend events. Smile for the cameras at functions. No intimacy required. Do not breach the contract.

Every word is a grip around her freedom; she wonders how she's going to fake all of that and make them perfect in the next one year. She drags in her breath, trying to make her hands stop trembling.

She clears her throat and asks, “what happens if I fail?”

Brandon tilts his head, the smirk deepening. “You don't want to fail, Miss. Carter”

Something cold slides down her spine, with the way he speaks. ‘Is there more to this arrangement than this man is letting me know?’ She asked herself.

Her eyes flick back to the paper. The ink seems to blur together, her mind screaming at her to stand up and run. But run where? She has nothing left. She forces her voice to stay steady and looks back at him. “So, I just…pretend to be your wife. Show up at parties, act in love for the cameras and people around?”

His gaze sharpens, something unreadable flickering beneath the surface. “Yes,” he nodded.

Her fingers tighten around the pen. “Why me?”

For the first time, a hint of irritation flashes across his face, gone almost instantly. “I thought I told you yesterday.”

Yes, he did. But she isn't still satisfied with the answer he gave her yesterday.

“I need a moment, please,” she drops the contract on his desk. “I…I will come back.”

“Where are you going?” He asked, shifting to the edge of his seat. She doesn’t say, instead she only tells him she would come back.

“Of course you will,” he replies confidently and opens the folder in front of him to start his work.

She springs to her feet and runs out of his office. She keeps walking with only one destination in her mind; the cemetery. She needs to talk to her father. She takes a bus and gets there within thirty minutes.

She walks to where her father lays. The cold bites at her skin as she kneels in front of the simple gravestone, the name etched into the marble nearly worn smooth.

“Hi, Dad,” she whispers, pulling her coat tighter around herself. “I know I was here two weeks ago, but I'm here again.”

Silence answers her, but she imagines him looking at her with his brown, sharp eyes. She hadn't gotten over his death, which occurred twenty-eight months ago.

“Daddy,” she clears her throat. “I need you now. Brandon, the billionaire CEO, wants to marry on a contract.” She says as if Ezekiel Carter were sitting right beside her physically. “I need the money so much…you know how much debt I incurred during your sickness…” She sniffles, “the money will pay all of that debt and I will start my bakery business also…”

Tears stream down her cheeks but continues to talk. “But I think Brandon is hiding something from me and I am afraid…I don't want to make mistakes, daddy.”

Her fingers dig into the damp earth. “I don’t know what to do,” she admits, her voice shaking. “I wish you were here.”

She falls into silence again, waiting to hear that kind, steady voice of her father in her heart.

Olivia sits there for a long time until her heart feels less heavy, and she knows she has her answers.

When she finally stands up, her legs are a little stiff, but she feels lighter, the weight of the world, if not entirely lifted, then at least a little less heavy. “Thank you, Daddy,” she whispers and walks away.

*********

Brandon's office door slams open suddenly, interrupting the report he was studying. His stepmother, Victoria, along with Cole, his stepbrother.

“Has she signed the document?” Victoria asks, her face a mask of disapproval.

“What are you both doing here?” He asked exasperatedly.

"Brandon," Victoria begins, her voice sharp, "Has she signed?"

Brandon remains seated, his expression unreadable. He doesn't offer an answer. He just looks on.

"The document," Cole adds, his tone dripping with impatience. "The one about… the girl. Has she finally come to her senses and refused your offer?"

Brandon's jaw tightens in annoyance. “Why don't you both have patience?” He scolded, “she had to step out, she will soon return and sign the papers.”

"We still don't understand your interest in this… nobody," Victoria continues, her gaze sweeping over the document on the desk. "What could she possibly offer? What are you hiding?"

“I know what I want,” he tells them.

Finally, Victoria sighs. "Well," she says, her voice clipped, "we'll be waiting for your news." With a final, disapproving glance, she turns and sweeps out of the office, Cole following closely behind. The door slams shut once more, leaving Brandon in a sudden, pensive mood.

He gets up from behind his desk, staring at the unsigned document on his desk as he walks to the large window. The only motive, he thinks, is to keep the past where it belongs, the past. He closes his eyes, the weight of his secret pressing down on him.

A knock sounds at the door; he quickly sits on his chair and asks the person knocking to come in. Olivia walks in, looking better than she was before leaving.

A smile forms on his lips as she walks up to his desk, and he asks, "I guess you are ready now, Miss. Carter?"

She nods and walks forward to his desk. The air crackled with an unspoken understanding between them.

Olivia sits and reaches for the document, her hand still shook a bit with the fear of the unknown. She signs it, sealing her fate for the next one year.

Brandon takes the contract from her, scanning it with that ever-present smirk on his lips.

“Welcome to the Sterling family.” He nods at her. “The wedding preparations start immediately.”

Olivia exhales shakily, looking away from him.