CONVENIENTLY YOURS

CHAPTER FOUR

Edward didn’t waste time.

“This is a marriage of convenience,” he said flatly, his voice firm, clipped, almost cold. “Not love.”

Huda blinked, sitting stiff in the leather chair, her fingers nervously folded in her lap.

“I’m doing this for my grandmother,” he continued. “Not for me. So I’ll ask once: Are you in or not?”

The bluntness of it all hit like a slap. Even knowing the terms, hearing them delivered so coldly carved a hollow ache in her chest.

But in that moment, something else echoed inside her. The memory of her parents, her father’s laughter, the soft way he looked at her mother. The way her mother once said, “Your father didn’t just marry me, he chose me every day.”

Huda had dreamed of a love like that. Not this cold contract.

Still, she pushed that dream into the dark corner of her heart. This was bigger than her.

She lifted her chin.

“I want to do this.”

“Good,” Edward said, standing already, checking his watch. “John will take you shopping. You and your mother will need something to wear. Court wedding. Tomorrow. 9 a.m.”

Tomorrow?

Huda’s stomach dropped. The room tilted slightly. Everything was moving too fast. Too sharp. She barely even knew him, outside that annoyingly perfect jawline and unshakable arrogance.

“I’m a busy man,” Edward added, already at the door. “John will take you now.”

Then he left without a single backward glance, not noticing or caring about the sadness swimming in her eyes. He gestured something silently to John, who turned to her with a kind but cautious smile.

“Miss Huda,” John said gently, “shall we?”

She just nodded, numb.

The boutique they drove to was like something pulled from a dream. Golden lighting, mannequins in gowns that looked stitched by stardust. She felt out of place just stepping in.

Still, she kept it simple, an elegant white dress for herself, soft blue for her mother.

No lace. No sparkle. Just enough.

Back at the apartment, her mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of her.

“H-Huddi! How did it go?”

Huda smiled, a practiced, steady one. “He’s… sweet. Generous.” Her voice didn’t crack, but her heart did.

“We’re getting married tomorrow.”

Her mother went still. “That’s too sudden, Huddi. Are you sure about this?”

“I am,” she said quickly, avoiding the mirror in her mother’s eyes. She handed over the soft blue dress Edward had provided. “For you.”

Her mother took it with gentle hands, eyes widening at the soft blue fabric. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

But as she stared at the dress, her eyes moved slowly back to Huda’s face. Something was off.

And in that moment, she knew her daughter was doing this for her.

Huda turned away before her mother could say anything more, holding onto the lie she’d told herself:

It doesn’t have to be love. It just has to save her.

~ THE WEDDING MORNING ~

The city yawned beneath silver clouds as Huda stood at the window, pale morning light brushing her face. Her dress clung to her like a secret. Simple. Elegant. Unassuming.

Her mother’s voice, soft and proud, broke the silence. “You look like a bride from those old English films your father loved.”

There was a knock. John.

“The car is ready, Miss Huda.”

The drive to the courthouse felt like watching her life through a frosted glass window, blurry, unreachable. At the steps, Edward stood waiting, sharp as a blade in a tailored grey suit, his expression unreadable.

“Let’s not waste time,” he said, not offering a smile.

The ceremony was over before it began.

“I do,” she whispered, and with a pen stroke, became Mrs. Hawthorne by name, not by heart.

No kiss. No promises.

Back outside the courthouse, Edward muttered before sliding into the limousine.“Welcome to the other side of being a Hawthorne.”

John helped her mother in. Huda followed, her fingers playing nervously with the ring that didn’t yet feel like hers.

And as the car pulled away from the courthouse, the weight of the gold band around her finger felt heavier than it should have.

Edward leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning his phone for a brief moment before sliding it aside. Then he looked at Huda, unreadable as always.

“I have a demanding schedule. I get in and out of meetings without notice. There’ll be business trips, frequent ones. So don’t expect to see me much.

“And I do not expect children from you, don't expect personal involvement nor intimacy from me.”

His tone was practical, almost robotic, as if he were dictating terms for a corporate merger.

“I’ll transfer a monthly allowance for your expenses,” he added, still not looking at her. “Tenth of every month. Standard procedure.”

Huda said nothing, only nodded. Her heart was trying to keep up with everything.

“You’ll resume as my personal administrative assistant next Monday,” he continued, his voice smooth, detached. “It’ll make things easier, having you at the office during work hours. You’ll report to my executive secretary, he’ll bring you up to speed.”

Before Huda could absorb that, Edward was already moving on to the next point.

“Also about the marriage. For convenience’s sake, it should remain private for now. No one at the office should know. No public announcements. No social media. My family knows, that’s all that matters.”

Huda swallowed, the knot in her throat growing tighter.

“And one more thing. You have two days to move your things into my townhouse in North Belmont. It’s fully staffed, so you won’t lack anything.

“And your mother, she’ll be moved into one of our quieter properties near the townhouse. A private nurse, round-the-clock care, access to our hospital.”

That made Huda look up sharply. “You’d really do that for her?”

He didn’t meet her gaze. “It’s part of the deal.”

His tone made it sound like a checklist item. But to Huda, it meant the world.

“One last thing,” he added. “Grandma Shelly’s been asking nonstop to meet you. She’s very… persistent. I’ll arrange for a formal visit sometime next week. I suggest you prepare. She’s sharp and opinionated, but she’s the only reason I’m doing this.”

The car was silent. Huda sat stiffly, twisting the gold band on her finger, stealing glances at Edward, stone-faced, distant.

Ten minutes in, the car slowed and pulled up to a quiet intersection near the city’s financial core.

“I have another meeting,” he said briskly. “John will take care of the moving logistics.”

Several black sedans waited, engines humming, men in black standing like shadows.

Without a word, Edward stepped out, tossed his coat to a bodyguard, took a phone from another, and nodded once.

“Take them home,” he told John.

Then he vanished into a waiting Rolls-Royce. No goodbye. No look back.

Just a flash of cold power.

Huda watched the car glide away, dread curling in her chest.

This wasn’t just a marriage.

It was a move into a world she didn’t understand.