I Signed A Marriage Contract With My Captain Boss To Survive

Chapter five

After the paparazzi stunt, Nathan suggested we should go to some other place to do something fun. I was taken aback, because the boss I had always known, fun, was scraped from his dictionary, unless Cheryl and the girls dragged him.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking care of things for the upcoming tournament?" I had asked him.

"I took the day off," He answered me with a mischievous grin. "Only for you,"

My heart had melted a bit at that.

"To further solidify our fake stunt. I wouldn’t want anyone noticing cracks on the surface." he continued, wiping off the heartfelt emotion in my chest. I rolled my eyes at him.

When I worked for him, I was barely allowed to go home during the holidays, and here he was talking about Karaoke and ice cream. Nathan wants to sing? I was still shaking my head at the absurdity of the situation when my phone buzzed on my lap.

It was a text message from an unknown number, asking us to meet for brunch at a famous bakery shop.

My forehead creased in a frown, and I replied instantly.

Who was this?

I don't think I was prepared for the reply I got next.

Cheryl Donovan.

Cheryl? Nathan's only female best friend. With great emphasis on the 'only'. And the rudest woman on the planet. A lot of the times I had met her since I worked for Nathan, she had given me a nasty attitude. She always had this air of superiority that repulsed me. It suited Nathan’s personality perfectly, but her? Hell no. Still, her actions struck me as odd. What on earth would she want with me?

I asked her why, and her response stated clearly that it was an important meeting, and it was urgent. Because of my curiosity, I agreed.

Nathan noticed the change in my cheerful demeanour. "Did something happen?"

"No," I beamed at him a little too brightly. "Just someone from work,"

He gave me a skeptical look that told me he demanded more answers. I let out a tired groan.

"It's just someone asking me how I have been doing since I was fired," I explained as nonchalantly as I could while I lied through my teeth, shrugging my shoulders. I raised an eyebrow at him. "You realise I just got fired, right?"

"Interesting," he said, and let out a low chuckle. "And who might this person be?"

"You wouldn't know all your employees by heart," I answered vaguely, knowing it would rile him up. Things are different now. He wasn't my boss anymore when I was mandated to answer to him.

He remained silent, but, however, I noticed that he had tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Then he wore that arrogant smirk of his. "Two people can play this game, Nora."

I laughed softly. "Is that a threat?"

"No," he said, not amused by my words. "But we'll see."

I slapped a hand against his arm. He glanced at me, his eyes holding an incredulous glare. I smiled sweetly at him. "Well, I would like to see you try."

*

It was close to midnight when Nathan dropped me off at my apartment. We had spent the rest of our time talking through everything else left, rehearsed our love story, and discussed how small we wanted the wedding to be. And there was no karaoke, only ice cream, a walk in the park, and watching a movie at the cinema.

Now inside, I unfastened my watch from my wrist and began undressing slowly, lost in my thoughts. The official announcement was in two days, and the day that will mark my return to i********:. I was going to meet Matthias Rothwell in three days. I have met the man occasionally, and he truly was a man who moved the earth by all standards of life. I once overheard Nathan say that to underestimate him was a grave mistake, and to oppose him was a far graver one. Since then, I had wired my brain to be wary of him. My phone buzzed from the bed, snapping me out of my thoughts. I yawned and yanked off my jeans, determined to take a hot shower, and not miss my skincare routine. I also remembered I still needed to film an advertisement video for my mother. I made a mental note to shoot it in the morning. She was the reason my skin stayed super flawless.

An hour later, I slipped into a set of baby blue pyjamas and stretched out on my massive bed. I pulled my legs up and tucked them in between. I had fallen in love with my bed the moment I saw it at the antique shop. The spring foam was stretchy and soft, and the design on the wood was unique and flawless, with lots of carved flowers encasing two carved dragons that reached towards the ceiling. Nathan had made a good joke about me being a lost Imperial princess who had reincarnated into the modern world. It was the only thing in the apartment that I had chosen for myself.

I buried my head in my soft sheets, the flowery scent welcoming me further into my bed. I was exhausted….and oddly excited.

But I knew my parents wouldn’t understand. Still, it would be better to tell them myself before they hear it on the news. I was their only child, and I’d always done well by them till I started working for Nathan. To them, I had thrown away my degree and every opportunity that came with it.

The traditional marriage rites Nathan and I were about to perform were real. And knowing that the wedding was fake made my heart ache a little for my parents.

My phone started vibrating nonstop on the bed. I frowned as I reached for it. What was happening?

I opened the chat with my good friend Elisa, and my eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. She had sent me a picture of my boss at the café and me, splashed with a scandalous tabloid headline. I replied to her text vaguely with my fingers trembling, and immediately dialled my mother. I just hoped none of my relatives had gotten to her first.

She picked up on the first ring. “Aookiiii dear,”

“Hi, Mom. Konbanwa,”

“Genki?” She sounded a bit enthusiastic, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. She was not aware yet.

“I'm fine, ma. Papa wa?”

“He's good, taking a shower. He's still upset that you didn't stay for Thanksgiving. Is everything okay?”

I took a deep breath. “I resigned today,”

Her voice sounded elated, too joyful for my liking. “That’s wonderful news,” She raised her voice, calling out to my dad, “Kennjiii, come quickly! Aoki is on the phone, and she has resigned!”

I could hear my dad's muffled but unmistakable joyful voice from the bathroom. I shook my head.

“Aoki!” My mom continued excitedly. “What are your next plans? Whatever it is, you have our support. Maybe you could come work for me for a while,”

“Aoookiiiii,” my father's voice suddenly boomed into my phone. I winced and pulled the phone away from my ear, switching it to speaker. “Tozen da. It was long overdue. You should come home tomorrow. We will talk properly and discuss what you would do next.”

I hesitated, licking my lips nervously. “A no ne… There’s something I need to tell you,”

“Okay?”

“I'm getting married.”

There was a bit of silence. Then they both yelled in unison. “WHATT!!”

“Yeah,” I confirmed, shutting my eyes and bracing myself for a scolding.

“Who's he?” My father demanded, the shock still visible in his voice. “Do we know him?”

“Yes, papa,”

I heard my mother gasp. “Masaka .... Whoever this is, it's not Nathan Rothwell, is it?”

“It is, ma.”