DEVIL'S BARGAIN

CHAPTER 4:The Marriage

Damian picked Vienna up from her shared apartment with Kiara. Vienna’s heart pounded with anticipation and nerves. She had tossed and turned throughout the night, barely able to sleep.

She had almost called Damian to back out when Peter had brought the revised marriage contract to her. Her nerves were eating her up. Her mind came up with 101 reasons why marrying Damian was a bad idea, but she had managed to convince herself that it was for the best.

Damian held the door open so she could enter the Civil Registry Office (Zivilstandsamt). His lawyer was already waiting for them with the marriage contracts and certificates.

“ Good morning, hope you are both ready to sign the certificate,“ Emille, Damian’s lawyer, asked them cheerfully. “ It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” he said, wearing a very bright smile.

Vienna felt more relaxed.“ Yes, likewise” she replied.

They were led to a private room with a large conference table in it. Damian and Vienna sat opposite each other with the lawyer at the head of the table. The lawyer placed the documents in front of them and asked them to go over it one more time. Vienna noticed that a payout clause of 5 million Euros at the end of the 1 year had been added to the contract.

“You are already settling my debt, there’s no need to pay me at the end of the contract,” She said, looking at Damian and his lawyer.

“ Well, we only thought it fair to give you a little incentive for completing the job like every business contract,” Emille said nonchalantly.

Vienna let out a sigh, with shaky hands she signed the contract and certificate and Damian followed suit. They are officially and legally married now.

“ Congratulations to you both, I’ll go file this “Emille said to both of them.

Vienna and Damian were left in the room alone now. “ I’ll have someone go with you to move your things to my place also we have a date night planned for this evening at 7 p.m. I hope the time is okay for you. “ Damian said.

“Yes, it’s perfect,” Vienna replied.

As she left the club, Damian’s publicity team sparked into action, posting the news of their marriage on his company’s official social media handle. Within minutes, Damian posted it on his personal handle, verifying the news. The news spread like wildfire and was all over social media.

Vienna stepped into her apartment completely oblivious to the news trending on social media. Kiara was seated on the couch in the sitting room.

“Vienna, your marriage to Damian is trending,” Kiara said immediately after she saw Vienna step into the house.

“Are you serious? The civil ceremony was just done some minutes ago. How did the news spread so fast?”

“ Well, the comment section said the news was posted on Damian’s organization's official handle and Damian also reposted on his personal handle,” Kiara said.

“ Congratulations though, how do you feel now that you are hitched?”

“ Well, it’s not like it’s a real marriage. I never envisioned my dream wedding to be like this”, Vienna replied,“ I guess I’m going to be hitched for a while. I have to pack up my things to move into Damian’s house. He said he was going to send someone to get me once I’m ready.”

“You are moving in with him?” Kiara asked, her eyes widened“ How am I going to pay the rent?”

“ Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging, I’m going to pay my portion of the rent that’s due, but you need to get a new roommate as soon as possible“, Vienna said,

“ I’m going to miss you so much Vee,” Kiara said, hugging her.

“Come on, we are still going to see each other frequently,“ Vienna said, hugging her back.

“Alright, let’s go pack up your stuff, Mrs. Salvatore “

Vienna felt weird being referred to as ‘Mrs. Salvatore ‘. The reality of her new life was fresh in her mind. She now had an additional identity as Mrs. Salvatore. She could only hope that her parents had not heard of the news even though she had been cut off from them for a year now.

Damian’s driver drove her through the gates of his estate, the sheer size of the estate got her bewildered, the estate screamed luxury befitting of someone with Damian’s status. The environment was quiet and surrounded by nature.

She was led into the Mansion by the butler, Mr. Davies, her belongings in tow, she looked around the inside of the building and gave off this ancient yet homey fill. The décor was in a warm style, contrary to the impression she had of Damian.

“Mrs. Salvatore, this way, please” the Butler beckoned to her,“ Mr. Damian instructed that your things be moved to his room.”

Damian’s room was decorated in monochromatic colors, with a king-sized bed, situated in the middle of the furniture made with mahogany and designed in a simple style. There was a large window and a little cushion with a blanket right by it. The window overlooked the lake, creating a very refreshing view. The room was also lighted with natural lights and had lamps that gave off a warm glow for the night.

Vienna walked into the closet. The closet space was as huge as her former apartment, and she noticed a section of the closet was empty, presumably for her to place her things. There was a door connecting the closet to the bathroom.

Vienna was wowed by the décor and size of the mansion. She felt elated. She was arranging her things when she heard a knock on the door.

“Mrs. Salvatore, the Master asked me to give this to you,” Butler Davies said, handing her a bag. Vienna opened up the contents of the bag. In it was a very metallic blue gown, lacy underwear, silver-colored shoes decorated with sequins, and jewelry to match. There was also a letter attached. It read“ I look forward to seeing you in this for our date.”

Vienna smiled at the gesture and, with a feeling of excitement, tried on the outfit. It was a perfect fit, hugging her curves in the right places.

At exactly 7 p.m., Damian arrived at the house to take her to the restaurant he had booked for the date. He was amazed when he saw her walk down the stairs in the dress. She looked more beautiful than he had imagined.

“You look stunning, Vienna,” he said, genuinely charmed, taking in her beauty.

“Thank you, Mr. Salvatore, you look amazing too”, Vienna replied.

“ You should call me Damian, there’s no need for formality between us,” Damian said, meeting her eyes and offering her a smile.“ Shall we? “ He said, taking her arms and leading her to the car….