Chapter 5: The Contract!

Nicholas's POV

She just fooled me. Bitch! I thought she was different. Different! Damn! She's like a witch from a different world.

"Mom? Dad? What are you all doing here?" She asked clueless.

"It was me dear." My mom said excitedly clapping her hands together. "I recognized you the moment I saw you that day. Your parents were so worried when you ran away five years back. We thought we scared you with the marriage proposal, so you ran away. But now everything's fine. You and my son have fallen in love. Finally! Our dreams have come true. We don't have to change our plans now. Me and Elena are so going to enjoy shopping for the wedding" My mom started rambling.

"Mom there's not going to be a wedding anytime soon" I interrupted.

"What?" My mom asked with a shocked face. But she was trying to be hopeful. Nope... I'm not going to cancel the marriage. I will go through this marriage with the same cunning women. "Oh my God" I heard my Mom again. I looked at her holding her head as though she's having a headache or going to faint and the other holding onto my Dad for support.

"What are you saying son?" My dad started.

"Wait Mom, I didn't mean to say that we are not going through the wedding at all. we will. At some point we have to but not so early. At least we both want to decide on the date on our own." I said and everyone looked at Ms. Evelyn for confirmation, she nodded with a nervous smile, confused with what I just said. Her fake smile adding to my annoyance.

"Oh! Okay sure, Agreed, since it's our Kate... you don't have to marry within a month" My mom said happily. All her headache gone. I know she was faking it. After all, she's my mom. I know her very well! "Oh and you even have to sign the papers. Give me a minute, it's in the room I'll bring it down." My mom said dragging Dad along with her but turned around "Mr & Mrs Linard. Please follow. And you kids, you all go sit in the garden area, we'll be back soon" she said. Papers? Dad understood my question, but his face held an expression as blank as a sheet not giving away anything.

I lead them all to the garden. But Evelyn kept glancing at me from time to time. I only looked at her once, more like glare and she turned her eyes away.

"Oh my God. Look at her clothes Peter.... Don't you have any shame?" Rose her elder sister asked taunting her, while Peter started laughing looking her up and down.

Evelyn's POV

What is wrong with my clothes? I tried so hard to dress well, even Nick agreed. May be he was just trying to make me feel good. Oh god what might be Aunt Nina thinking, she is very fashion conscious. Wait! Why am I getting influenced by them again? They were always like this. I need to stop this, I can get manipulated very easily. Assholes.

"Why you find my clothes very plain Rose? I guessed so, especially in front of those slut like skirt of yours, I might be looking like Jane." I said and I heard Nick snickering behind me.

"You bitch! How dare you insult me! Call me a slut. You were the one who ran away because of your insecurities. Don't know to where, in which whorehouse!" she said flipping her hair.

I couldn't help but to gasp at that comment. "You will not insult my bride-to be in my house or anywhere and definitely not in front of me" Nick's voice boomed like thunder from behind me making us all flinch with fear.

"Evelyn... get in" It feels good to hear my name from his mouth after all these days. He always called me Kate, and I always felt like he was cursing me. "I said get in" he said through gritted teeth bringing me out of my thoughts and I entered while he followed behind with his hand on my waist.

"Nick..." I heard his Mom. "Dining room please" she said as we were already heading there.

"Come let's have lunch. Take your seats. But you both have to sign these papers before that" she said genuinely happy. 

"What are these?" I asked while my Mom took the chair beside me and on the other side was Nick.

"A Contract. Between the two families. It was an old contract that we prepared. It has all the clauses, conditions.. Mmm... You can read them first." Uncle Gregorios finally said. But when he mentioned the reading part, Aunt Nina and Mom's eyes were as wide as saucers. I raised my eyebrows at their behavior, but they just shrugged it off with a smile.

Nick snatched the papers from his mother, and read the clauses, I don't even know if he read it properly, he just took a glance at it, from top to bottom and smirked at me handing the papers to me. But quickly snatched it back and took out a pen from his shirt pocket to sign them where marked to. He finally pushed the papers towards me. First page was full of bullshit, under this section that section blah blah blah....... and I finally started with the conditions, 

'The marriage contract is that it is a valid condition that must be fulfilled, and it is not permissible to break it'

"What!?" I screamed.

The first condition itself is making me feel nauseous. 

"What happened honey? Scared? That you won't be able to tolerate me? Remember we'll be legally tied to each other for the rest of our lives" He whispered into my ears in his seductive voice.

I shook my head clear and continued reading the papers, it really made me feel sick. 

"Enough reading child. Now just come on sign the papers." My mom said sweetly, but I could recognize the venom behind her sweet voice. I looked into her eyes, which were practically burning holes into mine. She whispered in a low voice, "You have already destroyed our lives enough, now just sign the papers quickly." I waited for the look on her face to change, but it didn't. Does she really want me to go through this hell-hole! I looked up to my father sitting directly opposite to me, glaring at me with a glass of wine in his hand. Well when did they ever care? I was just a fool to expect. I didn't even have to look at my siblings. I signed wherever needed and handed the papers back to Uncle Nathan, who sat with his wife, both with content smiles on their face. At least someone is happy!

Nick's phone buzzed indicating an incoming call, he said it's important and got up to attend, when the bell rang at the same time. "It's okay. I'll take it" He said with the phone on his ear.

We all sat in silence waiting for Nick so that we could start with lunch. And when he came back, he wasn't alone but with a brunette on his arms, a very gorgeous, beautiful girl to be precise. He was holding her waist possessively and kissed her temple as he presented her to us with a smile. She smiled at every one but her eyes zeroed on me, narrowing her eyes. What have I done to get such looks all day today from all around me? It's definitely not my day. But why the hell am I getting conscious, I should be the one narrowing my eyes on her. Though me and Nick don't hold any feelings for each other, he has no right to insult me this way. Instead I glared at him, first he seemed confused but then looked to his left, at the girl, and his expression quickly changed from confusion to amusement. Really? What is sooo amusing to him?

"Everybody" He mentioned but his eyes stayed on me. "I hope you've all met my sister Isabella?" He said smirking at me.

'Sister?' What the hell? I got jealous over nothing. Oh god! He'd be thinking shit about me now. Whatever! I don't care. I just want to go home now. I lowered my eyes, but I still couldn't understand why she was glaring at me. As if God heard me, he granted me what I wanted. Home!

"Mom, Dad, I have to leave, I have some work. And I promised to drop Evelyn home so.... I'm so sorry we'll catch up another day. For now, Bye!" He said as he came to stand next to me and pulled me onto my legs. I said my goodbyes to Uncle Nathan and Aunt Nina. My family? Well, I didn't even spare them a single glance. I have finally got to take my revenge on them as well. I have done just what they wanted me to, now they'd wish the exact opposite. What I don't understand again is how come Nick agreed to this marriage with the conditions. I mean it's just pathetic. 

I was about to open the car door when someone pulled my arm. "So you're back huh? To ruin my brother's life again? He told me everything before I came in. You are such a bitch seriously! I'm warning you-" She wanted to continue.

"Isabella" Nick interrupted and shook his head like telling her not to. And she obeyed like a sweet child and went back in but not before throwing a last glare at me. Jesus! Save me from these glares. Ufff! Now Nick again. I quickly got into the car.

It was silent until Nick decided to break it, "You knew didn't you?"

"What?" I asked.

"You knew who I was, right from the moment you saw me. Right?" He asked and looked at me for confirmation. I nodded with my head low. My plan was low and cheap. "I owe you an apology. Honestly, all those years back, I never meant anything I said that night. I knew that you were listening to everything standing behind the window. I saw you in my car's rear-view mirror, and I thought that may be by seeing how cruel I was, may be by showing you what kind of a worse future I might give you... I- I thought you'd get scared and back off yourself. You'd yourself reject the proposal and my parents wouldn't have had another choice but to accept your decision. But then you had to run away, drowning me in my guilt. I didn't even know your name. Everyone in school called you Ev. I tried to find you, but one day dad said it's better if we'd let you be for some time...... You know my friend Daniel, right?" He asked. The one who was at the club with him.... "Well I must say your friend is in safe hands, I can see it in his eyes. He is a completely different man with her... I thought I could find the same true love. But little did I know-" He stopped himself before saying whatever it was. "I take my apology back." What the fuck was that now? I only wanted to hurt you that night, so that we could live our lives happily away from each other, deciding for ourselves rather than letting our parents to. I thought you might agree, but then you took a drastic step and ran away. You came back to hurt me, to ruin my life too. So, I guess we are even now" He finished and continued driving the car like nothing happened.

"What do you mean by we're even now?" I asked ridiculed with his speech.

"Anyways... what was your plan actually?" He asked ignoring my question and it was my time to smirk.

"Well, it was simple. Make you fall in love with me and then ditch you on the day of our marriage. We aren't even now. We would have been even ‘then’ cause even you would've felt the same insult I felt all those years back" I said looking out of the window without a care in the world.

"Wow... that's deep!" He said amused with my plan. Well ex-plan now.

"Wait.... why did you agree to this marriage now?" I asked confused.

"Why did you agree?" He asked. Okay! I have no answer to that.

"Exactly. I planned on marrying you and now I will marry you. With or without your consent. With or without the presence of love. I don't care. I've made up my mind. You will be my Bride!" He said determined. But his anger for me still clear in his eyes.

"I don't understand that but I agreed cause..... I don't know. I still hate you. I could still get my revenge. And by getting married to you, I could play with my parents the way I want. I could torture them the way they did to me. I have many advantages" I said.

"We're here" He said like he was uninterested, I looked around that we are parked in front of my small house. 

"Thanks for the ride" I said and climbed out immediately.

"Wait. Just because I was too sweet to you doesn't mean I will be like that for the rest of our lives. So, I don't want you to live in a dream. It was only my guilt for five years that was speaking to you. You will see the real me very soon. We are already almost legally husband and wife, we just have to make it official in the church or whatever. Sweetheart I'm going to make your life a living hell" He said with an evil smirk making me flinch with fear for the first time, I was never scared of him. This man was completely someone else. What is he planning?! Oh god! I shouldn't have signed it. The Contract! Bloody Clauses!