Signed, Sealed... Not Delivered

OLIVIA’S POV

“I must confess, I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon, agreeing to my terms,” Mr. Monroe said to me.

We were seated across from the table, with only the long conference table separating us. Jessica sat at my side, her eyes offering me all the courage I needed to get through this meeting. 

“I was going to reject your offer,” I told him. 

He let out a short laugh, slightly amused by my words. “And what made you change your mind?” 

I rolled my shoulders, my lips curling downward. “The deal is only for a year,” I began to say. “And with all the juicy offers you made alongside this deal, one would be a fool not to take it.” 

It was a miracle that I could speak, with all the nerves threatening to cripple me. 

The scene of Kelvin in bed with that bitch, Angela, replayed in my mind, and I could almost feel my hands curling around her neck and snapping life from her.  

“And, besides,” I continued, shaking the memory away. “I don’t think I fancy being dressed in orange for the next five years, while my brother is out here in the world, with no one to care for him.” 

He nodded intentionally. “You have made a wise decision. I am certain you won’t regret it, especially when you go to the bank to cash out the fat checks you will be receiving.”

My body tensed. I turned to look at Jessica, noticing the huge grin on her face. It was as though she was the one cutting this deal with Mr. Monroe and not me. 

I swallowed softly, my eyes falling to the table as a thought crossed my mind. “You said I would be marrying your son?” I asked, my eyes lifting to his face. 

He nodded. 

“Why is he not here in this meeting today?”

His jaw tensed, and he turned to look at the other men who sat beside him. They had introduced themselves when they came into the room. The man on his left was Mr. Christopher Brown, his lawyer, while the other one introduced himself as Ethan, Mr. Monroe’s assistant. 

Mr. Monroe leaned forward, his hands steepling on the table as he held my gaze. “Is his absence going to be an issue?” he asked in a firm tone. 

A large lump formed in my throat as I glanced sideways at Jessica, who was already shaking her head, her eyes giving me the signal to do the same. 

I sighed, hesitating for more than a second before turning to Mr. Monroe and his crew. My heart sank into my stomach. “No,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. 

Jessica grinned at my response, approving of it. 

He let out a soft exhale, a small smile forming on his lips. “Alright then, let’s get into the matter at hand.”

They brought out some files, keeping some to themselves before handing the rest over to us. Jessica picked one, tossing the other to me.

“Shouldn’t we be here with a lawyer?” I whispered to her. 

A snort escaped her. “Yeah, right. Like we have the funds to hire one.” She opened the file before her. “We will be fine, Olivia. All we have to do is sign the contract, and the rest is history.”

I let out a soft sigh, turning to face the file before me. I opened the first page, reading the words on it. I kept flipping through pages, stopping momentarily when something caught my eye. 

“What?” I exclaimed, my fingers freezing mid-page as I reread the clause. 

All eyes fell on me at that instant. 

“Give birth to a child?” I said, the words tasting foreign on my tongue. “No one told me anything about getting pregnant and giving birth,” I declared, my eyes burning with rage as I looked up to them, my focus on Mr. Monroe. 

The lawyer opened his mouth to speak, but Mr. Monroe stopped him. “I apologize for hiding the information. We had no intention to deceive you, which was why it was added to the agreement in your hands.”

“So what if I was an illiterate and I wasn’t able to read through these clauses,” I said, already irritated by the brewing foul play in this matter. 

He cast me an incredulous look. “We were hoping you would come with a lawyer who would explain the terms of the contract to you.”

My throat worked to swallow my saliva as I turned to face Jessica. My gaze remained on her unreadable face for a brief moment. “I can’t do it,” I announced, already standing to my feet.

“What?’ Jessica shrieked, pulling me down. Our eyes met. “What the hell do you think you are doing?” she whispered, looking at me as if I had gone mad. 

“They want me to get pregnant,” I whispered back to her. 

She drew in a sharp breath, turning her entire body to face me. “I know this isn’t what you were expecting.” Her gaze softened, almost drawing me in. “But think about what this contract would do for you.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Do you have any idea what you are saying? I have to sleep with his son to get pregnant.” My voice was slightly raised, but I couldn’t care less. 

The other men at the other end of the table sat in silence as they watched Jessica and me argue with each other, our muffled voices filling the air. 

She gave me that look. I scoffed, looking away from her. 

“Did you read through this contract?” she asked, her voice still low but enticing. “You will be paid a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a month for twelve months, Olivia. That’s like twice our combined salary for a year. That’s what you would be paid in a month.”

“Not everything is about money, Jessica. How do you think this deal would make me feel? I have a dignity to uphold.”

She gave a hollow laugh, the sound biting through my skin. “Too bad you dont get to use your dignity to pay the bills in the world we live in.” 

My mouth dropped at her statement, but no words formed. 

“What did you get after all the years you were with Kelvin, with your dignity intact?” She waited for a response. “Nothing.” She scoffed. “The rent is due next week and we have other bills to take care of. With the amount these people are willing to pay, if they want you to give birth to triplets, you shouldn’t argue about it.”

“Allow me to cut in,” Mr. Monroe said, interrupting our banter. 

Our eyes turned to him, a wide grin adorning Jessica’s face as she nodded, pinching me to do the same.

“I understand your fears about this arrangement,” he continued. “But if you were patient enough to read through the rest of the contract, you would see that there are added benefits to this special assignment. We will be paying you the sum of ten million dollars after the successful delivery of the child.”

Jessica’s eyes found mine, a happy glint sparkling in them. 

“This is for the inconvenience, and we are willing to negotiate higher, if you wish. And we will see to it that you are well taken care of during the entire pregnancy period.”

I swallowed tersely, my mind racing in several directions all at once. 

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Olivia,” I heard Jessica whisper in my ear. “I wouldn’t think twice if I were you.”

“And what happens to the child after the deal is over?” I asked.

He drew in a long breath, his chin lurching outward. He must have expected the question. 

“An arrangement will be made to suit both parties when the baby arrives, but I promise you, we have no plans of removing you totally from the child’s life.”

Nothing felt right about this deal. 

But this offer.

The pay. 

It was everything I needed to get my mother out of jail and avenge her innocence.

My brother's face flashed through my mind. The good life I could give him if I agreed to this deal. 

“Twenty million,” I said, after staying silent for a while. 

I held his gaze firmly. If I were to do this, then I have no plans to return to the streets after my entire family is reunited. I wasn't just selling a year of my life. I was buying my family’s freedom.

His eyes drew together. “You are aware that this deal is saving you from going to jail,” he pointed out, his voice low and dangerous. 

I wonder why he came here with his lawyer if he would be doing most of the talking himself. 

“You said the f*e was subject to negotiation. That is my bargain,” I stated fiercely.

He chuckled, a thin smile spreading across his face. “Alright then,” he said, sitting upright. “You have yourself a deal.”

Jessica let out a happy squeal, shaking my arm with elation. 

“And I want to be married in a week,” I quickly added when I recalled what I had said to Kelvin the other day. 

He arched a brow at me. “Why the rush?”

“Why not?” I countered. “I have a year to give you a child. I might as well get started with it already.” He grinned at my response. 

Wasting no further time, I penned my signature on the contract, sealing the deal before I even set eyes on the man I was to marry. 

Jessica’s excited shrieks filled the air, and we didn’t even notice when another man dressed in a sharp suit entered the room. 

The sound of Mr. Monroe clearing his throat shook us out of our haze. “My son is here,” he announced, his body tensing a bit.

My breath hitched, and for more than a minute, my heart refused to beat. 

He is here. 

I had spent the entire night checking him out on the internet, and although there hadn’t been any news on him since the accident I read happened to him, I was excited to meet him. 

We waited in silence, the ticking clock echoing like a countdown in my ears. I imagined the door swinging open to reveal a powerful man—tall, charming, confident. But when it finally creaked open, my breath caught in my throat.

A man with the spitting image of Mr. Monroe, sat motionless in a sleek, black wheelchair, his presence commanding yet distant, his gaze unreadable.

My heart plummeted.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, lashes blinking rapidly as if I could reset the image before me. “He’s… paralyzed?” The words slipped out before I could stop them—soft, but sharp enough to slice through the heavy silence.