A 14-day Marriage Contract

JACQUELINE“I’ve been banging on your door since morning and you’ve refused to come out, eh?” my landlord’s voice thundered through the phone.“I know you’re in there! Just so you know, you can’t keep living in my house for free! Four years, Jackie! Four years! You’re a chronic debtor! Pay me my money!”I gripped the phone tighter, my throat suddenly dry. “Sir, I—I—”“You, you what?!” he snapped before I could finish. His voice roared in my ears, and I closed my eyes tightly, inhaling deeply through my nose.“I’m sick and tired of your excuses! Pay up or pack out of my house, do you hear me?” And just like that, he hung up.The silence that followed felt louder than his shouting. I bit hard on my lower lip, my eyes falling to the frail figure lying motionless on the hospital bed.My daughter.Eight years old, and her face looked ghostly pale, her lips dry and blood red. My chest tightened painfully at the sight. I reached out with trembling fingers to gently smooth her hair, a quiet

JACQUELINE My hands trembled as I read the messages over and over, my heart hammering in my chest, each beat harder than the last one. I clicked on the contact info, but all I could see was generic nothing specific. My mind raced—could this be a prank? A scam? Or something else entirely? But the more I tried to make sense of it, the less I could figure out. What are the odds that a random stranger would offer to pay my daughter’s medical bills in exchange for marriage? A hundred apparently. Or could this be Peter playing some dumb jokes on me right now?My phone beeped in my hands, another message came in.-It’s your choice. If you agree, the payment will be handled instantly. We’ll discuss terms when I say so-If I agree? I’ll be damned if I don’t agree! I didn’t even hesitate, I didn’t even consider any nonsense pros and cons because as far as I was concerned, if this agreement would make Jess okay, then that was all the pros I need. My fingers flew to the reply bar. It could be

JACQUELINE NEXT DAY Friday, 7:30am …“Are you sure everything is okay?” I asked the doctor, my brows knitted as I looked up at him slowly. He offered me a calm, reassuring smile and gave a slight nod. “She’ll be awake soon. There’s no cause for alarm.”I inhaled deeply, nodding as I exhaled in relief. “Thank you,” I whispered.He nodded once more before turning around and heading for the door. No sooner had he stepped out than it opened again, and a woman walked in. “Excuse me, who are you?” I asked immediately, instinctively stepping forward as she approached. She paused and gave me a polite smile, bowing slightly. “I’m Peace. Mr. Bennett asked me to clean you up ahead of his parents’ arrival tonight.” I blinked,“Clean me up?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with how I look?”She sighed softly and shifted her handbag on her arm. “Have you read the file Mr. Bennett gave you?” she asked.I wiped under my nose with the back of my hand and crossed my arms. “Sort of.

JACQUELINE 6:30am My eyes fluttered open, I slowly raised my hands to my face and rubbed my eyes adjusting slowly to the soft light in the room. I stared up at the ceiling, my body aching in places I didn’t even know could ache. It had been so long since I’d had a proper night’s sleep that even rest felt weird. I could feel soreness deep in my bone.Then it hit me, I wasn’t supposed to be alone. I had shared a room with Jonathan.The realization jolted me right up. My eyes quickly scanned the room, but he was nowhere in sight. I exhaled a quiet breath and peeled the duvet off, yawning softly as I swung my feet to the floor.Just then, the door creaked open. Jonathan stepped in, already dressed and looking like he was about to leave.“You’re awake,” he said, his tone neutral.I was just about to respond but the ringing of my phone cut me off.“Sorry,” I muttered, reaching for it. My chest tightened the moment I saw the caller ID: Ashley.A cold knot formed in my stomach as I answer

JACQUELINE DAY 3 of 14 Monday, 9:00am“I must say, I’m impressed,” Trent said the moment I wrapped up my pitch and my lips unintentionally spread into a small smile. Though I knew it wasn’t perfect yet, he didn’t seem to mind. He had insisted I come to his office to seal the deal the formal way, since we weren’t able to talk the last time he was at Jonathan’s office. I smiled, stepping back with my hands folded neatly in front of me, my heart still pounding.“I like your presentation, It shows you know your an expert in your field,” one of the elderly board members added with a nod of approval. I bowed slightly, grateful. “Thank you, sir,” I whispered. Eight years in B&B event planning was actually no joke. “Well done, Jackie,” Trent said again, his tone firmer now, more assured.“My board and I are more than willing to invest in your business.”My eyes widened. I lifted my hands to my face, stunned.“Really?” I breathed, barely able to contain the tremble in my voice. He nodded