Chapter 4: Marriage Proposal 

          (Violetta POV)

“F*ckin hell! I have just four days left to find a suitable partner, and nothing is working right now,” I kicked the air to hide my frustration. I can’t even call my best friend, Julia, right now because she is away on her honeymoon. I swear, when she is back, she will kill me with her own hands to stir up this much sh*t in her absence. 

“I don’t care, Gerald! I need a wife in the next week. Do anything or everything… Use money or resources… but I have to save my company and pack otherwise, that old man will seize my assets without any warning,” I heard an angry voice coming from the next booth, and an idea came to my mind. I stood up from my seat and walked towards the booth. 

Well! I have already made a ton of bad decisions, and I hope this one will not hurt much… I hope!

“Hello!” I waved my hand, and both men turned their heads towards me with such intense expressions like I had just offended them in some way. My heart asked me to turn on my heels and get the f*ck out of that place, but I decided to do otherwise. 

“Can I take a seat here?” I forced a smile on my face, but their expressions didn’t budge. 

“You are doing all this for your survival and freedom, Vee.” I reminded myself before facing the masked man. 

“I have heard your conversation,” I cleared my throat when they didn’t utter a single word in response. 

“I wasn’t eavesdropping at all… I swear, it was just a coincidence, but… I am here with a proposal,” I answered, and the masked man narrowed his eyes after hearing this. 

“I am searching for a partner for a contract marriage to escape from an arranged marriage. I know, you are also looking for a marriage partner,” I addressed the naked man, and he nodded in response. 

“If you agree to marry me, then your problem will be solved,” I answered, and after a few seconds, he nodded in response. 

“But what do you want in return?” He asked, and from his tone, I could tell he was a successful and clever businessman. 

“Well! We can select some rules and conditions for our contract marriage… How about that?” I proposed, and he looked towards the man. 

“Bring pen and paper,” He ordered, and the other man left the booth immediately.

“Do you know my real identity?” He asked, and I shook my head in no. He nodded his head in yes. 

“Okay then,” I thought he was about to tell me his identity, but he didn’t. I gulped hard and suppressed the feeling that I was getting since the moment I walked into this booth. 

“How many years do you need to get rid of your arranged marriage?” He asked, and I thought for a second. 

“Two years. What about you?” I asked. 

“2.5 years to three,” He answered. 

“Three years it is then,” I quickly answered. 

“And what are your requirements? I want to clarify that I will not be able to perform any husbandly duties, so you are free to keep any relationships outside of this marriage as long as others don’t find out about it, okay?” My mouth hung open. 

“Seriously? And the same will be applied to you, right?” I asked, and he nodded in response. I thought about it for a second, and then the handsome face of that handsome model flashed in front of my eyes, and my eyes lit up. 

“Okay, fair enough,” I answered. 

“I will pay you 500 million for this contract marriage. Half payment at the start and half payment in the end. With 1 million monthly remuneration, also your shopping expenses and all the other expenses will be on me, anything else?” He explained, and my mouth hung open. 

“1 million monthly?” I asked again to confirm if he really said that, or if my ears started playing tricks on me. 

“Not enough? What about 2.5 million?” He asked in a serious tone, and I thought he was joking. 

“Okay?” He asked to confirm when I didn’t answer him. 

“Y-yes! More than okay,” I answered. 

“And any other rules?” I asked him. 

“You can meet or see someone outside of my house, not in my house. Also, you have to accompany me in all the functions and parties as a wife until they start believing it,” I nodded like an obedient student. 

“Also, you are not allowed to come to my room at night. The basement is forbidden for everyone, so you are not allowed to trespass in that area at any cost, okay?” He added and I nodded. 

“Other than that, you are free to live your life as you want.” I nodded. Gerald didn’t come back until we discussed all the terms, or maybe he was waiting for us to finish our conversation. 

“Okay! I will wait for you at the marriage registration office at 11 o'clock sharp tomorrow, okay?” He asked, and I checked my mobile for any scheduled meetings, but there were none. 

“Okay! But what about the contract?” I pointed out his phone, and he handed me his card. 

“This is my personal number. You will receive a sample contract in an hour. You can read it and see if something needs to be changed. We will sign the contract before going to the marriage registration office tomorrow,” He assured me, and I nodded. 

“Will work for me. Thank you,” I stood up to leave when he stopped me. 

“Gerald!” He called his trusted man, who arrived in a minute. 

“He will drop you at your house safely,” He said, and my heart fluttered at his sense of responsibility. 

“Okay then, see you tomorrow, Goodbye.” I politely said goodbye to him and followed Gerald. 

He opened the door of a Maybach, and for a second, I was taken aback by the beauty of his car.

“Mam!” Gerald’s voice pulled me out of my trance, and I quickly recovered from my surprise. 

“Can I ask you a question, Mr. Gerald?” I asked, and he nodded. 

“You can call me Gerald, Ma'am,” He answered. 

“Okay! What’s your alpha’s name and the name of his pack?” I asked and pulled out my phone for a quick research. 

“Alpha Draven King, and our pack name is Redvale Pack.” He answered without hesitation. I quickly typed his name, but my eyes widened in shock after reading the first report. 

“Y-your alpha is cursed… and killed his first mate?” It was more of a statement than a question. I looked at his face through the rear-view mirror, and he noticed my fear. He nodded in answer, and my grip tightened around my phone. 

“F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! What the actual heck is going on?” I thought in my mind and looked at his face through the rear-view mirror. 

“W-what if I want to back out of this contract?” I asked in a nervous tone. 

“Then you can, Ma’am. You can think about it till tomorrow because after signing the contract, there will be no backing out,” He answered in a nonchalant tone. 

“Th-thanks,” I jumped out of the car as soon as the vehicle stopped. 

“Good night, Ma’am,” He said, and I forced a smile before heading inside my house. Without looking back, I headed straight to my room and threw myself on the bed. 

“Why is my life turning wild with each passing day?” I asked myself and started reading all the reports about that Masked Alpha. And with each report, I decided to cancel the so-called contract marriage with that masked man.