Chapter 5

"Get married? You’re joking, right? We don’t even know each other’s favorite colors yet, Rex."

I stared at him wide-eyed. I let the fork in my hand slip, and it clinked softly against the porcelain plate. Behind the man’s sturdy frame, a huge wave crashed against the rocks. The white foam burst instantly, just like my thoughts at that moment. The sound of the crashing waves seemed to celebrate the madness that had just slipped from the lips of the man in front of me. I had just been kicked out. I had just lost my home. And now a stranger I’d met only last night was asking me to make a sacred vow.

Rex didn’t seem bothered by my shock. Instead, he reached for his glass of red wine. He swirled the liquid briefly before sipping it with great composure. His sharp eyes stared at me from behind the rim of the glass. It was as if he were peeling away every layer of doubt from my face.

“A contract marriage. Sounds more challenging and fair, doesn’t it?” he said after setting the glass down silently. “You’ll get all the perks you never imagined before. And for me, this is a profitable deal.”

I leaned forward. I tried to find even a hint of a lie or a joke in his eagle-like eyes. But I found only cold seriousness. “Are you really going to help me get revenge? Pay off all my debts? Or are you just looking for a new trophy for your mansion?”

Rex gave a faint smile. The kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes but was enough to send a chill down my spine. “Your father’s debts. Your mother’s hospital bills. Even making Alexander Lemos kneel at your feet. Those are all just minor issues for me, Emma.”

He rose from his chair and walked slowly around the table. The sound of his footsteps on the wooden deck was steady. He stopped right behind me and pulled my chair so I was facing him. Before I could react, his large hands were already on either side of the chair’s backrest. He trapped me in a tight space filled with the masculine scent of sandalwood.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered.

I froze. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to leap out of my chest. “Rex, what are you?"

“Close them, Emma.”

I obeyed. In the darkness behind my eyelids, my sense of smell became much sharper. The warm scent of his body overwhelmed me. My head spun instantly. Then I felt that touch. His lips pressed against mine,soft yet demanding. A kiss that felt like a seal on an unwritten contract. There was a foreign passion there. Something I’d never felt, not even from Alex.

Without breaking the connection of our lips, Rex pulled my body toward him and lifted me into his lap. I felt so small and fragile in this man’s embrace.

“I’ll give you anything you need,” he whispered right against my lips. His warm breath brushed against my skin. “But in return, you’ll serve me to your heart’s content. Marrying me under this contract is far more appealing than continuing to weep over the man who’s hugging your own best friend in your own home, isn’t it?”

I was speechless. My tongue was tied. Amidst the chaos, Rex had already pulled a black leather folder from under the table. He opened it and showed me several neatly arranged sheets of paper. It was as if he already knew I would have no choice but to agree.

"Did you prepare all this?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"I always prepare what I want, Emma."

I looked at the documents, then shifted my gaze to his dark eyes. "What else are you asking of me? Besides serving you?"

Rex looked me up and down. From my neck to the curves hidden beneath the sexy black dress I was wearing. His gaze was so intense, as if he were appraising a valuable asset he desperately wanted.

A man like him must have been surrounded by women all this time. But there was something different about the way he looked at me.

“What is it?” He gave a faint smile. His fingers traced the line of my jaw possessively. “Give me a baby. Serve me until I truly feel I no longer need you. How about it?”

I was stunned. A bitter smile appeared on my lips. “A baby? You want me to get pregnant with your child in the middle of this crazy contract?”

“Exactly.”

“Then what if I never get pregnant? What if my body can’t give you what you want? Will you divorce me and cast me aside again?” I challenged him. The offer sounded both tantalizing and terrifying to my ears.

Rex laughed lowly. A rumbling sound that vibrated against his chest pressed against my back. He brought his face close until our noses touched. He locked my gaze with his deadly, hawk-like eyes.

“We’ll see about that. I’ll make you pregnant again and again until I’m truly satisfied. I won’t let my investment go to waste, Emma.”

“Hah? You’re crazy! So strange and crazy!” I exclaimed. I tried to pull my face away, but he held the back of my neck gently yet firmly.

“So, what do you say? Agree? Or do you want me to take you back to your husband’s house so you can watch him make love to Laura again?”

I fell silent. The image of Alex kissing Laura on my bed flashed before my eyes once more. It shattered the last remnants of my hesitation. I reached for the pen lying on top of the folder. My hand was still trembling, but my eyes now blazed with the same fire as the man’s.

Sometimes a deal with the dark side is the only way out when the world no longer gives you the choice to stay clean. Selling your womb and body might sound like a humiliation to other women. But for a heart that’s already been humiliated and driven from its own home, this contract is an initial victory. Don’t fear the man who desires your body. Fear the man who can place the world at your feet with just a signature on a piece of paper. This choice is indeed madness. But doesn’t destruction always demand an irrational way to be repaired? This morning, I am no longer the unfortunate Emma. I am the Emma who has just signed a pact with the storm.