“Are you sure you want to do this, man?” Isaac asked, staring at Liam with doubtful eyes.
Liam and Isaac have been friends for the past 3 years, and Liam has always found a way to surprise him in everything he does.
“I know that I am probably the last person you want to hear this from, especially because of how my marriage ended, but marriage is meant to be sacred and taken seriously.” He continued.
“I have no choice, man; you know how important this deal with Mr. Ross is to me. Besides, she started the whole mess by creating the scandal, and I am sure that she would be more than glad to become my fake wife.” Liam said he was trying to convince Isaac.
Isaac looked at Liam, his best friend since childhood, with a mix of concern and skepticism. He understood the importance of the deal with Mr. Ross, but he couldn't help but worry about Liam's emotional well-being. "I get that this deal is crucial for your career, but are you sure entering into a fake marriage is the right solution? I know that you have been anti-relationship and anti-love ever since Bree, but this is not going to be any better, man. A relationship like this doesn't always end well; you will only make each other miserable."
"Trust me, man, I know what I am doing," Liam replied.
The decision to get into a contract marriage with Ashley had been very easy for Liam. He knew that the guilt of having to lie to everyone, including Mr. Ross and his family, would settle in later, but right now he needed to be a smart businessman.He believed that this arrangement would benefit both of them financially and help him secure a successful future. However, deep down, Liam couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that he might be sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of his ambitions.
He couldn't afford to think about his happiness, though, because the business world has no place for a weak man who thinks with his heart every time. He had been shown this several times when he was just starting out his business.
“Alright then, if you are sure. This is the first draft of the contract; you both can review it and add more clauses to it when she agrees. Just know that I do not approve of this, but I will support you,” Isaac said to Liam before working out.
“You know he is right; we really shouldn’t be doing this. Who knows how dangerous this girl could be if she could actually come up with this bogus scandal overnight?” Blake said immediately as Isaac walked out of Liam’s office.
Blake had been quiet and observing Liam throughout the whole conversation with Isaac, and he was also very much against the whole arranged marriage idea.
His reasons differ from Isaac's because he doesn’t feel like the girl could be trusted.
Blake and Liam had spent the whole day yesterday trying to find everything they could about her, and they almost couldn’t find anything.
What the media and the private investigator said about her made her out to be like a sweet person who is lonely, but Blake doesn’t believe that for a second. He had grown up with celebrity parents, unlike Liam, who grew up with working-class parents and knew that he shouldn’t allow people into his life easily because most of them come into his life with an ulterior motive.
Blake's skepticism stemmed from his past experiences with people who had tried to take advantage of his family's fame. He had learned to be cautious and not easily trust others, especially those who seemed too good to be true. Despite the positive image painted by the media and the private investigator, Blake couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to this girl than met the eye. He decided to keep his guard up and dig deeper into her background before fully trusting her.
He was not about to let what happened with Bree happen again because Blake knows that, as much as Liam wants to believe that the marriage would be fake and that they would not have anything to do with each other outside of public appearances, Liam has always worn his heart on his sleeves, and he would not be surprised if he ended up falling for her.
After all, the only thing that caused this whole mess in the first place was because Liam found her amazing. That wasn't about to change because they found out that she was the daughter of the most ruthless businessman in America.
"Not you too, Blake; can you guys just trust that I have this whole thing under control?" Liam said, feeling manipulated. He knows that his friends are just worried about him, but he needed them to trust him.
"I know better than to allow her woman to fuck me over again, which is why I am going to make sure that this contract is ironclad and she wouldn't be able to break it without damaging consequences."
"Alright then, I am going to trust you."
Liam hoped that by expressing his confidence and determination, Blake would understand that he had everything under control without further escalating his concerns.
He also knows that he is going to have to be very candid about keeping her out of his head, but he didn't tell Blake that because it would only make him more worried.
He has not been able to get her innocuous and enchanting look out of his head since that night, and for some reason, even though it was quite obvious that she was behind the whole scandal and had probably planned the whole thing, some part of him still wanted to believe that she was not someone like that.
Liam couldn't help but think back to their exchange at the gala. He had felt so at peace and calm in her presence, a feeling that he had not being able to feel in a while.
Ashley is kind of torn about what to do at the moment. Her parents had never asked her to do anything for them; in fact, they have always ignored her and only acknowledged her when they were in public.Ashley's conflicting emotions were pulling her in different directions. On one hand, she felt a sense of duty towards her parents, wanting to prove herself and gain their approval. On the other hand, she couldn't ignore the deep-rooted resentment that had built up over the years due to their neglect.Being the adopted and eldest child of the Valencia family, she had no expectations from her parents, but she burdened herself with trying to be up to their standards.She always tried to be the best at everything. Be kind to others, be prudent, and have good grades. Nothing she did ever made her parents notice her, but she never gave up.That was probably the reason why she danced with Liam that night. She knew her parents liked the idea that
"Hello, is this Ashley Valencia?" Liam asked immediately, and she picked up the call. Of course, he knew that it was her he was calling. He had done a thorough background check on her and was able to get her number through his private investigator. Ashley's mind raced, wondering what Liam could possibly want from her. She tried to maintain her composure and replied, "Yes, this is Ashley Valencia. How can I help you, Mr. Abbot?" Liam was surprised that she knew that it was him calling, but he hid it. He couldn't help but become more wary of her. "What else does she know, and what is she planning with her father?" He thought to himself, but decided to compose himself and go straight to the reason why he called her. "Well, I was wondering if you could stop my office later today to discuss this predicament that we have both found ourselves in," he said, and Ashley could feel her heart jump. "Uhmm, alright, I will be there in an hour or two," she responded without thinking twice. Liam
Ashley couldn't help but feel offended when she went through the contract and saw that Liam had offered to pay her a total of thirty million dollars if she agreed to the contract. She was okay with clauses like they should stay out of each other's personal lives and that they can date someone else but have to be discreet so as to avoid a scandal. What made her not okay was the fact that Liam thought he could buy her with his money. "I am okay with everything here except for the compensation aspect," she said with a frown on her face. "I am not surprised; how much do you want me to add to it?" Liam said bitterly, but Ashley just ignored him. Liam and Isaac were both surprised when she took a pen from her bag and crossed the part out. "I do not need your money," she said. "So, you are telling me that you would just marry me without getting anything out of it?" Liam asked. "Believe what you want, Mr. Abbot, but not everyone is out to get your money, and I surely am not. Besides, I
Ashley exchanged a glance with Liam, her amusement fading slightly at his cocky response. She couldn't help but wonder if he was truly taking advantage of the situation or if there was something more behind his decision. Nonetheless, she remained silent as Isaac entered the room, ready to finalize the contract.As Isaac began explaining the terms of the contract, she couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that Liam had some ulterior motive for proposing this arrangement. However, with no other viable options and a deep desire to escape her father's controlling grip, she reluctantly picked up the pen and prepared to sign her name on the dotted line.She couldn't help but feel like she was signing her life away as she stared at her copy of the contract, but she couldn't do anything about it. She knew that her father would have arranged her marriage anyway if the scandal hadn't happened.She would rather enter a contract marriage with Liam than get married to an odd man who would be cons
Ashley had been staring at her phone, waiting for the call that Liam told her that he would make to her through his personal assistant, for the past two days since she left his office.Her mind has been a jumbled mess since then, and she just can't help but want to know what to do next. She has been replaying the whole conversation in his office in her head and just hopes that all this is a joke.She knows it isn't, though, and she is still worried about whatever he was going to say to her. As the days passed, Ashley's anxiety grew. She couldn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty and the fear of what Liam's call might bring.She can't help but think about the potential consequences of her contract with Liam, especially if the media finds out that they got into a contract marriage. Despite her best efforts to distract herself, she couldn't escape the nagging question: What next?"Would she have to move in with him or will she stay with her parents?As much as Ashley was scared at the
Ashley contemplated not going to the meeting, but she decided that she had to. After all, she had signed a contract with Liam stating that she was going to follow him to any necessary meetings.She also knows that this might be quite important for him, so she had to prepare if she wanted to be a good fake partner for him."I think I should call Ethan and ask him who the person Liam was meeting is," she thought to herself. She didn't want to look all clueless like arm candy at the meeting.She doesn't need much time to dress up anyway. She never liked make-up, so all she had to do was just look for proper attire suited to the type of people that she and Liam were going to meet and the location."Hello Ethan, sorry for bothering you, but who is Liam meeting today and where is the meeting? I want to do my research before the meeting so that I won't be totally clueless," she said immediately. He picked up her call."Oh, hello, Miss Valencia. The person Mr. Abbot is meeting is Alexander Ro
Liam knows that cutting Ashley off and springing this on her out of nowhere was an asshole move, but he couldn't seem to be able to stop.He could tell that his words and actions were hurting her, but he also felt like she deserved it. After all, they wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't planned and created the damn scandal.He also couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he had with the strange lady who had been waiting for him outside the door when he got there. She had introduced herself as Mary, and he could tell that Mary genuinely cared about Ashley.He had gotten out of the car and was about to go knock on the door when she approached him.Liam's conflicted emotions were tearing him apart. On one hand, he recognized the pain he was causing Ashley, yet on the other hand, he couldn't shake off the feeling that she somehow deserved it due to her involvement in the scandal.As he replayed his encounter with Mary in his mind, her genuine concern for Ashley puzzled him even m
Ashley couldn't help but feel anxious as she walked towards the restaurant with Liam beside her. She didn't know what exactly the deal between Mr. Ross and Liam was, but she was worried that Mr. Ross would greet her as if he knew her.A waitress was waiting for them when they entered."Hello, Mr. Abbot and Miss Valencia, your table is ready. Mr. and Mrs. Ross will be with you shortly," the waitress said, smiling at Ashley, and she smiled back.Liam couldn't help but be appalled by the exchange because it was obvious the waitress was trying to flirt with Ashley with the looks she was giving her.Liam could tell that Ashley was too naive to notice that, and that made him even more annoyed."What is it about her that makes everyone want her? She's mine," he thought to himself. The fact that he said she was his startled him, but he decided to ignore it.Liam couldn't stop glaring at the waitress, who wouldn't stop talking and flirting with Ashley, who was oblivious to everything even afte