Contracted Marriage to My Boss

CONTRACTED TO MY BOSS

Chapter 2

Robyn POV

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst right out of my chest. I stared at Kaelan Devereux Hutsonville—our CEO, the man I’d only ever seen from afar at company gatherings—and waited for him to say he was joking. But his face was serious, his dark brown eyes steady as they held mine.

“It’ll be a contract marriage—sixteen months exactly,” he explained, pulling out his phone to show me documents neatly saved in a folder. The screen glowed bright against the gray afternoon rain. “I’ll pay for your sister’s entire treatment upfront—from the bone marrow transplant itself down to all follow-up checkups, medications, and therapy sessions for the next two years. No need for you to worry about a single centavo for her care. Plus, I’ll give you a monthly allowance of sixty thousand pesos for your family’s needs—rent, food, utilities, everything you require to keep your home running smoothly.”

He paused for a moment, scrolling through the files to show me detailed breakdowns of the costs and benefits. “In return, you’ll act as my wife in front of my family and at all company events. We’ll live in separate quarters at my residence—you’ll have your own bedroom, bathroom, and even a small living area just for you and your family if you’d like them to stay. No feelings involved—this is strictly a business arrangement, with clear terms and conditions written into the contract.”

I swallowed hard, my hands trembling as I looked from his phone screen to his face. “Pagkatapos po… pagkatapos ng labing-anim na buwan?”

“After sixteen months, we’ll file for an annulment—everything will be handled by my legal team so you won’t have to lift a finger,” he said gently, as if sensing my fear. “And you’ll get to keep a lump sum of three million pesos—enough to buy your own house somewhere quiet, start a small business if you want, or put Elise through college. You’ll be completely set up for life, with no more financial worries holding you back.”

Hindi ako makapaniwala sa naririnig ko. Tatlong milyong piso? Animnapung libo kada buwan? Lahat ng paggamot ni Elise ay babayaran? Parang kathang-isip lang ito—parang mga Korean drama na paborito ni Tita Mona panoorin, hindi katulad ng tunay na buhay dito sa Cagayan de Oro.

“Bakit ninyo po ako pinili?” tanong ko, ang boses ko halos hindi na marinig. “Marami naman po ibang babae—mga mayayaman, magaganda, mga babaeng mas karapat-dapat na makasama kayo sa harap ng pamilya ninyo.”

A small smile touched his lips—so faint I almost missed it. “I’ve been watching you for a while now, Robyn. Not in a creepy way—I mean, I’ve seen your performance reports from the encoding department. You’re always on time, never miss a deadline, and even help train new employees without being asked. When I saw you out here today, even though you were clearly heartbroken and at your lowest point, you were still thinking about your sister. You didn’t beg me for help—you were ready to face everything alone.”

He tucked the phone back into his pocket and looked at me with a sincerity that made my throat tighten. “You’re strong, honest, and you have more integrity than most people I know in the business world. I need someone I can trust not to take advantage of this situation, someone who’ll honor our agreement. That’s why I chose you.”

Tumingin ako sa mamasa-masang litrato ni Elise na hawak ko—suot niya ang kanyang paboritong dilaw na damit, hawak ang isang hiwa ng chocolate cake at ngumingiti ng malaki sa camera. Iniisip ko kung gaano siya maputla nitong mga nakaraang araw, kung paano niya sinusubukang ipinapaliwanag na hindi siya pagod para lang hindi ako mag-alala. Iniisip ko rin ang mukha ni Tita Mona na puno ng pag-aalala tuwing kailangan naming pumili kung bibili ng gamot o babayaran ang singil sa kuryente.

Wala na akong ibang pagpipilian. Ito na lang ang pag-asa ni Elise para mabuhay.

“Okay po,” sabi ko, ang boses ko matibay kahit na ang luha ay umaagos na sa aking mga pisngi. “Sige po, gagawin ko.”

The tension in Kaelan’s shoulders seemed to ease a little. He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a sleek metal business card—heavy and cool to the touch when he handed it to me. “Meet me at the company’s legal office tomorrow morning at ten o’clock sharp. Wear something neat and comfortable—we’ll go through the contract line by line, and you can bring someone with you if you want. A family member or a lawyer—whoever will help you feel secure about this.”

He pulled out his car keys and gestured toward the parking lot. “I’ll have the money transferred to the hospital’s account first thing tomorrow morning—before we even sign anything. Your sister will be scheduled for her transplant evaluation within the next three days, I promise you that. She’ll get the best doctors, the best care—nothing will be spared for her recovery.”

Hawak ko nang mahigpit ang card sa aking dibdib, naramdaman ko ang isang alon ng kaginhawahan na napakalakas na parang hihinaan ako ng tuhod. “Salamat po, Sir. Hindi ko po alam paano ko kayo babayaran nito.”

“You won’t have to pay me back,” he said, walking toward his car—a black SUV that looked brand new. “We’ll be helping each other, remember? Now go home and tell your family. Get some rest—tomorrow will be a long day for all of us.”

Habang ako ay lumilingon para umalis, narinig ko siyang nagsalita ng isang bagay sa Ingles na mahina lang. Hindi ko narinig lahat ng salita, ngunit ang mga salitang narinig ko ay nagpabigat ng dibdib ko: “She has no idea what she’s walking into… but I’ll make sure she’s safe. I swear it.”

Tumakbo ako papuntang jeepney stop at sumakay sa unang jeepney na papunta sa Carmen. Tumigil na ang ulan, naiwan ang mga puddle na sumasalamin sa mga ilaw ng kalsada habang lumalim na ang dilim. Basang-basa at marumi pa rin ang aking damit, ngunit wala na akong pakialam—parang binigyan ako ng pangalawang pagkakataon para mabuhay si Elise.

Pagdating ko sa aming apartment, naghihintay ako sa pintuan si Tita Mona, hawak ang isang plastik na bag na may lamang mainit na arroz caldo at isang set ng tuyong damit. Lumaki ang kanyang mga mata nang makita niya ang aking mukha.

“Robyn, anak—anong nangyari? Bakit ka umiiyak?” tanong niya, hinila ako para yakapin ng mahigpit.

Pumasok kami at umupo sa aming maliit na mesa na gawa sa kahoy—iyang mesa na ginawa mismo ni Papa bago siya pumanaw. Sinabi ko sa kanya ang lahat, mula sa away namin ni Jake hanggang sa iminungkahi ni Kaelan. Habang ako ay nagsasalita, nakita ko ang pagbabago ng ekspresyon ng kanyang mukha mula sa pag-aalala hanggang sa pagkalito hanggang sa mahinahong pagsasaalang-alang.

“Contrata na pag-aasawa…” bulong niya, hinawakan ang metal na card na inilabas ko sa mesa. “Baka mapahamak ka dito, anak. Mga mayaman sila—hindi natin alam kung anong mga balak nila.”

“Alam ko naman po na nakakatakot, Tita,” sabi ko, hinawakan ang kanyang kamay. “Pero ito na lang po ang pag-asa ni Elise. Kung hindi natin gagawin ito, baka hindi na siya makakapagpagamot. At sinabi naman po ni Sir Kaelan na pwede ko po kayong isama bukas para makinig kayo sa kontrata.”

Matagal na tahimik si Tita Mona, tinitignan lang ang mga kapitbahay na naglalagay ng mga damit para matuyo. Sa huli, dahan-dahan siyang tumango. “Sige, anak. Bukas sama kita. Gusto kong makita ko mismo kung ano ang nakasulat sa kontrata, at gusto kong makausap ko yang si Sir Kaelan para malaman ko kung seryoso siya.”

Gabing iyon, hindi ako makatulog. Nakatayo ako sa tabi ng kama ni Elise habang siya ay natutulog—ang kanyang paghinga ay mahinahon at makinis, ang kanyang mga pisngi ay bahagyang mamula dahil sa lagnat. Hinawakan ko ang kanyang maliit na kamay at binulong ang mga dasal na natutunan ko kay Mama, humihiling ng patnubay at proteksyon para sa aming lahat.

Habang lumalabas ang umaga sa lungsod, pininturahan ang langit ng mga kulay rosas at ginto, nagbihis ako gamit ang aking tanging magandang blusa at pantalon. Tumingin ako sa salamin—magulo pa rin ang aking buhok, namamaga pa rin ang aking mga mata, ngunit naramdaman kong mas matibay ako kaysa sa mga nakaraang araw.

Bakit mangyari pa man bukas, handa na akong harapin ito. Para kay Elise, para kay Tita Mona, para kay Papa at Mama na nakatingin sa amin—gagawin ko ang lahat para mapanatiling ligtas ang aming pamilya at mabigyan ng karapat-dapat na buhay ang aking kapatid.