The trap

CHAPTER 8

JENNA’S POV

It was a few weeks now to the wedding and I was completely overwhelmed.

From wedding invites, to picking the perfect location, you’d probably think I was the event planner.

Wellat this point I’d already been mistaken for one several times.

I really didn’t get why grandpa insisted I take on that roll. I mean who’s ever heard of a bride planning her own goddamn wedding.

Something about me getting more on the wedding spirit which were his exact words.

My phone chimed.

‘Hey pretty, I’d be with you at 5. Don’t miss me so much and don’t be late.’

Cocky much. I scoffed and placed the phone in my back pocket.

Grandpa had called us both for a meeting, which was weird. Grandpa never calls for meetings. Except something was wrong.

I kept thinking about what could have been so important that he couldn’t say over the phone.

I glanced over my wrist watch. It was past 4.

“I’d better start leaving.” I muttered to myself.

I arrived at the villa a few minutes early.

I was so nervous my hands began to tremble. “Calm down , Jenna. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

As much as I wanted to believe that, I wouldn’t be able to think straight unless I knew the reason for this meeting.

The halls were weirdly quiet—unusual. My heels clanked against the marbled tiles as I found my way to study.

I got in, but Rob wasn’t there yet.

Grandpa stood by his bookshelf. Flipping over a book so casually like he wasn’t expecting visitors.

He glanced over his glasses. “Oh! Jenna. You’re quite early.”

I peered at my watch. “It’s 5 o’clock ”.

“My, I’d completely lost track of time you see. “ he said waving the book he’d been flipping through before sliding it back into the shelf. “So, where’s Rob?”

“He said he’d be here by five so I’m surprised he isn’t here—“

The door opened. It was Rob.

He seemed a little out of breath but still managed to keep a calm look as he strode in.

“Apologies, terrible traffic on the way here.” He quickly placed a kiss on my cheek. “Did I miss anything?”

Grandpa shot him a stern look. “No, you are just in time. Please have seat”

He cleared his throat and began. “As you know it, you both will be getting married soon.”

I don’t know what it is, but something in me feels grandpa is likely to drop the bomb on us.

“And for that purpose I have decided to do something, for the betterment of this union”

What could this old man possibly be scheming?

As if planned, Rob and I stared at each other utterly confused.

Rob hesitated before speaking. “What do you mean do something?”

He looked suspiciously almost like he was pleased with himself.

“Right, back to what I was saying—you both are getting married hence.” He reached into his desk and pulled out a folder.

He slid it across the table as Rob stretched to get it.

“What’s that?” I asked, already feeling uneasy.

“What you’re looking at right now is not a prenup, but a legal agreement. Under a private marital law clause, sealed by a federal judge. You both will be legally bound as husband and wife, until after a year in which you’d have free will to choose your fate as couples.”

My hands suddenly felt clammy. My heart dropped into my stomach.

“There’s also a catch to it. You should at least have a child during that 1 year of agreement, else it extends further to another year.”

My throat burned.

I turned to look at Rob. His expression was stiffened. He was equally shocked as I was.

No, no, no. This shouldn’t be happening at all.

Grandpa continued “This isn’t just about love. It’s about commitment and protecting the family name. Investors will see cooperativity. The media will see unity and see no reason for scandal“.

Rob still didn’t say a word. He just stared blankly at the document.

Watching him not flinch or argue made everything worse. If he wasn’t going to talk, then I would.

“No! This is insane. You can’t dictate our lives for us and expect us to follow. “ I blurted.

Grandpa leaned back casually against his chair as he turned to face me.

“You brought home a fiancé who you said you loved. So why object now? I’m only working towards what’s best for you both.”

“I’m not giving you a choice, Jenna. Neither is Rob.” He continued. “The thing with young marriages these days is the frenzy of early divorces which I’m trying to avoid for you both.”

“Refusal to come to terms with this agreement not only revokes all your rights for each of your companies, your shares and salaries will also be terminated.”

What the hell did I put myself into? This wasn’t supposed to happen.

This facade of a wedding was not supposed to last longer than 3 months. All I had to do was finalize a divorce and walk away quietly. No drama.

But now I’m faced with a legal agreement. A whole year of living with a lie, and I need to have a child? How do I escape this?

I sat there, distraught. I couldn’t speak.

Millions of words jumbled all over my mind, but for some reason I couldn’t force them to come out.

I turned to Rob, who looked as calm as ever. If only I knew what was running through that mind of his.

“Are you okay with this, Rob?” Grandpa’s voice cut through the silence.

Rob didn’t look at him, he only gave a slight hesitant nod.

He was agreeing to something he couldn’t change, whether he wanted to or not.

Why was he so calm? He’s not supposed to be this calm. He knows the fucking plan so why was he fucking calm.

I felt rage.

“You both should go get some rest, long day tomorrow you see. “ he stood up to leave as his footsteps slowly vanished towards the end of the hall.

“Jenna,” Rob called out.

“No, Rob, don’t fucking call my name. Cause I still don’t understand why you didn’t object to anything grandpa had said.” My tone is a bit sharper than usual.

“You knew very well about the contract you signed. You knew very well this marriage isn’t supposed to last more than the intended time, but you sat there and said nothing”.

“Calm down, you don’t want him over hearing this” His voice remained low, as he peeped out the door for anybody who might be walking our way.

“You need to get yourself together for Christ's sake!”

“ Leave me the fuck alone?”I yelled.

“Listen to me!” He shot back at me. His hands grabbed onto my shoulders.

This was the first time I’ve seen him like this, so agitated.

“Listen” he said again, now calm. “You heard what he said if we tried to go against it, Jenna. Losing everything I’ve managed to build is one thing, but losing you is something I won’t be able to stand.”

He continued. “This is way beyond us and I really just want you by my side.”

I moved back from his grip. “Why are you doing this? Why are you making this more than it seems? This is just a contract between us both.”

He lifted his gaze to meet mine. His eyes were soft, almost misty. “This isn’t just any contract. This is a whole new beginning for me because I love you, I have always loved you.”

My eyes widened in shock and I felt the truthfulness in his words.