Chap_4. Contract Marriage

Thinking of the girls, Damien had been with till now, were obsessed with trying to look flawless and classy with their dresses, jewellery and all.

Remembering last night and Eden's spoiled dress, he thought of showing off some money to her first that girls liked the most according to him..

He ordered a dress for her from Nicci, a mall, people getting average paychecks like her wouldn’t even dare think of visiting.

Just to taunt her, he even asked to put the price tag in front.

Damien expected an amused expression from her anyway but her look got him taken aback instead. He could really make out her words with her expression but was in no mood to take that now.

So, pulling out a deadpan expression, he shot first, "Ms. McBride, do you really need this job?"

Was that even a question! If it wasn’t necessary, why the hell was she doing it in the first place? Eden pressed her lips tightly though to stop the way out for her words knowing Damien was her boss here and she should stop being sassy for now.

She forced herself to remain polite when she answered, "Yes, Sir."

"But what to do? I might have to cut you loose." Damien said the words so normally but it took Eden everything in her to brace herself together. She would have thought her ears weren’t serving her well but his words were so clear and her encounter with Damien at the restaurant as well as at the nightclub which was nowhere to cut it short compelled her to think otherwise.

But he could have said this coming in the morning in the first place in that case. Not now after doing her job without messing up a single thing for the whole day, she didn’t expect to meet these words from him at least.

"Did I do anything wrong, Sir?"

"If you want to continue with this job, you have to listen to me." Damien said as he leaned back on his chair.

"That goes without saying. And isn’t that what I am already doing right now?" Eden said but something on Damien's face made her sink deep and process his words once again.

By the time Eden was done with her thoughts and looked up, she was still confused. A crazy thought crossed her mind. This couldn't be it, right? She asked in her mind.

But making her guess come true, Damien spoke up, "Marry me."

"No. I am not going to marry you or something." Eden said immediately and was ready to leave the cabin.

Anyways her plan had to stop though when Damien spoke up, "Just for you to know I will take this company over today or tomorrow and you will lose this job that moment itself if you don't listen to me now."

Eden sat straight as she gave Damien an incredulous look. But still, she didn’t go down the way to think of marrying him. It would be nothing but disastrous. Then the thought of the girl with him from last night came to her mind.

Before she could filter her words, they were already out, "If you are so desperate of marrying, can't you just marry your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend!" Damien thought for a moment and then spoke up, "Ms. McBride, my personal life shouldn’t be your concern."

"Yeah, right." Eden uttered with gritted teeth and was about to get up again but stopped at his words, "Walk out of this cabin and I will make sure you don’t get a job anywhere in this country let alone in my office."

"You can't do that." Eden spoke up in a lower voice. She didn’t think he would go so far with this.

"As a matter of fact, I can and I will. Dare try me." Damien said, his voice issuing an open challenge and Eden knew he was more than capable of doing it.

She was getting cornered. She couldn't afford to be jobless now. She had planned so many things to do after a few couple of months. Her family was included in her plan and so was one of her best friends.

She couldn’t just throw cold water on their dreams and ask her mother to start looking for a job instead and provide for her from now once again.

"Why are you after me for this? I mean you have your girlfriend and if not her, there are thousands of girls who must be dying to marry you. Choose one of them. I am not doing this." Irritated and worried out of her mind, Eden completed her say.

"That's the problem. They would try to get a hand on my money or get me remain tied with her. I don't want this to happen."

Confusion appeared on her face as Eden spoke up, "What do you mean?"

"I don't believe in lifelong commitment or something. It's just going to be a contract marriage for a couple of months." Damien explained, "And as soon as everything will be in my control, we will part our ways and live our life in our way. There will be a prenup and you will get enough money to spend your life luxuriously afterwards."

"Yeah, right." Eden glared at him, "Mr. Etheridge, do you think marriage is a joke? Well, for you it may be but for me, it’s not and I am not doing this."

"24 hours. That’s the most generous thing, I can offer you right now. Either play along with me in this matter or get ready to be doomed forever." With his words delivered, Damien stood up and left the cabin leaving a bewildered and confused Eden behind.

He was done with the thought of convincing her nicely. His patience was always thin and she had made him reach his limit already. Her foolish stubborness was irritating him. Any sane girl would jump to come on the board and play her part on this offer.

Eden didn't know why but she felt like she had reached the point of crossroads. For good or bad, she was about to turn a page in her own book and embark on a new chapter of her life....