05~ Married

“Miss Jones, wait! Where are you going?” John shrieked as he chased after Rita who had run away the moment she realized who her husband-to-be was.

“Back to prison!” She responded while trying to run fast in her high heels.

“But why? Remember you can’t change your mind once you’ve signed the agreement and you signed.” John reminded while panting heavily.

“I don’t care about the agreement!”

John thought Miss Jones had a loose screw in her head. She was worried that her husband was old and had a beer belly but now she was running for her life after seeing the handsome Mr Stevens. ‘Was everything ok with her thinking?’

Christopher who had walked to the entrance narrowed his eyes as he stared at the fleeing Rita and John who was pathetically chasing after her. A surge of frustration arose in his heart.

Even when she was in this kind of situation, she was still reluctant to be with him. ‘Was he really that bad in her eyes?’

Clenching his hands into fists, he remained calm despite the whirlwind of emotions that struck his heart. ‘Rita, you’ve already fallen into my trap and you can’t escape. I won’t let you.’ He thought to himself.

Christopher had come back to the City after years of staying overseas. He finally could not stay away anymore and decided to come back to the very place that broke him.

He knew he was treading on thin ice but the moment he saw Rita at the skybar that night, he immediately made a decision.

Since he couldn’t forget about her, he shall trap her by his side and let them suffer together. He couldn’t be the only one in pain.

The scandal gave him the perfect opportunity to get what he wanted. Knowing very well that Rita couldn’t escape in her situation, he took out his phone and be called his assistant.

“Come back.” He ordered curtly and cut the line. Rita would come back begging him on her own.

John who was suddenly told to go back was dumfounded. ‘Did the boss decide to give up on marrying Miss Jones? Why would he, after going through all that trouble?’

He stopped chasing after Rita and turned around, returning to the civic center.

Rita who had been running with small steps due to her heels suddenly felt like something was wrong. Turning around she was shocked to find the assistant no longer in sight.

Her heart raced as realization dawned upon her. ‘Did they back out of the deal?’ She had no idea. Whatever the case, there was definitely something going on, otherwise John wouldn’t abruptly stop chasing after her.

Without someone to coax her into going through with the marriage. The ball was now in her hands.

She stopped running and thought about her situation clearly. Marrying Chris was actually not bad. Even though he suddenly hated her after she rejected him years ago.. they still used to be friends before that so maybe they could get along in the future.

After convincing herself, she started walking back towards the civic center and her eyes widened when she saw Christopher leaving.

“Wait…Chris!” She called out and Christopher stiffened when he heard Rita call him so intimately.

Anger and some other inexplicable feeling surged inside of him and he turned around looking at her with a piercing gaze. Rita shuddered and a shiver ran down her spine when Chris looked at her like that.

‘He’s so scary now,’ she thought.

“What is it Miss Jones? We don’t have all day.” Christopher spat as she approached and stood opposite him.

Her heart thudded when she looked at him from up close. His good looks rivaled a Greek god’s. Rita wondered if he had always been this handsome. ‘Or she just hadn’t noticed?’

“Where are you going? I just went to the bathroom for a bit.” She lied through her teeth but she had no choice, otherwise Chris would take back his offer.

Naturally, Christopher could see right through her but he didn’t call her out on her lie. He even played along.

“Oh yeah, the bathroom must be very far then, you should have used the ones in the civic center.” He remarked looking at her blushing face then frowned.

He grabbed her chin and tilted her head upwards.

The moment his fingers touched her skin, Rita felt a shiver run through her body. It was a strange and foreign feeling.

“What happened??” Chris asked, anger evident in his voice.

Rita didn’t know what he was talking about so she cocked a brow questioningly.

“Here.. what happened? Who did this?” Chris replied, rubbing his cold fingers on her busted lip and she trembled.

“Uh.. I.. the inspector did it.” She responded, flustered by the intense electrical jolts she was feeling from his touch. She didn’t understand what it was at all. ‘Maybe it’s static current?’

“Ask someone to chop off his hand.” Chris hissed turning his cold gaze towards John. To say he was angry would be an understatement, he was furious. ‘How dare that inspector touch my woman? She’s mine!’

Rita gaped at Chris after he made such a ridiculous order. Was he serious?

She subconsciously grabbed his arm and stopped him. “No need, he was just doing his job. I wasn’t cooperating in the beginning.”

Chris felt mixed emotions when he felt Rita’s hands grab his arm, his heart suddenly began to race. He narrowed his eyes at the smooth hands that were wrapped around his arm.

Rita noticed his gaze and suddenly dropped his arm like it was a hot potato. ‘Gosh! Why did I do that?’ She thought in agony but she didn’t notice the frown that had etched on Chris’s face after she dropped his hand like it was a plague.

“Let’s go.” He uttered coldly and walked towards the entrance of the civic center.

Rita who was still beating herself for holding his hand like that snapped back to her senses.

‘That’s it? He wasn’t going to be difficult after she tried to run away? Or did he buy the bathroom story?’

Rita chuckled to herself thinking Chris was really dumb to believe such a silly excuse.

She followed behind him, glad to at least marry someone within her age range. Other things would follow. She would work hard, pay back the money and divorce him.

Christopher on the other hand, kept rubbing his fingers, savoring the feeling of Rita’s skin on his hands. When he touched her lips earlier, the urge to kiss her was too strong, it took his all to control himself.

She was like a drug that he was addicted to. After all these years, he couldn’t move on or forget her.

….

Two people with no love between them, now stood facing each other in front of the officiator in a private room at the civic center.

“Mr Stevens, do you take Rita Jones as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, till death do you part?” The officiator who was a medium sized woman in a black suit asked Chris.

“I do.” He responded in a low husky voice and Rita’s heart skipped a beat, pounding rapidly.

“Miss Jones, do you take Christopher Stevens as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, till death do you part?” The officiator asked Rita as she looked at her.

Rita’s heart continued to pound rapidly and she felt like it would burst at any moment. ‘Was she really going to do this?’ She was hesitating, after all these were vows that were supposed to be said between two lovers and there was nothing between her and Chris.

When Chris saw her hesitate, he clenched his hands tightly. A familiar painful tug arose in his chest. He felt like a thousand arrows were being pierced into his heart but he kept a straight face as he narrowed his eyes at Rita who averted his gaze nervously.

“Miss Jones?” The officiator reminded and Rita snapped back to her senses. She had no choice anyway so she bit the bullet.

“I do.” She answered firmly.

“Great. By the powers vested in me by the courts of law, I now pronounce you man and wife.” The officiator said sealing the deal between Rita and Chris.

She had noticed earlier that this couple seemed to be at odds so she hesitated whether to tell the groom to kiss the bride or not.

“Uh.. You may now ki—”

“Skip it!” Rita and Chris both said in unison and the officiator furrowed her brow at the weird couple.

‘Was it an arranged marriage?’ It was none of her business anyway. She proceeded with the signing of the certificate and after stamping it, she gave it to the cold couple so that she could get rid of them quickly.

Coming out of the civic center, Rita really felt drained and tired. She needed a long bath and a massage.

When Chris who was walking by her side saw her dispirited look, anger flowed through him. ‘Was marrying him taking such a huge toll on her?’ He thought to himself, feeling frustrated. ‘Since that’s how she wants to roll then she shouldn’t blame me.’

Chris’s convoy drove up and he entered the back seat.

Rita didn’t know whether she would be riding with him or not so she stood outside.

“Do you want an official invitation?” Chris asked coldly.

“Uh.. no.” Rita quickly got in, her heart raced like a galloping horse. He was really scary and seemed to be a moody person. She prayed internally that they would be able to stand each other.

“John, the agreement.” Chris demanded and John who was sitting in the passenger seat took out the agreement and turned to pass it to Rita who looked confused.

“What is that for? I already signed the agreement.”

“Yes but you didn’t read everything carefully.” John said respectfully and Rita got the agreement, placing it on her lap and started turning the pages.

To her dismay, there were clauses that she hadn’t seen earlier. Her heart sank when she read what was written at the bottom of the page….