5

 Ten hours left…..

    Jeanine's eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent office space. She had quickly remembered where she had seen his face, she had seen him in adverts for Ray.co. She clutched her bag as she took in every detail of the office while waiting for Mr Aiden Braithwaite.

After second thoughts, she decided to give him his card in person and thank him for being kind to her.

   “Mr Aiden would have you in his office now” the secretary announced and motioned for her to enter the adjoining office 

  She walked in to the sound of the rapid tapping of a keyboard as his eyes were focused on the screen of his computer.

She felt sweat gather on her palms and underarms. She hadn’t felt this nervous the night she saw him at the club. 

He didn’t acknowledge her presence at first and she contemplated walking out and leaving his card with the secretary. Why did he ask her to come in when he was going to ignore her?

   “Please have a seat” Aiden said and motioned to the chair opposite the large oak. It felt like he had just read her thoughts.

 She had noticed that he still looked worried. He tried to hide it with a thin lipped smile.

    “Miss…”

  “Jeanine” she finished for him. He didn't ask her name that night. She quickly added “Jeanine Anderson”

   He nodded. “Shall I have my secretary bring you coffee or is there something else you’d like to have?”

She shook her head shyly. She could feel his eyes on her, intense and holding back so many things. She had done a little research on him as she was intrigued by him. Most of the things she had seen online weren’t exactly good, she had learnt that he was three years older than her, he was nicknamed the playboy and the gossip blogs lived off his dating life. Asides that, she was impressed by the awards he won for how hardworking and successful he was. He was born into wealth, he could have decided to be the spoiled rich boy but he was determined to do better for himself. Determination was one thing they shared in common.

    

    “I heard you have something that belongs to me”

She scrunched her nose. “I think the right way to put it is that I helped you pick something you lost”

   “Okay then” he waved his hands, uninterestedly

  She sighed and tried to relax the muscles in her face. She didn’t like how nervous he made her feel, it was almost like she was naked before him.

   “I want to thank you for helping me that night”

He shrugged. “You’re welcome”

  She reached for the card in her bag and placed it on the table. It was obvious he’d rather get back to whatever he was doing on his computer. She wished she could read his mind, to see what bothered him. He looked so carefree and happy in the pictures she had seen online. The only picture he looked sad in was one taken at his father’s funeral. She felt sorry for him as she related to losing her mother at a young age.

    “Thank you, Miss Jeanine” he slid the card towards himself 

   She muttered an awkward goodbye and began walking to the door. She blamed herself, what was she thinking, she should have just dropped the card and a thank you note with his secretary. It was the second time he had made her feel awkward and it was all her fault.

She wasn’t out of the room yet when the clicking sounds of the keyboard resumed.

       “Are you bothered by something?” She asked and let go of the door knob

He looked confused so she asked her question again.

   “The first time I saw you at the club, you looked bothered and I’m just curious to know if you’re okay. Consider it payback for helping me at the club”

She couldn’t refund the money he had given her, it was the least she could do.

   “It nothing serious, don’t worry about it”

  “It is serious” she sat opposite him, again. “I may not be of much help but telling me about it might help ease the burden”

  He sighed and stroked his chin.

    “If I asked you to marry me, what would you say?”

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

      “What do you mean?”

  “I need to get married,” he answered. “If I don’t get married in a couple of hours, I’m going to lose this company”

She took a deep breath. She had never had a proper boyfriend, how much more a husband?

     

 He continued. “I assure you that you would be well taken care of and you would be paid for your services. All we have to do is convince my family and lawyer that we are in love for about a year”

   

   It was a lot for her to process. She didn’t have a job and she thought of her student loan and other bills she had to pay. How was she going to survive if she turned down his offer?

She ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip, the offer was very tempting.

     “We don’t have to see each other everyday. You’ll take the east side of my house. You’re also allowed to have sexual relationships with other people so long as you aren’t caught”

  

    “Mr Aiden” she sighed. “I’m still a college student, I work three jobs, how’s our marriage going to work?”

She had the urge to pinch her mouth shut, what was she thinking, accepting such an offer from a man she barely knew. She hated that her living condition influenced her decision but if she didn’t help herself, who was going to help her?

  

    “You won’t be needing those jobs anymore” his eyes were compassionate. He imagined her trying to turn in assignments on time while hurrying to any of her jobs.

“As my wife, it is important that I cater to all your needs”

He laid emphasis on ‘my wife’ and ‘your needs’. That was all she needed to hear and she was ready to marry him. 

The terms and condition of their marriage seemed very simple, she was sure it was going to work. The thought of paying her student loan and financial liberation were very appealing.

      “I’ll marry you” she breathed out.