CHAPTER FIVE — COLD OPEN.

Chapter Five.

COLD OPEN.

Nora's POV.

The following day.

“Can you close your eyes for a second ma'am?” the young lady who was hired to do my make-up asked.

“Alright.” I sighed, and closed my eyes.

She dabbed some concealer on my face.

I still couldn't believe that it was happening. I was getting married to Julian Ashwin. Although, it was just on paper, and for a few weeks, but it seemed like something that would last forever. However, I knew better than to think that way. I was only doing it to save my daughter.

Besides, he'd made it clear in the contract: no feelings, and the contract ends at exactly 12:01am on the 26th of December. That meant I would eventually leave that morning.

“All done, you can open your eyes now.” she said, taking a step back.

“Thank you.” I opened my eyes, and stared at my reflection in the mirror right in front of me. “Are we done, or is there something left to do?”

“No, not really.” she replied, shaking her head. “We are done. You might want to stand to take a better look at yourself.”

“Alright.” I got up on my feet, and took a step back to get a better look at myself.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, a smile curled up my lips. The red dress looked like a second skin on me. Julian had specifically picked it. Meanwhile, still staring at my reflection in the mirror, I noticed the door open, and Julian walked in.

“What is going on, aren't you done yet?” he asked, standing by the door. “We are running out of time. We need to leave now.”

“I will be with you shortly, I just need to put on my shoes.” I said, turning back to face him.

“I will be waiting outside in the car.” he closed the door and left.

I clutched my chest with a hand, and sighed. I could literally feel the thump of my heart in my head.

“Are you ready, Lily?” I asked, turning to face her.

“Yes, but I just need to fasten strap of my gown.” she replied.

“Come, I'll help you with it.” I pulled her closer, and fastened the strap of her white gown. “All done. Just give me a minute, and then we can leave together.”

“Alright.” she settled on the bed, waiting for me.

I put my legs into my heels, and took one last look at myself. Having done that, I turned to Lily, held her hand, and exited my room with her. As we exited the penthouse, and walked towards the car, Julian looked at me as if he had something to say. But rather than saying what was on his mind, he looked away, and got in the car. Lily and I got in the backseat, while Adrian sat in the driver's seat. He turned on the engine, and began to drive.

Before long, we arrived City Hall. There was a red carpet from the front yard, up until the entrance of the hall. Julian got down from the car. However, just as I was about to open the door, he opened it, and held out a hand towards me.

“Come on,” he said, looking into my eyes while holding out a hand to me.

I hesitated for a moment, and swallowed hard. That was the last thing I expected him to do. But then again, I knew we'd to make it look real. So, I took his hand.

“Thank you.” I smiled as I got out of the car. “What about Lily?”

“Adrian will bring her.” he said, cupping an arm. “So, there's nothing to worry about.”

“Alright.” I sighed, and hooked my arm in his.

Then we proceeded into the hall, walking on the red carpet. Meanwhile, I looked back a few times just to be certain that Lily was coming behind me. Of course, she was. Adrian held her hand as if she happened to be his little sister.

As we got into the hall, my skin crawled. There were so many eyes on me. I didn't know how he managed to pull it off, but he did. People showed up. Just then, I noticed a table in front. There were two books on it, and two chairs.

“I thought we'd signed the contract, what are those on the table?” I asked, walking with him.

“Not to worry, we are only doing this for the press.” he muttered, and cleared his throat. “I'm only giving them something to talk about for the next couple of days. Or weeks. Perhaps.”

“Okay.” I dragged the word. “But, what about a ring? I don't see any on the table.”

“That is because we don't need one.” he replied, his gaze ahead.

We were already in the hall, so there was no point arguing about it. However, I just felt like if he really wanted to make it real, then a ring would have helped. But then again, we were only married on paper. Nothing more.

Meanwhile, Lily overtook us, throwing flowers as we followed behind her. I smiled as I watched her do it. It would have made a lot more sense if Daniel, her late father was alive, and she was doing it for us. Either way, it was satisfying watching her do it.

Before long, we arrived at the desk in front, and then Lily turned around, and went back to meet with Adrian.

“Please, sit.” Julian said, bringing the chair back a bit so I could sit.

“Thank you.” I said, and settled on the chair.

Then he settled on his chair too. As he did, he picked up the pen next to the book in front of him. Then he opened the book, and began to sign on the spaces required. I did the same too. After we'd signed the papers, a man walked up to us, and picked up both books from the table.

“You both are legally married now.” he said.

“Thank you Gabriel.” Julian replied.

The man smiled, and walked away. I sighed, and turned around to find Lily.

“Smile.” Julian muttered, putting a hand around my shoulder as some men stepped forward to take pictures.

The cameras clicked a few times, and then they left. Just then, a woman walked up to us.

“Remember me?” she asked, looking at Julian.

“Yes, I do.” he nodded. “You were with Mr Kimura yesterday. Where is he? Is he here?”

“He was.” she replied with a smile. “Meanwhile, I should introduce myself properly to you since it's the first time we are talking. My name is Claudia Jones, and I'm Mr Kimura's personal assistant.”

“I am sure you know me already.” he replied, looking past her as if searching for someone.

“Like I said, he was here. So you can stop searching for him.” she said. “However, he says red looks good on your wife. And he's invited you both for dinner at his place tomorrow night. Here,”

She gave him two cards.

“One for you, and one for her.” she explained. “I will be on my way now.”

She turned around and left.

“Kimura?” I raised a brow. “Like Kimura Corps?”

“Yes, Kimura Corps.” he nodded, and stared at the cards in his hand.

I blinked my eyes in surprise. Of course, everyone knew Kimura Corps; it was the biggest tech company in the city. Surprisingly, Daniel was trying to get a job in the company before his condition got worse, and he had to withdraw.

As I stood there, trying to come to terms reality because it seemed like everything was happening too fast, Lily ran towards me.

“Hey,” I bent down, and stroked her hair with a hand. “How are you doing sweetheart?”

She didn't say a word. instead, she kept looking at Julian. Then she asked.

“Are you my new dad?”