It was a deal, Joanne would play the part for one year…Nothing more and Alexander was untouchable but along the line something changed. She became his weakness. Now, with emotions running deep and a contract hanging by a thread… how will things play out.
View More“Perusahaanku bisa hancur kalau proyek itu terlepas dariku.”
Brak! Emily Laurdent membanting setirnya kesal kala mengingat ucapan William, suami buta yang dinikahinya karena perjodohan bisnis sejak dua tahun lalu. Selain mengekang dan posesif, dia juga tak pernah mau mengerti Emily. Kesabarannya selalu diuji. Belum lagi, Emily masih tidak mengerti mengapa keluarganya tiba-tiba mengganti pengantin prianya menjadi William. Padahal, jelas-jelas mereka semua tahu Emily mencintai Hendrick, adik tiri William, dan sudah berpacaran sejak SMA. Wanita 23 tahun itu lantas meraih ponsel dan segera mencari nama pria yang sebenarnya Hendrick. Namun, panggilannya berakhir tanpa jawaban. Berulang kali Emily menelpon, tetap saja, tidak ada jawaban. Frustrasi, wanita itu lantas memutuskan untuk langsung menuju rumah Hendrick. Hanya saja, langkahnya terhenti oleh suara tawa yang datang dari taman samping rumah. Dengan hati-hati, Emily melangkah ke arah sumber suara, rasa ingin tahu mengalahkan rasa sopan. Dia berhenti di balik dinding taman dan menguping. Napasnya tercekat ketika dia menyadari siapa wanita itu. Itu Jessica, sahabatnya sendiri. Namun yang lebih mengejutkan adalah isi pembicaraan mereka. “Aku sudah tidak tahan lagi berpura-pura mencintai Emily. Kalau dia mau menyerahkan proyek besar itu, aku akan langsung membuangnya ke tempat sampah dan menikahimu, Jessica.” Emily menutup mulutnya. Tubuhnya membeku seketika. Bagaimana bisa pria yang dicintainya itu berselingkuh dengan sahabatnya dan merendahkannya sedemikian rupa? Padahal, selama ini wanita 23 tahun itu selalu membelanya. Bahkan tadi dia masih berusaha keras mengambil proyek yang dimaksud meski William terus memperingatkan dirinya. Sayangya, ini semua nyata. Tawa Jessica menyadarkan Emily akan itu semua. “Benar-benar kasihan dia. Tapi kalau proyek itu kita dapatkan, hidup kita akan sempurna.” “Ayolah, kenapa kau kasihan padanya? Selain wajahnya yang cantik, dia tidak memiliki apapun yang menyenangkan. Bahkan, otaknya itu tidak lebih baik dari pada seekor keledai,” ucap Hendrick itu lagi, “Kalau proyek besar itu ada di tanganku, maka aku bisa menyingkirkan William, kakak tiriku yang tak berguna itu, dengan mudah. Yah, bila perlu membuang William dan Emily langsung ke penangkaran singa.” Emily memejamkan mata, berharap semua ini hanya mimpi buruk. Tapi kemudian, suara ciuman mereka yang terdengar jelas memaksanya membuka mata lebar-lebar. Emily tidak bisa mendengar lebih banyak lagi. Dia mundur perlahan, memastikan tidak ada suara yang membuat mereka menyadari keberadaannya. Dengan langkah goyah, dia kembali ke mobilnya. Emily pun segera duduk di belakang kemudi, tetapi tangannya terlalu gemetar untuk memegang setir dengan baik. Dia menggigit bibirnya keras-keras, mencoba menahan tangis. “Bagaimana bisa...?” bisiknya, air mata mengalir di pipinya. Orang yang selama ini dia percayai, telah menghancurkannya dalam sekejap. Tanpa berpikir panjang, dia menyalakan mesin mobil dan melaju dengan kecepatan tinggi. Namun, pikirannya masih terlalu kacau. Saat Emily mencoba mengendalikan mobilnya, dia tidak menyadari bahwa jalanan mulai berbelok. Belum lagi, rem mobilnya mendadak blong! Kendali setir semakin sulit. Dan akhirnya, dalam sekejap, mobil itu menabrak pembatas jalan dengan keras. Brak!! Bunyi dentuman menggema di udara. Emily terhuyung ke depan. Kepalanya membentur kemudi. Pandangannya mulai kabur, tubuhnya terasa berat dan akhirnya semuanya menjadi gelap. “William, maafkan aku...” gumam Emily sebelum matanya benar-benar tertutup. **** “Akkh…” erang Emily kala membuka matanya perlahan. Rasa nyeri menjalar di sekujur tubuhnya. Menyesuaikan pandangannya yang kabur, Emily menatap langit-langit putih di atasnya dan cairan infus yang menggantung di samping tempat tidur. “Aku di rumah sakit?” pikirnya sambil mencoba memahami situasinya. Namun, sebelum sempat mencerna semuanya, dia tersentak saat merasakan sentuhan lembut di tangannya. “Emily?” suara itu pelan, penuh perhatian. Emily mengalihkan pandangannya ke arah sumber suara. William... Pria itu duduk di sisi tempat tidur. Wajahnya terlihat murung, seperti menahan rasa sakit di hatinya. Mata William yang buta menatap kosong ke depan. Namun, entah bagaimana, seolah dia tahu Emily telah sadar. “Emily, apa itu tadi suaramu?” tanya William dengan suara lembut. “Kau kesakitan? Kau sudah bangun?” Emily menggigit bibir bawahnya, menatap pria itu dalam diam. Hatinya terasa sesak. William selalu peduli dan memperhatikan dirinya meski ia sendiri menghadapi banyak kesulitan. Kebutaan William tidak pernah membuatnya menyerah. Namun, Emily justru sebaliknya. Selama dua tahun pernikahan mereka, Emily hanya memberikan tambahan rasa sakit pada pria itu. Air mata mulai menggenang di pelupuk mata Emily. Ingatannya berputar, menampilkan bayangan-bayangan masa lalu. Selama ini, ia memberontak, bersikap dingin, bahkan terang-terangan menunjukkan cintanya pada Hendrick. Semua itu dilakukan tanpa peduli pada hati William. “Kenapa dia masih sudi untuk berada di sini?” pikir Emily penuh sesal. Isakan kecil meluncur dari bibirnya. Di sisi lain, William yang mendengar suara itu langsung panik. “Emily? Kenapa kau menangis? Apa yang sakit? Robert! Robert!” seru William sambil berusaha berdiri. Tak lama, pintu kamar terbuka memperlihatkan asisten William itu dengan wajah khawatir. “Saya datang, Pak William?” “Emily sepertinya menangis,” kata William, suaranya penuh kepanikan. “Tolong panggilkan dokter, cepat.” Robert mengangguk dan segera memanggil dokter. “Baik, Pak.” Beberapa menit kemudian, dokter masuk dan memeriksa Emily dengan seksama. Setelah pemeriksaan selesai, dokter berkata, “Nona Emily baik-baik saja. Luka di kepalanya tidak terlalu parah meskipun sempat mengeluarkan darah. Dia hanya perlu istirahat total selama beberapa hari ini.” Mendengar kabar itu, William menghela napas lega. “Syukurlah,” gumamnya. Setelah dokter pergi, suasana menjadi hening. Emily hanya menatap William, sementara pria itu diam, seolah memikirkan sesuatu. “Emily.” Suara William memecah keheningan. “Aku sudah memutuskan. Jika bercerai adalah yang terbaik untukmu, aku akan melakukannya. Jangan khawatir. Robert akan bantu mengurus perceraian kita.” Deg! Emily terkejut. Kata-kata itu menghantam hati Emily seperti petir di siang bolong.~Joanne~On my way to the hospital, my phone dinged with a text message that read: “Meet me at the Marriage certificate Bureau by 1pm.” I scoffed at the message. Typical Mr. Blackwell — barking orders like he was scheduling a board meeting. “So I'm actually getting married tomorrow,” I muttered to myself, the weight of the whole thing suddenly dawning on me. There was a feeling gnawing on me from the inside that I couldn't quite place. Was it shame? Was it regret? — but it is all worth it, I would make the same choice over and over again to have Nate around. Shoving my phone into my bag, I pushed the thought away and made my way to Dr. Steve’s office. Dr. Steve welcomed me with a warm smile which was kind of soothing. “From the evaluation, Nate is fit enough for a transplant,” he began. “We’ll proceed with finding a donor. If one comes through quickly, we could operate as soon as next week.” A breath I hadn’
~Alexander~ “Marry you?!... You're not even my type. I'm barely interested in you,” She exclaimed. I clenched my jaw so tightly I could feel the tension rise to my temples. Was she serious? Women with power, money, and family names that shook the city would sell their souls for a fraction of my attention and yet she, with nothing but a sharp tongue and a paycheck that could barely keep the lights on, had the audacity to say I wasn’t her type? “You’re joking, right?” she asked. I shoved my hands into my pockets, my voice like ice. “Do I look like I’m fucking kidding?” I said, each word clipped. “Be my wife. One year. I’ll cover every damn bill you have, and when it’s over, you’ll walk away with five hundred million dollars.” Her laugh was bitter, disbelieving. “This is ridiculous—who just walks around in broad daylight asking strangers to marry him?” Her voice grated on me. I loathed rejection—loathed it even more when it came from someone who had no idea what they were turni
~Joanne~Time flew excruciatingly slow. I spent the night thinking of how I’d present my miserable story to Alexander Blackwell without sounding so… pathetic. He could help with just a single phone call, but that didn’t guarantee he would. He was infamous for his cold, ruthless heart. I didn’t know what possessed me to even consider asking him for help, yet here I was. I had to take this bold step—Nate’s life depended on it. I stood at the entrance of the elevator leading to the executive floor trying to summon my non-existent courage to step inside. I took deep breaths trying to calm my racing heart from splitting into two. I was anxious and scared at the same time—scared of what I’m to expect, scared of how shattered my life would be after now. He might decide to help or not but either way I know for sure my life won’t remain the same. My fingers hovered over the elevator button. Just press it, Joanne. Just get it over with. I pressed
~Joanne~ The cold night air hit my face the moment I stepped out of the hospital doors. It wasn’t refreshing. It was biting. And yet, I needed it. I needed something to remind me I was still here. Still breathing. Still trying. Stella had tried to convince me to go home. She tried her best to comfort me, to assure me that everything would be fine—but I didn’t see it. I didn’t know if I could still hope at this point. I didn’t know if I should expect the worst. I staggered to the nearest bench just outside the emergency wing and collapsed into it, burying my face in my hands. My fingers were cold. My chest tighter than it had ever been. It wasn’t just the fear of losing Nate anymore. It was helplessness.Watching him like that — wires, tubes, machines doing the job his heart could no longer manage and knowing there was nothing I could do… My eyes burned, and this time I didn’t stop the tears. I let them fall, hot and silent down my ch
~Joanne~ Alexander Blackwell stood in front of me. All tailored suit, chiseled jawline and icy blue eyes that could probably freeze the soul He stood towering before me, making me doubt my actual height. I was a proud 5’7 but standing before him made me feel small For a moment I forgot the suspension. I forgot what even brought me here. All I could think was: Holy hell. He's even hotter up close than in pictures. He was staring at me with one brow raised. Irritation etched in his brows and his lips pursed into a thin line. And damn it— those lips looked dangerously sexy. The light throb on my forehead snapped me back to reality. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I was standing there openly ogling my boss in front of his secretaries and assistants. My cheeks flared crimson. I straightened up quickly, pushing my hair behind my ear, trying to salvage whatever dignity I had left. “I didn’t really mean to barge in like that,” I said, my voice a little too fast, a little too
~Joanne~ The office felt like it hadn't fully woken up yet. Most desks were still empty. Only a handful of people arrived and they barely filled up the space. ‘I guess today I was part of the punctual workers’ I murmured good morning greetings to my co-workers with my signature fake smile plastered on my face. They were already clustered in small groups, gossiping like the day hadn’t just started. “Good morning to you too Joanne,” one of my colleagues bothered to respond. “Hope you had a good night's rest,” he added, trying to strike a conversation. “Yh, I did. Thank you,” I replied,brushing it off with a short nod. Without another glance in his direction, I made my way to my desk and settled down— preparing myself mentally for the hectic day ahead. “I noticed you didn't report to work yesterday” Someone said from behind me.I didn’t need to turn around to know it was the same guy from earlier. He was really
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