005

“Stop trying, Mr. Man, you're green to me. I see a green flag from your head down to the toe, so for no reason, I'm walking out of here,” she declared. “And even if I later do, it will be out of my free will, not your nonchalant attitude. Okay?”

Gage ground his teeth. Kaylie's attitude kept pissing him off. He wished there was something to vent his anger on, but since there was none, he turned it into a statement. “Fuck you!”

Kaylie beamed. “Same to you.” She uttered.

Gage fixed his reddened eyes on Kaylie, but he couldn't say anything, while Kaylie also looked away from him.

After a few minutes, Kaylie felt bored, and knowing the silence wouldn't solve the problem, especially his grandfather's freedom, she started the conversation.

“Why don't you calm yourself?” She spoke in an appeasing tone. “Being rude to me won't solve the problem here; finding a solution will do.”

Gage withered his face. He found a little sense in her words, so he asked, “What solution?” 

“We-” she opened her mouth to talk, but he interrupted.

“We?!” He repeated in disbelief and chuckled. “It's our first meeting, and another one is not even certain, yet you're generalizing things already?”

“That alone is proof of your desperation.”

Kaylie blew a soft air through her mouth, tired of explaining herself. “I-” she wanted to talk again, but he gave her no space.

He widened his eyes. “Don't try that with me, okay?” He warned. “You want to trick me, isn't it? You're switching tones, acting fierce now and cool the next second,”

He smirked. “You're trying to convince me to take you. Hum. You want to act cool.”

“That’s not it, Gage.” She attempted to find herself a space to talk again, but he still didn't allow her.

“Come off it, woman. Your secrets are out. I mean, who doesn't like fancy things?” He let out. “Garcia family is wealthy and when the offer to marry their heir came, you saw it as a breakthrough and grabbed it without thinking of its consequences,” 

“And here you're, shocked. You were surprised to see me in a wheelchair, yet you still didn't want to give up on wealth,” he accused. “Your frog wants to sit on a rock without knowing its temperature. Do you think it’s that easy?”

He pointed a finger at her face. “You're greedy. You're desperate.”

“Gage, you need to stop these accusations,” she complained, withering her face at him. “Why are you talking like this?”

Gage banged his fist on the table. “Stop it!” He yelled. “Stop it, woman! Stop pretending! Stop acting innocent! I fucking hate it!”

He slammed the table again and everything on it scattered. The glass fell, and the water splashed on her body. 

“Gosh!” He roughly scratched his head and relaxed his back on the backrest, panting.

Kaylie watched him until she noticed he was calmed a little. “I-” she wanted to talk, but her voice triggered him again.

He moved his back from the backrest and smiled discreetly, saying, “I’m no longer any woman's catch. The guy that entered was nothing as you expected,”

“What happened to him? Why is he in a wheelchair? Wasn't that the first question on your mind?”

Kaylie sighed and nodded twice. “Yes, you're right,” she confessed. “That was exactly what came into my mind the moment I set my eyes on you.”

“Then why didn't you ask about it? Shouldn't you be worried? Isn't that enough to scare you off?” He threw questions in a raised voice, but she calmly responded.

“Yes, it is, but I wasn't scared. I wanted to ask, but you don't look like you would want to answer.”

“I. Hate. Your. Gut,” He let out, pausing after every word as he moved his hand backward and forward, pointing a finger at her. “I found your gut disgusting. It's getting on my nerves.”

Kaylie sighed, still composing herself. “You said it earlier, didn't you,” she said, buying herself a disgusted gaze from him. 

She tinted her lips with a grin, shrugging, “It’s normal you hate my gut; I understand, especially since I found yours disgusting as well.”

Gage balled his hands into a fist. “Don't you get it, woman? I do not want to be here.”

“Me neither.” She revealed.

“Then why are you here?” He asked. “You're against marriage, yet you're here, making efforts to make things work out. Does that make sense to you?”

Kaylie shook her head. “No, it doesn't,” she said in simplicity. She sighed and added. “It makes no sense to you, but to me, who had no option, it makes a complete one,”

She widened her eyes, tapping the table with her index finger. “This present here, this marriage is the only way to save my most precious human,” 

She looked at him in the eyes with her eyeball slowly turning red. “And don't underestimate me when I say I will do anything, everything, to make whatever I can do to save him work out,” she declared, her tone reflecting her desperation that she didn't intend to reveal. 

Gage slowly nodded as he scoffed, glancing downward. “Okay, now I get it. I understand everything now.” 

“It is good you do.” She uttered.

He lifted his gaze and looked into her eyes. “Since we're clear now, tell me what you want, woman,” he demanded. “It’s common in novels; a lady marrying an heir to settle her debt or family debt,”

He smiled discreetly. “A commoner accepted an arranged marriage to a CEO so she could get money to settle someone's medical bills. I came across that in a novel a year ago. Tell me, woman, is that what's happening here as well?”

Kaylie couldn't help but scoff at his statements, but she said nothing and watched him proceed.

He rested his arms on the table, maintaining eye contact with him. “Woman, just name it. The price. Any amount you want, tell me, I'll pay it,” he offered. “If it's a debt, I'll pay it and still give you enough to establish yourself,”

“And if it's a medical bill, take me to the hospital, bills on me. I’ll even make sure you and your entire family have health insurance. How about that?”

Kaylie exhaled softly. “Too many romance novels. You must be an avid reader, isn't it?”

“Yes, I am. But that was a long time ago when life was easy. Not anymore,” he responded, and quickly changed his tone. “This isn't an interview. You should be grateful I figured it out early. Tell me what you want.”

“Okay,” Kaylie said. She nodded and beamed. “A marriage with you. That’s what I want.”

“Tell me, woman, how much did that old witch promise you? Tell me and I'll double the amount. Cash or check.” He offered.

Kaylie shook her head. “None,” she rejected. “A marriage with you, that's all I want.”

Gage sighed. He was tired of trying to convince Kaylie, but stubbornness didn't seem to work on her, he continued trying. “Okay. I'll triple the amount.”

“Nope.” Kaylie rejected.

Gage loosened his fist and slammed the table. “Fuck!” He shouted. “Fuck! What exactly do you want, woman?! What do you want?”

“A marriage with you. That's all I want.” She declared.

He ground his teeth. “Why?!”

“Because it's the only way out of the mess I'm in right now.” She confessed.

“But I give other alternatives. Isn't that enough for you?” He questioned.

She tightened her lips and nodded. “Yes, it's not. And no matter what you offer, it won't be enough. But the marriage will be sufficient.”

“But I don't want it!” He poured out. “I do not want to marry you. I don't want this marriage. I don't want it to happen. I won't allow it to happen.”

“Then why are you here?” She asked.

He raised his brows, giving an immediate response. “Just like you, I've got no other options. But unlike you, it's not my only chance to survive. I've other ways to save myself.”

“Why?” She interrogated. “Why don't you want the marriage? Is it because it's me? Is it because you hate me? You hate my gut.”

Gage scoffed. “Hate you?” He said. He slowly shook his head. “I do not hate you, woman, but I don't like you either. But I hate your gut. The stare, your expression when speaking to me, I hate it.”

“This discussion isn't about me. Skip it. It's about marriage- why don't you want it?” She investigated.

He puffed and spoke in a low voice. “Because this marriage is the only weapon that could be used against me.” He revealed.

“Then decline it,” she suggested, tapping the table with her palms after every word. “Just decline this marriage and all this will be over and we'll go our separate ways.”

“I can't…” Gage confessed in a low voice. “You should. Decline the marriage, woman, and everything will be over. It's that simple, isn't it?”

“Yes, it is,” she agreed. “But it's easier said than done. I can't decline this marriage or I'll regret it. We're both in a fix.”

“Why? Why can't you decline it? For you, it's an arranged marriage. For me, it's a forced marriage. You can decline it,” he said, pleading, “please, decline it. Just do. Hum.”

Kaylie breathed out deeply. “Yes, it's an arranged one from my angle. That's the difference,” she said. “But Gage, the similarity is that… just as this is a weapon against you, it's the same for me,”

“You can't decline it, neither can I. So now, we should work together to find another solution. A proper one that will clean this mess.”

Gage sighed. Everything Kaylie said made sense, but he didn’t know what to do or say next. He relaxed on the backrest and rubbed his forehead with his palm. “Fuck!”

“I’m trapped!” He shouted. He banged his fist on the table and crossed his arms on the table before he rested his head on them. “She succeeded. She finally trapped me!”

“Who?” Kaylie asked.

Gage raised his head. “The old witch! The chairwoman?!” He shouted and bit the left side of his lower lips.

“Gage, something is wrong, can I know what it is?” Kaylie asked in a low, enough to appease him to trust her the moment and reveal what was on his mind.

He gave her a dangerous stare. “Why?” He said and smirked. “Why would I trust you to tell you what's wrong with me?”

“Woman, you and I have no business together. Don't meddle in my affairs. Okay?” He wanted with widened eyes. “All we're to do together is to find a way to call off this unwanted marriage, not poking your nose in what doesn't concern you.”

“Okay.” Kaylie uttered. She tightened her lips and bent her neck a little, teasing, “I’m sorry, sir.”

Kaylie sighed. She placed her hands on her thighs, squeezing them with her face cast downward.

After a few minutes of short, yet deep thought and silence from both parties, Kaylie lifted her head and discharged a deep breath.

She stared at Gage, who was glancing downward for a few seconds, and inhaled deeply, summoning her courage.

She exhaled in the same manner and without giving her decision another thought, she stood on her feet.

She drew the chair backward a little and crossed her hands over her chest as she walked out of her seat.

She slowly took a step forward, walking over to his side. “Gage, I've no idea what you've been through or going through now, neither do I know your plan,” she said in a cool voice, sequencing every line as she planned in her mind.

She waited until he lifted his head and looked at her face before she proceeded. “But whatever it is, there's a single word for it…”

She removed her right hand from her armpit and raised her finger. “Pain…” she stated. “That's it.”

“Hum.” Gage was surprised at how she figured it out and found her interesting, he couldn't say a word and watched her continue.

“But another thing is, everyone has a story to tell. You've no pains and because I'm smiling, trying to keep things on track, doesn't mean I don't have mine as well,” 

She lightly tapped her chest and nodded. “I've my pain. The one I'm struggling hard to conceal with a smile,”

She exhaled and stared downward a little. “Gage, pain is one thing we've in common, but there's another one that may make things interesting…”

“Revenge.”

Gage's eyes widened. “Hun!” He was shocked. “How did you know that?”

“Because I've been through pains as well. I endure and I know you want revenge because we're chasing after the same thing,” she explained. 

She elevated her left shoulder, coiling her lips to a side. “Besides, you can't even mask it with your stubbornness. It's written all over you. Your attitude, reaction, and even every word from you, scream it.”

“But-” her words left him speechless that he couldn't even complete his statement.

She scoffed and took a step forward. “Isn’t this the perfect moment to get your revenge?”

“How?” He asked.

“This marriage is a weapon against us both, but have you thought about making it ours against them as well?” She raised a question and without giving him a space to process it in his mind, she threw another one.

“Is joining hands together to make this marriage the perfect instrument for our revenge a sin?”

She shook her head, still taking the lead. “I don't think it is…”

She grabbed his hands and locked eyes with him. “There’s no escape from this marriage. Instead of wasting time, why don't we make a deal?” She proposed.

He furrowed his face, confused. “What deal?”