Chapter 5 FIVE

DANIEL POV

I squinted my gaze on her. Shocked at her reaction. "Do not faint on me."

She forced a smile but it looks more like a grimace than an actual smile. "I do not plan on doing that," she said.

"Good, now we can discuss about our situation. What do you say your name was again?"

"Isabella."

I nodded my head. "Isabella," I repeated the name to taste how it sounds on my lips. "I was supposed to get married to your cousin but I ended up with you. I do not know why the both of you decided to switch side but it does not matter to me as long as I ended up with a wife."

She sighed with obvious relief at my words but her relief quickly turned into a grimance when she heard me say, "But"

"I am quite curious. Why did you marry me? What's in it for you?" I watched her face keenly for any slight reaction.

"I...I...the thing is, Joana was having cold feet, she didn't want to get married, well, because of the rumors about you. She was scared." She rushed out, looking quite nervous.

I raised a brow at her words. "And you are not scared?"

"Of course I was."

"So?" I pressed when she didn't say more. She looked like she wished I could drop the topic already.

"I... it's because of the money. Look it has nothing to with you okay, it happens that I'm in terrible need of money and Joana offered that to me if I can take her place and marry you."

"I see...and why are you in such great need of money?"

"Doesn't everyone need money?"

I sighed and placed my hands in my pocket as I stared at her dead pan. "If you say so, I wish to make a few rules for you."

She nodded and stared straight at me.

"Rule number one is to make it clear to you that our marriage is simply a marriage of convenience. Do not expect anything like love from me but in the eyes of the public, we must act like we are a match made in heaven and crazily in love couple."

"Fine," she replied stiffly, "not that I am looking for love anyways". She mumbled and I raised a brow at her Before I proceeded to my next rule.

"Rule number two," I continued like she never spoke, "As long as we are married, you are not allowed to go out with another man or flirt with any man, you will be fully committed to this marriage until otherwise."

"Anything else?" She asked,her face tensed.

"Yes, you are not allowed to wear my clothes again, those are mine."

Her cheeks colored as she stared down at my t-shirt. "Oh, I... I'm sorry."

"Humph," I replied and my gaze landed to the food she had prepared that is sitting cold on the table. "One more thing, do not go about preparing meal and waiting up for me before you eat."

Now, that must have hurt her feelings. Her eyes flashed hurt as she stared at me.

She had spent her time trying to come up with something that we will eat even when she must be feeling exhausted. She had prepared the only meal she found in the house and did not want to eat everything, so she had opted to wait for me even when she must have been starving. She wanted us to eat the only meal in the house, at least for today, and I just scorned her efforts.

"That won't happen again," she responded; the hurt was evident in her voice as well. She moved past me to go sit on the table. She opened the plate and started gulping down the cold meal.

I stood there for a moment trying to shake off the feeling of guilt that suddenly weighs on my chest.

"Do you have more rules for me?" she suddenly asked and I shook my head and went inside to shower.

BELLA POV

"What a jerk" I muttered as I watched him leave, he is indeed a jerk, what kind of wedding night is this? Wedding night that is filled with rules and regulations.

Not that I was expecting a real and proper wedding night, afterall, we barely know each other.

My mind went to his rules about me not to expect love from him and I scoffed, falling in love will never be part of my calendars again, not even in my next life, not after Jeremy's betrayal.

My life was completely destroyed in a twinkle of an eye, my career and dreams got crushed, plus the fact that I was rendered homeless and penniless in just a minute and my only crime was falling in love. That word no longer exists for me.

*

*

I opened my eyes at dawn and was at first disoriented at where I was and slowly, it all came back to me and it registered in my head that I got married the previous day and this is the house of my husband.

I was shocked to see myself on the bed.

How the hell did I get here? I quickly sat up and looked at the other side of the bed and noticed that I was alone. I remembered that I had slept on the sofa the night before, had Daniel carried me inside? I slowly walked to the living room and his soft snore from the sofa alerted me that he had spent the night on the sofa.

He must have carried me to the bed. I need to get on with my house chores so that I can go to Joana's house to return the wedding dress, and hopefully I would be paid the money that was promised to me so that I can at least get a few dresses for myself.

I finished cleaning up very fast because the house was not that dirty anyways and quickly stitched my torn cloth that I had worn the first time I had showed up at Joana's house and then, I set off to Joana's house to return her wedding gown and shoe.

I knock on the door and a maid opened the door, she frowned down at me. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to see Joanna". I replied, craning my neck.

"You can't see her because ma'am, Joanna is still sleeping, you can either wait or come back later".

I opt to wait and I had to wait until Joana woke up and she sure did take her time.

The sun was already up and I has already started feeling anxious before Joana showed up she paused when she saw me.

"Ma'am, this lady has been here since morning, she said she has to see you". The maid informed her before working off.

The maid was the only maid that was still working for them, Mr Wonders had to lay off other maids and servants as he was going bankrupt. Thank goodness for the marriage proposal, at least they will have a million dollars in their account.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to return the wedding gown and shoes.....well, to also ask about the money that we agreed on, I really need that money"

Joana scoffed as she opened the wedding gown and shoes to inspect it for any damage and she threw it on the sofa after a few moments

"The shoe has a scratch and there is a tear at the hem of the wedding gown, so, there will be no payment" She replied harshly.

My eyes widened at Joana's words and I quickly grabbed the wedding gown to look for the tear. I was so careful when I had worn it and I'm certain that there is no such tear "What? But I can't see any tear"

"Really? If I say there is a tear then there is" Joana replied furiously as she grabbed the shoe and showed me a tiny and almost unnoticeable scratch on it, "Is this not a scratch on the shoe or are you blind? Forget about the promised money because it will be used to replace these items that is destroyed by you" She snarled.

"B...b...the scratch is not even noticeable" I argued hotly.

"Well, too bad I noticed it. You know your way out" Joana replied and started to make her way back to her room

"You cannot do this to me." I cried and desperately grabbed her hand, "I need that money, you promised me."

"What is going on here?" Mrs Wonders' voice sounded amidst the commotion, "What are you doing here?" She redirected her question when she saw me.

Her face was instantly filled with irritation.

"You, girl irritates me and I hate even the sight of you". She hissed and I blinked severally.

"She came here for the money that was promised to her before she got married but I just told her that she cannot be paid because she placed a dent on the shoe and tear in the wedding dress" Joana explained with a roll of her eyes

"What? Do you know how much those things cost? Even if you are sold, your worth will not be close to how much even a pair of shoes cost"

"But ma'am..."

"Shut up, you don't interrupt me when I am talking". She sneered.

Tears instantly filled my eyes, how can my aunt's friend be this vile? It is clear to me now that they are just acting up so as not to pay me the promised money.

"My aunt is very kind hearted and soft spoken, I wonder how she ended up with a cold hearted vile friend as you". I clenched out. Angry at their deceit.

"What insolent" Mrs Wonders screeched and her palms connected with my cheek.

"Go get some manners and know your place. You have no right to speak to my mother that way because you are nothing more than the wife of a dickhead" Joana said and walked back to her room. Swaying her hips.

"Get out or I will drag you by your hair and throw you out" Mrs Wonders threatened.

"Here, I don't want you to think we are mean, you can have this and this is all you will get" Joana said as she came back in and threw a few coins at her and walked right back to her room.

I sniffed and wiped my eyes with the back of my hands. I had no choice, I needed the money desperately so I bent down and picked the few coins that Joanna had thrown at me. I picked them all up. I could hear Mrs wonder snickered and tears ran freely from her eyes and slowly, I walked out from the Wonders house.

"Now what?" I asked myself in frustration and counted the money I had picked, it was just twenty dollars.

I had so much hope in the money that was promised to me. It was the major reason I had gotten married to a total stranger, my life is in such a mess that I don't even know how to fix it. Sadness overwhelmed me once more and I sat down on the floor to cry out my frustration and misery that I was feeling for the moment.