CEO's Feisty Little Wife

"Julia, we provided you everything, yet you cannot do this for us!" Victoria Sanchez asked her youngest daughter, who was seated on the couch of the living room, Julia Sanchez.

"Mom, I am only 20. How can you expect me to marry at this age? I have not even completed my studies," Julia Sanchez complained and glanced at her elder sister, Sofia Sanchez.

"Sister Sofia is supposed to marry. Then, why am I being told to marry in her place?" Julia could not help but question her mother.

"Julia, when there was no one for you, we gave you shelter, we adopted you and provided you with every privilege of being a daughter," Victoria said.

Yes, Julia is the adopted daughter of the Sanchez family. When she was seven, she saved Sofia from an accident when Sofia's father decided to adopt Julia as his second daughter.

Julia looked at her father, Andres Sanchez, who was quiet. She decided to ask him. "Dad, I am a mere 20 year old girl. Do you really want me to get married to this businessman, whom my elder sister is supposed to marry?" She knew that her father would say a complete 'No' to this.

"I would have married him if he was not in a vegetative state," Sofia said nonchalantly when Victoria hit her arm.

Julia was shocked to hear that. Vegetative state!?

That was why they were forcing her to marry this unknown man.

"Julia, does his vegetative state matter to you? No, right? He has the fortune of his forefathers. Vast estates run in his name and he owns the top businesses in our country. You have seen how much your father struggled to raise you both." Victoria started to manipulate Julia, who scrunched her brows.

"Julia, if it was not for your father's business then we would not have asked you to marry him," she finally affirmed.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked and again gazed at her father.

Andres took a deep breath. "Julia, I work in Martinez Corporation as the General Manager. I have known them for over thirty years. The person whom you are supposed to marry is Marimo Martinez, who got into a terrible accident four years ago. That's why he's in a vegetative state. They want their son to get married despite being in that state and asked for the hand of one of my daughters." Andres explained everything to Julia, who was totally dumbfounded.

"You can refuse then. You can tell them that none of us want to marry their son," Julia suggested to her father.

"If it had been this easy, then we would not have asked you to marry Marimo," Victoria said. "This time, your father's job is at risk. We aren't provided any option," she stated.

"Why are you scared, Julia? You only need to marry Marimo. Since he's in a vegetative state, he will die soon. You will inherit a huge estate in your name and also, you can pursue your dreams. You are in a win-win situation," Victoria opined. Sofia agreed with her mother and started to convince Julia.

"Is my life nothing to you?" Julia's eyes filled with tears. "How could you tell me to marry him? It's not about money, mom," she asserted and looked at his father. "Dad, I did not expect this from you." She was disappointed in her father.

Julia stood up to leave when she heard Victoria say,

"It is about money, Julia. We adopted you. We provided you everything." Victoria also rose to her feet. "It is your time to repay us. Everything we did for you. When I told you that your father's job is at risk, you turned a blind eye to it. If we hadn't given you this family name, would you ever be able to reach this level?" Victoria's words seemed to Julia that she was merely a tool for them which they now wanted to use.

"Marry Marimo Martinez, else you are not welcome in this house. Before leaving this house, put every single penny we spent on you if you still refuse to marry Marimo," Victoria put forward a condition before Julia. Tears poured down her cheeks and her jaw clenched.

"Victoria, don't be harsh on her." Andres interrupted in their conversation.

"Honey, you need to stay quiet. I didn't say anything when you brought her home. I let you adopt her. I have told you that blood relationships matter. See, today she refused to help us." Victoria said in a fit of rage.

"Julia, I will not force you to make this decision. However, I have heard from their family doctor that Marimo will wake up soon," Andres stated, forcing a smile on her lips so that Julia would not feel bad.

"Dad, in 99% cases a vegetative person dies in that state. If he had even a 10% chance to survive, then I would have married him with no hesitation. Though, I am ready to marry his younger brother," Sofia said and smiled brightly.

"Shut up, Sofia!" Andres raised his voice at her.

"Honey, don't raise your voice on my daughter. You should scold Julia for not agreeing to us. Even a dog is better. At least, he is faithful to his master," Victoria taunted Julia, whose facial expressions were almost blank now.

Julia gazed at her father, who provided her everything, the same way he did to his first daughter, Sofia. Never once he let her feel low. He truly gave the love of a family to her. She didn't want to become selfish. If he had not adopted her, her life would be different from what it was now!

"I will marry Marimo Martinez," Julia pronounced, shocking three of them.

"Really?" Victoria asked as her eyes grew big.

"Yes. I will marry Marimo. This is the last thing I can do for you all. Since you all gave me everything, I am ready to repay it. If this marriage saves Dad from getting fired, then I am ready to become the sacrificial lamb." Her last words are a taunt to three of them. However, Victoria and Sofia hardly cared about it. The only thing they wanted was to get rid of Julia.

Sofia walked to her and hugged her tightly. "You are such a lovely sister," she said and pulled away.

"Honey, go and tell them that Julia is ready to marry Marimo," Victoria said with a broad smile on her lips and embraced her. She caressed Julia's head and thanked her for saving them.

"When will the marriage be?" Julia asked.

"They have not decided yet. I will talk to them first and let you know," Andres said as he got up from the couch. He excused himself to talk with the elder of the Martinez family.

Julia looked at her so-called mother and sister, who were dancing in happiness. So, she's a sacrificial lamb all these years for them. Julia was furious at her father as well, but because he took care of her, she stayed quiet.

After a while, Andres returned to the living room.

"They said the wedding will be held tomorrow in a private ceremony," Andres informed them. The colors from Julia's face had blown away and she found herself falling into a never-ending pit.

A man approximately 6'2" tall, fair complexion and the fringes parted from the left side on his head, could be seen in a library with his back leaning against the shelf. He had a book in his hand, titled: 100 ways to become a successful entrepreneur in one year.

Ridiculous!

He scoffed and put it back into the shelf. "Who the heck put such a book in my library?" He muttered.

He came out of the mini-library and descended the stairs, which was carpeted in red. He lifted his hand and looked at the wristwatch for the time.

The business suit that he had put on, fit well on him, showing his muscular body. Butler Juan was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Young Master Martinez, there's a piece of good news for you," Butler Juan humbly informed the man, who reached at the bottom of the stairs.

"The daughter of the Sanchez family is ready to marry Master Marimo Martinez," Butler Juan said with a broad smile.

"Finally, my plan worked," Marimo stated and his lips twisted into a smirk. He walked past Butler Juan and reached the main hall of the mansion, where his grandpa was seated, sipping his morning tea.

"Good morning, Grandpa!" Marimo greeted them and settled on the couch. The maid brought the espresso for Marimo and put the cup in front of him.

"Miss Julia Sanchez will marry you tomorrow." Ethan, the grandfather of Marimo told him.

"I thought again another woman will refuse to marry you," Ethan said and brought the cup to sip the tea. "But such a big lie we told to everyone. Will Marimo be able to hold the consequences?" He queried.

"Grandpa, I have inherited the fortune from you all. Marriage is like a business to me especially if it's a marriage in a rich household. Four years ago, I started dating as per your request. I dated more than 300-400 women, yet everyone was interested in my money, more than the efforts my family put in to generate it," Marimo affirmed. He recalled how he came up with this idea and decided to find a bride.

"I agreed to your idea because I love my grandson more than anything. I believe that you will not let this marriage fall apart because of the lie you have told," Ethan stated.

"Grandpa, you have seen that I got rejected by 500 girls in this four years period. Why? Because I was in a vegetative state in their eyes. Many of them accepted to marry me, but on the condition that 50% of the assets would be given to her, after I die. Everything stuck at money, Grandpa," Marimo affirmed and sipped the espresso. He put it on the table and laid back on the couch.

"Even the Sanchez's accepted this marriage because I told Andres Sanchez that his job would be at risk. They are also selfish," Ethan stated and took another sip.

"Why did you say this grandpa?" Marimo complained.

"Because you have already delayed your marriage. I want to see my grandchild before leaving this body," Ethan expressed his desire and finished the tea. "Andres Sanchez is the General Manager in the Human Resources department. He has been honest at his job and I thought his daughters must be like him. So, if any of them agrees to marry you, then it will be a win-win for us," he added.

"Earlier, Grandpa said that they are selfish too. Grandpa is confusing me," Marimo squinted his eyes.

"At some point, everyone gets selfish for his or her benefits. I am glad that Andres didn't demand any such thing. So, I have told him that the marriage will be held tomorrow in a private ceremony," Ethan stated and picked the newspaper from the table.

"What???" Marimo was shocked to hear it. "My dad and mom are not here, neither is my younger brother! How am I supposed to marry without their presence? Also, I needed time to check if the woman I would marry would be better for me, and this family." Marimo was panicked. His grandfather played well with him.

"Whom am I supposed to marry? What's her name?" Marimo asked and looked at Juan Carlos.

"It is Julia Sanchez, Young Master," Butler Juan replied.

Marimo took out his phone from the pocket to dial his secretary's number.

"Marimo, there's no need to call your Secretary to find out about the girl. Julia is a nice girl. You can see her tomorrow in your marriage," stated Ethan.

"Grandpa, at least, I should know what she does and how she looks," Marimo opined.

"She has completed her studies. You can see her tomorrow in your marriage. She is indeed beautiful and a cheerful girl. You will definitely fall in love with her as soon as she will be in the aisle," stated Ethan and gestured to Juan, who took out the photograph of Julia from his pocket.

He handed it to Marimo, who looked at it. "No doubt, she's pretty. But why does she look so young?" He murmured and gazed at his grandpa, who got busy reading the newspaper.

Marimo decided not to look at Julia because tomorrow he would find out about her.

~~~~~

Julia was seated at the floor with her back against the bed. Her face was buried between her knees. She was not crying though because there's no use of it. However, she was upset that the family whom she considered everything wanted her to repay them.

She never complained about Victoria and Sofia's behavior, who were always odd to her. But today when her father did not think about her even for a second, disheartened her. He was her role model. In the end, she was adopted so that one day she could repay them.

Julia could not either complain about it. What would she say? Indeed, her life would be different if she would not have been adopted by the Sanchez Family.

Lifting her head and running her fingers through her chocolate brown hair, she took a deep sigh.

Julia let out a deep sigh as she reminisced the words of her mother, and father.

"Well, I understand that they will not let Sofia marry a man who is in his vegetative state. I am also safe because this man will die soon. I can resume my studies then, somewhere far!" She turned and looked at the scholarship letter that she had received from the prestigious college of her country.

"I won't ever get this opportunity. Sigh, my dream to become a renowned drama writer will get delayed," she murmured.

"Julia! Julia! Open the door," Victoria said from outside the door while banging on the door.

"I don't want to talk to anyone," Julia loudly said and didn't open the door.

"Julia, at least have your dinner." She heard the voice of her dad. "It is your last day in this house. Have dinner with us," he urged. She could feel the sadness in his voice. Probably, his hands were tied too and he was unable to do anything.

She rubbed her eyes and stood up. She walked to the door and opened it. Her father and mother were standing in front of her. No matter what Victoria told her earlier, she also cheered for her in her tough times.

Julia outstretched her arms and hugged her both parents. "I really don't want to marry. However, because it is for the Sanchez' family, I will put a stone on my heart and accept it. Thank you for giving me so many things. Thank you for becoming my family." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clung to them.

Both Victoria and Andres caressed her back. "You are always the daughter of Andres Sanchez. Forget what your mother said earlier," Andres told her. They stayed in that position for a while before withdrawing away from the hug.

Andres wiped the tears from Julia's cheeks and took her to the dining hall for dinner.

~~~~~~~

"So, your plan finally worked," Eliot, the younger brother of Marimo, said.

Marimo, who was on a velvet tufted solid puffy stool in front of the dressing table, pressed the temple of his forehead. "It didn't work according to my plan, Eliot. Grandpa threatened this General Manager," he asserted.

"Well, you took four years to find a suitable bride for yourself. Grandpa was suspicious of your sexuality. He still thinks that you are into guys. That's why he told this lie. Well, my sister-in-law's parents didn't either ask for money from you. So, it is a win-win. You have succeeded in finding a woman, who is not after your money," Eliot explained to him.

"Ah, your wedding suit is here," Eliot said and put that on the bed.

"I will change first," Marimo said and stood up, telling the hairdresser to wait for a while. After some time, he came out of the dressing room.

"It suits you well," Eliot said and walked to him. He adjusted his bow tie and patted on his shoulders. "The social media is going to crash because of your handsomeness," Eliot remarked, which made Marimo chuckle.

He sat back on the puffy stool and the hairdresser started to do his hair.

"Your bride is getting ready in the other room. She is gorgeous among the ladies whom you dated till now," Eliot informed Marimo, who ended up smiling. "I wonder how she will react upon seeing you standing straight in front of her," he muttered.

"She definitely will be happy and fell for me at the first sight," Marimo said with a confident tone.

"I am surprised that you aren't bothered to know about her. I will go for a love marriage unlike you," Eliot said and folded his arms.

"I tried to fall in love, but what to say? All seemed like gold diggers to me. At least, those whom I went on a date with four years ago. That's why I had to come up with this plan," Marimo stated. "But Grandpa created a blunder in that plan," he added.

"You don't try to fall in love. You just fell into love," Eliot corrected him. "Stop looking at marriage for benefits. The relationship of a husband and wife is a holy one, without seeking benefits from each other," he asserted.

"I am afraid, but I don't agree with your words," Marimo said and chuckled. "The biggest example is our parents. Dad and mom separated ten years ago. They both agreed to marry to spread their business and they indeed did it! It was all for benefits. Bringing us two into the world... everything was a business in their eyes," Marimo proclaimed.

"I don't think so. They indeed cared for each other. That's why they separated their paths after finding that they both need love," Eliot said.

"That's why they refused to stay in the marriage!" Marimo again chuckled. "They turned selfish and didn't even think of us. Let's not talk about them anymore. It is quite strange, I need to see them today with their respective partners," he said with annoyance.

"You get ready. I will be with Grandpa in the backyard." Eliot left the room while Marimo picked his phone and scrolled the feeds on it.

"Marimo, you look pretty handsome today!" Marimo's father, Javier Martinez, came to the room where Marimo was dressing up.

Marimo looked at the reflection of his father in the mirror and asked him when he returned from London.

"Last night," Javier answered, "as soon as dad told me about your marriage. You finally have selected a bride. Are you sure that love is not required while being in a marriage?" He asked.

"What does Dad want to say?" Marimo asked his father to explain. The hairdresser was done making his hair and the makeup artist came forward to apply light makeup to Marimo's face.

"It is not needed. My face is good without makeup." Marimo refused to apply any makeup. He looked at the bowtie and adjusted it well.

Standing up, he put on the black blazer of the wedding suit and turned to his father.

"Marriage isn't a business, Marimo. Indeed, your mother and I made mistakes, but you should not let it happen to you. That's what I want," Javier explained to his son. Marimo didn't say anything as he knew it would lead to an argument between his father and him.