Deadline: Marriage To My Unwanted Wife

Din tapped his fingers on the table. "You must remain in this marriage until I am ready to release you."

Jessie smirked, perplexed.

"I understand you're short on cash, and I'm willing to compensate you for your efforts."

"For the money, you want me to pretend to be married to you? What else would you possibly want from me? Sex?"

"No. I swear I won't touch you until you give me your permission."

"Oh my God!" Jessie screamed angrily.

"Please take a deep breath and relax. I can also assist you with your professional endeavours. I know you've been having trouble landing a big job since you passed up the opportunity to go to Paris. I'm also aware that you haven't been able to find work since you missed your chance and flew to Vegas during your breakup, so let's lend a hand to each other." Din made an offer.

"Did you run a background check on me?" Jessie inquired.

He demonstrated, pinching his fingers together. "Just a teeny-tiny check-up." He was being truthful, which made Jessie sigh. She despised the fact that he was so forthright about it. No! She was not going to fall for it. He was about to entice her into another marital trap.

"No," Jessie stated emphatically. Clearly and boldly.

He inquired, "Are you sure? All you have to do is pretend to be a happy couple in front of my grandfather, and I'll give you twice as much."

"No," she said as she stood up and carried her bag. "I'm looking for a divorce. Mr. Cooper, there are billions of girls out there who would be honoured to do all of this with you and would also be willing to remain, but I'm out." She pushed herself out of the chair and proceeded toward the door. She fixed her gaze on him. "I'm going to court if you don't consent to the divorce." She said after opening the door and walking out.

***

(FLASHBACK)

"Here you go, Sweetie." Jessie Walker handed her fiance, Mark, his early morning cup of smoothies. Mark sipped the smoothie through the straw.

As he stared at the watch, he returned the cup to Jessie.

"Okay, so I made reservations tonight at the Marcellus restaurant at 8:30. I thought maybe we should__Do you know? Setting a date?"

"Alright, I will see you later." He headed towards the door and opened it.

"Hey, hey, hey. Love you." She sat with her hand on his shoulder as she pouted her lips. Looking forward to being kissed.

"Love you too." Mark placed a kiss on her forehead instead and headed through the door to work.

Having returned to the kitchen table, Jessie sighed. Her attention was caught by the five-carat diamond ring on her finger. It brought a smile to her face. In just a few short months, she will marry the man of her dreams.

"Jessie!" Taylor's booming voice reached out to her from across the living room. With a sigh, Jessie opened her eyes and glanced at her friend who stood in front of the kitchen door. "The door wasn't locked."

Jessie stood up to hug her friend. "I was sure I locked it when Mark left the house. Or is the door broken?" she asked her friend as they both went to sit on the stool.

"This is a very beautiful day. I brought something for you." Taylor dipped her hand into her big bag, which was shaped like a bucket. "All right. Here you go." She handed Jessie a bottle of champagne. Jessie inspected the bottle for a little while with her eyes. She hasn't seen that type of champagne before even though she was popular with them. Taylor noted Jessie's confusion. "That is my new sample. It is apple-flavored." Taylor cleared.

Jesse gasped. "This is beautiful Taylor. I didn't know you would brand a sample like this." She reached out for two glasses and opened the champagne bottle.

"It was only branded for you. I want you to try it out and tell me what you think. Is the packaging nice? Will they like it?" Taylor asked.

Jessie gave a soft smile. "They will like it." She poured the champagne into both glasses and handed one to her friend. "To happily married life." She reached for her friend's glasses.

"To succeed," Taylor said, and they both clogged each other's glasses.

Jessie had a taste of the champagne and couldn't believe it would have such a great taste.

All her life she has known Taylor and tasted Taylor's drink... This was the first time she'd say she enjoyed it and wanted more. "So tell me, did you decide to throw your dreams away for marriage?" Taylor asked when she dropped the glass on the table. She focused on her friend and waited for her to talk.

Jessie sucked her teeth and looked at her friend. "We decided to leave my dream and work towards everything. Together. We created a list of do's and don'ts. Mark and I agreed to do shows only on Friday nights when we are married, and tonight, we are going to set a date for the wedding. I'm so excited, babe. I have waited for this."

"I know. I am happy for you too, but do you think that date would be beneficial for you? Becoming a full-time wife? And working only on Fridays? What if you have a big gig that will bring loads of money in? Think about that? What would you do then? I would advise that you cross out the old list and create a new one for your benefit too. You can't trust men and put your dreams in their hands. He would only have full power over you when you do that."

Jessie heaved a sigh as she placed the glass of wine in her mouth. She sighed again when she dropped it on the table. 'If it wasn't for Mark, I don't think I would be surviving today. I don't think my family will ever be where they are today. My mama and Bev; Mark sponsored her tuition fees. The least I can do right now is to obey him and do what he wants. You know, I didn't get to finish school because my parents couldn't afford it. Mark believed I would do the right thing, and he also loved me." She flashed her diamond ring in her friend's face. "Look at that. I am the luckiest girl alive.

I can't believe someone would love a girl like me."

"I understand, girl, but if he loves and believes in you, then he has to help you reach for the stars." He shouldn't be restricting you like that and putting the pressure of becoming a good wife and mother on you. Look, Jessie," she said, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I don't want you to regret anything. I don't want you to wake up one day and cry that you didn't achieve anything you have worked so hard for. You have always tried to be that perfect girl for Mark for as long as I can remember. You never even cry in front of him or feel sad. You have to put yourself first and not be afraid to lose a man. Alright? Talk to him tonight and see how it goes. If he decides you should pursue your dreams and help you with them, then he is the man for you. But if he is ignorant about it and wants you to be a stay-at-home mom and wife, then please, dear, run! Because he will ruin you."

Taylor sighed. "You know, I love you and I want the best for you." Jessie nodded as her friend spoke. She felt scared on the inside. Throughout her years of dating Mark, she has always been perfect for him. He's always wearing those classy sexy dresses, so he won't look out. She always satisfies his needs and wants and always tries to make his friends and family members like her. She was becoming someone she was not.

Maybe her friend was right. She will have to talk to Mark about it. She would have to tell him how she felt and how uncomfortable it would be if she breathed the same air with him for years in the same house without achieving her dreams. She would be terrified and damaged, and she might not be able to cope with the rules anymore.

Jessie doesn't want that. She had always looked at Mark as the man she would always love, not because of the way he had helped shape her life, but because of the way he had been true to her since the day they met. He was a good man and had been. Jessie would never doubt him because he had shown that he could be trusted and true, and if he claimed he loved her, then he had to help with her dreams of becoming a famous musician.

"Hey." Taylor tapped Jessie a little. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. Jessie's eyes were wider than before. It was as if she had been woken from a terrible dream.

"What?"

"I have been calling you for a few now, but it seemed like your mind was gone somewhere else."

"I am fine, Tay. I was just thinking about what you said earlier. You're right. I have worked so much for this dream and if he loved me, he would change the list and support my dreams too. I will talk to him tonight about everything and how uncomfortable I am with this whole housewife thing."

Taylor nodded as she finished her drink. "I am proud of the woman you are becoming, and I know Mark would also know that you are a gem. You're prettier than the carat diamond on your finger." Jessie giggled as she watched her friend speak those beautiful words right out of her mouth. Taylor has always been supportive of her rights from childhood to now. She was always there to comfort her and help in any way she could.

She wasn't able to finish college either. She had the chance to, but she pursued her dreams. Even though her parents had banned her from going after tequila and parties, Taylor wouldn't listen. She wanted her name up there. She wanted to be known for the talent she possessed. For all the good things she could do with her hands and without her family's help. She was a woman of her own. She wouldn't let anyone take that away from her, and that was what Jessie respected the most about her.

Although her parents were rich, Taylor felt she would fail herself if she were to go back to her home to look into the eyes of the people who didn't believe in her. The same people who had always seen her as a disappointment and a woman who would never achieve anything without the help of her family.

Jessie had always told her to go back home. Not because she was accepting what Taylor's parents said but because she felt forgiveness would take anyone to a great place. Taylor was stubborn and had always been that way.

"Do you remember that one time we snuck into your father's library because our ball got stuck in there?" Jessie began to laugh, and Taylor joined in.

"Father was so mad at us. He banned us from playing with that ball. He banned us from doing anything that involved guys and told us to act like ladies instead."

"You know what made me laugh the most? It was when he brought a teacher home to teach us how to behave like a lady." Jessie began to laugh again.

"Lilly ruined the lady's dress, and my father got so angry at my sister for that."

"He gave up. He was tired that we wouldn't be able to behave like one." Jessie exhaled. "That was a really great time. I wish we could go back to the time when things were easy for us and when we could have whatever it is we want." She shook the bottle, and when nothing poured from it, she dropped the bottle on the table. "That was good champagne."

"Yes. There will be a party in Las Vegas, and I will be in charge of the drinks there. This sample will be showcased. I want you to be there. This is my first big gig Jess."

Jessie sighed.

"I know that look," Taylor said.

"What look?" Jessie asked.

"You are backing out. I can't believe this is happening. I thought we talked about making him understand that you are a woman who wants her dreams to come true. What is all this now, Jessie?"

"Calm down. Hear me out. I am not backing out. It is on a Friday, right?"

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"I will be having a gig then too. That's why I had that look. And besides, this isn't your first big gig. Every gig has always been your first big gig every time you tell me you have a gig."

"But I am serious right now. It is my first big gig and you have to come to show your support. I need you, friend."

Jessie sighed. "All right." she nodded. "I will see what I can do about that day."

"You are the best of the best of the best." Taylor moved closer to her as she continued to kiss Jessie's cheeks. "I know I can always count on you to do this for me."

Her phone beeped when she went back to her normal position. She picked it up and glanced at Jessie. "Oops. It is the management. I'm sorry, babe. I have to go. I don't think I will be able to stay here any longer." She jumped down from the stool, and so did Jessie.

Taylor held her hand. "Good luck with your date tonight. I know you can do it. You have always been the type of woman who gets what she wants, and this is what you want. I don't want you to have any regrets and I fully support you with whatever it is your decision is. Don't forget that you are a classy woman and beautiful too."

Taylor took Jessie's hand and made her turn around. "A short red dress would look great on you tonight. Have fun and don't forget to tell me in detail. Ciao." Both of them did their secret handshake, and it almost took a minute before Jessie saw Taylor at the door.

Taylor kissed her cheeks one more time before heading out of the house.

Jessie shook her head as she walked back to the kitchen. She couldn't stop smiling. Her friend was silly and she would never change.

Red dress, huh? She cleaned up the empty glasses of wine and kept the bottle. It was a gift from her friend and also a memory that her friend made with her. Disposing of it would be a waste.

When Jessie was done in the kitchen, she found her way to the room. When the wedding is over, she and Mark will be moving to a bigger place where they will raise their kids together. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she would be getting the things she had always wanted. A man who loves her and wants to build a family with her. She couldn't stop smiling as she opened her closet.

She picked the red dress she bought for her next two Friday gigs and looked in the mirror to see if it fit the mood, which it did. She dropped the dress on her bed and checked which hairstyle would go with it. A ponytail or drop. She looked younger in her ponytail, so she went with it.

Jessie searched for matching stiletto heels. She used silver earrings and chains that had the same design.

After she was done in the shower, she dried herself up and dressed up. She had always been a perfect woman. The woman that was never who she was but another person who only had her face and body and name but not her heart. She forced a smile on her face again. It was everything she wanted: to be with him and to have the life he gave to her. The comfort he provided.

She put her hair in a ponytail and used her identity as she always does. smoked eyes when she was done applying her eye shadow. Red lipstick was a form of confidence for her. Jessie slid into her red heels and stood up to look at her image in the full mirror.