The Beauty of Love

It had been one week, seven days, and One Hundred and Sixty-Eight hours when her name was officially changed from Fiona McGuire to Fiona Carter.

A week has passed by, and, despite that, there is no clue about her so-called husband. Like normal couples, after exchanging their vows, they go for their honeymoon to a romantic destination. However, unlike any of them, Fiona was still sitting on the couch in her new home, thinking about her perfect marriage life, which was far from being perfect.

Except for his name, which was Justin Carter, Fiona knew nothing about him. Before marrying Justin, she knew that their relationship would not be like other couples, but she thought they could at least be friends and give their marriage a chance. Maybe they could start over. But she was expecting too much from him. She was delusional that Justin would want this arrangement to turn into a proper marriage.

Fiona and Justin appear to be a happily married couple to others. Still, only her dearest father-in-law and Grace, and possibly her mother-in-law, are aware of the truth about their marriage contract. Grace is a housemaid in Justin's apartment. For the past few days, she has been an ideal friend and mother to Fiona. She is in her late 40s and, like her name, she is very graceful in everything she does. She has been with Justin since he was born and took care of him along with his mother. So you can practically call her his second mom.

Fiona's thoughts were soon distracted as soon as she heard the doorbell.

The first thought that came to her mind was that her dearest husband had finally decided to show his face after the night of their marriage.

When Grace opened the door, Fiona saw a six-foot-tall, gorgeous man entering the house in his grey business suit. He had ocean blue eyes, which looked tedious at the moment. His dark chocolate brown hair was dishevelled, probably because of working the entire day... Oops, she should say, a whole week.

And the worst thing he did was, without even glancing at her, he went into his room. But not before saying, "Be ready by 11 tomorrow. We are going to have lunch with my family."

Fiona sighed and sat down on the couch, trying to stop the tears that wanted to come from her eyes. He didn't even glance at her. She was confused about whether she should burn with rage or cry her heart out.

But at least he knows she exists. That's something, right?

When Fiona was going to her room, which is the guest room in Justin's apartment, she heard faint noises from Justin's room. She was about to enter her room when she heard her name, so she figured that Justin was talking to Grace about her.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she went across her room to his and listened to their conversation.

Fiona knew for the fact that eavesdropping is wrong. But hey!! They were talking about her, so she had every right to know about it.

So she stood in front of the door with her lips pressed into a thin line and her hand softly in place on the door for support when she heard Justin say, "She is nothing but a gold digger. I can't believe she even had the guts to show me her face." Justin angrily said to Grace.

"But Justin..." Grace was interrupted by Justin's harsh words. "I don't want to listen to anything, Grace. She is just like every other woman who wants me for my money and nothing else. She hadn't even been in dad's office for the past week. Instead of being the independent woman that she should be, she just wants to spend my money and shower herself with power, fame, and gifts."

Double Ouch!! That hurts.

Tears were threatening to come from her eyes at the same time she wanted to burst through the door and tell him the truth, but she stormed into her room. She was hurt, angry, and wanted to bawl her eyes out. She could not take it anymore. He knew nothing about her.

Instead of working in the office, she was working from home. It was not because she wanted to, but because their little marriage arrangement would be ruined if Fiona showed up at work. If she showed up at his dad's office, people might know something was up, and they might start doubting their marriage, which is not good for the company. She didn't want someone to give them the benefit of the doubt. Justin knew nothing about her and the fact why she had married him.

She might have cried herself to sleep if he had known she wasn't a gold digger.

Like every other morning, Grace woke Fiona up. Since she was not a morning person, it was difficult for her to wake up early and start her day fresh. But like Fiona's mother or her alarm clock, even Grace has been waking her up early for the past week.

After getting up, she did her usual morning chores and went to the kitchen to help Grace. She didn't like Fiona helping her, but she insisted. And being the pleasant person who Grace is, she lets Fiona help her.

They were both talking and joking around along with doing their work. Grace, despite being in her late 40s, is upbeat and has a lovely voice. While cooking, she always sings, and Fiona just loves to listen to her voice. She sometimes wonders how Grace became a maid. She should have been on the X factor and would have easily won that competition. But anyway, Fiona is lucky to have her. If it was not for her, then she doesn't know how she would have survived this long in this house.

Bless her!

Grace is a beautiful old woman who has a strong personality. Her golden hair and brown shades, hazelnut eyes, and smooth skin make her look younger than her age. Grace is passionate about the things she does. It is very rare, or would rather say, once in a blue moon; it happens that she is behind her schedule.

Unlike on other days, today Grace ran late. So, she asked Fiona to set the plate for Justin.

Justin's name always makes Fiona's heart clench. So she took a deep breath, put the breakfast on the plate, and took it to his room. As she was nothing but a stranger to him, she knocked on the door. But there was no answer. She hit a few more times, but still, there was no reply. So she slowly but hesitantly entered his room.

This would not be the first time that Fiona had stepped into this room. When she first came to this house, Grace gave her a tour. So she very well knew the look of his room. That doesn't mean she goes into his room whenever she feels like it. Fiona's always respected a person's privacy. This is only the second time she has visited him in his pad.

Justin's room is typical of a bachelor's pad. An enormous bed in the middle with a small study table, a few of his clothes lying down on the bed, and, of course, a punching bag hanging in the left corner of his room. But compared to other guys, it's a bit cleaner. For a businessman, he was surely not as organized as Fiona had thought. But for a guy, he definitely likes to keep his room clean. Who knows!! Well, maybe because Grace had been doing it on his behalf.

When she stepped in, the room was empty, and she heard the faint sound of the shower, so Fiona figured that Justin might be taking a bath. So Fiona kept the food tray on the table beside his bed.

When Fiona was about to leave, she heard the door creak. So she turned around and saw Justin just standing in his towel, and her eyes went wide. Her mouth was wide open, so she quickly turned around and closed her eyes with her hand.

"I am so sorry!!" She squeaked.

"I can't believe you. After everything, you still have nerves of showing up here." Justin growled and took a few steps towards her. And when Fiona turned around, Justin's face reflected frustration and anger.

"Who the hell do you think you are, barging into my room without my permission?" Justin was furious. After all this, she still had the nerve to show herself in his room, he thought.

Surprised and frightened by his reaction, Fiona's response came out as a whisper, "I just got you breakfast..."

But soon, she was cut short by his sarcastic laugh, "Food, bullshit!! I would never eat what you got me." And he threw the plate. He didn't mean to do that, but he had no control over his actions. His frustration got the better of him.

The food was all across the floor, and the plate was broken into millions of pieces. Fiona immediately left the room without saying a word and went into the guest room. This is becoming a daily routine. This time, she didn't cry because that arrogant, angry man was rude to her, but because it was getting too much for her to handle. It was getting out of control.

Is this going to be her life forever?

And the worst part is that she cannot step back from this marriage.

This only led her to think, what did she ever do to deserve all this?

Fiona's eyes looked dull. She has brown eyes that have faded in color. So she quickly put on some makeup to make her eyes look more normal than before. She is not a big fan of using cosmetics, but she has to make herself look at least presentable in front of her in-laws. So she quickly dressed herself up and went to the living area.

She wore a light blue dress. It wasn't a formal gown but rather a simple casual dress that was elegant enough to be worn on a regular outing. With her blue dress, she put on a matching blue gladiator. She was just finishing up her hair when she heard Grace call her.

"Fiona, Justin is waiting for you in the car." Grace informed her.

So Fiona headed downstairs and sat in his car. Without even giving her a look, he started the engine. Well, this is the second time in two days that he has treated her in such a manner.

So he was going to ignore her now, which was fantastic!

What exactly did she do?

Oh yeah!

She just got him breakfast this morning, and this is what she got in return.

Amazing right??

Bloody hell! Fiona would not give him that satisfaction. He was the one who didn't show up on the night of their marriage, not the other way round. She had no intention of explaining herself to her beloved husband, especially since she had done nothing wrong. Let him find the truth by himself.

The ride was filled with uncomfortable silence. Then, after an hour which felt like an eternity, they finally reached his parents' place.

It would be an understatement if she called his home small. It was pretty huge, but it still felt cozy yet comfortable. When the door opened, his mother's hug instantly crushed Fiona. She had a big smile plastered on her beautiful face. She was petite and had chocolate brown hair and blue eyes, just like her son. But Justin's hair was darker than hers.

"Welcome home." Sara said cheerfully.

Fiona's mother-in-law's name is Sara. When Fiona's gaze was drawn to Daniel, her father-in-law, she remembered the terms of her marriage. This caused her to glare at him. But the smile which was plastered on his face was sincere, so she smiled back at him after a long mental sigh.

She greeted them politely. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Carter."

"Please call me Sara or better mom. You are a family." Sara said genuinely. But only if she knows how much ever Fiona wants, she can never be a part of this family.

"Yes, Fiona. Call me Daniel or Dad, just like Justin. I am not your boss here." Yes! You heard it right. Daniel Carter, the father of Justin, is Fiona's boss. She works for him in his company. Justin works for another branch of the same firm.

"Sure, Sara and Daniel." Her in-laws were a bit disappointed that she called them by name but chose to ignore it as they knew that it was going to take time for their daughter-in-law to get used to everything.

But in reality, Fiona would have called them mom and dad. Still, she could not do that because she didn't feel that she had a right to call them that yet plus her relationship with Justin was very complicated, and not forget the uncertainty of the time of their marriage. In addition to that, she didn't want him to be angry by being too comfortable with his parents.

When they entered their home, Justin's sibling, Aaron, who resembled his elder brother, greeted them. He might have been a few years younger than him, and his personality screamed that of a player.

Soon, they were all sitting in the dining hall and eating lunch. Fiona was deep in thought until Daniel complimented her. "Fiona, you did an outstanding job with your presentation. You took your time and gave an excellent presentation as a newlywed. I really appreciate the fact that, for the past week, you have been working from home. You are one of the most reliable and best employees in my company. I am very proud of you."

Before she could even thank him, Fiona heard a small clank beside her and saw a shocked look on Justin's face. Well, he finally got his facts correct, that she had been working just like him for the past seven days. The only difference is that she is doing it from home instead of at the office.

"You okay, Justin?" His dad and mum asked with concern.

"Y... Yes... Mum, everything is fine. The spoon just slipped." He stuttered... Well, it's clear that he was surprised by the new information.

His mother just shrugged and continued eating. Fiona was enjoying this lunch more than she expected.