CHAPTER 4 White Lies
"I'll be a damn good loyal husband to you. As long as you give your body and soul to me and only me until the very last day I call you 'wife'."
Kendra's POV
FIRST MEETING
My heart was pounding as I finally met the man whom I'm about to marry. The way he brushed his dark hair with his fingers was enough to attract half of the ladies inside this restaurant.
The way those blue eyes looked at me was enough to make my heart skip. I gulped when he sweetly called my name, "Kendra? Shall we do a first-name basis?"
When I couldn't talk nor nod my head, he followed up with an explanation, "What I mean is, we are getting married anyway. Being casual is better. Being shy won't help our cost."
I gulped and gathered my strength to respond, "Y-you're right. Well, J-Johann."
He smiled at me, a smile that felt warm, one that almost melted me from my seat.
Our first meeting went smoothly, as expected, he is definitely out of my league, so I wonder why he agreed to his marriage. I heard he has a girlfriend of his own, so why? To suffice my curiosity, I voiced my thoughts.
"Err, Johann, mind if I ask you something?" I paused to catch my breath, "A very personal question, just so you know."
He shrugged his shoulders, "As long as it wouldn't hurt me."
I took a glass of wine, chugged it straight to my wine, and faced him forward. Since I already brought myself into this mess, I might as well, know more about my husband-to-be.
"I heard you… uh… have a g-girlfriend?" I stuttered.
He chuckled softly then drank, "Had a girlfriend."
"Then, why did you agree to this marriage?"
"Why the hell not? Do you not like to be my wife?" his gestures were as composed as ever. He didn't even budge when I asked him the question. So I answered his in return, in a very shy manner.
"I-I do?"
"Kendra, you seemed not too convinced with your own answer. Is there a reason why we shouldn't push through this?" his voice changed.
So I instantly blurted out a white lie, "Well, I uh… I had someone I loved, too. I guess that makes us even, no?"
His next reaction baffled me, he laughed so hard as if his stomach was to burst, "Yeah, yeah. I guess so."
Then he raised his glass and waited for me to do the same. I met his in the air and we toasted,
"To getting married!"
"To our wedding!"
And the jokes… the drinks rather, were on us.
We had a full dinner course and a few rounds of drinks. But before we call it a night, we went to the main agenda of our meeting, to talk about our marriage including a marriage agreement between him and me.
"As you already know, I came from a family of businessmen, and negotiation is all to us," he began with his speech.
"So, tell me what you expect in this marriage and I'll tell you mine. This way, we can have a harmonious marriage, don't you think?" he even added.
My brows furrowed out of curiosity, "So you want to draw a contract?"
His face told otherwise how stupid my question was. So I allowed him to drive the conversation, "What's your proposition, then?"
He cleared his throat. Then his demeanor changed afterward. He sat straight and crossed his legs. His eyes were fixated on me, gauging me.
"First thing first. This marriage may be arranged, but I assure you it will be legal and monogamous."
Hearing his last word caught my attention. Hard enough that I couldn't help but scan his figure from head to toe. In my mind, I wondered, how can I expect as gorgeous as this man not to cheat? And besides, he has an ex-girlfriend he loves.
My silence probably got to him so he gave another statement, "Believe me, I didn't have a history of cheating. And I never plan to. So when I say I'm married to you, I will stay loyal until the last day we are married. So I expect you to do the same."
His voice became adamant. Surely, there's no question, he is indeed a boss, an alpha. He knows what he wants, and I think he will take no for an answer.
So I gave him the exact words he wanted to hear, "Of course. I will be a loyal wife. You surely won't have any problem in that department."
I saw him raise his brows unconvinced of what I said. But he seemed like a man who doesn't filter his thoughts. So he asked anyway, "Good! That means even if your lover returns, you cannot cheat. It's either stay or leave. Got it?"
I was caught off guard. I almost exposed the white lie I made a while ago. So I instantly responded with a nod, then drowned myself in a full glass of wine.
"And sex must always be consensual. Husband and wife do make love. So will we. But we need to practice safe sex. Got it?" he discussed it with me without faltering. As if sex is a usual topic over dinner or with someone you just met.
My cheeks suddenly felt a quick jump in my body temperature upon hearing his remarks. In fact, I am not used to having discussions about someone's sexuality or anything related to it.
My throat dried up, preventing me from answering.
He once again bothered by my quietness, "Like I said, I'll be a faithful husband but depriving me of sex is another thing. Celibacy never crosses my mind. Just so we are clear."
I looked away, avoiding his intense stares, "I-I know. I got it. What's next on your list? So we can wrap it up."
He slipped a smile, "As you wish, Kendra. This is my final point. Three years, that's all it takes."
"E-excuse me?" puzzled by the figure he gave.
He gave me a striking look as he leaned forward toward my seat. His face was serious, something that was hard to see, "We'll stay married for three years to fulfill our loved one's wishes. And if we don't love each other by then, we will free ourselves of these obligations. You will be the one to propose our divorce to Grandpa!"
My mind was clouded at that moment. Entering a loveless marriage is one thing. But giving an ultimatum before it even started, that's way out of my league. Yet despite the convulsions inside my head, the only thing I could say was,
"Consider it done, Johann Petersen."