CHAPTER 3: MARRIAGE CONTRACT

NAYA’S POV:

The world is such a dark dark place, I was thinking. But within that darkness, there is a little number of people who twinkle still, giving hope to rest of the world who have lost their-

“Hey!"

My eyes shut and open again, eyes blinking up. Whatever thought I was thinking, it was just the night sky laced with droplets of stars I had been looking at.

“Hey."

My gaze focused on the face of a man who was standing incredibly close to me. A stranger standing too close.

“I'm relieved you're awake. Here, let me help you up," he said, placing one firm hand on my shoulder, the other wrapping around the upper of my back, and in seconds, he was lifting me up.

My first thought as I stood on ginger feet after he got me up was, “That's quite impressive. You must have done this a number of times." The second was, “Who are you? And why were you standing close?"

He heard me.

“Pardon me for the awkward position. My name is Manuel. You almost walked into my car and I think I must have scraped it on the pavement, but I stopped just in time to prevent running over you. The shock — that's what I heard on TV once — caused you to lose consciousness and you're only coming to."

Oh, quite the interesting day I've had. First, my boyfriend breaks up with me because after three years,I don't look pleasing anymore. Then, my best friend tries to PIMP me off to some dude I don't know.

And now, now that I've managed to run away, you almost run into me! Quite interesting, don't you think?

But he doesn't hear the question as I never voice it out. I just stood there, watching him but not seeing him.

“Are you injured somewhere? Did you hit your head?"

“No, no, I'm fine," I tell him.

“I could take you to the hospital to have those scratches looked at. Just to make sure they don't get infected." Ugh, he reads minds!

“No, I'm fine. It's-"

The words fade away as I bring my hand from my head and stare at it under the headlights of the Porsche, telling myself it couldn't be what I thought. Manuel said nothing as he stared at the hand with me, my blood red and angry on my fingers.

“Come with me," was all he said, and it was more of an order than a request.

I followed him willingly.

On the way, Manuel tries his best at first to fill the silence with mundane talks that don't get me to know him but doesn't allow him pry into my life either.

But my mind was too occupied with all I had gone through. The pain that shot through my chest every time I thought of anything resembling Gale blocked off the Manuel’s endless talk.

He must have sensed this because at some point, he either stopped talking or I stopped hearing him entirely.

The car stopped and I looked around where we were. We had been moving through L.A all morning but I hadn't really noticed anything that passed us until now.

I stared at the building in front of me, one I had only seen in documentaries or during commercials. It looked even bigger than in the commercials.

“Uhm, Manuel, what are we doing here?"

Instead of saying anything, I heard this door lock, mine unlocked in seconds and in the next moment, he was guiding me out.

“I can walk," I protested, and he let go, allowing me walk into the front of Vict. Jane for the first time ever. The most expensive hospital in L.A.

Unable to stomach it all, I turned back to Manuel, his talk body and easy smile beside me. I noticed, as we walked, how nurses in the hospital smiled and greeted him.

Not the usual “He's so handsome, I want him" greeting. It was more of familiarity — and maybe dating from the girls.

We were shown into one of the wards and I sat on the bed, surprised by how soft it was compared to other hospitals I've visited. I found it strange the nurse didn't ask for anything else after I told her my ID card wasn't with me. Maybe it was the Manuel effect.

A doctor came in with a bright smile less than 30seconds after the nurse walked out.

“Hi," she says to me as she walks over.

“Hello," I responded, unable to feel the enthusiasm of being at Vict. Jane anymore, thanks to the new feeling in me.

I was feeling light-headed and from the movies I had watched, I knew this wasn't good. This was the part where I die from loss of blood.

“I'm Dr. Laura, I'll be looking at what we have here," she said, walking behind me.

She took off the handkerchief Manuel had given me and I noticed it was covered with blood. I forced my gaze away from her and in front of me was Manuel.

His phone rang and he proceeded to bring it out. The doctor must have looked up at that instant because her voice turned soft as she addressed him.

“Mr. Manuel. I didn't see you here. It's nice to see you again."

He didn't respond, just placed the phone to ear.

“Hello?"

Something dabbed at the place of the injury, forcing a wince out of me, and a stiffening of my muscles.

“I'm sorry. Just stay a bit longer. I'll have to scrape some of the hair off too. So as to be able to administer care to the scalp." The Doctor said.

“Hmm."

“Yes, all is going well," I heard Manuel say on the other side of the room. He was speaking suspiciously low. His girlfriend?

“No, nothing to worry about. I’m having everything arranged, sir." A sigh pursed his lips. “Don't you trust me anymore?"

Had one of the girls sent a photo of him walking with me to his girlfriend, and she was now jealous?

“Yes, I do." A pause. “Yes, I know you need to get married in 2 hours." Another pause. “Uhum."

I feel part of my head go bald.

“With me. Yes. That's what I'm telling you."

Something hot and painful seeped into my skull, forcing me whimper at its presence.

“No. I don't have one." Another impatient pause. “I can't get one… currently." And after a pause he said. “Yes, everything is going well. Let me finish what I'm doing and I'll be on it. Just wait a bit."

When the doctor finished, she sealed the injury and said something about me not letting water get to it as such as possible.

She handed me a glass of water to drink.

“It'll help with the pain," she had said before going on to inform me that if there was any uncomfortable changes with the injury, I should return to the hospital.

I wanted to laugh but rolled my eyes instead. I should return to Vict. Jane? I had cheaper ways of spending the little I had.

At the reception, a smiling nurse gave Manuel a bag of drugs which he collected with a smile.

“All of that for a small head injury?" I challenged as we walked out.

“It's a big place. Besides, each one has its uses."

“Uhuh," I say, assured they were a waste of money.

We got into the car and Manuel began driving again. He was quite the smooth driver and smelt of driving cars for decades.

I rested back on the car, recognising for the first time that I was sitting in a real-life Porsche. Just like Cindy.

The thought sent me another wave of anger as I shoved it away, down into the depths of my soul and focused on the winding road and tall buildings around us.

As I stared, the pain in my head began a steady reduction and seconds later, I was falling lower and lower until sleep saved me.

“Naya."

“Hmm?" I responded, bleary-eyed, staring at nothing even though my eyes were wide and blinking, fighting hard to catch on to things.

“We're here," I heard Manuel say.

“We are? Okay. Where again?"

His hands clasped around one of mine and helped me out, before he stepped around and walked with me towards the hallway.

I realised, as we moved closer that we were in a hotel, walking towards the reception table.

“Where are we?" I asked, forcing everything in me to calm down, so I don't panic and make an unnecessary scene.

“Calm down, Naya," he said again.

How did he-

“I never told you my name," I squeak, hoping he'd notice the desperation in my voice and let me go.

“You didn't have to. I know everything there is to know about you. Now, you calm down and follow me."

But I wouldn't. I had seen scenes like this in the movies I watched and I had always thought those girls were dumb for not screaming for help. I wouldn't be like them.

I had forgotten again. Manuel could read minds.

“Don't make the mistake of screaming. Everybody working in this hotel knows me and the moment you make any protest, I'd be forced to hit you and they'd do nothing but look away as though what we are doing was some lovers game. Let's go."

Dejected, and now realising why the girls didn't shout, I followed Mind Reader Manuel. We used the elevator and he let me go, realising I wouldn't shout.

In the hallway, there was a couch that seemed familiar, and then a door that felt familiar and when I got into the room, everything clicked.

“It was you!" I accused, staring at him with all the daggers my eyes could point.

“What did I do?"

“You were the one who brought me to this room, left me naked and-" Panic flooded me as I sank into the bed. “Did you-? Did we-? When I-?”

Manuel laughed as though it was the most incredulous thing he had ever heard. “Why would I risk years in a cell when I could easily get girls to fuck? You also know this. You saw the way those nurses were all after this manliness. I don't need to risk my life when this is there," he finished, throwing his hands over his chest and down his body.

The door opened and a makeup artist walked in. She had me made-up in about an hour and left almost immediately.

When I looked in the mirror, I realised she had turnedmy hair into some bun and blended the white bandage that covered the wound into the makeup to make it look like they were one.

Another minute passed with Manuel on his side of the room, not bothering with coming closer when the door opened.

Cindy walked in.

“My, Naya, if not for that hideous mark on your face, I'd have said you're beautiful. Must be hard going around with that as the first thing people notice, right? Anyways, I have news for you. Check this out."

She moved closer and brought her phone closer to me. I didn't see much but it was her bank app and there were lot of zeros to the money I saw briefly.

“I wouldn't have shown you this but I had to say thanks, you know. If not that you'd ran into Manuel here, I wouldn't have been able to get my money. Gosh, I'm so grateful to you for the first time ever. I have to go now. Time to party. Bye-bye, best friend."

A last man came in after her. The first thing I noticed was how goddamn sexy and handsome he was. He reeked of masculine energy, black hair and dangerous gray eyes.

As he took confident strides towards us, he brought with him a piece of paper. I didn't notice much abouthim except he was well over six feet, had a stern frown on his face and he had the coldest — though sexy — voice I had ever heard.

“These are the terms of our marriage contract. Sign it, or you’d lose whatever is left of your pathetic little life."