Chapter 03

At the other room, Hayley is seated beside the the man she will be marrying. She doesn't like him. He came late, he has messy hair and just from the looks of it, he enjoys the rich young and wild life. Not to mention that he is full of himself too. Oh the worst possible groom she could ever have.

"So, have you two talked? Introduced yourselves to each other?" Mr. Maledict asked, smiling at both of them. 

"We talked. But she did not tell me her name."

"Hayley," Mrs. Grimroe uttered in a low voice, raising a brow. "You should be polite to your future husband."

"Oh no, please, our Kenji must have been rude to the young lady," Mrs. Maledict says.

"Ah, so your name is Hayley," he mumbled, glimpsing with a smirk. "You could have been Amanda or Kate but you look more dangerous."

"Ken D should've been your name," she sneered. "Ken doll."

"Okay, that's enough both of you." Cassandra shifted glances between them. "We see that you are not fond of each other. Well, that doesn't matter, you will get used to each other starting next week."

"Next week? What's in next week?" 

"Well, my dear Hayley," Mrs. Maledict smiles at Hayley, even reaching for her hand to hold. "We decided that you and our Kenji will live together in a condominium at the Marie Swan Building. That is in the meantime while we wait for your birthday and after you two tie the knot, you will have your own house. For now, you will be living in that condo."

Hayley looks at her mother with glossy eyes and then shifted them to Kenji who was beside her. He was looking at her the same. 

"I thought we'd just marry? You never said anything about living together." 

Finally, the stupid Kenji opposes. Neither did Hayley knew about living together. It wasn't even stated in the deal her parents had told her. They said she just needed to say yes and tie the Maledict to her name. 

"It will only be a failed marriage if you live separately."

"You two know that we are thinking ahead of both of you, yes?" Shelby, Mrs. Maledict showed her wicked smile, like Cassandra has. "We know that after you get what you can get out of this marriage, you will be planning an annulment since divorce is not allowed in our state. But we won't allow you to do that."

"I've no intention. Actually I don't care," Kenji tells them. "It's Miss Hayley who has a problem with getting married and living--"

"I don't care," Hayley interrupts him, rolling her eyes. "As long as Mr. Kenji Maledict knows how to respect me, then I'm okay. And as long as the deal about my money is on, I'll keep being a good girl."

"Well, I guess my bride and me are on the same page. We are in it for the money."

As soon as the meeting with them was over, Hayley walked out the door, annoyed because her future husband had followed her. And while she waits for her parents to come out, Kenji with a smug face, stands in front.

"You didn't tell me you were getting money."

"Why would I need to explain to you?" She raises a brow, her lips pressed together forming a thin line. "We already agreed that we are marrying only for our freedom and the things we will get."

"How is being married free?"

"Tch," she scoffs, looking at him disgustingly, "Obviously we will still do what we normally do. You said it, I'm just going to change my last name but that doesn't change anything else. Also one rule that you should never forget, mind your own damn business!"

Kenji raised both his hands up in air like he has been captured by the authorities. He kept a charming grin on his face. 

"Oh well, I guess I will see you next week at our new temporary home, my lovely bride." Before he walked away, he winked at her, making her groan in annoyance.

On the drive back to their mansion, Hayley was sitting quietly at the backseat with her mother. She didn't want to start a conversation because she's exhausted and was too irritated with that stupid Kenji. 

"Oh don't be upset, Hayley. You know too well that this was how you will end up, getting married at a young age and pledge yourself to our family."

"Family's reputation," Hayley corrected, looking outside her tinted window. She wonders if she was born in a different and ordinary family, would she have been happy? "Don't you feel embarrassed when I call you 'mother'? You're marrying me off like I am only a thing."

"Oh quit the drama, Hayley!" Cassandra sighs, rolling her eyes at her. "Kenji is a good looking young man. Any girl would fall for him! You just have to be thankful you are not marrying someone old!"

"Oh, then thank you mother for marrying me off and adding a little more to the deal we have for my birthday," she sarcastically said, forcing a smile.  "Also thanks for the advance gift. A handsome groom! I should display him."

As soon as their vehicle stopped in front of their mansion, Hayley just rashly pull the handle, pushing the door, opening it for herself instead of one of their men. She's too pissed off to even greet the other maids she meets on her way to her room.

After getting inside and closing the room before her, she just slide down, her back against the door. She gather her legs and huddled up, raking her damn hair with her fingers, sighing heavily.

Now that she met that damn Kenji she doesn't want to get married anymore. But if she doesn't marry him, she will surely be married to another man, probably older. Maybe even someone who does not think like her or someone who thinks females are trophies they needed to display and she has to dress up -- forcibly. 

"Oh Gosh! I freakin' hate that Kenji but we think the same way," she muttered, inhaling before standing up. "I will just have to annoy that guy for as long we are living together. He will surrender."

An evil grin plastered on Hayley's mouth. They say that when a man falls in love with somebody, they love hard. If that happens to that darn Kenji, he will be begging for an annulment. By then I just have to wait, Hayley thought.