CHAPTER 6

"Do I have your decision or not?" Similarly, he said with his cocky tone.

"There's no particular thing about you that is so unique," he proceeded, spilling out more annoying words. "Moreover, we are not to interfere in each other's life."

My heartbeat raced rapidly. My mother’s anxious expression, sickly and with complete loss of color, flashed before my eyes. It was a choice between life and death, and this agreement was the only window of hope.

"I will accept it," I said carefully, the words' bitter flavor radiating on my tongue.

He replied without even a slight change of his voice. "OK, get this shit done now, my secretary is waiting."

I reached my hand forward for a handshake. "Oh, no, my dear... we just aren't equal here," finished Kylo, his whispering voice as hot on my ear as it was. His words were like a sharp stab in the heart which hit me so hard, that I realized it was the price I had to pay for what I wanted.

*****

As I stood there, exchanging vows with Kylo in the quiet courtroom, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease gnawing at the edges of my mind. This wasn't how I had envisioned my wedding day, surrounded by the echoes of my dreams with Theo. Now, with only Jasmin by my side and Kylo's grandfather as his sole family representative, I felt a pang of loneliness.

As the last of the papers were signed, sealing my fate for the next year and a half, I couldn't help but wonder about the life I was committing to—a marriage devoid of love, forged out of necessity for my mother's sake. Yet, as I glanced at Jasmin and saw the silent reassurance in her eyes, I found hope in the knowledge that this sacrifice was for a greater cause.

Yes, it was all for my mother—the chance to see her rise from her illness and regain her strength. With her treatment underway and surgery scheduled to be done soon. I clung to the hope that this sacrifice would be worth it. But deep down, uncertainty lingered, casting a shadow over the future that lay ahead.

"Varya I will be taking my old man to the house, you go to the company with your friend, we have a meeting in an hour," Kylo said and turned to leave immediately.

"You son of... How can you send your newly wedded wife to work? Jeez, who did he get this workaholic attitude from?" the old man grumbled as he settled into the car, his voice echoing with disapproval.

I exchanged a knowing glance with Jasmin, both of us stifling a laugh at his blunt honesty.

"If you want to spend your entire youth working like nothing else matters, don’t get my daughter-in-law into it," he continued, his tone now serious, the weight of his words sinking in.

But just as quickly as his scolding began, his expression softened, and he turned to me with a warm smile.

"My dear, we’ll meet at home, okay? Don’t let this jerk make you work like him, make sure to rest when you need to," he advised, his fatherly concern evident in his eyes despite his earlier sternness.

Kylo delivered his directive and briskly headed for his car, he gave me a look that seemed to say “Don’t say I didn’t tell you”. I felt a surge of frustration welling up inside me.

"Am I really going to spend a whole freaking year and a half with such a jerk?" I blurted out, unable to contain my annoyance.

Jasmin, always quick to offer her two cents, chimed in with her own take on the situation. "Seriously, who goes to work immediately after their wedding?" she exclaimed, her incredulity evident in her tone.

With a wry smile and a shake of her head, Jasmin turned to me as she opened the car door. "Well, girl, it looks like you're in for a ride. Good luck dealing with that scary boss and husband of yours," she quipped, before ushering me into the car as we set off for the office.

As we entered the office there was a buzz of activity with everyone moving. The tension, in the air, hinted that something was wrong.

"The both of you, join the team. That director has turned the entire company upside down, asking for sales performance reports..." our department head exclaimed, her voice tinged with frustration.

"We were supposed to celebrate his arrival, but the man is insane," she continued, her brow furrowed as she rubbed it with her thumbs feeling frustrated.

"We have an hour before the meeting so let's get started on the sales report " she added wearily conveying the workload ahead.

With a sense of urgency, we hurried into the conference room feeling a sense of unease as if awaiting a scolding, like children.

The atmosphere in the meeting room felt suffocating as if the weight of the entire department's problems rested on our shoulders. The department heads seemed to age right before our eyes as they struggled with the director's stern words.

Listening to him speak felt like hearing a demon lord, his voice cold and commanding, sending shivers down my spine. Yet, when he remained silent, he exuded an undeniable charm, though it was overshadowed by his intimidating presence.

"Miss Varya, why do you think 30 graphs are enough to change the outcome of this year's performance?" His statement cut through the air, breaking my trance.

I began to figure out a way out of the situation as I turned my brain looking for a good enough answer. "OMG, What the hell am I doing? In such a tense meeting, I'm analyzing him?" I scolded myself internally, feeling a wave of panic wash over me.

"What's the time now? Is it time to close? I'm so tired," I groaned as soon as we finally returned to our department grounds.

"Hmm, the meeting only took 30 minutes. What do you mean, time to close?" Jasmin replied, looking perplexed.

"What the hell? Thirty minutes? Haa, it felt like 500 years to me," I exclaimed, exhaustion still evident on our faces from the intense meeting.

"Damn, he's a total jerk! He's got nothing but his charming face. How could he gather us like that and blame us for last year's mistakes?" the department head exclaimed, her frustration palpable in her voice.

"Seriously, he's a psycho," I interjected, my irritation seeping through my words.

"Miss Varya, the director asked for you," the secretary announced, breaking the tension in the room.

"Hold on, he didn't hear all that, right?" I muttered to Jasmin, who stood beside me.

She casually shrugged and I softly murmured "Oh gosh I feel like I'm completely done for " as a wave of nervousness gripped my chest.