Love Contract

Chapter 14 The Grand Manor

Mary finally let herself relax as soon as she got into William's car.

"I did a pretty good job there, didn't I?" Mary wiggled her eyebrows, a smug smile on her face.

William nodded as the car started up. "That was good. Keep it up."

Mary beamed with pride. Then she suddenly remembered the red envelope her father-in-law gave her.

Mary glanced at William, who was keeping his eyes on the road. Certain he wasn't looking, she took the envelope out and opened it discreetly.

'It doesn't feel like money. I wonder what it is, ' Mary thought, her heart beating with anticipation.

When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock.

It was a black credit card.

"Oh, my God!" Mary gasped, whipping out the card and holding it up to the light. "Is this for real?" William looked over to see what the fuss was all about. His eyes landed on the black card. "Yeah. It's all yours," he said nonchalantly, turning his attention back on the road.

"This is too much. I can't accept this!" Mary scrambled to stuff the card back in the envelope.

"Take it. The old man has nothing but money. Besides, if you give it back now, you'll just seem ungrateful. If it makes you feel so guilty, just stow it away somewhere and return it in a year's time," William said dismissively.

Mary paused to give it some thought. That made sense. She nodded and put the card away.

As William continued to drive eastward, Timothy's car followed close behind.

Mary looked out the window and realized she wasn't familiar with the route they were taking. "Where are we going? This is almost the suburbs, " Mary pointed out, confused.

"Back to the old family home in the suburbs," William said.

"Old family home? Sounds interesting. What do I need to do there?" Mary asked innocently.

William raised an eyebrow at that. He had the sudden urge to tease Mary. "Sleep in the same bed with me," he deadpanned.

Mary's face went blank. Then it sunk in. "WHAT?" she yelled. William was so startled the car skidded sideways for a bit.

Mary started sputtering. "I...I can't sleep in the same bed as you! That's...NO!"

William felt a little insulted at how Mary seemed so put off by the idea. "It would be nothing. It's not like I'm interested in you," he said, sounding bored.

Mary was screaming inside her head. 'I'm worried I can't control myself around you! I'm the one who'd corrupt you!'

But out loud, she just kept refusing. "No. Just never. That's crazy! If we have to share a room, then I'll just sleep on the floor!" she said firmly.

William shrugged and smirked. "Suit yourself. I was going to let you take the bed, but since you volunteered, who am I to refuse your generosity?"

Mary stared at him. She scoffed incredulously and shook her head. "Unbelievable.

Such a gentleman."

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, threw herself back on the seat with her arms crossed, and stared grumpily out the window.

In the car behind them, Timothy was craning his neck, trying to see what was going on with William and Mary.

"How's the investigation going, Dean?" he asked his companion, keeping his eyes on the car in front of them.

"Almost done," Dean replied. "It would seem William and Mary have no prior relationship with each other. Their marriage came out of nowhere and caught everyone at the company by surprise.

Timothy frowned. He was really hoping his suspicions were wrong.

Mary seemed like such a nice girl, too. He was really hoping she wasn't just colluding with William to trick him.

They finally arrived at their destination after an hour.

Mary got out of the car with her mouth agape, staring at the grand manor before her. She was itching to take a selfie with it.

Timothy walked up from behind her, smiling warmly. "Let's get inside," he said, motioning with his head for her to follow him.

Mary nodded in a daze and followed beside William meekly.

The old Lan house was a magnificent European-style manor. It looked like something out of Mary's wildest fantasies.

They stepped into a glitzy hall where uniformed servants stood in rows to welcome them. "Welcome home, masters."

Mary was entranced. She felt like a queen, as if she should wave to her subjects graciously.

So this was the life of the rich and famous!

"Would you be resting or having dinner first, sir?" asked the butler, Gary.

Timothy turned to Mary. "What do you think, Mary? You decide."

Mary opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. She had been so busy taking it all in, she had been caught completely off-guard.

William stepped in smoothly to answer for her. "Let's just take it easy, first. It's Mary's first time here. I'll show her around. You should get some rest first, Dad. You must be tired after your flight."

Mary nodded numbly at that. "Yeah, that's right," she just echoed.

Timothy gave a tight smile and a curt nod, keeping his eyes on Mary and not looking at William, at all. "Very well, then. If that's what Mary wants."

Mary just smiled back weakly. It was obviously all William's suggestions, yet Timothy was almost acting like William wasn't there.

She glanced awkwardly at William. He didn't seem like he cared. Mary sighed inwardly. 'Father and son don't seem to be on good terms, as I thought.'

She then followed William to a room on the second floor.

"This is my bedroom. You have to sleep here tonight, too, of course," William intoned as he opened the door.

Mary could see the room's black-and-white interiors from the outside.

William stepped in, then turned around and looked expectantly at her. "Well? Come in."

Mary nodded and stepped in as William walked over to another side of the room to organize some things. The first thing that caught Mary's eye was a poster of a basketball star on the wall.

"A basketball fan, huh?" Mary chuckled. "Can't believe you still have posters up."

William shifted awkwardly, like a child caught with a secret. "That was from when I was a kid.

I haven't been here for a long time," he muttered, not meeting her eyes.

Mary smiled to herself. William was cute when he was embarrassed. "All right. If you say so." Mary then spotted a picture frame on a nearby table and picked it up for a closer look.

It was a family photo of Timothy, a woman, and a teenage William. She held the frame up and turned to William. "Is this your mom?" she asked him.

William looked up. As soon as he spotted the frame in her hand, a dark cloud passed over his face. He stormed over and snatched the frame out of her hand angrily. "Keep your hands off my things!" he snarled in her face.

Mary was so frightened by this sudden outburst that she froze.

After a long pause, Mary forced herself to smile through her nerves. "You're right. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

William slammed back the frame on the table and shot her a glare. He looked like he could hit her.

It made Mary feel like such an idiot. Heart sinking, she bit her lip, bowed her head, and turned toward the door.

William grabbed her by the hand. "And where do you think you're going?" he snapped.

Mary drew in a trembling breath. She averted her eyes from him as they began to well up with tears. "I'm just going to the bathroom," she mumbled.

A tear drop fell on the back of William's hand.

William looked down as he felt more tear drops land. Guilt began to creep over him. He loosened his grip. Mary rushed out of the room. William stared after Mary as she disappeared out the door. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing for a few seconds as conflicting feelings ran through him. Finally, he kicked the table in frustration and chased after her.