Contract Marriage starring Love and Revenge
Chapter 55. Proof that you’re mine.

Chapter 55: 55. Proof that you’re mine.

Unable to keep saying no to a man who literally just wants to feed me, I put my work aside for a minute and agreed to go out for lunch with him. But just as we’re about to step out, the telephone rings.

"Just leave it. We’re heading out anyway. On our way out, just ask the secretary what she was calling for." Duke says. That makes sense. The only person that calls this line directly is the secretary.

"Alright, let’s go." I nod and take his outstretched hands. Oh dear Lord, even the feeling of his hand holding mine is so reassuring to me. I just like everything about Duke Grand. Even the little things he doesn’t count as special.

We step out of the office and first we pass by Alan’s desk, it’s empty, it’s understandable since he isn’t around at the moment. However, the assistant secretary who I believed was the one calling, is also not on seat right now.

"I guess she hasn’t returned from lunch." I murmur to myself. "Who was calling then?" It was normal protocol that every call was first directed to the office of the secretary before being forwarded to me or Duke’s desk. So if it wasn’t the secretary calling, who could be calling?

At that moment, I hear the phone in the office ring again. "No, let’s just go." He instantly says, but I can’t ignore it!

"I’ll just take it quickly." I say as I flash him a brilliant smile, stylishly slip my hand out of his own and hastily walk back into the office to pick up the phone.

"Yes, Champagne Grand speaking."

"Ah, Ma’am, it’s Stella speaking."

"Stella?" She’s the assistant secretary, where is she calling from? "I just checked your desk and you’re not on seat. Where are you calling from?"

"From the reception desk ma’am. I was returning from lunch when the receptionist alerted me that there was a lady here to see you." Duke walks in again, he stops at the door with his shoulder resting there and eyes glaring at me.

"They had called my desk but got no response. The lady in question is not on your list of meetings for today ma’am and I told her that but she refuses to leave."

I hold back a laugh as Duke taps his wristwatch, silently telling me to end the call.

"So instead of wasting time to go up first, I thought it was best I informed you right here from the reception desk so the lady can leave if you do not wish to see her."

Why do I have this feeling I know the Lady in question? "Stella, you didn’t give me a name?"

"Oh, it’s Alicia Gold ma’am."

Ugh, I knew it. "Stella, is she next to you right now?"

"No ma’am, she’s currently sitting in the waiting area."

And by the grace of God, she will continue waiting in the waiting area. "No problem Stella, just head on up."

"Ma’am, what should I tell her?"

"Nothing, Stella. Just walk away. Put the phone down and come up. If she sees you going and asks you something, say nothing in return. Understand?"

"Yes ma’am." She says and I put down the phone.

"Everything okay?" He asks and now I’m wondering the same thing. Is everything ok?

Why did I do that just now? If I didn’t want to see Alicia, I could have easily sent her away. I could have asked them to send her out, so why instead did I tell them to leave her there?

Now I’m staring at Duke and I think I’m starting to realize why I did that. If we go down together, based on the building’s layout and where the waiting area is, Alicia is bound to see us together.

I want that.

Why do I want that?

Maybe because I want to brag that so far she hasn’t been able to steal him from me.

O_or I just want her to see him standing next to me. I want her to see that Duke Grand is mine.

"Pagne? Are you alright?" He asks as he finally moves away from the door and walks towards me.

I’m fine. I really am. It’s just that I’m now realizing that I have a Possessive side to me too. One that nobody has managed to unlock until Duke Grand.

He’s unlocked that Possessive side in me and I don’t think it’s a really good side and yet I don’t want to hide it.

"Duke," I stare at him with determined eyes.

"Hmm?" He halts just about a foot away from me.

"What should I do that would make it extremely obvious that you’re mine?"

"W_what?"

I cross that foot that separates us and reach his side, with my neck cranked back I look up at him and ask again, "What do I have to do to show someone that Duke Grand belongs to me?"

"Pagne," the look in his eyes shows shock but I can also see his ears quickly redden. He’s flustered. Genuinely flustered.

"It’s just that the call earlier was Stella telling me that Alicia is in the waiting area of the ground floor." Again, just like earlier this morning, I spot a wrinkled part on his shoulder and stretch my hand to straighten it out.

"She always wants what I have, you’ve seen that too firsthand." My hand on his shoulder moves to his collar, adjusting nothing in particular, "And the truth is, I think I’ve always given them to her easily. Without a fight, I never had the strength, the urge or the burning desire to hold onto things that were mine."

Truly, I always just let them go. Whenever Alicia spotted something I had, I knew it was inevitable that she would have it. It was like that with both objects and people.

When we were younger, if I managed to get a toy and was unable to hide it well from her sight, she’d ask for it. And whenever I didn’t give it to her, she’d run to her mom and that was always the end.

Alicia always got what Alicia wanted.

With people, as long as she was certain I was close to them, be it ordinary friends or boyfriends, she’d move closer to them till she got them.

It got to a point I was just too tired to dwell on my losses. Whenever I realized Alicia was fascinated by something I owned, I just let it go because I knew eventually, she’d get it.

"But with you, it’s different." I confess.

"Unlike others whom I could easily picture her taking away from me, and others who I’d cry foolishly over or just let go entirely, you’re different."

From the very first night we met, he’s been totally different.

"For some reason, you’re different." I rest my hands on his chest as I continue to speak.

"I can’t imagine her taking you from me. Whenever I try to, I feel this unfamiliar hate and anger that I can barely control." Even now thinking of it is seriously pissing me off.

"And unlike others who I was always so scared to walk around with because I was scared of her seeing me with them and wanting them, because it was what she always did." I’d become so used to it.

"With you, I don’t want to hide." One of my hands move and for a moment, I hesitate, but then I touch the side of his face. It’s the first time I’m deliberately doing this.

"I want to boldly walk around with you. I’m not scared of her seeing us together," I like the feeling of his face on my palm.

"Rather I want her to see me with you and I want her to want you so badly that it would drive her insane. But unlike other times she won’t have you."

She won’t have you... You who have been so kind to me. You who have been so patient with me. You who have shown me what familial love means.

"No... I won’t give you to her. I won’t foolishly cry over you either, rather I want to make her eyes red with anger and jealousy."

I’m not letting this kind of man go. Never. Even if she tries to steal him, or at some point he wavers towards her, I’ll either break her, or do everything in my power to bring him back to me.

"So tell me, how can I show her that you’re mine?" I slip my palm over his neck, "Irrevocably so." I pull him closer and he lets me.

"You called me possessive." He whispers over my lips.

I shrug and say, "They say you tend to resemble who you live with. I guess you’ve rubbed off on me."

"Urgh, dearest," He rests his head on mine with his eyes shut, "you’re not even denying it." He moans the words into the air, "You have no idea," he flips his lashes open and I can see silvery fire burning in those eyes, "how sexy you are right now." burning for me.

"What do you want? Tell me?" He asks as he wraps his arms around my waist, "Should we tattoo your name on my neck where it’s visible?"

"I’m not a fan of tattoos."

"Tsk. Should I walk around this damned building with you on my shoulder? I’ll do it if you want me to." I can tell he’s being serious, but...

"Too extreme."

"Uh! Dearest, tell me what you want and I will do whatever." He seems to beg in a very serious tone.

"Let’s start with rings." I want them.

"Rings?" He asks.

"Yes. I think wedding rings are like shackles. Heavy shackles holding two people down together. What do you say, Mr Grand? Will you like to be bound with me?"

"My dearest Mrs Grand, I’ve always been bound with and to you longer than you can imagine."

"So we’ll get the rings?"

"That’s not even a question."

"Today?"

"This very instant."

"Perfect."

"Come here."

Dear God, give me the strength to not do anything bad trying to hold on to this man. Because I fear I might fight to the death for him.