At the lounge of Ethan's office, Lawrence had made sure to provide a variety of breakfast options for his boss and his new wife. Ethan was having a cup of coffee and a slice of red velvet cake, while Leia was having pancakes and a glass of orange juice.
Leia wondered if Ethan had a sweet tooth. She snuck glances at him as he ate his cake with one hand and scrolled away on his phone with the other. When he was done, he dropped his fork and turned to Lawrence.
"What is the final conclusion with Mr Kishimoto? Has he agreed to our terms?"
"He sent an email earlier to let us know that he was okay with all the terms, but would rather we commence the building by July." Lawrence.
Ethan's brows furrowed. That was not what they had agreed on. July was too close. He was the type to make sure that everything was perfectly organized and in place before he began any project. There was barely anytime between now and July.
"Let him know that I don't like to rush. It's either September or he takes his business elsewhere." Ethan said with the most bored expression on his face, resuming his scrolling.
Lawrence knew his boss wasn't bluffing. He had turned down numerous projects and clients if their demands conflicted with his method and style of work. And as a billionaire that he was, he would not be under pressure of any sort to meet deadlines. He was meticulous and took his time to make sure that the details were perfect down to the 't'.
"Perfectionist boss." Lawrence scoffed.
Ethan glowered at his secretary and turned his eyes to Leia. She had been quietly eating her pancakes all this time.
Ethan watched as she put the pancakes through her smallish lips and her cheeks filled up quite adorably. He noticed that the juice in her glass was drained, but she was also busy on her phone that she didn't notice.
He picked up the glass jug and poured more juice into her cup which earned him a knowing grin from Lawrence.
Without looking up, she reached for the glass, picking up the glass of water beside the now filled glass of juice. It seemed she was absent minded. Lawrence disguised his laugh as a cough and avoided looking towards his boss.
Ethan wanted to ask when she would start the preparation for church wedding, but since her head was bowed, he was torn between letting her finish or interrupting her.
Lawrence, noticing his boss's dilemma smirked lopsidedly and wondered whether he should help him out or not.
"Mrs Sterling, would you like more pancakes? It seems you like it a lot." Lawrence asked.
Leia looked up immediately with a smile. "Thank you Lawrence, but I think I am full already." She pushed the rest of the pancakes away and drank from the glass of water.
"When do you intend to have the white wedding? I would rather have it soon and get it over with."
Leia turned to Ethan. He was frowning again. It seemed the talk about the client had put him in a bad mood.
"How about two weeks from now? Is that okay by you?" She asked him, hoping it wouldn't clash with his schedule.
He just looked away from her before responding. "Two weeks is fine."
Then she turned to Lawrence, smiling at his silly secretary again. "Then I guess, we should get to planning, shouldn't we."
Lawrence nodded.
"After you're done signing what you need to sign." Ethan interrupted as he stood up. "Come with me." He said to Leia and she stood up immediately.
"You." He pointed to Lawrence. "Get this place cleared up."
Leia followed Ethan back to his desk where a neat stack of paper sat. He handed the papers to her.
He watched as she read every line of each document before signing. The image rights release agreement, morality clause, confidentiality extension agreement, termination clause and co-habitation rules agreement. She went through them all.
"At this point, I might even sign a blood oath." Leia muttered to herself.
"At least you know what you're getting into." she heard Ethan say and realized he had heard her. "Is there any document there that you feel isn't necessary, Leia?"
She shifted in her seat nervous at the way he called her first name.
"No." She said quietly.
He leaned in with his fingers steepled on his desk.
"Good. Due to the nature of this agreement, you could also be regarded as an employee of mine who provide me with her services in exchange for material pay. And as your employer, I like to be in control of everything, else there would be no order."
The words lingered in the air like smoke: Employee. Service provider. Leia frowned at that. So he now likened her to an employee of his, huh?
But then she had nothing to say as a retort. After all, she had already signed a contract, hadn't she?
"I see," she said softly.
It shouldn't have surprised her, she thought bitterly. Ethan Sterling was a man who categorized everything — emotions, people, even her — into neat, efficient boxes.
It was just for a year and if it would benefit the school, she would do it. Gripping the pen tightly, she put down her signature on the five documents, handing it to Ethan.
"If that is all, I would like to take my leave now. I'm needed at the school." She stood up abruptly, slinging her purse over her shoulder.
Ethan noticed that even if she sounded polite, her words still felt distant all of a sudden.
"I'll ask Lawrence to drive you there then." Ethan offered.
Leia shook her head. "That won't be necessary."
"I think you've forgotten what I said earlier. You're my wife now and I'm responsible for your safety. You go with Lawrence, or I'll drive you myself."
Leia scoffed internally at his words. First she was his employee and now she was his wife?
But she had offered her options and now she had to choose.
"I'll go with Lawrence then. We also have some planning to do." She said.
Ethan tried to ignore the fact that she had agreed to go with Lawrence. He gave Lawrence a call and together, Leia and the secretary left the company building. During their ride to the school. Lawrence noticed her odd mood. She was quite cheery earlier. Why was she looking like a wilted flower now?
"My boss made upset you didn't he?" He asked her and her silence let him know he was right.
"He's usually like that, he can inconsiderate and insensitive at times. You just have to bear with it."
"Well that makes me feel a whole lot better." Leia said, plastering a phony smile on her face.
"Your sarcasm is very much appreciated. But like I said before, you'll just have to put up with him. And by two weeks time you two will start living together. Ignoring his bad behavior will help you co-habit peacefully. Congratulations once again Mrs Sterling."
Leia knew Lawrence was right to make the most of this contract marriage, she would have to learn to overlook when it came to certain things. If she could manage that, one year would be a breeze.