"Be my wife for three months."
He dropped the bombshell. Lyra wasn't sure she heard him correctly. " Sir? " She said hoping he would repeat himself but he didn't. Instead, Caleb replied her. " The contract is a marriage contract and it'll last only three months. "
Marriage contract? What was this, a joke? She didn't bargain for this. Her aunt didn't tell her this was the job. No, Lyra couldn't accept this. She would rather work as a maid. She couldn't possibly be his wife. ' it's just a contract. ' she thought but then again, it was the worst contract ever. She was lost in thoughts, she didn't notice the figure that stood in front of her. Her nose was filled with a pleasant scent that took her breathe away, she suddenly noticed the presence in front of her and she looked up startled. When did he get there? He didn't look her at her, instead his cold blue eyes stared at the door behind her.
He pushed a file in her hands. "Sign it. You have till the end of today." He simply said to her and walked towards the door. "What if I don't want to?" She asked him boldly turning to look at him. "You don't have a choice." He concluded and walked out without turning back and Caleb followed leaving a completely struck Lyra behind. What was happening? She stared at the file in her hands and exhaled.
Lyra sat on the bed in her room and stared at the file in front of her. It was noon already and she still hadn't signed it. She didn't want to. A marriage contract couldn't be taken lightly. She had read the conditions of the contract and few of them, she found weird. She was to keep her distance from him when they were in the house and cling to him when they were out. She didn't need to share a room with him, that was a relief. When they were out, She would only speak when she was asked. She would moved temporarily into his room whenever his father was around. She would not enter his room without his permission. She would only take orders from him. She wasn't allowed to disgrace him whenever they went out. She would tell none of her family members or any of her friends about their contract. She would not approach another man until the three months were over. How absurd, she thought. She could only leave after the contract had ended or if it was cancelled. She would only call him by his name when they went out. So many rules. She remembered his unsmiling face and thought. His face and mind were no different. Cold and indifferent.
Lyra sighed for the tenth time since she left that study. Why her? Judging from how powerful the Donovan's were, and the God like face of the Madam's son, he could get any woman he wanted so why did he choose someone like her? She fell back into the bed not wanting to think anymore. She wasn't going to sign the contract and that was final. "You don't have a choice." She recalled his words."So cold". She muttered wondering what he meant when he said that. Of course she had a choice. She wouldn't be forced to do something she didn't want to.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. She quickly got up and walked towards the door. She opened it and found the Butler, Mr. Brooks standing there with a plain face as usual. Lyra thought he could pass off as an aristocrat. "Miss, the Madam would like you to come down and have lunch with her." He passed his order to Lyra who felt her breathe itch. The Madam was nice but the fact that her son wanted a contract marriage with her made it uncomfortable to see her. She must have known about this.
She couldn't possibly have dinner with the Madam. She was just an ordinary girl besides, she didn't know what to say or how to behave if Mrs. Donovan asked her any questions about her meeting with her son. But then Lyra couldn't reject the offer so she nodded and followed Mr. Brooks out of the room. They got to the living room and walked into the big dinning. Mrs. Donovan was already sitted and smiled as soon as she sighted Lyra. Lyra compared the nice and always smiling woman to her cold and indifferent looking son. How were they so different?
She was offered a sit on the dinning by the butler. "Lyra, I want you to do something for me." Mrs. Donovan spoke. "What's that Madam. " She asked gathering courage she didn't have. Mrs. Donovan's next words gave Lyra a sudden headache. " My son asked you to sign a marriage contract, now I want you to also sign one with me. " Huh? Another contract? She was still dealing with the first one and now she had been offered another contract. "I want you,, to make my son fall in love with you." She added and Lyra stared at her in shock. " All through the duration of your contract with him, I need you to do anything possible to make my son fall for you. " She continued and Lyra suddenly lost her appetite. What was wrong with these people? Why would this woman want her son to fall for someone like her? She was no one. What were these people planning? She didn't want to be part of this.
Again, she recalled his cold look and scoffed internally. Make him fall for her? Completely impossible. He didn't look like someone that will fall easily. Infact, she was sure his heart was made of stone. She would fail even before she tried. It was the unthinkable and she couldn't it. "Madam..." She tried to say but was cut off by Mrs. Donovan. "I know what you're thinking. It won't be easy but I just want you to try. Something tells me you can do it." Not just not easy, it was impossible to make someone like him fall for someone like her.
Whatever told Mrs. Donovan she could do it was her enemy and had lied to the nice woman. "I'm sorry. I can't do it Madam..." Lyra quickly said and got up from the dinning. Mrs. Donovan also got up and walked to Lyra's side. She held her hands and looked at her pleadingly. "Lyra please, you have to do this for me. I'll do anything, name your price, anything, just do this for me." Lyra couldn't believe her eyes. The almighty Donovan Madam was begging her so eargely. Lyra was now considering the offer. She would do anything just so she could make her son fall in love with her. Lyra wondered why this was so important to the Madam and why she chose her.
"You said you'd do anything?" Lyra asked her and Mrs. Donovan's eyes lighted up as she quickly nodded. "Anything." She repeated and Lyra nodded.
"Fine. I'll do it."