CHAPTER SIX
"What did you say, sir?" Calista muttered as she glanced at Orion, hoping she didn't hear him.
Orion put on a straight face, as he leaned forward. "Listen carefully, I won't repeat myself. You owe me. That is what you'll do if I must withdraw the letter."
"Be your wife?" She asked again but he looked unbothered.
"Look, I'm deeply sorry for destroying your tires, and making you lose a huge contract. I'm also sorry you're in this condition because you tried to help me, but asking me to be your wife as a means of paying you back… isn't that too much?" she said, trying not to sound harsh.
"I know I earlier said I can do whatever you want, but this request is unbelievable."
"What you did to me was worse," he deadpanned.
She slowly went on her knees.
"Please, I'm sorry. I honestly didn't know you owned that car. I had a bad day and what you or your driver did made my day even worse. I was too driven by revenge that I didn't think straight," she said.
"Well, that doesn't change the fact that you owe me. My request stands," he said, his voice matching the hardness of his gaze.
A nurse walked in before she could respond. She checked his vitals and gave him an injection before leaving.
Calista sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She wished she hadn't let her emotions get the better of her, and now she had to pay for her actions.
"Where does he expect me to get two million dollars from?" she thought.
"Please, is there any other way I can make it up to you? The thing is I'm just a struggling orphan who…"
"Cut the act, young lady. I know exactly what you do for a living. This shouldn't be a problem for you, it's not any different. Think of it as me hiring you to be my wife. The only twist is that I've already paid up-front, or, should I say, you'll be doing it to settle your debt?"
"Erm… can I at least think about it?" She said once they were alone.
"I don't think giving you the time to think about it is necessary, but I will. I'll be expecting your response soon." He extended his hands to Calista and handed his business card to her.
She glanced at the card in her grip, turning it to both sides with a trembling hand.
"And don't think, you can run or hide because I'll find you, just like I did at the school today." Orion snarled, dropping his gaze to the bruises on his hands and then returning his attention to her almost immediately.
Jaxon smiled briefly as his eyes met that of Orion while he walked into the ward.
"I've seen the doctor, you might have to be here for a few days," he said and took a seat beside Orion's bed.
"Hey," he greeted Calista who had a troubled look on her face.
"Hi," she responded and waved at him.
Her phone rang, breaking the silence in the room.
"Erm… I'll be outside," she said before shutting the door behind her.
Jaxon checked her out before turning to face Orion.
"C'mon, tell me, you want to marry her?" Jaxon asked.
"Well, you know the story, Jaxon. She's not exactly my type, and I don't plan to marry her out of love. Besides, her means of livelihood is not exactly honorable. But she has a debt to pay, and since she doesn't have the money, I figured she could pay in kind. I also need to upgrade my status, so this arrangement works for both of us."
"Haha," Orion's friend and assistant laughed. "I didn't think you were serious when you first mentioned it. I was all for making her pay for the damages, but after seeing her today, I can't help but feel sorry for her. She looks so innocent. I'm starting to wonder if she was the one who caused that much damage to your car. Are you sure she doesn't have a twin?"
"Oh please, peoples' bad attitudes are not written on their foreheads. To think that she even has so many enemies, should tell you the kind of life she lives isn't decent. Look at me here, receiving treatment because I was in the right place at the wrong time. Shouldn't I add the hospital bills to what she owes me?"
Calista entered the ward, her gaze on Orion, "Sir, I'll have to leave now. I'll come check on you tomorrow."
"You don't have to come, I'll be fine. Save your time, energy, and transport. Just call me when you've made up your mind," Orion said with a smirk.
"Okay, Sir, thank you," Calista said and turned to leave.
"Hey, you have three days to get back to me," he said and Calista turned, surprise written on her face. She looked like she wanted to protest, but she nodded instead and left the ward.
Calista got home and was restless for the rest of the evening.
Lyra, her best friend who was like a sister to her was in critical condition and needed financial support and she had planned to double her efforts in looking for high-paying clients for her next job to enable her to make a down payment for her chemotherapy.
She also needed to save up money to get a new apartment, she wasn't sure how long her friend Thalia could accommodate her.
"Being hired to act as people's girlfriends is not as lucrative as I thought. If not, why am I so broke even after doing it for over a year? Or could it be that I was charging peanuts while risking my life all this while?" Calista thought.
She thought to speak to someone about it but on second thought decided not to bother Thalia. She was already housing her, she didn't want to project an image of someone who had too many problems.
Calling Lyra wasn't an option either, she was going through pains at the hospital and might get more worried. That would be very bad for her health.
"I don't have the money to pay him off and don't want to go to jail. Being the wife of such a wealthy man would mean stopping this hire job, how am I supposed to earn money to take care of myself or pay Lyra's hospital bills? No! I need to see him. We need to talk about the terms. If I must be his wife, I need to know for how long and if he'll allow me to do my job on the side." Calista lamented.
As she paced about the house thinking of what to do, and how to present her concerns, her phone beeped. It was a text message from Orion.
"He said three days, and it's not even up to 24 hours, he's already sending threatening reminders," she huffed.