~ELENA'S POV~
I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable the moment I asked him about making babies, but in my defense, I elaborated, "because you made mention of your grandfather wanting to continue your family's legacy."
"Do you want babies?" Max inquired
I stayed speechless, wondering. Do I need babies? I silently asked myself. Yes, of course, I do, but at this point in my life, I shouldn't be concerned about making the right or wrong decision; instead, I should be concerned about making a wise decision. So I asked myself again, is it wise to make babies with Max when there is no love between us?.
I hadn't figured out an answer yet, before Max intercepts my thoughts and says, "We don't have to make babies if you are not interested. Remember, I wouldn't force you to do anything you don't want to do. Besides, my grandfather does not need to be aware of our decision concerning making babies."
"On the contrary, if you are interested in making babies without being intimate, then we can arrange something, although I wouldn't suggest we do that," Max suggested in a calm voice. "Thanks to the modern age, anything is possible these days."
"Don't deliberate much on it, though. I guess I have been able to answer your question," Max added, "anything else you would like us to talk about?"
"Yes, concerning moving in with you, I will agree to that, but on one condition," I proposed
"What's your condition?" Max asked
"We respect boundaries and sleep in different rooms," I pronounced
"Oh, of course, that's not a problem, you have your room, and I'll have my room," Max assured, "this marriage will be a respectful one, I will not cross your boundaries nor do anything to hurt you in any way, and I expect you to do the same."
"Have this in mind, for this to work out, we need to stay married for at least one year," Max announced
I nodded and echoed, "understood."
Max took a deep breath and sighed. "I'll take you home first, you get changed and freshen up. Then I'll bring you back to the hospital. Elena, sleeping in the hospital is against our policies. The hospital management allowed it because of me, but I won't let you do that anymore."
I shook my head in agreement, "Thank you, Max."
****
~MAX'S POV~
# # # TWO MONTHS LATER # # #
I stood at the kitchen door staring at Elena and Alice while they prepared dinner. She was so busy that she didn't notice my presence, and I enjoyed watching her from a distance.
Staring at her sparked memories of Alex and me in the past, then I silently said to myself, "Alex, so stupid of you to have let her go, by the time I'm done getting my revenge on you, you'll regret ever knowing who I am or even leaving Elena."
### FLASHBACK ###
Eight years ago, at the George Washington University
"Class, you'll be grouped in pairs of twos for this project. So, Diedre Marcus and Max Dickson, you two will be working on a marketing plan for a shoe brand. Then, Alex Fox and Ethan Matthew, you two will be working on a marketing plan for a clothing brand," the teacher announced
"Diedre– what? Who is she? Why will Mr Cain pair me up with a total stranger?" I clenched my pen and banged against the desk.
"She is the new girl, the one over there," Alex said, gesturing towards the other end of the classroom.
I turned towards the direction where Alex was pointing out for me to see her at the same time she looked out towards my direction, our gaze met, then she gave me a warm smile and waved at me. I looked away immediately.
Diedre Marcus is a pretty girl with long, wavy, black hair, brown eyes and a 5 '6 frame. She is from a rich background; her family owns a gelato company. You can say she's the dream girl for every guy in school.
"I heard she just returned from Paris with her family," Alex added. "She is hot, to be honest."
"Whatever!" Max reluctantly said.
Moments later that day, Max encounters Dieder on his way to the cafeteria.
"Hello there, I'm Diedre Marcus. I look forward to our storming brains and rubbing minds together on this project," Diedre said, reaching out for a handshake.
"We can't work together on this project, the reason is that I work alone and don't need your help or anyone'," I declared and stormed out of her presence.
Diedre stood speechless with parted lips, widened brows and said, "Really? Who do you think you are? Oh, you think you are so great, right?"
I overheard her, but ignored what she said. I found her attractive, but like every other girl in the school, they all want to be close to me because of my family's wealth, so I don't give chances for anyone to come close to me except Alex.
"Max, you shouldn't have talked to her the way you did. That's rude," Alex implied
"I think I like her already. I just wanted to see her reaction by doing that," I said with a faint smirk on my face.
The following week was our presentation for the project. She stayed away from me after our encounter, so it was obvious we'll be doing our presentation separately, since we didn't do the project together as requested by the lecturer. I did my presentation, everyone was amazed, and I was given a round of applause, but Diedre surprised everyone with her presentation.
Diedre walked in with a spectacular Aura, her fashion style was stunning, like a goddess had just walked into the classroom. She greeted everyone, "Hello everyone, I present to you the latest shoe design in town, DM1, this shoe has special qualities and was made by the best shoe designer in the country."
She distributed fake money paper to the class and continued, "We are selling at a discount rate of 20% for anyone ready to purchase for the next twenty-four hours."
Diedre was well-prepared and determined to beat me on this project. This got me intrigued, and I wanted to know what else she has up her sleeve. Diedre created a website and uploaded it to the class "live-selling". Everyone was thrilled with how Diedre was able to encourage them to make purchases.
At the end of her presentation, she explained, "Social media is a very important tool in marketing, most especially for upcoming brands and companies that are struggling to get a name out there. An estimate of 90% of individuals all over the world are on social media, so promoting and selling on these platforms becomes very effective, even in reaching wider audiences."
"It also helps to create this sense of necessity, compelling customers to engage in purchases within a limited time frame," Diedre continued. "It also serves as a means to build direct engagement between customers and sellers; that way, trust can be built and also makes the brand feel approachable. Thank you"
At the end of her presentation, she had a bright smile on her face, her eyes gleaming as the whole class unanimously gave her a round of applause and praised her efforts.
When it was time for the professor to call out the winner of our presentations, I wasn't bothered cause I knew she beat me to it already. I didn't expect her to be this smart and intelligent, so I wouldn't be surprised if she were announced the winner. She deserved it for all her efforts. I silently began to admire everything about her.
"The winner–or rather, I'd say the best presentation goes to…. Diedre Marcus," the lecturer announced. Diedre jumped to her feet as she rejoiced.
### END OF FLASHBACK###
"Ahh," Elena screamed from the kitchen.