15 Chapter 15
Upstairs in the Penthouse, Jeff didn't know that he was the trending topic on social media. Ronald tried to inform him several times but to no avail. Jeff could care less. He was too focused on finding a way to convince his wife to stay married to him; the rest didn't matter at the moment.
Two more days and he will need to go back home. Ann had not given him an answer yet. 'What if she's already at the courthouse filing for divorce?'
He couldn't concentrate on anything, he had no appetite to eat, and he just stayed in his room waiting, and waiting… and more waiting. He had never felt this useless in his entire life.
He could go to her or give her a call, but he chose to stay put and give her space.
On the last day, Ann finally called requesting to meet up.
Jeff didn't know how to react, should he celebrate, or should he worry about the outcome. Either way, he will find out soon enough; he couldn't wait for the time to come.
Jeff and Ann agreed to meet in a secluded area to protect their identities.
If it were up to Jeff, the meeting place would have been in the hotel room. However, Ann was quick to decline with the excuse of protecting herself— from whom Jeff didn't know.
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Ann put the document on the table for Jeff to read. "This is an Agreement between you and I. If you agree to all the terms, we can continue with this trial marriage."
Jeff glanced at the document and scanned through it quickly. A smile appeared on his lips after reading it.
Below is what's written in the contract:
This is an agreement between Ann Wen and Jeff Go (collectively the "Parties" and individually a "Party") who are contemplating the continuation of their marriage to each other.
1) The parties intend for this Agreement to dictate terms for their trial marriage.
2) The parties entered into this Agreement freely and under no duress or undue influence from the other Party.
3) The parties agreed on a non-consummation period whenever in an area considered an unsafe zone [By appointment only!]
4) The parties will not hinder each other regarding their career or employment opportunities.
5) The parties will have separate dwellings [But have access to each other's homes]
6) The parties acknowledge that this Agreement will be in effect until upon termination of the marriage, whether by death or divorce.
7) The parties recognize that they were provided with a reasonable period to review this Agreement.
8) This Agreement may only be terminated or amended by the Parties' writing signed by both of them.
Jeff almost laughed out loud after reading the Agreement that Ann laid out in front of him. He was willing to agree to anything as long as she didn't ask for a divorce.
"Where do I sign?" Jeff asked nonchalantly.
Ann "..."
Once the signing of the contract was completed, they both kept a copy.
Jeff put his copy away quickly and sat next to Ann. Grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her lightly on her forehead, her eyes, the tip of her nose, both sides of her cheeks, and then her lips.
He then tilted her face, looked in her eyes, and said, "Did I ever tell you that I love you, Mrs. Jeff Go."
'What the heck! I hardly know him, and he thinks he knows me; how can he blurt out such words. Love? Ya! Right, who are you kidding? Me!' Ann thought to herself
She got up in a hurry and left without replying to his confession or even a word of goodbye.
===
When Ann returned to the apartment after meeting Jeff, Lea was sulking at the kitchen table, spacing out. She had a spoon in one hand, flipping back and forth while she kept sighing.
She didn't even realize that Ann was back until she heard someone bang her hands on the table. "What are you thinking about so seriously?" Ann asked with a concerned look.
"Oh! You're back! How did the meeting go?" Lea asked absentmindedly.
"It was fine!" Ann replied with a sullen face.
Lea looked at her friend, "spit it out! I don't think it went fine, you can't even look me in the eye. Are you hiding something!"
Ann told Lea about Jeff's proposal and everything that transpired, no more, no less.
Lea was so happy, that she forgot about the contract she had acquired in her recent business trip to Asia.
Lea got a deal that was an endorsement as a spokesperson for one of the biggest Empires in the country for an indefinite amount of years. She had been working hard to get Ann an endorsement. Now, she might have to cancel the contract because of a particular CEO.
The fee for breaching the contract was not a problem, Jeff can pay for it since he's the one that wanted her to move there. What worried her more was that her friend's feelings might not be reciprocated and there was a chance that her heart might be broken once again. Lea didn't know what to do.
"Here! Have a look at this!" Ann put the contract on the table, then ran off to the safety of her room.
Lea read the sheet of paper Ann left on the table. Once she finished reading, she got up quickly and almost tripped while running and yelling simultaneously.
"What's the meaning of this? You are joking. You can't do this, girlfriend! Do you know what I had to go through to get you that endorsement?"
Lea was distraught, she then continued, "The contract is signed. Where are we going to get the money to pay for penalties? On top of that, this is your long-awaited break, the one you've been waiting for Ann; To become famous and show that mother of yours, remember?" Lea said with tears streaming down her face.
Lea was distraught this time. She had traveled almost thirty-four hours round trip for this endorsement, and now it's down the drain just like that.
'No matter what, Ann could not break this contract. Even if it kills her, she will not let it happen.' Ann thought with determination.
"I don't understand you. A couple of days ago, you told me that you had already made your decision." Lea gave her an accusatory glare.
"Is this the decision you came up with? Are you kidding me? A contract to stay married to that person who you called a jerk not long ago. What made you change your mind so suddenly?" Lea asked with tears still in her eyes.
Ann just smiled at her friend and told her the real reason why she made the contract. She said, "Leah, this will be a win-win situation."
When she got home the night after Jeff's proposal, she thought long and hard about her feelings towards him. Even though they never had contact, she had constantly thought about him over the past four years. They only shared a brief moment of time together, but that moment still lingered in her mind.
Many guys had approached her and courted her in the past, but she always found herself comparing each of them to Jeff. In all honesty, she was not sure about her feelings for him yet. She didn't know if what she was feeling now was love or just infatuation.
One thing she knew for sure was that Jeff could make her forget her name in a heartbeat.
For her to find out, they would need to spend more time together. That was why she drafted the contract with no time limit. If and when she knows for sure how she feels about Jeff, they can mark the contract void. They will either live happily ever after or go their separate ways.
Ann found out that Jeff was from the same country as her mother, and he had everything she needed to show that she was successful. He had money, power, and on top of that, he was very handsome. She needed all that to show her mother that she did not turn out badly even though she left her at birth.
After Ann explained all of this to Lea, she finally understood the whole situation. "Alright, I understand now. So what do you want me to do with regards to the endorsement contract I just signed?" Lea asked Ann.
"Contact the company first and inform them that I want to renegotiate the deal we signed. I will fly out tomorrow to meet with them, and we'll see from there, alright!" That seemed to satisfy Lea, and she started contacting the company.
===
Lea tried to book them a flight as soon as possible. However, she was not successful. The travel agent informed her that she would put them on the waiting list if they were willing to be overbooked passengers. Lea wasn't happy about the situation.
If it were just her flying, then it would not have been a problem, but Ann would be flying with her. To let someone like her sit in the airport waiting was not possible. People might recognize her, which would be bad for her image.
When Lea informed Ann about the dilemma, Ann told her not to worry about her image. She was not that famous yet, so Lea went ahead and put their names on the list.
While they were preparing for their trip abroad, Jeff, on the other hand, was preparing for their journey back home. It would be a very long flight, so he wanted to ensure that Ann would be traveling comfortably.
He told Ronald to arrange for one of his private airplanes to leave the next day.
Jeff was so excited that he forgot to call Ann that night to tell her about his arrangement. When morning came, he found out that Ann had already left.
Jeff went into panic mode. He called a particular person, then hung up and told Ronald to go straight to the airport.
