One Year As His Wife

“There will be no falling in love.”

I looked up from the contract in my front. I had already gone through quite a bit of it and even asked a friend of mine to review it earlier.

The man sitting across from me just stared at me, waiting for me to sign. Adrian Sterling leaned back in his chair, his expression as cold as it had been since I walked into the office.

His lawyer was seated by his side, eagerly waiting for me to sign the document.

“Trust me,” I said, picking up the pen beside the document. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

He seemed slightly amused by my answer. But before I could be sure, the expression had disappeared from his face.

“Good to know that we understand one another.”

I glanced down at the pages before me. A year of marriage to someone I literally just met. Public appearances because of his status.

Living under the same roof. Strict rules about what I could and couldn’t do. And a lot of money to solve all my weighing problems.

All I had to do was become the wife of a man who looked like he’d rather be someplace else, discussing business than sitting through this whole meeting.

Still, if I was going to sign this document, I needed to also let there be an understanding between us both. “One more thing,” I said.

He rolled his eyes and faced me. “What is it? You’ve already stated your conditions.”

“Can I at least say what I want to say so we won’t both waste our time?” He stared at me for a moment before nodding.

I placed the pen back on the table and sat up properly. “If I sign this contract and become your wife, Mr. Sterling. You need to understand that you don’t own me just because of this marriage.”

He chuckled before leaning forward, his expression more serious. “Maybe you don’t get it. I suggest you read the terms carefully, Nia. Because after signing it, both our lives will change.”

Three weeks earlier …

My phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

I was in the kitchen, trying to finish a client’s order before the deadline in the evening. I could guess the caller was my client, checking to make sure I don’t disappoint her.

I couldn’t blame her, though. If I’d paid for a large order, I’d want to know the details of my order and all it entailed.

Still, I really needed some help around here. At the moment, my small catering business had only two people helping me: my best friend, Allison, and Celia, a loyal staff member who’d been working with us for years.

Allison had started working with me right after college. Mum needed some help running the business, and though I’d already been helping her, we were short-staffed and struggled to keep the business afloat.

Allison had been looking for a decent job after graduation, but nothing had turned out positively. Eventually, she decided to join us. Mum was happy enough to let her.

It wasn’t the exact job she dreamed of after school, but she never complained about anything. She showed up and did all that was necessary from her. I was forever grateful for that; my forever person.

Celia, on the other hand, was a few years older than me and had worked with mum for a long time. She practically ran the business with mum.

After mum passed and the income started decreasing by a lot, several of our workers left. I didn’t blame them. Their pay had reduced drastically, and everyone had bills to sort out.

I expected Celia to leave too. But she stayed. She didn’t complain about the pay.

When I asked her why she was still here, she said mum had always treated her well, and she couldn’t bring herself to abandon the business she’d grown to love.

Such a sweet soul. I was glad she was still with us.

The phone rang even louder. “Nia, pick up the call!” Allison shouted from the living room.

“You can’t keep ignoring it!” “I am not!” I yelled back, rolling my eyes.

Celia and Allison were in the living room, packing the snacks that we had already taken out of the oven. I was trying to finish mixing up the last batch of cookie dough so I could start baking.

The call ended. Then it ended. Except it went off again almost immediately.

“Nia!” Celia shouted this time. “I got it! I got it!” I wiped my hands, grabbed my phone, and answered the call. “Good afternoon ma’am.”

“Hello Nia. Are we to expect you soon? I’ve been trying to reach you,” Mrs. Sinclair said. Of course.

I was supposed to deliver a bunch of snacks to her sister’s birthday party that evening, and judging by the amount of times she’d called, I knew she was getting worried that I would be late.

“Yes, I’m sorry ma’am. We’ve been busy baking, but I’ll be there in an hour,” I promised.

“Please Nia, be on time. I don’t want to be disappointed for trusting you,” she said. I felt it in my chest. “I promise, you won’t regret it.”

“Okay, dear. I’ll see you in an hour.” She ended the call before I could even say goodbye.

It didn’t matter because I had limited time now to finish baking, pack everything, and get the orders delivered. Wow.

I walked back to the counter and poured the cookie dough onto the baking tray before sliding into the oven.

The cake, cinnamon rolls, and everything else had been baked already. The cookies had to come last because there was no space to bake them all at once.

Yes, it wasn’t the most ideal thing, but we didn’t have a choice. Our equipment and supplies were limited.

Money had not been coming as regular, which meant we couldn’t afford to buy new equipment to make the job easier.

I wondered how mum managed to keep the business afloat for so many years with limited resources.

But, she’d always been resourceful. So, I’m not too surprised. I tried to imbibe that character in me.

And, I really wanted to expand the business. I wanted to buy my mum’s old shop or find a bigger one that could be comfortable to work in, instead of the kitchen.

Losing that shop had to be one of the hardest things we’d experienced while mum was still alive.

We struggled to keep up with the rent, but the medical bills were piling up, so we could no longer afford both. Ultimately, the shop was taken from us.

It was a terrible period.

Mum had worked so hard to build something of hers, and watching it all fall apart broke my heart because she was already dealing with so much pain.

She’d spent years taking care of my brother and I after our dad abandoned us.

I still remember coming home from school one day and finding out that he was no longer there. No goodbye, no explanation. He just left, completely disappeared.

After that, it was the three of us.

Mum did all she could to raise us, and make us comfortable. The business managed to carry us through school.

I went to college while my brother continued high school. Things weren’t completely okay, but they were manageable.

Then Mum died.

All the bills became my responsibilities. For two years now, I’d been doing my best to handle it. Some months were better than

some others, but there was always something that needed money urgently. Plus, I couldn’t give up just because things were hard, we’d go hungry.

Not when my brother was counting on me. I was glad that he was in his final semester of high school and would be off to college soon. Wow.

College.

I was happy for him. He deserved to go after anything he wanted, and I wanted to be able to provide him with that without making him worry so much.

But thinking about the tuition, accommodation, and all other expenses that came with college made my stomach curl.

I scratched the thought off. One problem at a time, Nia.