Chapter 7- Unwanted Obligations

Elena's POV

I woke up feeling sore all over, my eyes still closed, unwilling to face another day in this cage. Exhaling, I massaged my neck before standing up and heading into the bathroom.

It's been a week since my pretend marriage with Alex, and it's been hell. I knew I would regret my decisions one way or another, but I never thought it would be this soon.

Every day was a different problem. Sometimes, I wish that I wouldn't wake up. It was either a function or a charity event or something I didn't even know that rich people do and now I was under an obligation by the contract not to leave on my own will.

I sighed, standing in front of the mirror which revealed a figure I couldn't recognized. I could barely recognize myself.

Tired, swollen black eyes with no sense of confidence. I look no different from when I was in the hotel. I ran my hand in my hair trying to regain some sense of confidence if I had one.

You signed the contract, Elena; you agreed to this

It didn't matter how many times I tried to remind myself this was just temporary as long as I got what I wanted at the end. But the way he said it - as though I was nothing but a pawn in these, cut deeper than I'd expected.

I splashed cold water on my face, bracing myself. Alex, on the other hand, seems too calm and unmoved, like this didn't faze him in the slightest. I guessed he was used to it, being rich.

Once I got dressed, I headed straight to the dining room, where I saw him seated as usual, head bent over his laptop with a coffee in front of him.

He looked up when I entered his expression, unreadable. “ Elena”, he called as I sat down, keeping my eyes lowered.

“ We'll be attending a charity event tonight. I trust you'll be ready”

One of my many normalities.

“ Do I have a choice?” The irritation bubbled up before I could stop it.

His gaze hardened a flicker of something crossing his eyes “You don't, you signed a contract”

There it was. That reminder- a chain wrapped around my freedom.

“Alex, I need a job,”, I said plainly, looking into those grey eyes of his.

He closed his laptop now giving me all his attention “ I thought we've talked about this, no jobs”

My fist clenched into a ball on the table, but I forced my voice to stay steady.“Yeah, I remembered, but you don't just expect me to stay ideal while I dance to your tune of being pushed around to wherever you want me next.”

He sighed, almost as if I was a child asking for something unreasonable. “ I have my free will, and the contract allows that,” I said, not wanting to give him a chance to use the contract for his wishes.

“ Yes, but you are my wife. You can't just run off somewhere. Everything you need is provided right here”

“ It's not called running off; it's called having a life”. I shot back.

This was just a temporary arrangement. I needed something I could stand back on if, eventually, this contract ended.

He didn't just expect me to be his wife and forget I had a life after the arrangement.

He leaned back in his chair as he regarded me with a cool, calculating state, “You want a job, fine, but there will be rules. You'll work where I see fit, no complaints, no running off, and definitely no leaving without my permission”

I felt my blood boil at his possessiveness “ Deal” I said, my voice trembling slightly.

Alex's lips curved into an impecipitable smile, but there was no warmth to it as I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my coffee. I had no choice but to agree to this for now.

His unexplainable possessiveness was what got me on edge each time and it was becoming frustrating. My life was becoming frustrating.

“ Good, I'll arrange something for you,” he paused before adding, “Get ready for tonight. Don't disappoint me, It's very important to me”

My stomach knotted in a twist. Disappoint him? I wanted to laugh but I held it in. Like I could even do that.

“ I'm not interested in impressing your guests, Alex” I shot back standing up from the table “ I'll go but don't expect more from me”

He didn't respond immediately, but I could feel his gaze behind me burning a hole into them when I made my way to the room.

Either way, I was going to have to find a way to get out of this mess I created with my own hands.

The day passed in a blur and before I knew it, it was time for charity events. The makeup artist and stylist didn't fail to be on time, hiding all my frustration under the make up plastered on my face.

I stood in front of the mirror only to see a stranger in front of me. Someone who had forgotten who she really was in just a week. How shameful.

I heard the door knob twist and Alex walked in. He couldn't even give me some privacy.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his eyes sharp and calculative as always, and for some reason, he looked different tonight with his hair gelled back, making his grey eyes more enticing.

“ Are you done?” His question dragged me back to the present.

Jeez, was I just admiring him?

I cleared my throat, gulping a little as I brushed past him. “ Let's go,” I said.

We walked to the car in silence, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken words. When we arrived at the charity event, the cameras, as usual, swarmed around us like bees, and I felt like a fish in a tank on display.

We were guided to our seats with our name tags on them, with Alex's hand at my back, guiding me through like an egg.

The bidding soon started and items were displayed. The first was a lame picture, then a marble jug, a golden fish, followed by a Mustang, and it went on and on like that.

I didn't understand why rich people would waste their money on this lame stuff.

“ Next on our list is this beauty”, another lame object. The curtains rolled down to show a picture of a house.

My heart clenched, as my hands balled into a fist. That was my house.