My contract love story

According to Mr Cagliari, she should have to look the part of a CEO’s wife in every aspect, that meant not taking any of her thrift or store bought clothes. They were also taken for a spa session where there had all services offered to them as VVIP’s of the place, Ashleigh had a much needed facial and hair treatment and she looked more appealing. Her face now had a dewy look, her round eyes were more prominent due to the lash treatments, her coffee- brown hair now looked more healthier and grew rapidly than before making it thick, with the curls framing her face. The man in question was not around, she was informed by the butler that he is on a business trip and any information will be passed on by him.

“he claimed to be annoyed me but still did this much for I and my aunt when he is not supposed to be bothered. Business trip my foot” she thought to herself as she listened to Mr. Atkinson.

This changes no matter how subtle she was, still showed and caught the attention of the people she was working with. She had decided to work for a month more before quitting with the excuse of preparing for college so till then, she still worked as the cleaner in her husband’s company….. yeah. Ashleigh was hounded by her friends Fiona and James on her sudden glow up, they were both fashion freaks and knew everything about brands and the collections that are in or a fad.

She played it off casually stating she wanted to invest in herself more, they took it half heartedly on her insistence on not saying more than she told them. They were also occasional long stares as she walked passed tables during lunch at the cafeteria which she ignored, going about her business.

Today was about to be one of those days, she was making her way to the cafeteria when she was stopped by Mr. Turner. He looked like he was short of breath, his hair slightly messed from running to catch up with her.

“Mr. Turner are you okay? You could have just called out to me, or call my number ” she reached to phone his back soothingly and he shared his head signalling he was alright.

“Actually Mrs Ashleigh, Mr Cagliari just only came in from his trip and has asked me to meet you and bring you to him” he explained quickly, gesturing for her to move ahead of him.

“Good, I’ve been meaning to speak with your boss anyways” she said as they went through the back to the underground parking lot and he ran to open the car door for her.

She settled in besides Adrian, the driver taking off once she was in the car. Adrian was still on a business call and had only glanced briefly at the sound of her entering the car, the tablet propped on a mini table and had a pair of ear pods on each ear with a royal blue suit that fit him like a glove, making him look more handsome. This handsome man however had his full attention on the meeting, and had a very cold aura around him for the meantime to prevent any disturbances that may arise, Ashleigh just sat silently besides him till when she was able to speak. After a while, the opportunity soon presented itself as he ended the call.

“Mr Cagliari you finally have time to see me. I have been unable to reach you despite my many attempts, didn’t Mr Atkinson inform you” she questioned Adrian as he massaged his temples lightly to shake of the headache.

“I had informed him to let you know that I will not be available during the time of my trip and whatever issues arises he should solve it appropriate. Pray tell, Ashleigh, what is the pressing matter that couldn’t be handled by anyone else but me” he deadpanned, setting his gaze on her.

“Uhm…. it was about all the things you have done. I wanted to let you know that we aren’t a charity case for you to feel like you have to do those things for us to feel better. I and my aunt are fine with just the bare minimum” Ashleigh stated in a matter-of-fact tone, making Adrian chuckle at her face.

Her round eyes were firm, her lips a bit flat in an attempt to make herself look serious, her hair carelessly falling around her face. Still holding her gaze, he leaned on the arm rest separating both of them with his lips turned slightly upwards.

“How long did you want to shout that to me on the phone since last weekend? Must be nice getting it all-out of your system. That being said, I would like to point out two things to you”

Firstly, I do not view you and your aunt as a charity case, neither would I have done any thing out of guilt or sympathy. These are the things I am supposed to do for my wife and in-law” his deep voice echoed through the car, sending tingles through her ears and spine again.

“Secondly, this is expected treatment of the wives of the Cagliari family. This is my responsibility to you for the time this marriage stands, so I am just doing my duty and yours is to cooperate accordingly. So far I feel I have been doing my best, don’t you think so too Mrs. ?” he teased, running his fingers through her hair playfully.

Ashleigh was unsure of how to respond as she was bombarded by so many things at once; his face that was close to hers, the slight tug of her hair, the earthy scent that overwhelmed her nostrils.

She stuttered as she pulled back, seating firmly in her chair as she tried to still her heart beating violently. Adrian observed her in amusement, he had thought that carrying out this plan may be difficult at first, but from what he is seeing now, it may be easier than he thought. Then again, it was a given that Ashleigh would fall for him eventually despite her willingness to resist, when the most desirable bachelor is dropped at your doorstep it is not easy to resist. He looked at her again as she faced the window adamantly and sighed in disappointment, although it was a good thing for him, he at least hoped for her to put up a good fight along the road.

The car quickly pulled into a jewellery shop and parked underground, his security surfaced immediately and escorted them inside.

“I thought we were going for lunch”

“We are, before that we have something more important to do” he explained, entering the private elevator which dinged open.

It stopped at the last floor and opened to reveal a bright spacious room with various work tables. Each table had someone propped on a chair, with a bunch of sketch papers working silently, in the centre was a podium with a man addressing them. He looked a bit shorter than Adrian, dressed in a pair of high waist pants and a sweater with a pair of shoes, his hair was curled and a pencil was placed in his right ear. He spoke swiftly in a foreign language glancing around the room till his eyes landed on both of them, his eyes widened in realization and he left them to continue their work, strolling to where she and Adrian stood.

“In which direction will the sun set today with me seeing Adrian in the flesh?” he jeered, eyeing Adrian in marvel.

“Beau. It’s always a pleasure to meet you” Adrian rolled his eyes in response, Ashleigh peered at him.

“Ashleigh, this is Beau. The owner of the jewellery store we are in. Beau this is Ashleigh, my wife” he did the introductions and Beau’s mouth was agape at the end.

Ashleigh was surprised on seeing his reaction, she thought that this marriage if not public was known by his friends and closest family but it was not.

“W-was this why you asked for the rings to be made? Oh my!” Beau went into double shock as Adrian affirmed his thoughts, looking at Ashleigh in bewilderment.

Beau was in Adrian’s close circle and would know if anything was to come up one way or another, but this was news that not even his closest friend knew. He walked up to her and gave her a close look from head to toe and looked deeply into her eyes. Ashleigh just stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do, Beau stepped back and gave a side glance to Adrian.

“Ashleigh, you are too pretty. Adrian I must say I am impressed, although I am genuinely curious on how you managed to convince her to marry you” he asked, making Ashleigh giggle as he frowned in response to Beau’s question.

“Come my lovelies, I do not want to disturb the workspace right now with all this chatter” he beckoned, walking down the large hall to a door at the end.

With a wave of his hand at the doorknob, the screen brightened and he put in his password. The door made a click and opened up to reveal a small office. This space could only allow three people to be present at the same time so the bodyguards waited as they entered. The room was barely decorated, it only had a table, with a chair and two on opposite sides, a cabinet with a locked safe and a board with many sketches pinned on it.

“Excuse my very little workspace, I have plans to expand soonest” he apologized, walking to the safe to unlock it as they sat down.

“With all the grants and partnership offers you received in the last quarter, plans of relocation should have been concluded by now” Adrian looked over the small office in disappointment.

Beau was the next generation’s top jeweller. He is from an affluent background but had a strong vision from the onset hence he focused on getting trained from one of the best jewellers in Italy before relocating to start his store in America. In a while he started gaining recognition for his designs among the upper class society and got multiple grants and partnerships offers, one being from Adrian. As a major investor in the business, he had given Beau a sum to help secure a bigger location for his store and plans were agreed on earlier in the year, but Beau tends to be a bit slow with these matters hence till now no plans has been carried out.

“I’m not really good at the financial and planning aspect of this business, I only know how to focus on my work. I am still searching for someone who can help me put the plans together” he replied, placing an exquisitely carved box on the table in front of them.

Ashleigh who was just an observer to their conversation so far perked up when the box was placed in front of them, she looked at Adrian besides her who egged her to open the box.

The box was carved exquisitely out of dark polished wood and it had a hinged lid that was gold plated and glistened under the light.