~~~~~ Ace's Mansion, Ace's room ~~~~~
"I will do it. I will marry you, I will become your wife and give birth to your child." Alix dropped the bomb, she closed her eyes as she said that to him. Her heart was running a thousand miles in seconds, she took in anxious breaths. "What?" Ace gasped out in a momentarily stun mode, his eyes were slightly widened and his mouth a little agape. "What did you just say? I think I heard something wrong." He muttered repairing his expression into his cold and expressionless face, his eyes narrowed slightly on her face.
Ace was suspicious of her suddenly agreeing to his request, so he was giving her a chance to speak out at once. Alix rolled her eyes when he asked her to repeat her words, she wondered if he was deaf or pretending to be so. "I said I will be your bride, in other words, I have agreed to marry you and do as you say. I am ready to give birth to your child or even children but that's all on one condition..." Alix remarked, gazing at his face. "What condition are you talking about?" Ace questioned, his eyes waning into a deep frown.
"My condition is, firstly you have to let go of my family. Secondly, this marriage will not be contracted, we will live together till death do us part. Thirdly, you have the right to do whatever you want but you have to marry me properly." Alix listed her condition out to him, her fingers stretched out from counting.
Ace gazed at her with surprise in his eyes, he thought about what had made the little lady agree to do this. "I accept your conditions, but I have mine too. You will have to abide by them also without any defaults, do you want to hear them?" Ace mumbled pushing the thoughts of letting her go aside, she offered herself to him so he would willingly accept her.
"Sure, go on," Alix replied.
"Firstly, you can't fall in love with me and I won't too. Love is off-limits. Secondly, you will only be the mother of my child and nothing else. We grow old together but you remain just their mother and not my wife. Thirdly, you will appear with me to various gatherings as my wife and we pretend like we are in love. We aren't going to sign any papers as you requested just keep this in mind." Ace explained his points in plain words.
"I understand, I promise to abide by the rules too. I don't think I will be able to fall in love with you too, you heartless beast." Alix muttered whispering the last part to herself. Her eyes blazed with determination, she had snapped out of the fairytale she once lived in, she no longer believed in happy endings anymore.
"Did you say something?" Ace questioned when he heard her whispers, his brow raised.
"Oh no, no, no I didn't say anything." Alix mumbled flashing him a fake smile, "you said you wanted to say something to me? What's it?" Alix asked changing the topic to something else.
"Ah yes, I wanted to tell you something." Ace mumbled nervously, his eyes roaming around the room thinking of what to say.
"Yes?"
"All I intended to say was. Once you are fully recovered you can go back to your parent's house. I also removed my hands from your father's business and it's going smoothly, I will come to propose to you after some time. So remember don't fall at your end of the bargain too." Ace uttered, covering up what he intended to say before.
"Thank you so much, thank you. I will do as you say, I promise. Thank you." Alix mumbled with teary eyes, she became emotional in an instant. She couldn't wait to finally be with her family again. She had missed them so much, especially her delicate mother, "thank you, I promise not to ditch you." Alix muttered once again in-between hiccups.
"There's no need... " Ace wanted to stop her from thanking him but the door pushed open and Terry walked in with a bright smile on his face, his expression wavered when e saw Alix crying he couldn't help but glare at Ace.
Alix immediately bowed her head and hid under the bed sheets to avoid being seen by him, her cheeks turned beet red. "What did you do to her? Why is she crying?" Terry asked Ace with a narrowed expression, he wondered what his stupid friend had said to her once again.
"Let's go out, come with me." Ace said a monotone and stood up from the bed walking towards the door, he didn't spare Terry a glance. Terry glanced at Ace and then Alix and sighed before chasing after Ace.
~~~~~
Outside Ace's room, "I told you not to treat her like a tool anymore, why do you keep making her cry? She might end up killing herself soon, and it will be all your fault." Terry scolded Ace.
"I didn't make her cry, she just cried tears of joy and relieve nothing else." Ace mumbled nonchalantly, he crossed his hands across his chest and leaned on the wall.
"Tears of joy? Is there something like that, I know cry is crying so?" Terry mumbled eyeing his friend suspiciously, he wouldn't believe what Ace was saying to him only a dumb man would, Terry thought.
"How can you be a doctor when you are so stupid?" Ace stated
"I'm not stupid okay, you are acting weird what's happening to you?" Terry muttered moving closer to Ace, he felt the air around Ave was lighter than usual.
"Get the things for the test ready, also for the artificial insemination too. She has agreed to it." Ace ordered deep in thought, different things were running through his mind at the moment. He had caught wind of a particular issue before entering his mansion.
"What? She agreed?" Terry screamed in shock.