Bab 2: Chapter 2 – Marry Alexander King
"Joanna Baker, you are an illegitimate child. How can you even show your face here? You are nothing," Joanna's half-sister, Mia yelled, after giving her a hot slap.
Joanna's cheek burned, and so did her anger. For ten years, she has been a doormat for the Bakers because of her mother's sickness, but not anymore. Without another thought, she returned the slap.
Hers was stronger, and Mia stumbled, falling on the floor, her eyes glazing with tears. "How dare you slap me?"
"You slapped me first. I just returned it better." Joanna was unremorseful, even when her father intervened.
"What is going on here?" He was already by Mia's side, helping her from the floor.
With a pitiful expression, Mia cried in her father's arms. "Dad, she slapped me because I told her she was looking like a servant and should change into something better."
Joanna paled from anger, but her voice remained calm. "That is not true. How can you lie so brainlessly?"
"Do you say that you didn't slap her?" Her father snarled, already taking sides with his beloved daughter.
"She slapped me first," Joanna stood her ground, unwilling to surrender.
Her father, Cole Baker, was not ready to pursue the matter further, seeing that Joanna's left cheek was equally crimson.
"What do you even want here?" Her father glared at her, she suddenly mellowed upon recalling her mother.
"Mom's sickness is serious. I need money."
Mia's nose crunched up, and she secretly sent a text message to her mother. 'Mom, the bitch is here asking for money from dad for the bigger bitchy mother.'
'I'm in the beauty parlor and can't make it now. Come to think of it, your father should marry her to the Kings. They might be rich, but no woman would want to be their in-law.'
Mia smirked as she read the text, looking for a way to make the suggestion to her father. Just then, another message dropped from her mother.
'Don't worry. I will tell him myself.'
"Joanna, you have such a big attitude but it's disgusting. I received an email that you got fired today. Now you are here to ask for money." Disappointment laced Cole's tone, but Joanna didn't care. The man never for once treated her like a daughter.
This time, with the proof she had, she couldn't suck it all up. "Won't you ask what happened?"
"What is there to ask? You are just so proud because you think so highly of yourself."
Joanna might be so many things, but she wasn't the things her father mentioned just now. The thought of it made her understand that not only did her father not care. He also didn't know her.
"You are my father, and I work for you. Send me to another company, but I will prove to you that Mr. Troy is not the angel you think he is."
Cole yawned in sheer boredom, not for once convinced by Joanna's words. "I will wait for that proof so off you go."
"I need money urgently for mom's bills."
Joanna was unmoved, not forgetting her reason for being there. Her boldness erupted from the revelation of her mother's shares in Cole's company.
How could he owe her mother so much and turn a blind eye to her predicament? She wasn't going to allow it.
Oddly, in spite of all the luxury oozing out of Cole's mansion, Joanna was so uncomfortable, she could not even sit. It wasn't her home, and her father hadn't invited her to do so.
"Okay. Let's have it this way. Alexander King is recovering from his accident. His grandfather needs a wife for him so you can be our candidate, and all your financial problems are solved."
Mia smiled, knowing that her father had received the message from her mother.
Joanna went numb at the request. No one knew what Alexander King looked like, being the first son of the Kings family. They were the most affluent in New York City, and yet, they always kept away from the media.
No image of them circulated the media headlines except that of their grandfather, Aristotle King. The airs around the old man were already so intimidating, though he carried looks too handsome for his age.
Joanna also recalled that Mia was the one betrothed to Alexander when the news about his accident had not aired. Mia sang it as a song, loud enough for anyone to hear but now that misfortune occurred, Joanna was going to be the sacrificial lamb.
The rumors in the air alerted that the first son of the King family was involved in a gory accident, leaving him in a vegetable state. They went on to say that his appearance was greatly damaged as well, so which woman would want to waste her life beside such a man?
Joanna was not ignorant of these rumors. "Let me guess. Mia doesn't want him anymore because he's no longer the hot mysterious CEO right? Or, is it because he is paralyzed and bedridden, you want me to take her place?"
The smile on Mia's face froze, as she feared that Joanna was going to reject the offer, especially when she already hooked up with a handsome and rich guy, Logan.
If it so be, then Mia would not have a choice than to marry Alexander King. If not, the partnership between the Bakers and the Kings will be broken.
"Smartness is something you got from me," Cole sneered. Joanna was deadpanned.
"No. I got it from my mother. You were never a part of my life, Cole."
He didn't mind that she addressed him by his first name, as he equally didn't want anyone to know about their relationship.
An illegitimate child was not something he was proud of, but for the sake of the partnership, he was willing to make some adjustments.
"So, do you agree to the marriage?" Hope resonated in his eyes, soon replaced by dismay.
"No. Let everyone carry their own cross. I'm here for my mother's shares."
The mention of the shares caused both Cole and Mia to freeze. Cole soon recovered, forcing a smile.
"I thought she had forgotten about it." He was referring to her mother. A smile bloomed on Joanna's face.
"Seems your prayers remain unanswered."
Cole remembered something, his lips surprisingly thinned. "She must have also told you about the marriage clause she put in there, right?"
Joanna fidgeted slightly. Her mom had not explained it to her. "What does it say?"
"You can only lay hands on those shares after getting married." Taking advantage of the situation, he narrowed it down.
"If you can get married in three days, I will give you the shares or, they become mine to keep and I can sign them off to your sister, Mia."
Joanna's gaze dulled. She had a boyfriend but never thought about marriage so soon. Their relationship was also too young. At this point, she was left speechless.
She always wanted to marry for love, but this was going to be like a marriage with benefit, and she didn't want that.
"You are quiet. Have you given up already? It still boils down to the same thing. Marry Alexander King, and you might not even have need for those shares."
༺❀༻
Three days later, Joanna was in a simple white knee-length dress, waiting for her boyfriend, Logan Matison, to pick her up to the marriage registry.
Logan was a very busy man, and since Joanna had spent her days with her mom at the hospital, it was understandable to not have seen him.
Speaking on the phone concerning the marriage, Logan agreed after a brief hesitation when Joanna explained that it was going to be secret, and they could divorce later if they weren't compatible.
The fact that they were dating did not mean they had to get married, so Joanna's conditions were quite reasonable to him.
Joanna had scheduled for their officiation to be the first so she could go back to be by her mother's side, but after two hours of waiting, it looked as if Logan had either forgotten or something had happened to him.
Dialing his number for the umpteenth time, the same robotic female voice kept responding, "the number is either switched off or out of coverage area."
Hailing a cab from her apartment, she heard the screeching sound of a car on the asphalt road when crossing the road to board the cab she had arranged.
Joanna froze from shock when she saw a Bentley headed her way but soon stopped just a meter away. Joanna lost her balance from shock, the same time the driver of the Bentley stepped out to stabilize her.
"Miss, are you alright? I'm very sorry to have not seen you."
She regained herself and forced a smile. "I'm fine. No scratch. The car didn't hit me. Besides, it was my fault. I should have been more careful."
The glass window to the back of the Bentley rolled down, and a man spoke from behind. Joanna could only see his side profile, her breath instantly caught up in her throat.
How could a man be so handsome and yet fearful? The allure oozing out of his velvety voice, exhuming respect and dominion as he spoke, caused a shiver cruising through her body, her ears turning red. That voice also sounded familiar to her but she could not connect the two people.
"Tell her to get in. You can take her to the hospital after dropping me off." He glanced at the Rolex wristwatch on his wrist impatiently.
Joanna soon began to rebuke herself for having such illicit thoughts about a man, when she had one herself and was even getting married.
"No. no, I'm fine. Please carry on. I wasn't hit."
There was silence, as if expecting the man to refuse, but when he spoke again, he sounded rather irritated.
"If you say so. Ike, don't waste my time."
The man beside Joanna instantly rushed to the driver side, the glass door rolled up as the Bentley sped away.
Joanna took a deep breath before sitting in the cab. She never met such a man in her life before and somehow, could not stop thinking about that voice, hoping he wasn't the man she thought he was.
She arrived at her boyfriend's house, afraid that something bad had happened to him so without knocking, she pushed the door open, her breath stopping with it.
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