Marriage Of Convenience

######### MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE

Nora Whites works part-time as a bartender in a known local bar where she had spent the last three years of her life working to provide a living for herself and fund her education. She wanted to save up and further her education to the university to study arts and literature, but unfortunately, her savings were not enough except to buy the forms and pay up for her GSCE which she took late. Her determination to go to school made her apply for a scholarship grant which after being granted was surprisingly revoked because of some mix up issues, leaving her bare and depressed.
However, she knew the sponsor and she would meet him somehow. She knew he was Cole Adams, a big shot in the business world. She would find a way to meet him and beg him for this scholarship otherwise she would die of depression.
Her mother died two years ago and all her parents' life savings and insurance were not enough to pay off the debts her father left behind let alone take care of her and her elder sister. Her sister was of great help for the first six months until she was involved in an accident and died, everything then fell on her shoulders. Her father suddenly brought his illegitimate daughter home along with his side chick who he married afterwards. And since then, this pair has made life miserable for her.
Nora was surfing through the net on the best gift to get her boyfriend, Alex Rowe, the next day being his birthday. She loved him passionately and he even got her this job, why won't she make this day big for him?
Nora was on her day off and while she was surfing, Lucy stepped in to announce the arrival of their regular VIP customer. He looked simple but his simple looks couldn't conceal his hot and handsome body, and Lucy always doted on him.
"Mr. Hot just arrived," Lucy announced as the two turned to the man they had been fawning upon.
Lucy pleaded with Nora to attend to him and Nora did. During the service, the customer gave Nora a suggestion on what to get for her boyfriend. "Get him a wristwatch."
Nora stormed out with her choice; to get a platinum wristwatch for her boyfriend who would do more than that for her too in her mind.
Nora was heartbroken that her boyfriend, Alex Rowe was on the bed with her step-sister, Layla Whites. As she mindlessly walked in the rain, she bumped into someone and it was the bar's customer who only smiled and liked to stare but said less. He placed an umbrella over her, took her out of the rain to a nice warm coffee shop where Nora poured her heart to him from her parents' death to how she suffered, losing everything including the scholarship that would have made things different for her. "He betrayed me. He used me! I feel cheated." Nora cried her eyes out and the man gave her his handkerchief to wipe her tears.
"Maybe, it's for the best," he comforted her.
They talked for long and the strange customer took her home and placed her on her bed before leaving her.
Nora faced the new day with new hope, hope of finally meeting Cole Adams, the CEO of Adams Conglomerate to plead that she gets a grant as her whole life depended on it now. With the paparazzi and reporters aiming to get what to feed the public all around him, it was too hard to get in. She didn't want to push but knew this was her chance.
She fought her way in and grabbed the billionaire's tux but she was shocked at who she grabbed. It was the customer from the local bar! He was the infamous Cole Adams, the billionaire who was fourteen years older than her with her being twenty - one. She was too shocked that she let go and ran but not before Cole saw her.
Cole went after Nora, cornered her and took her to one of his restaurants to calm her down. Nora then said what she wanted and hoped Cole would at least pity her and give her the grant but Cole had other plans. In return for the scholarship, Nora has to marry him so that he can ward off the pestering public and gold-diggers. He just wanted a wife figure, not only that, he had stalked Nora for two months which corresponded to how long he had been to the local bar where Nora works. So, he knew a lot about her including about her cheat of a boyfriend, his half sister and overbearing step mother.
"I already want you as a public wife. Please do me the favor."
Nora was skeptical about marrying the doting bachelor who was way older than she is, but she couldn't deny she was genuinely attracted to Cole who looked self-confident, smart and mature. They were two adults who wanted to satisfy their individual needs. Nora desperately wanted to go to school and master her passion for writing and painting. She agreed to marry him since it was going to be a marriage of convenience and she could get a divorce whenever she wished to. Likewise Cole who knew that deep down, he was beginning to love this woman.
Nora took a deep breath and said, "I'm in."
They both visited the civil service bureau and signed their marriage papers. With that, their fates were sealed as conventional husband and wife.
Cole's delivery boy was assigned to help Nora pack her things into her new home. With smiles, Nora admired her new house that looked like a mansion from the eighties. Surprisingly the delivery boy that appeared to help her was Alex Rowe.
"Welcome home, ma'am." Nora turned to find him smiling. His smiles suddenly froze on his lips when he found out who the landlady was, his ex. What a twist!
Instantly, Nora knew it was time to make him pay, he was going to be her personal driver in the future. But for now, "get those bags and follow me." She was going to overwork him.
Nora fully packed into Cole's magnificent mansion and they shared different rooms, but she couldn't deny Cole was exceptionally good and sweet to her. He bought her expensive gifts, took her out for dinner, registered her to her dream university, made Alex her personal driver, warmed her when she was cold, kissed her, cuddled her, showered her with all sorts of love while she didn't spare a chance to make Alex jealous, grinning in glorious victory.
Nora also liked everything about the house including the library that had more of business books for Cole than novels for Nora who loved books, so she frequented the local bookstore to get new novels after reading the ones in the library.
Until one night, it was a big donation party which many CEOs' and influential figures in Nigeria graced. It was one of Cole's foundation to help the deformed in the country and it was called 'project Oasis'.
In the party, Nora exchanged a few pleasantries with two key figures in the project who liked her for being so innocent and pure with her discussions and advised Cole to hold her dear. They were business partners from Notry & co, and very powerful. The most significant was John Douglas who held great respect for Nora. He spoke at length with Nora that night getting details about her.
"You are really an interesting person to speak with. How about we do this some other time?"
"Sure. I would love to."
But Cole pulled her away from him, hurting her arm as he gripped her and tossed her into the car.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"I was only having a friendly chat with a harmless man. Why are you acting like I've committed a crime?"
"I do not want to see you speaking to John ever again."
Nora concluded it was only jealousy and nothing more. She felt it was natural and hoped it didn't grow into something else. Moreover, they were in a marriage of convenience not a real marriage.
Nora ran into John at the local bookstore when she went to get a few books for her school projects. They chatted for long over coffee. "I'm here for some science fiction books. What are your preferences?" John asked.
He seemed to like everything Nora liked, including science fiction books. "Oh my! Of course I love the same genre," Nora exclaimed and they laughed heartily. John was just five years older than she is and she seemed to be taking a special liking to him.
They continued with their coffee while reading a few pages of some books before John purchased a few more for her.
The news got to Cole and possession set in; he didn't want her talking with her one friend. He cut off all her communications with the world and warned John to stay away. He stopped her from going to school and switched her to online class instead. He stopped her from going to the bookstore or even shopping. Alex did all that for her with the help, Gina.
Nora felt trapped and suffocated that she was ready to end it all. She tried everything possible to escape, but the more she tried the more dangerous Cole's possession became. Nora became a prisoner in her matrimonial home.
"I have you under my watch. Stop trying to escape my dear wife."
"Let me go!" But Cole was determined to keep her away, locked up in a room.
Cole did everything to keep her happy even when she was trapped with him. He showed her possessive love and care painted in red. He was dangerously in love with her but Nora felt his love was nothing but obsession and wanted a divorce.
However, divorce is not an option as their marriage papers clearly stated that there was no room for divorce.
Everything changed; the way he held her, kissed her, touched her all changed to one dangerous affection. Nora came to understand that she doesn't know the man she married, there were a lot of unanswered questions in her mind about him and she began to dig into him.
Cole Adams was a loathsome CEO, a billionaire who was shrewd and exploitative for his own gain, lacks empathy and is possessive; anything he wanted in the business world would eventually become his even if it meant shedding blood.
There were reports, case files left unattended about him. And his employees cursing out on the internet about how he used and manipulated them. The most recent one was a blog of how his former secretary died of brain tumor resulting from work stress. The overworked poor lady did not receive affection and eventually the tumor coupled with depression killed her. Yet, Cole never asked about her. Instead he got her replaced the next day.
It all dawned on Nora now, she married a monster, a cold blooded narcissist and there was no way out. Now she is carrying his child and he is showering her with dangerous love and affection. No one could come to her aid, not even John who was no match for Cole Adams.