Chapter 2: Chapter Two The contract
Chapter 2
Jark paused and looked at the victim, who was staring back at him in shock.
Jark continued, "Your mother is currently receiving treatment at Faith Hospital. The nurses work in shifts, and in fifteen minutes, she will be given an injection. Do you want me to continue?"
"Please, don’t hurt my family. I promise to speak."
"Too late. I’ve changed my mind," Jark responded coldly and was about to leave when the man desperately pleaded, stopping him.
"Please! I promise to speak. Please."
A smirk appeared on Jark’s face. He had only been pretending to leave.
"Then speak."
"I was sent after Kathe because she ran away from her wedding. I was ordered to bring her back if I found her. I wasn’t sent after you. Please."
"Who sent you?"
"It was the man who was supposed to marry her."
He told Jark everything he knew.
"Why did she run away from her own wedding?" Jark asked thoughtfully.
"I don’t know anything else, sir. I was only instructed to bring her back. That’s all."
Having gathered the little information he needed, Jark stood up and left.
Meanwhile, Kathe was still wandering around the mansion. The house butlers had helped her change out of her dirty wedding gown into something more comfortable.
She didn’t know whether she was safe in the mansion or if she should try running away again. However, something deep inside her urged her to stay.
She was still surprised by how she had run away from one marriage only to end up getting married in such a strange manner.
She needed to talk to him when he returned, but the problem was that she didn’t know where he had gone or when he would be back.
She waited for a long time, but it seemed he wasn’t going to return that night.
Just as she was about to head to the room that had been prepared for her, the large door opened, and Jark walked in. His clothes were slightly wet, probably from the rain.
For a brief moment, they simply stared at each other in silence, as though an invisible spark had passed between them.
But Jark was the first to speak.
"You’re not asleep yet?" he asked, wiping the raindrops from his forehead as he stepped away from the door.
"No. I wanted to talk to you," she replied.
He turned to look at her.
The moment their eyes met, all the words she had prepared became stuck in her throat.
"About what?" he asked, staring at her with his cold blue eyes.
She gathered her confidence and looked away from his eyes.
"This is absurd. You don’t even know me! I came to the church by mistake, yet you married me without my permission."
As she spoke, he pulled out a few files from his coat and placed them on the table. Several photographs of Kathe were scattered across it.
"Your name is Kathe Douglas, the daughter of a businessman in New York, a man known for his greed and hunger for power. You were forced into a marriage with his business rival. You were born and raised in New York, and you ran away from your wedding with your mother’s help."
By the time he finished speaking, Kathe could only stare at him, her mouth slightly open as countless thoughts raced through her mind.
If Jark knew her mother had helped her escape, then did that mean her father knew as well?
"Don’t worry. Your father knows nothing," he said, as though he had read her mind.
"But how did you...?"
She was completely lost for words.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"How I know so much about you is something you don’t need to know."
He placed another file on the table before continuing,
"This file contains a contract. It states that you will be married to me for a period of six months. During that time, we will spend three months with my family, especially my grandmother."
Before he could finish speaking, Kathe picked up the document and carefully read through it.
After a while, she placed it back on the table.
"You mean I’ll only be married to you under a contract?" she asked with a serious expression.
"Yes. That’s all. All you need to do is sign here."
He pointed to the signature line.
"Then after the contract expires, you’ll throw me away like trash, right?" she asked, unable to hide the frustration in her voice.
He looked at her for a brief moment before replying,
"No. During those six months, you’ll have my protection. And after the contract ends..."
He paused briefly before continuing,
"You’ll receive enough money to start your life over. Not only that, I’ll also give you a new identity."
Kathe fell silent.
After thinking it over, she realized she truly needed everything he had just offered.
If she wanted to free herself from her father’s control, she needed power, because that was the only language he understood.
"Where do I sign?"
Jark handed her a pen and pointed to the designated spot.
Without another word, Kathe signed the contract.
After she finished, Jark looked at her.
"Good night. Sleep well."
With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving Kathe standing alone in the sitting room.
Kathe woke up late the following morning. She was both mentally and physically exhausted after everything that had happened the previous day.
She went downstairs, intending to prepare breakfast. However, the moment she entered the dining room, she was greeted by a table filled with different dishes.
"Good morning, Ma’am."
The elderly butler greeted her from behind.
"Good morning. Umm... I’m sorry I woke up late. I would have loved to help you in the kitchen."
The old lady smiled warmly at her.
"It’s my duty, Ma’am. Please, have a seat and eat," she said as she continued arranging the dishes on the table.
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