Chapter 9

Chapter 9: 9. The Bet

“Ah, Sam! Are my parents here?” William asked, gulping. Samuel’s face didn’t look friendly at all. He could roughly grasp what would happen to him once he entered the mansion.

“Yes, please! Come in! Your meeting was taking a good time. Don’t you be afraid if someone snatches your beautiful wife away?” Samuel replied with a question that made William feel uncomfortable. There’s no way he’d say ‘Go ahead! I’d be pleased if you replaced me as Paula’s husband.’

William and Samuel then rushed into the dining room, where everyone was waiting.

“Ah, William! Why was the meeting taking so long?” Larissa whined. “I have cooked steak with your favorite gravy! Let’s eat!”

Everybody sat around the huge dining table. The waiters served the food and drinks, while everyone was busy joking and talking while eating.

“William, help me find a wife for Sammy. I can’t bear to see my firstborn running around the world alone.” Larissa laughed, followed by everyone. “Find one as beautiful and smart as Paula, okay?”

Paula and William could only smirk and stared at each other. Then, they threw a blank stare at Alex and Lisa. William’s parents did not tell the family that their son’s marriage was arranged.

.....

“Paula, my tigress, can you find one?” William replied jokingly.

Unfortunately, there was one person who didn’t like this warm atmosphere. He even bothered spoiling it by blurting, “What if I want Paula as my wife?”

The crazy statement that came out of Samuel’s lips, of course, made all eyes look at him. Alex immediately ordered Samuel’s siblings and Vanessa to go upstairs because he was sure the next conversation was not for the minors.

After the children went upstairs, that’s when a tense atmosphere began to envelop the fancy dining room.

“What do you mean by that, Sam!” Thomas firmly questioned his son.

“I mean, I want to wait for Paula to get divorced. Wasn’t that clear, dad!” Samuel announced, smiling sarcastically.

Paula and William’s faces paled. They didn’t think that Samuel would say something so dangerous like that.

“Sam! Don’t be rude!” Lisa rebuked. “You know what it takes to insult my family.”

“What did you want, Sam? Marriage is not a joke. As well as a divorce!” Alex, who had been quite patient, now snapped at his brother’s son.

“Who’s the one joking? Why don’t you ask your spoiled son? Where has he gone all day because earlier, when I called Danica, she said that William didn’t have a meeting! He emptied his schedule for a good reason,” Samuel challenged Alex and Lisa. “So, where do you think William went? For your information, Uncle Alex, Aunt Lisa, and Lea have now returned from Japan.”

William’s mouth could only gape. Meanwhile, Paula could only stare at the tense faces of everyone in the dining room.

A moment later, Paula tried to control the situation. She wanted to keep the dirty laundry at home. “Dad, Mom, I think we should discuss this matter at home.” She threw an angry face at Samuel for a moment. That guy knew how to push the button. However, trespassing one line was never been a good choice.

Paula pulled William to his feet and said goodbye to everyone. While Alex did the same to Lisa whose face was very pale.

***

Lisa’s hard and hot slap landed on William’s face. Alex could only freeze on the sofa in William’s living room. An uncomfortable tense atmosphere felt so thick coloring the room.

“You! You’re married! Do you forget it? How could you still see that shameless girl!” Lisa snapped at William mercilessly. William could only accept his parent’s anger. “Don’t you think about your wife’s feelings?”

“Mom-”

“Mom, let’s have a seat. We’ll talk about this matter calmly,” Paula interrupted, guiding her mother-in-law to sit next to her husband. “Please care about your health.” Sincerely, she was worried about her mother-in-law. Anger was an enemy of the heart.

Paula looked at William’s swollen face. A little pity because her husband had to get a very hard slap from his mother. To reduce the pain, she took a bowl of ice water and applied it to William’s cheek using a white clean towel. She did this on purpose so that her father and mother-in-law would not attack her husband again.

A cold sensation ran down William’s hot and sore cheeks. He felt Paula’s soft hands wipe the corners of his bleeding lips. Paula’s face didn’t look scared or angry. William couldn’t understand where the woman bought that much stock of calmness. Her behavior was the complete opposite of his mother who was now unbearably angry-like a bomb about to explode.

“Sorry, dad, mom! I can’t leave her. You know I love her. At first ....” William decided to talk directly to the root of the problem.

“You! How dare you say that in front of your wife!” snapped the mother in a shrill voice, trembling with overflowing anger.

“Mom, dad, forgive me for interfering. But, what’s the problem if William loves Lea? Why do you have to force him to be with me?” Paula’s blatant question made Lisa and Alex surprised.

“Paula, honey, don’t talk like that! You are the best wife for him. We both know that.” Lisa begged, she didn’t want Paula talking about the divorce. Of course, she had no clue what was going on between Paula and William.

“Lea is just a poor girl who pursues our lifestyle. She wants to use William’s money to support her family,” Lisa accused. Of course, it made William’s heart burn with anger. If Paula’s hands hadn’t been squeezing William’s right now, the young man would surely have stood up and vented his emotions at his mother for her baseless accusations.

“That’s right, Paula. Lea is just a gold digger who just wants our money,” Lisa restated, staring at Paula with pity. She was really afraid of losing her beloved daughter-in-law just because of this.

“Oooh, I see. But, what’s the problem with getting married for money? I also married William because of wealth,” Paula asked in an even tone. Her lips curved into a slight smile. She paid attention to every word cam that e out of her mouth, being careful not to offend her in-laws. “I married William purely because I wanted to maintain my social status and wealth. No love attached to our marriage. How is it different from poor people who do the same thing?”

Silence wrapped the room. The middle-aged couple was dumbfounded by Paula’s statements.

“What are you talking about, Paula? Of course, It’s different!”

“Really? The motivation is the same, isn’t it? We pursue the same thing, wealth and position. However, Lea is better than me. She and William love each other. How about me?” She turned to William, who was still gawking from hearing and seeing her performance. She was like holding a dagger in her mouth, ready to attack anyone who oppose her. “If William happens to be a nerd-not a good-looking one, I will never try to approach him at all. Let alone touch him and consummate our marriage. Never.”

Paula wasn’t badmouthing William in front of her in-laws. However, she insinuated the behavior of his two in-laws who were no different from people who were married because of wealth.

Paula stared at Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery with confidence. She had the upper hand. “So, for our happiness, I think, it’s best to end our marriage as soon as possible. Let him get married to Lea!”

“No! How can you do something like that!” Alex pounded the table. He did not like the defeat he almost suffered. Therefore, now is the right time to use his power as an elder.

Paula, who had already felt that she was on the verge of winning, was disappointed with the attitude of her in-laws who didn’t want to lose. She realized she had taken the wrong approach. It turns out that they were the types of people who do not want to be underestimated.

Because of that, her little brain tried to think of something else so she wouldn’t have to overwork. It would be boring if she had to repeat moments like this in the future.

“Let’s bet on William’s luck!” Paula declared a war on her in-laws. “Next week, Raymond Martin will pay a visit. I heard that he wants to invest big funds in the hotel business. If William succeeds in establishing a partnership with him, let him marry Lea. What do you think? It sounds challenging, no?”

William and the others were stunned to hear that. William was not a good businessman who would win such a big thing. It’s a very bold bet.

However, it made Alex laugh out loud. “How dare you take such a high risk! But it’s okay. I agree.”

“Alex!” Lisa reprimanded her husband for the decision. Her eyes showed concern, afraid it would backfire on them. What if William could do it?

“Honestly, I want you to be William’s wife because my son is not doing well in the company. If William can show that he is worthy as an heir, of course as a gift I will give him the freedom to determine his fate.”

“Deals!” Paula smiled contentedly.

Meanwhile, William gulped in anxiety. Lisa was worried about what would happen in the future. While Alex smiled as wide as Paula. Not because he felt like he was going to win, but he wanted to know what the two of them would do to beat Raymond Martin who was known to be very picky – the more he chased, the more he ran. Even Alex and Lisa themselves don’t have the confidence to win his heart.

After his parents returned home, William, who was still confused, muttered. “Was Samuel spying on me? How did he know I was going to lie?”

“Don’t take it seriously. After all, what can we do? Maybe this is the best way-consider it as a blessing in disguise.”

“What?”

“Isn’t the sooner the better?” Paula answered with a rhetorical question. A witty smile crossed her tired face.

William shook his head in disbelief. His mind couldn’t understand Paula’s strange way of thinking. It was very different from the average woman-no, to be precise from the average person.

“Your cheeks look burning. Is it hurt? Your mother was so barbaric. I was afraid she got a heart attack,” Paula studied William’s cheek and then gave him a peck. “Sorry! I’ll make up for it with something fun for you! What do you think?”

Paula also touched William’s shirt, slowly unbuttoned it, then did the fun things. As promised, she gave William an unusual surprise tonight. She tried a new style to satisfy him. She did it passionately so that William’s bad day was forgotten, replaced by a tiring and fun night. Paula’s efforts were not in vain because she managed to make William’s body twitch from the sensation.

“Paula ...,” William whispered in a hoarse voice.

“What?” asked Paula lazily because she was tired and sleepy.

“Thank you!”

Paula replied, her lips growing wide-cheek to cheek-even though her eyes were only half open. The woman then snuggled closer to her husband’s bare chest. The two of them then slept hugging each other until morning came.