Chapter 9 Two Contracts

Hiram furrowed his eyebrows looking at the 'recovering' lady who seemed to enjoy having fun. He was holding two documents and smashed them on the desk beside her bed.

"Contracts."

"Oh!" Without hesitation, Rachel grabbed a pen and signed the documents. She was still watching the TV show..

"Are you sure you're gonna sign these?"

Hiram's face immediately turned dreary. He pressed the TV button and turned the TV off. He grunted and coldly looked at Rachel.

"What?!"

Rachel didn't really check the documents until now. She looked at what was written on the top of the documents and unbelievably asked him, "Marriage contract?"

She thought those were from the hospital. As most of the time she stayed in the hospital on her own, the hospital always sent her documents to confirm and sign.

Hiram looked at her speechlessly and sat on the couch.

Rachel put the pen back with grudge. She looked at him and said, "So...you want me to sign these or not? If you want me to sign these, I will do it. But If you don't, then I won't sign these too. It really depends on you", placing herself at his mercy.

She thought that this contract was favorable for her. However, he still had the last word.

Sitting cross-legged, Hiram re-positioned his wrist watch and looked at Rachel, who wore bandages in the bed. His mood was hard to tell. "Rachel, I underestimate you."

"What... What do you mean?" Rachel blinked her eyes and confusingly looked at him.

"I know you have been looking forward to be my wife. You asked your mother to fix our marriage while also pretending to be innocent. You are pretty good at acting!"

His fingers lightly touched his watch. Though he uttered his words gently, every word seemed to be very painful.

"Acting? Seriously? You think I am acting?" Rachel glared at him. She didn't understand why he looked at her that way.

"Aren't you? If you didn't ask your mother to persuade my mom, she shouldn't be so aggressive about the marriage. There should be no way my mom will force me to marry you today!"

"And now, you got yourself injured so I will be forced to marry you. I know you planned all of these."

Hiram lifted his head. His frightful eyes were like swords - stabbing her unprepared.

Rachel took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes. She opened her eyes again and mocked him.

She reached out for the marriage contracts. She discarded all the pain and tore the documents with her lips.

Then she smashed the documents angrily.

They were ripped in half!

Hiram raised his eyebrows and watched her quietly. All of these things didn't surprise him.

Rachel was so mad that she tore every sheet into pieces. Then she threw them at Hiram.

What a fucking, shameless man. How could he say something like that? She must be too foolish to take the stone for him.

"Are you happy now? ...!"

Rachel was catching her breath. Her eyes were filled with tears.

She resentfully looked at him. "Do you really think I am willing to marry you? My mom makes her own move. What else can I do?

If you think I made all of these things up, then fine! As long as I am alive, I will never marry you. Are you happy now?"

Her anger made her wound more painful. It was burning. She could feel her bandage soaked in her own sweat.

Hiram looked at the tiny pieces of paper on the ground. Something unusual passed his eyes.

This was exactly what he wanted.

He irritated her on purpose.

He had done many businesses and met a lot of people before. It was easy for him to understand Rachel's character.

However, it was not the character he wanted for his future wife to have.

His coldness was his way of protecting himself.

But watching her being angry and making her condition worse was not what he wanted.

He stood up, and the pieces of paper that were thrown at him fell. Hiram walked towards the door, opened it and walked out.

He didn't care even if Rachel seemed to be very angry.

This was the real Hiram. There were just a few things that could make him care or be excited about. It was difficult for him to have any emotion.

Soon after Hiram left, a doctor came in and cleaned her bleeding wound. Then they covered it again.

They reminded her not to be angry again, or her wound would bleed again. It might leave a scar.

Later, the doctor left the room and the nurses were cleaning the floor. Rachel pulled the bed sheet over her head. She didn't want to see anything that would remind her of him.

Two days later, she thought it was all over. They had a fight and ended badly. She was sure that their families heard about what happened.

However, When she came back from the hospital's garden, Rachel found Fannie waiting for her inside the ward.

Seeing Rachel, Fannie didn't ask how she was doing. Instead, Fannie grabbed her hand and asked her to sit with her on the couch.

"Mom, what's going on?" Rachel asked Fannie and sat next to her. She felt butterflies in her stomach.

Fannie asked her directly while holding her hands, "Rachel, is it true that you refused to marry Hiram?"

"Me?" Rachel remained silent for a while. She shook her head and asked, "Why would you think of that?"

"You, my little girl, are such a brat! I heard it from Joanna. She told me that Hiram asked you to sign the marriage contracts, but you tore them instead. Is that true?"

Rachel wanted to avoid her mom's interrogating eyes, but she had nowhere else to look. She sighed and said, "Mom, listen to me. One hand alone can't clap -- it takes two to make a quarrel. If it was just me, should I really need to tear the marriage contracts?

Mom, believe it or not, I really don't think Hiram and I are good for each other…"

"That's enough."

Fannie didn't want to hear her excuses. She said firmly, "Rachel, no matter what you say, I already visited Joanna and personally gave her an apology. I also asked Hiram to come here later. You better sign the contracts in front of me."

"Mom!"

"If you refuse to sign those contracts or tear them again, I swear to be not your mother anymore!" Fannie let go of her hands and stood up fiercely.

"Mom, why don't you trust me?" Rachel felt helpless.

Fannie kept silent. She knew she might have gone too far, but no one could ever understand what it felt like to be a mother.

Moreover. she also had her own concerns.

They reached a deadlock. They remained silent for a while until someone knocked on the door.

"Hiram? Is that you? Come on in!" Fannie hid her anger, composed herself and went immediately to open the door.

Hiram came in, and Fannie winked Rachel stealthily.

After Hiram, his assistant came in with two documents in his hand.

"Aunt Fannie, I have something to talk to Rachel. Can you leave us for a while?" Hiram turned around to ask Fannie after looking at Rachel's dull face.

Fannie nodded her head and yelled at Rachel, "Rachel, talk with Hiram nicely. Remember to mind your manners!"

She closed the room and left.

There were just three people in the room. Hiram's assistant was standing in the corner quietly. He dared not to look at anywhere else but his nose.

The only thing you could hear in the room were their breath and the assistant's rapid heartbeat. It was so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropped on the ground could be heard.

Then Rachel broke the silence.

"Hiram, if you are really a man, tell me the truth! You enjoy torturing me, right?"

Hiram sat on the bed and faced Rachel who was sitting on the couch, "You overestimated yourself. Torturing you? I don't have any time for that.

Do you know how angry I was when my mother called me and forced me to come here? I was in the middle of a meeting!"

Rachel grunted and said, "Really? Then why don't you just tell your mother that you don't want to marry me?"

"You think I didn't?"

Hiram's sharp eyes looked at her. He was so furious and looked like a lion that could get wild anytime soon. "If it wasn't because of that damn centennial engagement, I wouldn't be so restricted."

He was remarkably skillful in many areas and could surpass anything, except for one thing—seniority in the family.

How could he disobey his late great-grandfather's last wish?

"I don't have any time for your nonsense. Both our families want you to marry me. Just sign these contracts." Hiram called his assistant by waving his hand.

The assistant walked quickly towards them and put the pen and contracts in front of Rachel.

Rachel just looked at the contracts. She couldn't help herself from feeling sad.

"Why are there two contracts?"

And, they were different contracts.