Chapter 5: The Life of Selah

"Son! Your guest just arrived." The old woman called to him inside while watering her plants in the garden. She just smiled halfly to her.

Selah parked her car outside and the man came out wearing a casual clothes. He stepped out and opened the minor gate for the lady. On her second visit, she still couldn't find anyone working with them in the mansion. Maybe it was really true that only the two of them are living in that huge place.

Selah gave the gentleman a polite smile, very different from their first meeting. Taking off her cap, she stared at the palace-like mansion.

"Selah, right?" she scoffed inwardly. It was strange for her to be called by her first name of someone stranger to him.

"Yes," she replied.

"I'm Lilo." The man was about to shake her hands but she refused by walking inside.

"Selah!" the old woman exclaimed upon seeing her. She opened her arms but before she could put them around her, a sharp exclamation echoed from the back.

"Oh my goodness! Look at what she's wearing!" a lady from her back exclaimed.

Dressed in a soft flowing dress that usually characterized women of class with a mellow charm walked towards Lilo's side raising a perfectly arched brow at Selah's clothes.

"Is she your girlfriend, son?" She asked Lilo while staring intently at her. "I like her." She frankly said.

Unconsciously, she led Selah towards the living room. The two followed to them at the back.

Selah couldn't say anything but to glance at Lilo who was too busy in the kitchen. So, instead of staying there waiting for him to talk to her, she went inside the kitchen.

"Could you at least explain to me what happened a while ago? Why did she call me your girlfriend?" she demanded in a very soft voice.

"You must be tired from driving. Take a sip first of this fresh tomato juice. Let's talk after I prepared this." He motioned his eyes on the dish boiling in the pan.

Selah just nodded after realizing that she was the one needing his time. She lay back on the corner of the kitchen just watching him to finish cooking the dish.

It has been a week since she looked intently to this man while eating their breakfast on the table. Even though, she still couldn't forget how she was been scolded by him about table manners.

The four of them- his grandmother, his mother, Lilo and her crossed from the hallway to the living room. They sat on the long table opposite each other as her mother graced the food. They ate in silence afterwards.

Eventually, his mother sank into the soft leather of the chair, leaning her back. Selah started to feel uneasy as if she was waiting for a conversation from her. Unlike her, Lilo was calmly eating as always.

"You simply dressed yourself for this. I'm now convinced you're Lilo's girlfriend." His mother said while staring intently at her. Instead of answering back, she just smiled politely in response.

"It's too bad I couldn't spend the rest of the afternoon with you. I have an afternoon flight back in the city. I'm happy I could at least spend a meal with you." She said while still staring intently at Selah.

"Thank you." She just replied.

The woman just smiled at her. "It's good to finally meet you. I'll surely take you to dinner next time." She said while kissing her son's forehead and bid goodbye.

The old woman after the lady left the table abruptly stood up  and walked towards the door leading to the hallway, leaving Lilo and Selah sitting in the table.

Selah felt her chest being hammered as her mind raced with all sorts of thoughts. Uncertainty gripped her as she counted the seconds she has with Lilo. It has been weeks since she felt this way upon he entered the room that night. Their eyes met and Selah felt awkward to it. Her body is like being thrown back by the force of her heartbeat. She couldn't recognize the feeling.

"I'll just go up and take a shower. I'll talk to you after. You can visit the garden if you want." He said coolly.

He took his leave and strode towards the staircase, leaving Selah alone in the table. Having no other choice, instead of visiting the garden which is not her thing, she went  towards the living room where she noticed some books in the shelf.

"He has collection of good books." She whispered on her breath. She grabbed one book in the shelf and sat comfortably in the sofa next to her.

For a moment of time, she was absorbed by the book she is reading. She didn't felt the presence of Lilo in the living room.

"I was right that you're here instead in the garden." He said while trying to start a conversation with her. Selah closed the book she's currently reading and looked intently at him as he was taking the other seat opposite her.

"Maybe you can now explain the scene earlier. Why is your mom referring to me as your girlfriend?" she asked coldly.

Instead of giving her an answer, Lilo gave her the documents, same copies she got last time. However, there was a contract this time.

"What's this?" She asked surprisingly after Lilo handed down the contract.

"It's a legal contract if you would agree for a marriage with me. You don't need to pay the debts your father had to us. You can have the resort back at your own name." She was surprised- really surprised.

"Contract? Marriage? Are you out of your mind? Why would you ask me for that?" She said while trying to argue with him calmly.

Although she badly needed his help in at least extending it's due, it would be too much if he would ask her hand for marriage in exchange for her father debts and loans to their family.

"I'm serious about it. I needed someone- a wife to close a deal with the board and finally transferred all the properties and shares of the company to my name. It's the only thing dad left me and mom two years ago after he passed away. I couldn't inherit it if I already turned thirty. I have four months left from now." He seriously explained.

"Wait, Lilo! Wait!" She tried to think deeply and absorbed all his explanations.

The man just waited for her to think deeply about their situations. Selah badly needed him to restore the name of the resort and some other properties of her dad and Lilo needed a wife to make his inheritance of the company legal before he would turn thirty this year. If not, it would be all donated to the board.

"I just want to ask. Off all women, why it would be me? You can find somewhere. It would surely not be difficult for you to have one." She tried to convince Lilo to change his mind and look for other options to consider and extend the due of the resort.

"I don't have anyone in my mind aside from you right now. Look, I've tried to look for years already but I couldn't find any that my mom would approve and I would also like." He said while trying to convince Selah.

"Wait! Are you saying that you like me?" She knows it's too straightforward asking him that way.

"I could consider." He replied while trying to hide a slight blush from his cheek.

"Okay. If this is for the sake of your inheritance and clear my father's debts from your family, does it mean we're just married in documents?" she further asked.

"Yes. That's why we have a contract. If you plan to marry someone one day, we can file an annulment of our marriage after three years." He seriously confirmed.

"How about you? What if you find someone to marry one day? Would you do the same?" She threw same questions at him. This time, it's more intense since both of them were already staring at each other intently.

"Well, it depends. I promised myself to marry only once in my whole life." He said seriously.

Selah was speechless to what she heard. She rose from her seat and placed back the book to the shelf. .

"You should do something to make me comfortable marrying you next month." She said while putting back the book she has read in its shelf.

"It's a deal then? Is that yes?" He tried to confirm again.

"I guess." She finally confirmed.

Selah left the mansion quietly. Lilo tried to escort her back to the resort but she refused to. On her way back to the resort, she stopped by the lake and pondered to the current situation she had been into.

"Is this your way dad? If it is, I can consider." She just whispered while staring blankly at the very calm lake.