1 CH 01~ A Buisness Deal

A beautiful lady with light brown hair was emersed into work in her quiet study room.

Where only the sounds of papers flipping could be heard and the rough sound of her signing the documents.

Tonight was a special night for her, so she wanted to finish her work early.

Her slender long finger held a pen as she kept signing the documents at a fast pace and flipping over pages with great attention to complete her work.

Rennie Millicent, The CEO and the chief designer of the current jewellery leading company Millicent Jewellers. 

Her beautiful brown eyes shone brightly as the afternoon sunlight fell on her face she looked up when she heard the doorbell ringing.

'Huh?'

Rennie flickered her eyes as she glanced at her expensive wristwatch to check the time.

'He is early today…'

Although she was a little surprised as he never came back this early.

But soon her beautiful pink lips curved up into a smile as she hopped up from her seat to open the door.

'Did he came home early because he remember what today is?'

Rennie couldn't help but chuckle at the thought that he came back earlier today to celebrate their first marriage anniversary.

She was still in her white shirt which was tucked into her black colored suit pants. 

Her sleeves were folded up as she was working, with her hairs being tied up in a messy bun. 

She had already placed a gift for him inside his study to give him a surprise.

Although they sleep on the same bed but they have separate study rooms as he rarely talked to her, once they were done in bed.

She just kept brushing it off thinking he was just like this because she was also quite cold with others.

Or can be said she is cold to everyone except him.

It's been the same since they got married hastily in secret one day.

Rennie exhaled a deep breath and looked at the mirror beside the main door to tidy herself a little before she finally opened the door with a wide smile.

"Welcome, You are early-"

But Rennie's smile froze as she saw the person infront of her.

'Why is he here?'

The person infront of her was not her husband Alexander Crawford but his lawyer Jeremy.

"Good Afternoon, Madam."

Jeremy greeted Rennie politely.

"Good Afternoon…Please come in."

Despite her shock, Rennie invited him inside to take a sit with a confused look on her face.

Jeremy sat on the sofa as Rennie went to the kitchen to bring a glass of water for him.

There was no maid at the house as Rennie had given a day off to everyone, to celebrate her first marriage anniversary with her husband alone.

Rennie placed the glass of water in front of Jeremy and sat down at the opposite sit with a questioning gaze.

"What brings you here so unexpectedly, Mr.Jeremy?"

Rennie asked but her question made Jeremy surprised and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Did you forget? It's your one year of marriage today."

"Yes... I remember."

Rennie replied awkwardly as she couldn't understand his words.

What does her one year of marriage have anything to do with a lawyer?

Then a thought suddenly popped into her mind.

'Did he perhaps prepare a gift for me that requires a lawyer?'

Seeing that Rennie wasn't saying anything Jeremy felt that something was wrong and took out the papers which were signed by her husband.

Jeremy passed the divorce papers towards her and Rennie took the file in confusion, not even noticing the door being opened.

Alexander Crawford was surprised as the gates were slightly open.

'Why is the door open?'

Rennie had purposely left it like that as no one was inside the house and she just let someone in.

Although she knew him closely but still she couldn't trust anyone because of her slight paranoid personality.

His ocean-blue eyes scanned over the house and he realized that the maids weren't home like usual.

But frowned as he saw a man's shoes infront of the shoes cabinet.

'How bold of her to let a man come inside when no one is at home!'

In the other hand, Rennie took the contract in her hand and as she was about to read it; she felt Alex's presence and looked up at him.

"Welcome home, Honey."

"Mn."

Alex didn't reply as usual and just nodded in reply, then he side glanced at Jeremy who was sitting at his wife's opposite seat.

'Why is he here?'

Alex pondered for a moment before he finally remembered that today was his one year anniversary with her; also the day he had wanted to end the contract.

'Shit! How could i forget this?!'

His marriage with her is supposed to end today as he had planned. But it's not fulfilled yet.

They didn't meet the requirements to end the contract and somehow, he doesn't want to meet those conditions either for some reason.

Which he himself doesn't get why.

Every time he looked at Rennie, he would always recall the contract which was like a shackle to him.

This reminded him of being helpless and forced to marry her.

Alex was climbing up to the second floor with a gloomy expression as his thoughts were filled up with the contract. 

He had promised himself to get rid of this within a year. Then he would be free like before.

'I was supposed to terminate the contract today...'

But the thought of separation never occurred to him after he drafted those divorce papers and signed them in anger before his marriage.

He had sent them to his lawyer Jeremy and asked him to send them to her after a year, which is today.

Alex rubbed his forehead with tension as he forgot about this all. 

In the last year, he has gotten used to her presence so much that the thought of separation never felt real to him despite wishing it every moment.

He somehow felt relieved that their relationship wasn't going to end as the contract hadn't fulfilled yet.

And there is no way she is going to sign those divorce papers now.

She will lose her position if she signs them after all.

But on the other hand; Rennie, who had read all the contents of the papers and stared at the divorce papers with a astonished look.

Her face slowly turned dark as she frowned, before she slammed the files on the glass table in anger. 

"What's this? What kind of bullshit is it?!"

Rennie couldn't believe her eyes as she shouted and Jeremy flinched awkwardly; making Alex pause on his steps.

As party B, Alexander Crawford has paid off all the money he owed to Party A, Vincent Millicent; Party B can pay the penalty fee as mentioned in the clause of their contract and get a divorce with Party A's partner Rennie Millicent. 

She read that same line again and again as she stared at his signature below the papers. 

It was signed a year ago, just on the day they got married! 

Rennie flickered her eyes as she felt dizzy.

She couldn't understand a single thing.

What money?

What contract?!

Alex looked at her dumbfounded expression and frowned with disappointment.

'Didn't she already know about it?'

'For how long do you wish to keep up this act of yours?!'

In the end, He decided to get down and took steps toward the sofa before sitting opposite her, with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"Just when are you going to drop the all innocent act? Daddy's Princess?"

Rennie didn't spoke and only looked at him with her shocked widened eyes, which showed she didn't know anything about this.

"W-What's the meaning of this, Alex?"

Her heart trembled and ached in pain as she asked, where the sarcastic smile on Alex's face slowly faded away.

His heart skipped a beat with an unknown fear and furrowing his brows, Alex asked in a deep voice.

"Don't play dumb now!"

"You are asking me the meaning of this?"

"Like seriously?"

He spoke sarcastically but she was still silent.

"Don't worry I will transfer the money right now and-"

"What money?"

Rennie cut him off as she asked with a confused voice and the frown on his face deepened.

Previously he was happy that he didn't transfer the money but now he had to do it as she has already gotten the divorce papers.

It would make a fool of himself if he puts off the divorce now when he can clearly free himself from it.

But her reaction was making saying something else.

"...Didn't you knew about it?"

He asked but Rennie didn't reply to him and turned her widened shocked gaze away.

She picked up the divorce papers from the table absentmindedly and started to climb the stairs to reach her room.

She needed to be alone and think about it all. 

Just what is going on?!

"Rennieeh!!"

Alex jumped up from his seat with a anxious feeling as he called her from behind but she didn't turn around and continued to climb the stairs.

'What's happening?'

'Why is she behaving like this?!'

The fear in his heart increased and continued to make him restless.

And then Rennie finally decided to look down on the first floor and stared at Alex, who was still standing downstairs with an anxious face.

The sarcastic look he had previously was nowhere to be seen in his face anymore which made her sneer.

Her lips curved up into a mocking smile as she spoke.

"You have given me the best gift that no one might have ever recieved, Alexander Crawford. A gift that no one will even imagine!"

She closed the door with a loud noise after finishing her words and Alex was sure from her reaction that she didn't knew about it at all.

'Oh god... Just what kind of mess is this?!'

'Is it what I am thinking?!'

For the whole one year, he kept hating on her, for misusing her powers and trapping him with a contract.

Into an unwanted marriage...

But who knew that perhaps she didn't even knew about this?

Alex's world crumbled down in a single moment as he found everything messed up.

"Umm... Sir?"

Jeremy called Alex in a low voice as he felt the tension between the couples. 

'But I just did what I was supposed to do!!!'

"Go back."

Alex spoke in a cold voice as he sat on the sofa and closed his eyes in tension.

"...Take care- Okay, Sir!"

Without wasting any more time, Jeremy hurriedly excused himself and went back.

It was their private matter after all.

The whole house was filled with silence and then the sound of things shattering down echoed in the silent mansion.

Rennie was breaking things as she was unable to contact her father for an explanation and vented her anger by crushing down a flower vase beside her.

Which made him feel more miserable.

Alex felt bone crashing anger towards her father as he thought about the past.

It was her father who messed up with his businesses, it was her father who proposed the contract.

As her name was already mentioned in the contract, he assumed she also knew about it and he just didn't want to talk about that topic.

Rennie didn't mention it to him either during this one year and now that he thinks about it, maybe she didn't even know about this!

This is why she never mentioned it.

'Why did I never thought that!'

Alex thought Rennie was just a pampered daddy's daughter, whose father would give her anything she wanted.

She immediately became the CEO after their marriage, which made sure that the deal he heard from his father in law was true.

He gets the project and Rennie gets the man she loves.

In return, she also becomes the CEO and her father gets the next heir to raise.

He felt like he was the perfect choice for them.

A perfect candidate who had the same status as her, who was worthy of her.

If he doesn't marries her then his company would suffer billion dollars lose, where marrying her and divorce after she becomes pregnant seemed more beneficial.

Her father even added that if she gets pregnant before the contract ends, he could also get a divorce early on.

Alex worked harder everyday to earn more profits, so that he can get that project completely from her father and terminate the contract.

But he kept hesitating till now, he didn't wanted to let go off her just like this.

Because of his mixed feeling, he acted cold towards her.

If she also treated him coldly, then it would have been easy for him to deny those feelings.

But her eyes, which would always be full of love kept making him feeling more guilty for his actions.

Alex sighed as he opened his ocean blue eyes and stared at the ceilings.

'What am i supposed to do now?'

'Did she really knew nothing about this?'