Chapter 3 – Let’s get married for six months

Joanna soon regained her composure. A woman's handbag meant nothing. She began to scream for her boyfriend.

"Logan!" She checked the kitchen, but it was empty, so she began running up the stairs.

"Logan!"

"Lo…" the door of his bedroom opened just as her hand was about to turn the knob, and Logan stepped out with a towel around his waist. His hairy chest was on display, making Joanna think that he came out of the shower, but his hair wasn't damp or anything of that sort.

From the words that came out of his mouth, he seemed to have forgotten about their supposed arrangement.

"Joanna, what do you want here?"

Joanna's eyes welled up. "Did you forget? Today is our wedding day, and why is your phone switched off? You promised to take half the day off to pick me up at my apartment, so what happened?

"Joanna…"

Joanna was so desperate that she refused to accept her suspicions. They had to get married now, and after getting what she wanted, she could divorce him later.

"Let me pick and iron your clothes. We are running late." She already barged into his room before he could stop her.

"No."

"What is the matter?" Joanna turned around and asked. Logan looked around, sighing with relief as the woman he was with had somewhat disappeared. Wherever she was hiding, he wished for her to stay longer.

"It's nothing. Just wait for me in the living room. I will come and meet you."

Joanna wasn't dumb. Not after the handbag she saw on the sofa. Without thinking, she refused. "No. I'm your girlfriend, and we are getting married. I will get your clothes. Don't just stand there. Get me some tea."

Logan reluctantly went to get the tea. Joanna stopped what she was doing and said, "Alright, come out, no need to hide."

She was not surprised when a shadow figure she had seen behind the luxury curtains of the French window stepped out from behind the curtains.

Thinking she could handle it, her knees instantly felt like jelly when her suspicions were confirmed.

"Who are you?" She fought back her tears and asked. The woman, who looked no more than 21, confidently approached her. She wore see-through lingerie and began to dress up in front of Joanna.

It was obvious that she had spent the night, an opportunity Joanna never had. Any time she even came to tidy up for Logan, he never allowed her to sleep over and would drive her home no matter how late it was at night.

"Logan is my boyfriend," the woman spoke casually. Her voice was like the summer breeze, serene and addictive. Even as Joanna knew that she had to give up, the fact that she had so much to lose without enough time to find a replacement groom caused her to lower her pride.

"No. He is my boyfriend."

To her surprise, the woman did not look upset when she claimed Logan to be her boyfriend. Sitting on the bed, she slipped her feet into a pair of high heels.

"Look…" she pointed at the door. Joanna turned in the direction and saw the shameful look on Logan's face.

"Not again," he muttered. None of the two women understood what he meant by that, but Joanna already made up her mind to cut her losses.

Logan was not too rich but neither was he poor and would not be interested in her money. As soon as she got her mother's shares, she would make him pay for making her a laughingstock.

"Here's your….oh shit…babe, it's just a little misunderstanding." Logan was muttering anything that came to mind, since he was with both women for different reasons.

Joanna was desperate, fighting against time and couldn't drag it, so she suggested, "you know what Logan, just choose between me and her."

Logan was nervous, forcing a smile. She made it too easy for him, but since he knew about her situation, it was well understandable.

The other woman seemed unperturbed about the whole thing. She opened the table top fridge and poured herself a glass of water.

"I'm sorry Joanna, but Violet is the one I want."

Joanna felt like her breathe was stolen from her. It was as if her world had fallen apart. "Logan, you can't do this to me. We love each other."

Logan was not stupid either. It was clear that Joanna was just desperate because of the shares, and now, he couldn't tell exactly what he felt for her.

"I'm sorry, but I never loved you like that. You were fun to be with and cleaned my house a lot, so I allowed you."

Joanna felt like the air was drained from her lungs. He used her and dumped her when she needed him most. She had no idea how she made it out of his penthouse with a level head.

When she shut the door, a heated slap greeted Logan's cheek. Though surprised, he felt that he deserved it.

"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized. With his good looks, it was very easy for him to find another woman.

There were more victims of his unfaithfulness, but these two were the best. Whereas, Violet was from a wealthy family, so she was the perfect woman for his image.

"No. Choosing me doesn't change the fact that you cheated. It's over."

Violet's expression was dark as she walked out on him. He caught her by the arm. "Please don't do this. Joanna is a good woman, but I chose you over her," he said seriously, but there was no remorse in his eyes.

To him, Violet should be proud to be the winner but he was in for a surprise. "Let me guess. She isn't as rich as me," Violet exposed him. Freeing her hand from his grip, she walked out without looking back.

As she reached her car and drove out, it was at the same time Joanna was hailing a taxi. "Hey, get in," Violet stopped in front of her, beckoning as if they were old friends.

Joanna frowned, not willing to accept the offer. "Why will you give me a ride?"

Violet didn't seem to know the reason either. "Will it make you feel better to know that I dumped him? He disrespected both of us. A man like him is nothing less than a dog, and we girls should stand up for each other."

Joanna was taken aback by the response as she eyed the sports car Violet drove. Her car had some fault and was undergoing repairs but was nothing close to what Violet was driving.

Pursing her lips, she went to sit in the car. "You might think I'm pitiful, but I needed the marriage certificate to claim my mother's shares. If you must, you can drop me at the hospital."

Violet was saddened for her but was glad the marriage didn't happen. "I'm very sorry I can't help in your situation, but if you go back to him for whatever reason, then you don't value yourself. The choice is yours," Violet said plainly.

Joanna forced a smile. "I know. But I had in mind to divorce him after getting the shares."

"Well then, good luck," Violet said, unlocking the car door. It was unlike her to take a decision for anyone, especially Joanna, who supposedly is her rival. Joanna went into deep thought, but Violet was patient. In the end, she gave up.

"Just take me to the hospital, please."

"I will, eventually, but you look famished. It's already lunchtime. Let's grab something at a restaurant at the corner. The bill is on me."

Hearing lunchtime, Joanna was already nervous. Every second counted, and she was close to losing her mother's shares.

To escape the headache slamming in with her anxiety, she was tempted to accept Violet's offer. "Why are you being so nice to me? You don't even know me."

"Maybe that is why he chose me over you," Violet stepped on the accelerator as she spoke. "I'm naturally generous, and a lot of men take advantage of it."

It made sense to Joanna. In the past, women were the gold diggers, but now, it seems that the men wanted rich women too.

"Thanks for standing up for me."

Violet glanced at her with a smile. "Girls must stand for each other, or men would always be men. We are not items they could just pick and drop."

"You are right," Joanna agreed, smiling for the first time. Violet's personality beat her imagination.

Arriving at the restaurant, Joanna felt uneasy. What if Violet was up to something? It would be better to patronize a restaurant she could afford.

"It's so expensive here. Shouldn't we try a cheaper place?"

"Relax, it's not that expensive," Violet responded, headed to one of the private rooms. Just as she was about to open the door, the lights went off for a brief moment, causing movements to halt.

A huge LED screen displayed balloons with rose petals. "Must be somebody's birthday," Violet shrugged and opened the door, but Joanna was reluctant to go in, eager to see who was having the lavish birthday party.

Not only her, but the customers in the luxury restaurant all seemed interested.

Suddenly, a beautiful woman's picture appeared on the screen, alongside colorful cursive words, "Fiona, will you marry me?"

Joanna's eyes were misty as the light shone on the couple. The few people in the luxury restaurant were all curious to hear her response.

Joanna could only see the back of the man, but the woman's face was very clear. She was beautiful, dressed in a high fashion short pleated skirt and a white shirt.

She couldn't see her leg from where she stood, but the woman did not look happy. Rising to her feet, she scoffed disdainfully at the sight of the ring. The sound of a slap resonated through the luxury restaurant, and everyone felt pity for the man.

Some of them felt it was because the man sat while proposing to the woman. "Serves him right. He should go on one knee, not sit, and propose."

"I still think he's romantic. The woman is just rude," another customer commented.

Fiona's voice was loud and clear. "Marry you? If it were a month ago, yes, but now, what do you take me for? You think I will marry a cripple? Hahahaha. You should find another cripple to be your wife, not me."

She picked up the glass of red wine before her, gulping it down before dropping the empty wine glass carelessly in front of the man. Looking behind her one more time, she shook her head and left.

"Joanna, the food is served," Violet called from the private room, having no interest in the marriage proposal gone wrong. An idea popped into Joanna's mind as she smiled and said to Violet.

"You can start without me. I will be right back."

Without waiting for a response, she rushed to the chair where the woman stood from and sat facing the man, who sat in a daze from the shock and embarrassment of everything that transpired a while ago.

He might not have even noticed that someone was sitting in front of him until the person's calm melodious voice began to rummage through his ears, pulling him out of his shock.

"Excuse me, sir. Your girlfriend dumped you, and my boyfriend chose another woman over me. Let's get married for six months and get revenge on them."

It was only after speaking that Joanna held the man's gaze, realizing how he bore a striking resemblance to her ex-boyfriend, but his voice reminded her of the cold man in the Bentley.

Instantly, she was flung with unease when she remembered exactly where she had met this man before, and what she did to him.