The Contract

Maya smiled as the girl followed Kevin into the mansion. The bottom of the mansion was covered with marble floors. The ceiling was so high that Maya had to really look up to see the top. The ceiling is also equipped with a beautiful crystal chandelier. Maya had never seen a building as beautiful as this. The girl was secretly amazed many times, when she discovered many new things in this strange world.

Maya's gaze suddenly stopped when she saw a handsome man sitting in a wheelchair with a book held with his strong fingers. The man had just closed his book when Kevin and Maya finally approached. His gaze swept across Maya, as if the man was trying to assess Maya the way Evan did at the hospital before.

Looking at the girl who had just come to his house, Evan struggled to determine which one of them was more fragile right now. He was sickly and sat in a wheelchair. But this girl in front of him had a very bad appearance due to years of malnutrition. Even with Maya's beautiful clothes, Evan could still see Maya's bones which looked very pitiful in her current situation. Evan's brow furrowed slightly as he finally got a proper look at his future wife. His future wife was supposed to be the child of a fairly prominent family in their city. But it looks even worse than the orphans Evan met in one of the orphanages he's been to.

Even though her body was indeed thin compared to other children her age, the girl had a pair of eyes that were too contrasting with her pitiful appearance. Bright and full of power. Those eyes looked so charming that Evan himself found it hard to just take his eyes off from her.

"Evan?"

Evan finally regained his senses again when Kevin rebuked him in a low voice. The man was taken aback by his own behavior. This was the first time, Evan could be so attracted to someone even though they had not seen each other much before.

"You came," the man said in an monotone voice when he finally came to his senses again. Maya replied with a small smile. "We meet again. I came here to apologize to you for what I have done before. My family seemed to find my apology less sincere at that time. I was the one who was not paying attention. I hope my arrival this time can calm Mr. Evan's heart more."

Maya did have a natural smile on the outside. But inside her heart, she still felt a little embarrassed considering she almost killed her future husband on their first meeting. Evan looked at Maya one more time before he adjusted his wheelchair to walk the other way. Kevin gave a code for Maya to follow where the man was going. They stopped in a big library, before Evan finally spoke in a serious tone to Maya who kept following behind him.

"You can just call me Evan. Let me get to the point right now. I want to make a contract with you. We can get married. But we're only going to be together because I want to spend the rest of my life in peace for now. Here," he explained as he took a letter that had been provided in the room. Evan looked back at Maya again after he finished reading the contents of the agreement. "I will provide you with the facilities as written in the agreement. As long as you are willing to maintain our relationship as partners as long as this agreement is still valid."

Maya knows. Just like her, Evan also did not like it when he suddenly had to marry someone he has never met before. But both of them had been forced to do so. Maya needed another place to survive. While Evan, Maya believes that the man also has plans of his own.

Taking the paper from Evan, Maya saw that the contract contained various terms and benefits that Maya would get if she agreed to sign it. Apartments, cars, houses, even the shares of the company started by Evan's family are clearly written in the agreement. Maya smiled as she looked at Evan again.

"Can we change the deal a little bit?" Maya asked. Evan's eyes narrowed slightly when the man did not expect someone like Maya even feel lacking in what he had to offer this time. He thought his future wife was a simple person. But Evan was worried, he misjudged the girl this time.

But even though Evan was a little disappointed with Maya's actions, on the outside the man still looked so calm, unaffected by the request Maya had just made.

"No problem. You can tell me how much you want for this agreement," he replied calmly.

In her heart, Maya knew she would treat Evan as a free living place in the future. She did not dare to peg an inappropriate reward. So shyly, Maya immediately said what she wanted in a low voice.

"I do not need any other facilities. I am also not used to a luxurious lifestyle. So giving me too many luxuries will only end up being a waste in the end. If I had a choice, I would be more than happy if you helped me cut the family ties I have with my family right now. Then... Because I am only a high school graduate. If possible, I also want to continue my studies so that I can live independently if we decide to separate someday."

That way, she would not have to worry about her family trying to harass her in the future. Maya could not be happier when she thought of her own plans. Maya had confirmed that Evan was from a strong background. Even though Evan is being pressured a lot by the people around him for now, Maya knows that Evan still has many great people acquaintances who are still willing to help the man in times of trouble. Helping her to break off ties with his family was definitely not a tough request for the man. Maya knew everything from the information she had gathered while in the hospital. The girl came well-prepared, as she tried to negotiate with her future husband.

A hint of surprise flashed across Evan's eyes after he heard the girl's words. Kevin was no less surprised. The man politely approached Maya until Maya turned to look at him too.

"What... Am I asking for too much?" she asked worriedly.

Kevin looked at Maya with a not so clear expression. Instead of answering, he turned around to question Maya again. "Do you know what your request really means?"

Not only was she refusing all kinds of luxuries that Evan offered, she was also planning to cut ties with her own family. Maya also firmly said that she plans to live alone if Evan intends to divorce her later. That meant that the girl really was not interested in the struggle for treasure that was going on right now. Not interested, or maybe not understanding according to Kevin.

Maya herself, she felt instead that Kevin's question only meant she had asked too much at the moment. The girl choked as she hastily added to her provisions. Maya remembered, she just needed to lower her bid to keep Evan from changing his mind this time.

"Tell you what. I... I do not mind if you guys do not want to pay for my studies. But because of that, you may have to let me find another job to cover my tuition fees. If that's the case... Do you mind?"

Maya was never really an expert in this kind of negotiation. In her past life, they only needed to use force to suppress the other party. But Maya is in a peaceful world now. She had to rack her brains, just so the catch did not escape her this time.

Seeing Maya's worried face, Evan did not want to think too much when he finally joined in. "I do not mind at all. You have helped me a lot by pretending to be my wife for a mean times. But your requests are still too few. As long as you do not ask for anything outrageous, you are free to ask me anything from now on. Your tuition fees are also fixed. I will pay for it. You can just focus on studying, while I will take care of your first request myself."

The first request means that Evan has agreed to help Maya cut ties with the family relationship she currently has. Unlike Finola, Maya does not have any ties to the family. Maya prefers to get rid of anything that has the potential to trouble her in the future. The girl is happy. She subconsciously smiled brightly as she praised Evan without hesitation.

"Okay. You are really a good person," said Maya very sincerely. Maya was completely unaware that Evan stiffened for a moment when he heard Maya's praise. There was a strange glint in his eyes, as he spoke softly to the girl. "You are the one who asking too little," he said so quietly that it was hard for Maya to hear.

Evan had seen too many people approach him just for his money. When he decided to pretend to be married to Maya, Evan was actually prepared to lose a lot of money when he did. But he did not expect Maya to actually give up his offer like that. The girl prefers to act simple, as if possessions have no value at all in the girl's eyes.

Not to mention Maya's decision to cut ties with her family was also quite surprising for Evan. All this time, he only knew that even though Finola was the daughter of another woman, her family had always treated her well. Leaving his family to live independently is not an easy choice. But when Evan remembered Maya's thin body again, he suddenly felt that maybe Finola's family relationship was not as simple as he had thought.

Evan let out a deep breath as he stopped thinking about Maya's true intentions. "Then please wait a moment. I will ask my lawyer to change the terms of the agreement," Evan informed her. Maya easily nodded. The girl obediently waited, as Kevin brought the letter for him to revise along with Evan's lawyer.

After Kevin came out, the atmosphere in the library suddenly became very quiet and it made Maya feel a little uncomfortable. She rubbed her neck in an awkward motion, until Evan realized that the girl had something on his mind at the moment.

"Is there anything else?" asked the man suddenly. Maya looked up to give Evan an embarrassed look, before she spoke in a slightly whispering tone.

"Um... Actually... Can you give me a place to stay until our wedding day arrives? I do not want to go back to that house. And you know... I do not have a cell phone, no money, or anything else I could use for survive today."

Evan stared at Maya for a long time before still nodding as well. "We're getting married in a month. It does not make any difference if you stay with me now or later. I will have someone prepare a guest room for you in this house. As for your clothes... I will have someone to pick them up along with the files your family will have to fill out in order to break off your family ties."

Maya nodded in satisfaction hearing that Evan was willing to be generous to her once again. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Evan nodded slightly as Kevin finally returned with a new contract in one hand. Kevin gave the contract to Evan, so that the man would read it first and sign the contract before he handed the paper over to Maya himself.

After Maya read the contract carefully, her gaze drifted to the name of the signature column at the bottom of the contract sheet. Maya suddenly remembered that as a stranger occupying someone else's body, she had never known what Finola's signature looked like all along. Even from the few flashes of memory she got from Finola, Maya never remembered the girl signing any papers. Maya is having a hard time finding a way out now. She obviously could not use the other signatures for now. The only way, she could only pretend to be confused before she spoke to her future husband in a confused voice.

"I... Can I sign this contract with my fingerprint?" she asked worriedly. At first Maya was afraid that Evan or Kevin would be suspicious because of her request. But Evan easily nodded, before he asked someone to bring whatever was needed in front of Maya.

Maya secretly breathed a sigh of relief at the act of not asking Evan much. The girl smiled slightly, before she also added her fingerprints to the contract.