"So, Miss Adaline Scott, do you have your answer?" Altezza looked at Adaline with a gaze that was hard to explain. Adaline lifted her head, and their golden eyes locked. "Are you ready to repay your loan as per the amount I requested?" Altezza asked again.
"Um, Sir," she hesitated in her response. "May I ask a question?"
"Please," Altezza replied flatly. Adaline took a deep breath, trying to convince herself of what she was about to ask.
"Could you explain in more detail about your request to me, Sir?" she finally inquired. Adaline observed the furrowed forehead of the man in front of her, deep in thought.
"Actually, Miss Adaline, you no longer have the right to ask for those details from me. You should have inquired about it before agreeing to marry me and bear a child for me," Altezza replied after a brief silence he intentionally created, monopolizing time just to make the woman tense.
"But..."
"No 'buts,' Miss Adaline. Right now, you only have to give me an answer to what we discussed this morning. If you say you'll cover all the expenses, we'll cancel my previous request. But if you can't pay according to the amount I desire, the agreement continues."
"But I don't even know what agreement you're referring to," she pleaded.
Altezza wanted to laugh but also felt pity at the same time. Clearly, he was the villain here for taking advantage of the girl's innocence. But what could he do? He was also in a desperate situation right now. Pressured by personal desires, to be more precise.
"Yes or no, Miss Adaline. I'll count to five," he threatened and began counting. "One..." he paused long enough until the next number. "Two..." Altezza began to feel anxious about the girl's decision in front of him, while she still twiddled her fingers nervously. "Three..."
"Ye-ye-yes! I'll do it!" her shout echoed in the room. "I'll do it," she repeated in a soft whimper.
Altezza tried hard not to burst into happiness. He then repositioned himself properly. Standing upright, he walked to the corner of the table and sat back down with a more relaxed posture than before.
Altezza gazed at Adaline, who still looked nervous without moving from her single sofa. "Alright, Miss Adaline Scott. Or should I call you the future Mrs. Altezza Quirino?" he asked with a mischievous tone, making Adaline's small face blush and look even more adorable in his eyes.
The closer he got to Adaline, the more tempted Altezza felt to get to know her better. "Could you come here and start reviewing our contract? Because I really want to settle this contract right now," he continued in his mind. "Before you change your mind."
With heavy steps, the girl approached Altezza's desk and sat in the chair across from him. Altezza opened the leather folder he had been hiding in the top drawer of his desk, which he always kept locked, and handed it to Adaline.
"Read it carefully. If there are points you want to add, write them manually, and later my lawyer and I will revise it," he instructed gently.
Adaline read the contract slowly. On the white paper were written her rights and obligations if she married Altezza. The points roughly included:
i. Adaline is exempted from all loans given by Altezza.
ii. Altezza will provide for and facilitate Adaline with the appropriate amount.
iii. Adaline and Altezza will live together, and Adaline will bear his offspring as requested.
iv. No one is allowed to know about this agreement except Altezza, Adaline, and the lawyer.
v. Marriage cancellation can be done at any time, and custody will fall into Altezza's hands.
vi. If Adaline violates, she must compensate three times the original loan amount given by Altezza.
Of the six points Adaline grasped, three were in her favor, and three were not. She could add points if she wanted to, but she was confused about what to write.
"W-what if custody falls into your hands, can I still see my child?"
"Our child, you mean?" Altezza corrected. Adaline nodded.
"Of course, because, in reality, I am a generous person," Altezza replied frankly.
"And though it's not stated in this contract, because I believe you are a good woman, I am confident that during our marriage, you will not have a relationship with another man. And I promise that I will do the same," he continued with a firm tone.
Adaline nodded. She would trust Altezza's words completely, even though she didn't know the man too well.
Adaline fell silent again, contemplating whether she had any other questions to ask Altezza before signing the contract. But somehow, her usually sharp mind for work suddenly became quite foolish in this matter.
Apakah dia benar-benar bodoh, ataukah dia terlalu terpukau oleh pandangan Altezza yang seolah-olah mendesaknya untuk segera menandatangani dokumen ini?
"Ca-can I take it home and read it again? I-I need to think about other terms that won't disadvantage me at some point," she asked hesitantly but was met with a shake of Altezza's head.
"Sign it now, or everything is void, and you have to..." before Altezza could finish his threat, Adaline quickly reached for the pen in front of her and signed the contract.
Altezza cheered inwardly and laughed with happiness, although his face still showed an unreadable and flat expression. For God's sake, making Adaline nervous seemed to be becoming his new hobby. Because the girl easily granted his requests when in a pressured situation.
"Done." Adaline handed the signed paper to Altezza. He gladly accepted it and added his own signature. Then he closed the folder, placed it back in the top drawer of his desk, and locked it.
"So, future Mrs. Altezza Quirino." Altezza looked at Adaline, who blushed again. "Now you are officially my fiancée. And it's highly inappropriate for a fiancée not to know her future in-laws. So, let's prepare ourselves and move on to the next battlefield." Altezza turned off his computer and organized the documents he hadn't touched since earlier, then stood up.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Adaline, bewildered, could only gaze at Altezza in panic.
"I mean, tonight we'll have dinner at my family's house. And officially, I will introduce you to my family."
"But, Sir. This is too soon. I'm not ready," she gently objected.
Altezza remained silent and stared at the girl. "So, you're not ready to meet my parents?" he asked, answered with Adaline's nod. Altezza shrugged. "Alright then," he said, making Adaline breathe a sigh of relief. "Since you're not ready to meet my parents, I'll be the one to meet your mother. Because clearly, I am more than ready," he said with a light tone that made Adaline widen her eyes.
"But, Sir?"
"I'm tired of your 'buts,' Mrs. Altezza Quirino," he replied, then took Adaline's hand and asked her to stand up. Adaline, still in a state of panic, reluctantly complied.
She was in a panic, that was clear. Scared? Definitely. What should she tell her mother about Altezza? About their relationship. What reasons could she give to her mother? And how would her mother face Altezza?
Discussions about her being close to a man had never happened before, so how would her mother react if suddenly she came, presented a man, and introduced him as a prospective husband?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Altezza asked about her bag. "Th-the bag?"
"Yes, the bag," Altezza replied when Adaline looked at him with confusion. "Don't women usually bring their bags when they work?" he continued, answering Adaline's confusion.
"Oh... Ah, yes. My bag is still in the room. I'll get it, you can go down first," she said. However, Altezza shook his head in response to Adaline's suggestion to go down first.
"No, Mrs. Quirino. That's not a good idea. I don't want to give you the slightest chance to escape from me," he said with a sly grin on his face.
Adaline groaned inwardly. Did he think his thoughts were so easily readable?