5 - You're Just a Contract

Sapphire hadn't stopped staring at her wristwatch in the last five minutes. Ever since the waiter brought in their order and distracted Fabio from proceeding with their 'proper agreement', she had been restless and impatient. She was pretty sure Fabio could tell that she was desperate to get out of this place.

For some reason, Sapphire was having a very bad feeling about this whole thing. The logical part of her brain kept telling her that she had to get out of whatever this situation was as soon as possible if she didn't want to get herself into any kind of trouble.

"Can you stop doing that, Sapphire?" Fabio demanded, snapping her out of her thoughts. She frowned and asked, "Doing what exactly?" She honestly could care less if he felt some type of way about the fact that she was constantly staring at her watch. After all, he was to blame for her attitude.

He had the audacity to call her collateral and he didn't even bother to explain himself. Now he was talking about getting into an agreement when she still didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Tapping your feet and constantly staring at your wristwatch. You haven't even touched your food yet, and I'm pretty sure that it's already getting cold. If you have a problem or an issue, just go ahead and ask me instead of acting so inappropriately," he demanded, and her jaw literally dropped.

Did he just call her inappropriate? How dare he?

"You called me collateral, Fabio, and you expect me to be comfortable after hearing that? You also insinuated that I had no say whatsoever in whether or not I actually wanted to marry you, and you expect me to still want to sit here and listen to you subtly disrespect me? Well, just so you know, I'm no idiot, Fabio, and yes, I want nothing more than to get the hell out of here!" she snapped back at him, forgetting anything she said about being patient and calm.

She didn't regret the fact that she just flared up suddenly, but judging by the look on Fabio's face, he also wasn't expecting her to go off like that. He didn't say anything for a while, and he simply stared at her almost as if he were scrutinizing her. Just when she was expecting him to say something, maybe an apology for being rude or some sort of argument to justify his behavior, he simply went back to eating his food and said nothing else.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

"What exactly do you expect me to say to you, Sapphire? I'm not exactly going to apologize for being blunt with you because, as you might already know, I'm not one to care about anyone's feelings. I've tried really hard to be as calm and polite as I can be with you, Sapphire, but if you can't appreciate that, that's on you, not on me. If you're so concerned about why we're getting married, ask your father, but I really doubt that a smart girl like yourself wouldn't know why she was asked to marry a complete stranger," he replied, and at that moment, Sapphire felt like a fool.

"So what if I don't know, Fabio? What if I'm asking because I didn't ask for details and just jumped into a marriage arrangement because I was told it was the only way to save my family?" she retorted.

"Listen, Sapphire, whether or not you're aware of the reason you're getting married doesn't actually matter because it changes nothing. Your family already agreed that someone from their family would marry into mine, and that person is obviously you. The only thing I can tell you is that I didn't want things to get to this but well, it has and there's nothing else you can do besides go along with it and tell your family to do what needs to be done so our agreement can come to an end," he responded, and that was when it dawned on her that she wasn't going to get the answer she was looking for, especially not from this man.

"Alright, Fabio, it's already clear that you're not going to tell me what I want to hear, so how about we just get this over with? I clearly have no intention of eating this as I've already lost my appetite, so let's start talking about what this agreement you mentioned earlier is all about," she said, wanting to change the entire topic.

As it seemed, nothing she did or said was actually going to get him to say anything to her. If she was being honest with herself, he wasn't the one who owed her any sort of explanation. The person she should be asking this question was her dad because he's the one who made her do this in the first place.

"Well, what I meant with the term 'agreements' is sort of like a few basic rules that I think you need to know in order for things between us to run smoothly. If you also have anything that you'd like to add later, I'm very willing to hear you out, and we'll come to a definite agreement after laying down our rules," he explained, and she squinted her eyes a little, curious to know what rules Fabio Rodriguez was going to have for her.

"I'm listening."

"My rules aren't ridiculous, Sapphire, and I can assure you of that, but you might not like a few of them for sure. First things first, I do not want my wife working, and I'm aware that you find pleasure in your work, but while you're married to me, you can't work," he said, and just when Sapphire thought he couldn't be more ridiculous and absurd, he proved her wrong in under a minute.

She spoke up. "I studied for about four years of my life, giving everything I had to what I loved despite my parents' objections, and you're telling me that I'd have to abandon that just because I'm marrying you? Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to get this far?" Sapphire fought to keep her composure, but her anger seeped through her words.

Fabio sighed. "I'm not disputing your hard work, Sapphire, but I'm not some normal guy. Once you and I get married, our lives aren't going to be the same, and I can't have you working tirelessly in a hospital and getting yourself in the tabloids every time. People are going to start watching you, and anything you do becomes newsworthy to them."

His words rang hollow in Sapphire's ears. She couldn't believe she was expected to give up her passion simply because she was marrying some wealthy man. It was absurd.

"How long would I have to stop working? Would it be throughout the entirety of our marriage?" she asked,

"Unfortunately, it'd have to be, but, after our agreement ends, I'll make sure to find another job at any prestigious hospital of your choosing," he replied. Sapphire inwardly scoffed. The idea of him being considerate was laughable.

"What other ridiculous rule do you have for me, Fabio?" Sapphire asked.

Fabio chuckled. "Another thing is, during the course of our agreement, you and I will not share a personal relationship. But, in the public eye, we're obligated to present ourselves as an ideal couple. Once we're by ourselves, we'll live separate lives, and there will be no interference from either one of us. You're even allowed to have other relationships, but you'll have to make sure that you don't get caught," he stated as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Sapphire simply sighed and urged him to continue.

Sapphire didn't care to argue with Fabio anymore. The absurdity of his rules and the callousness in his demeanor only fueled her desire to have nothing to do with him. His personal relationship with her was none of her business, and she had no intentions of interfering.

He continued to list his guidelines, emphasizing that he would never attempt to touch her or invade her personal space. Both of them would have their own separate bedrooms, with discussions limited to his office.

Fabio concluded, attempting to justify his rules. "Not all my rules are outrageous, and they're simple guidelines to keep this agreement in check. If you perhaps have something to add, I'm listening."

Sapphire had no desire to add anything to his list, but she did have a burning question. She mustered the courage to voice her curiosity. "Do you perhaps have something against me?" she asked, observing the surprise on his face.

He seemed taken aback by her question. "Why would you even ask that? Does it seem like I have a problem with you?"

Sapphire replied honestly, her voice tinged with vulnerability. "It doesn't exactly seem that way, but something about your behavior gives me the impression that you can barely stand being around me. From the moment we first met, you looked at me as if you would rather be anywhere else. It's strange, considering my reasons for feeling distant are quite apparent, whereas yours remain a mystery."

Fabio's response only confirmed her suspicions. "Well, I'm not obligated to find you likable and comfortable, Sapphire. To me, you're just another contract that I have to deal with, nothing more, nothing less, and I'm never lenient with 'work'. You may find my choice of words distasteful, but you asked for an honest response. Just as you don't hold me in high regard, I don't have a favorable opinion of you either. We will tolerate each other for the duration of our arrangement, and once it is over, we will have no further business with one another."

His words struck a nerve in her, igniting a mix of insult, embarrassment, and anger. She had never felt such strong emotions before, and for the first time, she entertained thoughts of lashing out at another person.

"The feeling is certainly mutual, Mr. Rodriguez," Sapphire retorted. "How about we call it a night and head back home? If I have to endure any more insults from you, I might lose control."

She stood up from her seat, ready to put an end to this conversation. But just as she reached the door, Fabio halted her with a final remark.

"One more thing, Sapphire," he said, his tone grave. "I believe it's important for you to know that you will be under the watchful eyes of my men. Please don't panic; it's standard protocol to ensure that you don't make any mistakes or slip-ups. Remember, our marriage is in a week's time, and until then, you will remain under their surveillance."

As the seriousness of the situation sunk in, Sapphire couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to marry a madman.