Love Contract

After Victor finished shooting his scene in the afternoon, Mary left. But the set was still brightly lit by nightfall.

The only thing in Victor's mind throughout the whole day, though, was Mary. His absent-mindedness during the shooting caused a few scenes to be redone several times, which pissed Summer off.

'Mary's mother is seriously ill, and she needs money, so she made a deal with William? How is that possible?' Victor laughed at himself inwardly. 'I've been acting for so long that I must be thinking too much like a fictional character. Otherwise, in what world would a shrewd businessman as William behave so childishly? I must be dying to give a blow to Frank for thinking such nonsense.'

"Cut!" Not so far away, the director suddenly shouted, "What's wrong with you, Victor? How many times have we gone through this today? What was that expression just now? Be affectionate! Affectionate, understand? I don't want you to look like you're in a daze!"

Victor had completely forgotten he was still on the job. As soon as he realized his mistake, he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, director. I wasn't in character just now." "It's alright. Forget it!" Waving his hand, the director added, "Let's take a break and have some rest before we continue."

Victor sighed in relief while Summer snorted next to him. The actress was then led by her makeup artist to fix her looks.

Meanwhile, Mary was still on her way home on a crowded bus during rush hour. Without much room to shift, all she could do was tightly grasp the handle and passively move along with the bus. As summer was about to come, the lingering stink of sweat, feet, and perfume got mixed up in the air, causing Mary to want to throw up.

After she finally got off the bus, she had no appetite left. Yet, she stopped somewhere to grab some takeout food for later.

By the time she got home, all she needed was shower in order to make herself feel better. Therefore, she rushed into the bathroom and spent half an hour in there before walking out in a much better mood. When dressed, Mary sat on the sofa with her dinner and turned on the TV.

"Bella Su, this marriage is merely a perfunctory decision based on my parents' wishes. There is another girl that I love and ..." Mary was watching one of the scenes shot on the set that day. Post-production made it even more pleasant on screen. She couldn't feel more comfortable at that time as she savored both the romantic story playing on the TV and the delicious meal.

Click.

A crisp sound came all of a sudden even though there was only one person in the house.

Unexpectedly, the bedroom door was opened from the other side. Mary's mind went completely blank for a moment. Closing her eyes, she instinctively shouted, "Ah, ah, ah!" Once the door was completely open, William came through it, startled by her screams. He then promptly ran to her and asked, "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing William's voice, Mary opened her eyes and saw the man in front of her. As much as she wanted to scold him, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With her body trembling and panting, she answered, "I got scared. When did you come back?"

Rubbing his eyebrows, William realized he had frightened her. "I just came back and went for a change of clothes."

"Why didn't you tell me? You almost scared me to death!" Mary choked as she said it, not completely recovered from the scare.

"You were taking a shower." William's face showed no sign of emotion, but he didn't seem open to discussion either.

Afraid he would lose his temper again, Mary suppressed her complaints and said, "Oh, I see."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the doorbell rang.

"Ah!" she screamed. Mary had just got herself at ease only to get scared by something else.

"It's the doorbell," William explained with a sigh. Noticing how frightened she was, he refrained from saying anything further as he walked towards the door in his slippers.

On the sofa, Mary bit her lower lip to prevent herself from speaking and put a hand on her chest.

Just as William was wondering who could it be, he opened the door and recognized the middle-aged couple who also lived in the building, standing in the corridor.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" William asked, looking at the couple.

"Well, young man, are you home alone?" The man asked.

"No, my wife is also inside."

"We've just heard a scream from your house," the woman said vigilantly. "What happened?" "Oh, no, no," William said, understanding what they meant. "It's just my wife who made a fuss. I'm sorry if it disturbed you."

"Really?" The man seemed suspicious. From time to time, he would spare a few glances at the living room behind William.

"Mary," William called. "Come out for a bit."

"Oh, okay." Coming over the door, Mary asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"You screamed just now," William stated in an unfriendly tone while keeping his face composed. "You almost scared the whole building. Explain it."

As soon as Mary heard this, she looked up and met the couple's loving eyes.

"Girl, don't be afraid because we're here," the woman encouraged her and then pointed at William. "Did he do anything to you?"

"No, no, no!" Mary waved, moved by the woman's concern. "Some bugs scared me just now, not my husband. I'm sorry I bothered you."

"It doesn't matter," the man said. "We thought something was wrong. But if nothing happened, we will leave now."

"Okay, fine," Mary nodded. "Take care now. And sorry for disturbing you. I appreciate your kindness." The couple smiled, waving at them. Afterward, they took the elevator and left at once. Turning her head with a smile, Mary was met with William's speechless expression.

"Well... It's all my fault, I know." Mary was quick to apologize. "I'm sorry, boss."

"Don't mind it." Immediately, the indifferent look on William's face was restored as he turned around and walked inside.

"Well... Why did you come back today?" Mary asked cautiously.

"This is my home. I can come back whenever I want!" William didn't hide that he was a little angry.

"Yes, that's right," Mary agreed with an awkward smile. "Boss, I'm going to bed. You... Well, carry on with your business."

With her head low, Mary ran to her bedroom, leaving William and his rage on their own.

Holding back his anger, William walked into the living room only to find Mary's leftovers on the table and "Past of Republic of China" playing on the TV. He couldn't help but get furious again.

With a dark look on his face, William went straight to Mary's door. When he was about to knock, he stopped as he heard her on the phone with someone. "Yes, I've watched it... Yes, yes, General Duan looks very handsome on the screen."

Was she talking to Victor on the phone? William went blind with rage at that thought.

Bang! Bang!

Clenching his fists, William smashed at the wooden door. "Open the door, Mary!"

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" A few seconds later, Mary ran to open the door. Alarmed, she asked, "What happened?"

"Why are you in panic? Do you have a guilty conscience?" William queried.

"What? No." Confused at William's reaction, Mary continued, "You... What's up?"

"Who were you talking to on the phone just now?" William stared at her as if she was a criminal.

"It was Victor." Mary asked, "What's wrong?"

"Mary Lu!" William shouted her full name, and the reverberation in his voice caused Mary's legs to tremble as she waited for him to start yelling at her. A couple of seconds later, however, she just heard his discouraged voice saying, "Go and clean up your leftovers!"

"Okay, okay, okay," she promised. 'It seems that the boss is squeamish again, ' Mary thought. William followed her to the living room and observed that while she cleaned the table, she would spare a few glances at the TV now and then.

Clap!

With the remote control in his hand, he turned off the TV at once. Mary looked at him and saw he had a somber expression on his face. "What... What's wrong?" 'Something is not right with William tonight. Did he eat something wrong?' Mary wondered. 'Did his business fail?' "Do not watch this show anymore!" William's eyes lit with anger as he spat the words out.

Mary couldn't believe in her own ears, but then it occurred to her. 'Is there any conflict between Victor and William?' "Well... I just wanted to support the show of our company." Mary tried to smooth things over with a smile.

"Humph," William sneered. "I don't allow you to watch it anymore, understand? Now, stop talking nonsense."

"Okay, okay," Mary nodded obediently. She was afraid that if she said one more word, William would explode.

"Go and cook for me," he ordered.

"Okay!" As soon as Mary finished collecting her leftovers, she rushed to the kitchen.

Fortunately, there were some potatoes left!

Mary quickly started making a dish with the noodles William bought last time and got herself happily busy in the kitchen as she prepared his meal.

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, William stole a few glances at her.

The sight of her loosely tied hair behind her back and the apron she was wearing, added to the smell of the homemade food coming from the kitchen, only made him feel more at home. "Hey, boss, the meal is ready," Mary announced.

At the sound of that, William came back to his senses as he stood up and slowly walked to the kitchen. Looking at the plates and bowls arranged on the table, he glanced at the uneasy and embarrassed woman standing by the table with his face blank.

"Well... I can't make anything else," she began to explain. Then she said carefully, "Just try it... I'll find a place where I can learn how to cook in the future."

"Okay, go ahead," William snorted and sat down to eat.

"Well, I'll head back to my bedroom now." She began to walk away, anxious to leave. "Stay here!" William stopped her immediately and added, "Have the meal with me."

Mary laughed nervously and then swallowed. "Okay," she answered.

William didn't say a word while he ate, and Mary, on her turn, sat opposite to him playing with her fingers in silence as she watched him.

It was a really odd scene. Mary prayed silently, 'Boss, please finish it up. Such closeness will only make me have distracting thoughts...'

William knew she was uncomfortable but ate slowly anyway. "I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow."

"Umm," said Mary, "Oh, thank you, boss."

"Hey!" William said, throwing the chopsticks at the bowl with a "clang" sound. "Call me by my name."

"Wi...William."

Saying his name again brought a sense of relief to her heart. Mary had thought that since she had confessed her feeling to him the other day, William wouldn't allow her to be presumptuous anymore. But in the end, it seemed that she was too narrow-minded, and he didn't take her confession seriously.

Or was he taking revenge on her tonight with all this unusual behavior? Could it be so?