Love Contract

Hearing Mary out, William couldn't help but

frown at the pain she was put through. He

wanted to offer comfort to lessen the intensity, but he failed to string the right words that could make an impact.

"Go upstairs," he said, breaking through the

uneasy silence, trying to give Mary her space to collect her thoughts. "If your mother wakes up, give me a call. I'll be right over." "Alright." Mary kept her gaze fixated on the

ground, trying to keep her vulnerable state from filling William's vision as she wiped away her tears and rushed upstairs.

Watching Mary's petite figure from the rear, William waited till she disappeared out of sight before pulling out his phone.

"Hello, Lucas."

"My oh my! The sun must be rising from the West!" an annoying voice came from the other end of the line. "Is William Lan really calling me?"

"Lucas Murong, you idiot... You are so annoying, "William spoke while gritting his teeth.

"Really? How heartbreaking. And to think that I've missed you so much..."

"Stop running your damn mouth and listen to me!" William retorted angrily, his veins protruding from his neck.

"Haha, nice to see you haven't changed..." the person on the other end couldn't help but let out a light chuckle in amusement to William's reaction. "What is it? Why did you call me in such urgency, Mr. Lan? Is everything okay?"

"There's something I need your help with," William said, now sounding serious as he adjusted his tone to his usual professional tone.

"I see. So, what's the matter?" As soon as Lucas heard William's tone turn grim, he immediately switched his demeanor from playful to solemn with a cheeky smile.

"There's a patient who's currently suffering from cancer. Her condition is deteriorating, and she's at the late stage of it. I'll send you all the relevant details via email soon." As William briefed Lucas about the situation, he reached for the cigarette resting in his pocket and fiddled with it as he spoke, "I'm in dire need of your help."

"The last stage? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Lucas Murong blurted out, sounding helpless.

William sighed as he finally pulled the cigarette out of his pocket. "It's a long story. Can you at least try to relieve the pain?" "I'll try all I can," Lucas assured. After a short pause, he questioned, "Is it someone important?"

"You could say that," William said as he balanced the phone on his shoulder to continue talking and lit the cigarette in his hand. Pressing the cigarette between his lips, he took a smoke out of it as he leaned his back on his car and said, "She's my mother-in-law. I'm married now.

"Huh? Wait. What!?" A loud scream echoed from the other end of the phone. William

subconsciously moved the phone away from his ear as he frowned to drown out the sound piercing through his eardrums.

"What are you talking about? When did you get married? And why did you never tell me that! Oh my God, I have so many questions!" Lucas Murong bombarded him with rapid questions that randomly came to his mind at his sudden revelation. "Damn it, William! You cheeky bastard. Now come on, tell me everything. Stop adding unnecessary suspense!"

"Don't be so hasty. I'll tell you everything in detail once you're back."

"Really? No, I can't wait that long. Just tell me now!" Lucas Murong suddenly switched to a teasing tone as he said, "Don't forget you have a favor to ask of me. Tell me about your marriage in exchange for it. Deal?"

"You have such a knack for gossip. This habit of you makes it hard to believe you're a doctor at all!" Just as William raised his head in exasperation, he noticed Mary approach him as she came out of the in- patient department. He quickly dismissed Lucas as he kept his gaze steady at Mary. "I have to go now. I'll call you later."

"Du, Du, Du..."

"No! Wait! William? Hello? Are you there? Fuck...

After staying outside of the ward for a while, Mary thought of Timothy, still waiting for them in the family house. Not wanting to take up more of the time, she didn't stay longer and walked out.

As soon as she came out, her eyes fell on William's profile. The picture of William smoking while leaning against the car door, filled her vision. It was the first time Mary had caught him while he was smoking. His sharp features seemed to appear more mature under the smoke, as though they complimented each other. Somehow, he looked a whole lot more handsome than he usually would on an average day.

"You came out earlier than expected. Is everything okay?" William asked as he instantly dropped the cigarette on the ground and put it out.

"Father is still waiting for us at home. Anyway, my mother hasn't regained consciousness yet. We'd better go back soon." "Is there anything else you want to tell me? Or is that all?" "No, that's all."

"Alright, get in the car then. Let's go back." "Okay."

A while after, the car drove into the entrance to the family house. At the same time, a strong unsettling feeling birthed in Mary's heart as she subconsciously clutched her chest and sank into the seat. As they stepped inside, they found Timothy sitting upright in the living room with his chin resting on his palm. He bit on his lips at the sight of them, his expression was the spitting image of William. "Father." As soon as William entered the room, he greeted his father in a restrained voice.

"Father," Mary called out as she bowed respectfully.

"Humph!" Timothy shot William a cold glare as he prepared himself to scold his son. The moment he opened his mouth to say something, he was interrupted by Mary.

"Um, Father," Mary smiled as she walked over to him. "I have decided to take wedding pictures with William tomorrow. What do you think of that?" Timothy was then forced to gulp down his frustration without having to voice it out loud. His tensed expression relaxed as he glanced over at Mary and returned her warm smile. "Alright, tomorrow it is. Your Aunty Amy was asking about it a while ago on the phone." "Really? Father, I need your advice. Do you think the shoot should be indoors or outdoors?" Mary asked.

"Why not both?" Timothy waved his hands, unable to contain his excitement. "We'll take lots of pictures. Both indoors and outdoors!"

"It'll be just how you want it to be, Father." Mary smiled sweetly.

"William you..." Just as Timothy readied himself to give an earful to William, Mary interrupted him again.

"Ah, Father!" When Timothy glanced at her midway, she exaggeratedly rubbed at her stomach. "I'm famished! Is dinner ready? I can't wait to eat!"

"Haha, Mary is hungry," Timothy said as he chuckled at her gesture. "Guess it can't be helped. Let's eat first!"

"Okay, fine." Mary turned around and made a pouty face at William. Caught off guard from her reaction, William was left confused about whether to laugh or cry.

During the dinner, Mary kept talking to their father to drive his attention away from William.

Watching Mary try so hard for him filled William's heart with an inexplicable warmth as he suppressed his laughter and choked lightly on his food. He felt tempted to remind her that their father had been living amidst the clutches of society longer than them. How could a little girl like her fool him? But watching her try so enthusiastically kept him from saying it out loud, he just remained slumped in his chair, taking the scene in.

The dinner soon concluded with the harmonious conversations.

Satisfied with how she had performed so far, Mary was convinced that she had dissolved Timothy's anger and made him happy enough to protect William. As soon as she stood up to walk to her room, Timothy's deep voice made her freeze in place. "William, come to the study once you're done with dinner."

'Boom!'

His words wrung like an electric jolt traveling through the veins of her body as she stood rooted to the ground. Even after trying so hard to divert his attention, she still failed? William still couldn't escape? When she regained control of her senses, Timothy had already left the dining area to head to the study.

William paused and examined Mary's anxious profile from head to toe. He smiled amusingly and said, "You've done a good job."

"Huh?" Before Mary could say anything, William had already followed behind Timothy into the study.

As soon as William shut the door of the study behind him, Timothy's calm expression drastically switched as it displayed unparalleled rage. He sat in his chair with a shadow hovering over his eyes, without uttering a word. The lingering tension in the room was undeniable.

"Today's news was entirely my fault," William spoke first to break through the silence and took accountability of his actions. "I am fully aware that it has damaged the reputation of the company. I will deal with it right away."

"Shut up!" Timothy slammed the table with his bare fists out of anger. "Don't even try to shift this conversation to a different route! You know exactly why I'm upset! Mind explaining why you went out with Frank so late at night? And where did you go?"

"We went to have a drink, that's all."

"Have a drink? Don't make me laugh." Timothy scoffed coldly, "Do you really think I'm oblivious to your actions just because I'm old now? Do you honestly believe I'd fall for that flimsy excuse!"

William bit on his lip and lowered his head to keep Timothy from peering into his eyes. "I've been friends with Frank's father for many years now. Don't get me wrong, I don't object to your friendship with Frank," Timothy lashed out without lowering his tone. "But you two are men! I will never agree to a relationship that goes above and beyond the boundaries of friendship!"

"But why?"

"Why? You dare ask me why?" Unable to contain his temper, Timothy stood up suddenly, almost knocking the table over. "Frank has been married since last year, and you too now have Mary. And yet you still ask me why?" Timothy's voice rose up significantly as he continued to be consumed by his rage. "Do you still want to remain in a relationship with Frank? Answer me!"

William's face remained stiff as though he was devoid of all emotions. But he didn't say anything in response. It was like he was fighting an inner war with himself to not retaliate against his father.

"You are a grown man. Have some sense of responsibility. That is not for me to teach, it's something you should realize on your own! Now that you're married to Mary, you should be good to her!" Timothy didn't seem to stop as he ranted, "Do you think I didn't realize that Mary was trying to protect you just now?"

"Responsibility, huh?" All of a sudden, a cold sneer lay smeared across William's face. He finally raised his head to stare his father dead in the eye before he retorted, "If you're so noble. Why did you divorce my mother?" I should be responsible for taking good care of Frank, isn't that right, Father? That's my responsibility, isn't it?"

"You, you unfilial son!" That was it, that was all it took. Timothy was now thrown off the edge of his sanity as his face reacted to his inner rage and turned bright red. Driven by his impulses, Timothy grabbed the folder on the table and threw it in William's direction.

With a click, the folder struck William right on his head as it grazed his skin. The sharp edges dug into his forehead and caused blood to pour out.

William held his head on instinct as he staggered back a few steps but said nothing except a light groan that escaped his mouth. Timothy didn't intend to hit him that hard, he was completely taken over by wrath that clouded his judgment. He quickly turned his face away from William and pointed towards the door. "Get out of my sight!"

"Fine." With an expressionless face, William silently turned around and walked out of the study.

On the side of the stairs, Mary waited anxiously for William to come out. 'The two of them must be having an argument. That must explain the loud noise I heard earlier.'

Just as she was going over her thoughts, assuming what was going on inside, she was interrupted by the clicking sound of the turning of the doorknob of the study.

As soon as she stepped forward to see William, her eyes fell on the blood oozing out from his forehead.

"Oh my God!" Mary panicked as she gasped out loud. "What happened to you? You're bleeding so much... Are you okay? This looks bad, there's so much blood. I'll go call the doctor!"

As soon as she was about to head downstairs, William grabbed her arm and shook his head to signal her to stop. His voice sounded hoarse. "It's nothing serious. I'll just go wash it and apply some alcohol." "Are you sure?" Mary looked at him with eyes brimming with worry. "The blood is almost flowing to your mouth..."

"I'm fine." William gave her a weak smile to comfort her and walked towards the bedroom alone.

Mary glanced shortly at the closed door of the study and then chased after William.

As soon as they arrived in the bedroom, she saw William rummaging through the drawers to search for the alcohol. Then Mary walked up to his side and took the medicine box from his hands. "Please take off your coat. Let me apply the medicine to the wound."

William looked at her but did not protest. Mary stood by the bed and leaned over towards William's face to wipe the wound with a cotton stick as she held his face in her palm to keep him still. "This will sting a bit. If it hurts too much, please let me know. I don't have any experience in dealing with wounds like these."

"Hiss... Argh"

Just as Mary stopped speaking, William bit hard on his tongue to prepare himself for the pain that would follow. "You're really inexperienced at this! That hurt."

"Well... I'm sorry." Mary apologized as she continued to wipe his wound with delicate dabs. "I was wondering. You and your father..."

"It's nothing." William stopped Mary short before she could finish, as if he didn't want to speak on the topic she was getting at.

Taken aback by his reaction, Mary paused for a while before she said, "Fine. If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask any further."

The room was suddenly choked up with a lingering silence, the only sound that dominated the atmosphere was Mary tending to his wound with careful hands.

Suddenly, she leaned her face over close to his to blow on the wound. "It will heal quickly this way."

All of a sudden, William tensed up and remained stiff as he watched her closely. He felt the delicate wind created by her mouth brush against his forehead gently, causing his

heartbeat to quicken. The fragrance of her shampoo filled the air around him. This feeling, it wasn't real!

"That should do it." Before William could recover from the daze, Mary pulled away and said, "I have applied a small gauze to stop the bleeding temporarily. I'll redo it tomorrow with new medicine."

"Huh... Oh, okay." Snapping out of his trance, William coughed unnaturally. 'I can't let Mary know what I fantasized about her just now.'

Mary spoke softly as she put the things back in the medicine box, "We can't take wedding pictures tomorrow."

"Why?" William said, raising his eyebrows.