Chapter 4

Amber Pov

I still can't believe how fast things happened. Two days ago, my marital status was still single but now I am already a married woman. I feel like I'm having a nightmare. Yes. It was a nightmare for me because I married a man I didn't know very well. And I am just eighteen years old. Too young to get married. I never thought that I will marry a stranger and enter into a contract marriage. Even if it was just a contract marriage and we will divorce after six months, I still got married and I will become a divorced woman at a young age. But as of now, I am Mrs. Pauline Amber Cruz-Salvatore.

After Phil Salvatore talked to me and convinced me of the marriage contract he offered, we quickly flew to Hongkong to get married there. I don't know why we have to get married in another country when we can get married here in the Philippines. But then I suddenly thought that it was better that we got married abroad because it will be easier for us to separate when the contract we signed is over because there is no divorce here in the Philippines.

When Phil picked me up and forced me into his car to talk, I found out his reasons for insisting that I would marry him. It turned out that his grandfather was in the hospital and the company he worked for was in danger of falling into the hands of others. According to Phil, his grandfather's life is already counted and he will only last for six months in the world. His grandfather wanted to see him with his wife at least before he disappeared from this world. And because Phil doesn't want to get married, his grandfather threatened him that within a month if he doesn't get married he will take back from him the position of being a CEO or Chief Executive Officer of his company and give it to his Uncle Jigo who also vying for that position. Phil knows that his uncle is very greedy for wealth and will definitely take over the entire company when he becomes the CEO so he cannot allow the company that his grandfather worked hard to build and grow with his parents who both died in a terrible accident.

The reason why he chose me to marry him was that my father was a close friend of his parents and his grandfather when he was alive. My father was his dad's secretary and died with his parents in a car accident. It is said that my father often talked about him having a very beautiful daughter so his grandfather become interested to see me. But before my dad could bring and introduce me to Phil's grandfather, the accident happened.

When my parents separated I preferred to go with my father. Because when I was young, I was closer to my father than my mother. When my father died 5 years ago, my mother has no choice but to take me to live with her and her new family. And that's where the ordeal of my life began.

The reason I accepted Phil's offer was that I discovered that his grandfather was the sponsor of the foundation that gave me a college scholarship. I'm about to graduate from senior high school so I can use the college scholarship given to me by the Bright Future Foundation. That's a big help to me because my college education is free and I only have to pay miscellaneous fees. And I am very grateful to my homeroom teacher because she was the one who endorsed me to BFS so that I could receive a scholarship. I am indebted and grateful to Phil's grandfather and this is the only way I can repay for his kindness. To make him fulfill his wish before he dies. It's only six months, so I think it's okay. As soon as I finish pretending to be his wife, I will start studying in college.

I sighed deeply as I slightly rest my head on the car's window beside me. We just came from the airport and Atty. Ariel Santos picked us. He was the personal lawyer who accompanied Phil when he went to Uncle Roman's house. Speaking of Uncle Roman, I haven't heard from them since I left his house. My thoughts were interrupted when Phil suddenly spoke.

"We're close to my house, Amber. Remember. No one should know that our marriage is only a contract marriage. If someone finds out about our secret before six months, you know what will happen," Phil warned me in a serious voice. 

"Don't worry, Mr. Salvatore I will keep our secret safe. If you want, I'll always cling to you like a gecko so they can say that I am super in love with you," I replied him sarcastic. Here I am, I agreed to be his contract wife because I owe them and then he will use that thing to threaten me? It's annoying. He said he would withdraw the scholarship that the foundation gave me if someone finds out about our secret within six months.

"You don't have to do that because the people in my house know that I'm not showy when it comes to that kind of thing. Just act normal. Be yourself," he answered me with a serious face. I couldn't help shaking my head. Who would believe that we are married if we talk like this? 

Phil's car entered the big gate. And from the gate, it probably took about thirty seconds before his car stopped in front of a huge mansion. Phil's house can't be seen from the outside because of its very high but automatic gate.

"You live here?" I asked Phil in disbelief.

"Yes. Why? Do you think my mansion is not enough for you to live in?" he asked me rudely.

I shoot him a bad look when I heard what he said. What kind of brain does this man have? I am just simply asking but his mind thinks badly. "Am I not allowed to ask?"

"Let's go down," he told me instead of paying attention to what I said. I just shook my head and took a deep breath before following him out of the car. How can we convince the people who live in his house if we talk like this? It's like he's talking to his employee. We don't look like we are in love with each other.

We walked together to the door. We hadn't even gotten close to the big door when it suddenly opened.

"Welcome, Ma'am Amber Salvatore," Phil's maids who were lined up on both sides of the door greeted me at the same time. They even bowed their heads slightly in respect to me.

I felt awkward because I am not used to being treated like I was an important person. Phil's uniformed maids all smiled at me except for the man at the end of the line. I think his age was fifty-plus and he look strict just like his boss. Like Phil, it seems he doesn't know how to smile either. I don't know if Phil infected him with a serious illness or if he has infected Phil that's why he always has a serious face.

"They are my trusted employees, Amber. You can come to them if you need anything," Phil spoke to me and then introduced me to his ten people. A cook and assistant cook, a laundress, and a nanny because Phil has a seven-year-old nephew who lives in his house, four house cleaners, a gardener, and his personal driver. Digna, Irene, Mona, Linda, Chel, Carmen, Aida, Belya, Estong, and Eping. I just smile at them because I couldn't remember their names so fast. "And of course Felix who is the butler in my house," Phil finally introduced to me the serious man who was in the last line.

"Can I list their names in my notebook? I easily forget people's names," I couldn't stop requesting Phil who suddenly frowned when he heard what I said but chose to ignore it.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am Amber," Phil's maids greeted me at the same time except for the butler, Felix. He just looked at me as if he was classifying my appearance. He looks grumpy and even scarier than Phil. 

"Who is this stupid lady, Uncle Phil?" suddenly asked a boy running up to Phil and hugging his one leg.

"Stupid lady?" I repeated what the boy said. My blood seemed to want to go up to my head. Looks like I can eat a kid now. "Excuse me, little boy. I'm not stupid, okay? Also, why are you talking bad words to someone older than you? It is not a good attitude," I talked to the child with wide eyes. The kid is cute but looks like a little devil.

"What's so bad about what my nephew said? It's easy to remember the names of our maids but you can't remember them? Then you're really stupid just like what my nephew says. Ans don't scold him because you are not his mother," suddenly a woman following the boy approached us too. It was obvious from her look that she is also strict and grumpy but I did not felt intimidates by her. It seems that my stay in Phil's mansion will not be smooth. My husband is not the only grumpy in this mansion because here's his scary butler who I'm sure I'll have a hard time getting along with, his nephew who seems his mind is already old, and this woman who's probably Phil's aunt. She looks at me like she wants to throw me out of the mansion. But I have to put up with them for the sake of my gratitude to Phil's grandfather and also for the betterment of my future because of their scholarship. 

Fighting, Amber!