Love Contract

Chapter 27 Taking Wedding Photos

"You're injured," said Mary anxiously. "Maybe we should put off the photo shoot... It won't make a difference if we delay taking photos by a few days." NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

William pulled out his phone and tapped on the camera icon. He made a show out of taking a picture of himself, then showed the screen to Mary.

"See that? Nothing to worry about. I'm still perfectly handsome." Mary rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you insist, we'll have the pictures taken tomorrow."

"Good," he replied. He studied the photo on his phone, then looked up, frowning. He touched the gauze on his forehead lightly.

"The way you put it on... it looks very ugly, doesn't it?" For a moment, Mary was

speechless. Then she said, affronted, "Okay, I'll make sure to practice how to dress a wound more attractively. Next time, do you want the gauze tied in a bow around your head?"

William raised an eyebrow. "Do you hope me to get injured again?"

"Of course not," said Mary, deadpan. "Dear William, no one would ever dare to do so. You are handsome even when you get hurt and you will always be handsome no matter what. Even when we're old you'll still be handsome."

"That sounds right," said William smugly. "While you, on the other hand, will probably age badly and turn into an ugly old woman."

"Sure," said Mary, waving a hand airily. "I'll forgive you if you don't want to be seen with me when we're old. You can hook up with as many beautiful women as you like, and I — "

She stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she was saying, and blushed. "I'm sorry," she said awkwardly. "I was just teasing, it didn't mean anything."

William's face was unreadable. "It doesn't matter." He stood up and began walking towards the door. "I'll call the photo studio to make an appointment for tomorrow."

Mary nodded. Without another word, William left.

He closed the bedroom door behind him, then leaned against it with a sigh. He stayed there for several minutes before finally shoving his hands into his pockets and walking away.

Mary sat on the bed, feeling somewhat dejected. She thought, 'We won't be together when we're old. This is strictly a contract, and the contract will be terminated by the end of the year. There's no future for us. There's no point in expecting anything more... William is too different. In ordinary circumstances he would never even have noticed me.

When William reentered the room, he found Mary making a bed for herself on the floor.

"Are you planning to sleep there?" he said incredulously. He shook his head. Feigning nonchalance, he said, "You're quite smart."

"Yes, I am," said Mary without looking up. He couldn't see her expression as she went on, "You're the boss, and I'm just an employee. I must be responsible and professional about all this."

William sighed. 'Why are you acting like this? What's wrong with you?' he thought to himself, staring hard at his wife. Then, annoyed by his own thoughts, he marched to the bed and flung himself down on the pillows. 'Fine, ' he told himself. 'I don't care what she does or where she sleeps.'

Mary didn't say anything more. When she was done preparing her bed, she stood to turn off the lights, then lay down on the floor.

'I have to draw a firm line, ' she thought, although her heart was aching. 'I can't afford to lose sight of what this really is. I must not start having unrealistic expectations.'

But how could she be blamed for starting to imagine things? Since they had gotten married, although William was often angry and spoke harshly to her, he also often treated her with warmth and concern. He was handsome, rich —and much kinder than she could have expected. Mary was afraid that she was beginning to feel emotions for William. Emotions that would be better stamped out before they developed further.

'Don't be a silly, weak girl, Mary, ' she scolded herself, shifting in her makeshift bed. The floor was hard beneath her hips. It was a long time before she drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Mary was awoken by the sounds of William getting dressed. She kept her eyes closed, wanting to avoid any conversation with him.

William did not linger in the room. He left as soon as he was dressed.

When the door closed behind him, Mary opened her eyes. She began neatly folding the bed sheets she had slept in, then went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

When she was dressed, she left the bedroom and went down to the dining room. William sat alone at the table.

"Where is Father?" she asked. "Shouldn't he be up by now?"

William shrugged. "Maybe he went outside to take a walk, get some exercise. Come and eat. We'll leave soon to have our wedding pictures taken."

Mary nodded. She took a seat far away from him and began eating the food on the table. William did not try to speak to her, and while eating, she stole a glance at his handsome, stern profile. She immediately noticed that the gauze covering his wound had been replaced with band-aid.

The only sound in the dining room was the clatter of utensils on plates. Neither of them said a word to each other, seemingly focused entirely on finishing their food.

After breakfast, the two of them went to the garage. William got into the driver's seat. To his astonishment, Mary settled herself in the back seat of the car.

The look on William's face right then was murderous. 'She's crazy!' he thought, speechless at her nerve.

"Let's go," said Mary flatly. She refused to look at the rearview mirror, knowing she would see William glaring at her.

William opened his mouth, then closed it. He began driving the car, his expression still livid. As he drove, he kept glancing at the rearview mirror to check on Mary. Several times he was tempted to ask what her problem was, but something held him back. He said nothing even when they arrived at their destination.

Inside the photo studio, the staff members were waiting enthusiastically to greet the wealthy couple, not seeming to notice that they were barely speaking to each other. "Mr. and Mrs. Lan?"

William nodded brusquely. The shop ladies welcomed them in and bid them good morning, offering tea or other drinks.

Meanwhile, one of the staff members stepped forward, smiling. "Mr. and Mrs. Lan, please follow me into the next room!"

"Thank you," said Mary, trying to sound cheerful. She smiled wanly at the woman and followed her through a doorway.

She could feel everyone staring at her and William.

"He's so handsome!"

"Yes, and he's also fabulously wealthy..."

"Pity he's already taken!"

"What a shame that such an eligible bachelor is off the market," a young lady sighed, giggling.

"Mrs. Lan is so lucky! She must be so happy."

Listening to the whispers around her, realizing that any of these women would jump at the chance to be in her shoes, Mary felt another wave of sadness wash over her. Little did they know, this was only a temporary arrangement.

William was walking ahead of her, and she studied his broad back, stifling a sigh. He was her husband, but he would never be hers. "What style are you two interested in?" asked the beaming shop assistant who had accompanied them. She picked up a set of leaflets and said to William and Mary, "We have a lovely mountain -themed package, or maybe you'd like a seaside one? We also have other themes: the pastoral back-to-nature setup, the glamorous European style, the delicate Korean style, the traditional Chinese theme... whatever you want, I'm sure we have it! Please take a look at all the options.

"Which one do you want?" William asked Mary. He gave a cursory look at the leaflets, then focused his attention on his wife, who was poring over the available packages.

Mary was dazzled by the range of options. She thought all of them sounded fantastic. "It's a bit overwhelming. They all look quite beautiful, so I don't know what to choose."

"Maybe you want to try the delicate Korean style, " suggested the assistant. She smiled at them. "It would be perfect for you. The two of you are so attractive and we are really looking forward to taking beautiful pictures of you." Mary hesitated.

"Is that fine?" William asked her. She thought he was speaking as though he had no interest in whatever option she chose.

"Well, all right then," she said slowly. If it didn't matter which style they chose, then they might as well go with the shop assistant's recommendation. In fact, her first giddy instinct had been to suggest taking photos in every single available style. After all, the cost wouldn't matter to someone as rich as William. But she quickly scolded herself for thinking such a thing. She wasn't his real wife and must not act like his money was hers to spend.

"Okay, we'll start making arrangements for the Korean shoot," said the shop lady.

"Wait," said William suddenly. He glanced at his wife, then at the shop assistant. "We've changed our minds. We'd like to get photographed in every style you have."

"What?" blurted Mary. "Really?" said the shop assistant at the same time. Both women were shocked at William's suggestion. While Mary was bemused, the shop assistant was barely able to contain her excitement.

"We'll get everything ready right now," said shop assistant breathlessly. "Please wait here while we get ready."

Mary frowned. She asked, "Isn't that too much?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll take as many photos as we want," William said casually. In his head he added, 'Well, you certainly seemed underwhelmed by the shop girl's suggestion, so we might as well try all of them until we find the one you actually like. They all look good anyway.' Of course he didn't voice any of these thoughts to Mary. The two of them had been left alone together in the shop's VIP room. The dressers here were as talented as Amelia from their company. People began entering the VIP room, carrying costumes, props, and makeup. A cluster of makeup artists formed

around William and Mary. Within minutes, the wound of William's forehead was invisible, artfully covered by a combination of hair and makeup.

The first photo shoot would be done using the traditional Chinese theme. Mary was taken to a side dressing room to change into the costume. When she emerged, clad in a vibrant red phoenix coronet and robes of rank, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Here comes the bride!" the shop assistant said playfully.

William was facing away from Mary. Another stylist was putting the finishing touches on his costume. He wore a black and red robe that made him look like a king, and indeed some of the employees were surreptitiously taking photos on their mobile phones, giggling to themselves at how handsome he looked. When he heard Mary come in, he turned, and met his wife's shy eyes.

His breath stopped when he saw how beautiful she looked. Her face was lovely and angelic, framed by the vivid Chinese costume that went well with her coloring.

He thought bemusedly that when Mary kept her mouth shut, she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world. "Do you find your bride beautiful?" prompted the shop assistant, smiling. She added teasingly, "Ah! The groom is speechless."

William coughed, embarrassed. "It's not bad," he said quickly, looking away.

Mary blushed at her husband's reaction to her. Although he tried to conceal it, she could see that he was impressed by her appearance. Seeing how handsome William himself looked, she felt her heart beating faster.

'Oh, no, ' she thought desperately. 'I can't help it. Am I truly falling in love with him?'

William and Mary were ushered to a staged set with traditional Chinese decor. She stood by his side and tried to act normal, but her smile was forced. Her unruly thoughts were racing in her head.

The cameraman took several full-body shots, then lifted his head to grin at them. "Let's try a more intimate photo, shall we? Stand closer together, so we can take some close-ups of your faces." He studied them, and suggested, "Maybe we'll take some pictures in profile as well, of the two of you facing each other."

Mary blinked, a distressed look appearing in her eyes before she could conceal it. William saw the resistance in her expression and immediately felt irritated and offended, but now was not the time to talk about it. He shifted uncomfortably.

After a moment, he lifted his arm and placed it around Mary's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. The camera began flashing. William pulled Mary to face him, then leaned forward to kiss her.

Mary was stunned. Her eyes widened as their lips met. She was at a loss about how to respond.

William pulled away slightly. He was so close that she could see the shadow of his lashes. "Close your eyes," he said softly, then he kissed her again.

Mary obediently shut her eyes, and parted her lips to accept William's kiss.

Without hesitation, William's tongue slid into her mouth, deepening the kiss. Mary kissed him back, feeling dazed. 'Is this a dream?' she thought.

Then her mind stopped working as she focused entirely on the feel of William's lips on hers.

The camera clicked nonstop.

The cameraman was busy taking one photograph after another. He was delighted by the willingness of his photogenic subjects to pose in the most romantic way.

Mary returned to her senses when she felt William releasing her. She stepped back and lifted a hand to touch her pink, swollen lips. She felt flustered and shaken, while William looked completely

calm. She wondered if she had imagined the passion in his kiss.

"All right, let's start with the next set!" called the shop assistant, hurrying forward. People swarmed around William and Mary again, to take off their costumes and replace them with new ones.

William was an expert at hiding his emotions, and his face was expressionless. But his thoughts were in a turmoil. 'Am I out of my mind? Why did I kiss her?'

Soon they were back on the stage, this time surrounded by different props, for the Korean-themed photos. All of a sudden, William felt impatient and irritable.

"How long will all this take?" he demanded. It was almost noon, and they were only done with two sets of photos.

The shop assistant rushed to placate him. "After this one, the next few sets will be done outdoors, and we can do those as quickly as you want," she assured William.

William scowled. He said to Mary, "Are you fine with just taking these two sets for today? We'll come back for the rest later."

Mary nodded. When he was in this mood, she didn't dare provoke him.

"I'm going to pick up the car. Wait for me at the door," he said abruptly. Mary nodded again. William immediately changed back into his regular clothes and left the shop. A stylist was also assisting Mary out of her more cumbersome costume. When she was done, Mary prepared to leave, but the cameraman approached her.

"Mrs. Lan," he said with a smile. "Come with me and take a look at the photos. I think you'll like them very much."

She joined him in front of a computer screen connected by a cable to the camera, and saw the photograph of herself kissing William.

The photograph was a full body shot that showed her standing very close to William. He had placed one hand on her waist and the other on the nape of her neck. Their eyes were closed as they kissed.

It was a stunning photograph.

Mary stared at the screen, and had to resist the sudden, unexpected urge to burst into tears.

The cameraman was oblivious to her distress. "Oh, you two are a perfect match," he said, admiring his photo. "Mrs. Lan, is it all right if we use this photo in our promotional materials? Of course we'll give you a discount if you agree."

"Well," said Mary, clearing her throat. "I'll have to ask my husband."

"Of course," said the cameraman, nodding agreeably. Taking a last look at the photograph of herself kissing her husband, Mary turned and left the room.