Contract Marriage: The Replacement Groom

"F*ck! Where the hell are you, Jeslyn?!" Ray ruffled his hair in frustration.

"What about that lawyer and her..." he paused. How can he call that stranger her husband? He refused to give that pauper that title. "...that stranger she contracted to marry her?"

"Ehm... we couldn’t find anything about them. They seem to never exist."

"That’s not possible. Go and look into them! Don’t come back here if you don’t find anything about that contracted husband and lawyer!"

"Yes, young master." The guard bowed and left with his people.

Ray narrowed his eyes as he thought of where Jeslyn was. "Jeslyn, I hope you are not with that contracted man–"

His eyes widened like he had gotten his answer and he threw the glass of wine in his hand against the TV that was reporting on the court case of two days ago.

Yes, it had been two days already and Ray still couldn’t find Jeslyn.

After he left the bar, he went to the places he believed Jeslyn would be. Using the keys she had given him to all her apartments and houses, he opened the doors but found no Jeslyn.

Those keys that were up to 8 were given to him whenever she was gifted or bought a new house but he had never thought of using them until two nights ago.

He didn’t know why he went there nor how he went there, but when he couldn’t find her, something he didn’t know he would feel for her erupted in his heart.

At first, he felt fear and immediately called the young Miss and Christine, thinking they had done something to her because while doing his own path a few months ago, he made sure they promised him that they were never going to harm her after they had taken her property.

That decision of his had caused the young Miss to fight him for a few weeks before they reconciled.

After he got to know that no one touched Jeslyn, he thought she went to one of the rest houses to cry, but his guards couldn’t find her there either, so he started to panic.

For two days he had been on her case and was even thinking of getting the police involved until he thought of the possibility that she was with that wild contracted man.

"Jeslyn, you better not dare!" He roared.

The front door burst open and Ray’s friend walked into the house with rage. "Ray, what did you do to Jeslyn? How could you do that to the woman you love?!"

"Shut the f*ck up frank! How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t love her? I don’t love Jeslyn!" Ray roared.

"You do, you a*shole!" Frank retorted with the same amount of energy. He walked up to Ray in large strides and stood in front of him.

"Ray, I said, you love her!" With eyes spitting fire and a voice filled with anger, he said to Ray with gritted teeth, waiting for him to deny his feelings one more time.

"I don’t–"

"Pow!"

A heavy punch landed on the side of Ray’s mouth.

Ray felt that. It was damn painful, but still, he had no zeal to fight back. Instead, for some reason he didn’t know, he wanted more of that punch.

"You d*ckhead, I know how much I love Jeslyn, but I stayed back when you got into the picture. I couldn’t drag a woman with my best friend and when I saw how happy she was with you, I was also happy, but what did you do? You broke her for greed!

If I had known before now that you were only playing games with her despite loving her so much, I would have taken her away from you.

When did you intend to tell me about this huh? So if I hadn’t forced your sister to spill the beans, I would have still been in the dark, thinking Jeslyn betrayed you on the altar and you sought revenge by testifying against her in court.

You knew I didn’t go to court, you knew I hate the news, yet you didn’t intend to tell me the truth?!

Ray, this will be the first and last chance I’m giving you. If you don’t find Jeslyn and bring her back here, I’ll ruin you... along with your family." Frank spat out before storming out.

Ray lost his momentum and staggered to sit on the couch behind him.

Frank was a classmate with Jeslyn and the two got to know each other after Ray got into a relationship with Jeslyn.

Frank has a dubious origin that even Ray, his alleged best friend, couldn’t find out. He is the young master of the second richest family in Rose City and has stuck with Ray for some reason since his return to the city five years ago.

Ray had no idea that his best friend was in love with his woman until now. What the f*ck has he done?!

Losing Jeslyn and Frank were the two things he didn’t want to ever happen to him.

He doesn’t want to lose Jeslyn, not because he loves her, but because he can’t let her go, especially not after the humiliation.

Yes, his feelings for Jeslyn are not clear. He doesn’t know what he feels, but he was sure that whatever he feels, hatred is part of it.

As for Frank, well, there’s a mystery around him that Ray wants to unravel. Aside from that, he genuinely likes to be around Frank.

"What the f*ck is wrong with me?!" Ray pulled at his thick black hair in frustration with reddened eyes and bleeding lips.

That injury left on the corner of his lower lip was so deep that it would take a few weeks to heal.