Fortunes & Favors

"Enough with the call, hurry and get ready to make me a grandchild!" The chuckling voice of the middle-aged man on the other end of the phone made a sweet smile etched on the lips of a beautiful woman with long blonde hair who was leaning on the headboard of the bed, resting from a tiring day's activities.

"Ugh, gross ...." The young woman replied, blinking for a moment, letting her thick and curly eyelashes go up and down. Her neat white teeth were visible as she laughed as she bid farewell and good night to her father.

"Good night, Paula!"

"Night, dad!"

Paula put the cell phone on the table after ending the call. She snorted at the thought of her father's words just now.

"Making baby?" she muttered to herself, repeating her father's words while laughing at the situation right now. "Huh? Ridiculous."

She took a deep breath to relax her body. Well, a while ago was her wedding ceremony. Of course, it's not wrong if her father expected something like that. What else would the bride and groom do on the first night together?

However, of course, he would be shocked to death if he knew his daughter was alone on the wedding night. How come? In this world, where was there a ridiculous wedding night like Paula's? Shouldn't this be the night when husband and wife make love and share kisses?

.....

She looked at the ivory lingerie lying in the open suitcase. The lingerie that she bought a few days ago, especially for tonight.

Her slender fingers picked up the beautiful lingerie from the suitcase. A look of disappointment crossed her face. It felt like having prepared a presentation slide for a business meeting with a potential investor, but the client does not come without saying a word. Vain? Yes, a waste of time and a waste of money.

She let out a long sigh and then threw the lacy transparent lingerie back into the suitcase. She looked really annoyed and very disappointed at her husband's treatment which could be considered harassment.

Paula hoped that tonight she could have the perfect wedding night she imagined. She wanted to say goodbye to her virginity after some years of being a celibate girl because her father did not allow her to have extramarital sex.

Like other young people, Paula was curious about what it would be like to be a real woman. Why did her friends love it so much and didn't hesitate to do it with a lover or even a stranger they just met at a nightclub? After that, they would talk about experiences and tell what luck or misfortune they experienced while spending the night with their new date. RIP I-don't-kiss-and-tell.

Guess what, how could her curious young soul not be tempted to do the same? However, the strong reins in the girl did not allow her to get out of control. She finally decided to stay patient until she got married and had a legal partner as her parents wanted.

Instead of worrying about unimportant things, Paula chose to do some work. Sitting alone in a hotel room, in front of a laptop with a pile of work, accompanied by a cup of black coffee ... to be more precise, half a cup, because the other half was already in her stomach.

After fixing up her long ponytail, Paula re-examined the budget plan for opening her cake shop and cafe outlet sent by Monica, her assistant. Her eyes narrowed, reviewing the marketing costs that seemed less effective. Perhaps, she would choose online marketing through social media and the endorsement system through influencers to keep it on budget.

About two hours later, the tiring work was finished. After sending Monica an email, she turned off the laptop and took a sip of the remaining coffee left in the cup.

Then, she grabbed a brush and toothpaste and headed to the bathroom to do her nightly routine. After changing into a comfortable satin pajama, she laid back on the double king-sized bed which was soft and seemed too wide for one person.

Poor Paula. Where did her husband go?

Who knows. Once they were in the hotel room, her husband immediately left her without even saying goodbye. However, Paula didn't want to look for her husband because, to be honest, she didn't know where her husband used to go, didn't know his friends, didn't know his cell phone number ... on top of it, she couldn't remember her husband's face.

William. The only child of Alex Montgomery, a billionaire friend of her father. The only heir of Montgomery Enterprise. That was all she knew about her husband.

It's not that she didn't care, She just didn't have time to get to know him. This wedding was planned so suddenly. Meanwhile, She had been very busy these past few weeks with research on the bakery she was starting.

Two months ago, a week after Paula's graduation, her father told her that she would marry William. "Sorry for the short notice, considering the condition of Lisa, Alex's wife, who is currently sick. Lisa wants to see her only child get married as soon as possible," her father explained, hoping his daughter would understand the situation. However, he was aware that a sudden arranged marriage was something unnatural. It was something that actually couldn't be explained with 'sorry for the short notice.

"I promised Alex, we will be an in-law when we have a son and daughter," her father said while eating his dinner.

"Hmm, but ... don't you think that you should consider my opinion?" she objected still, despite never really falling deeply in love with someone.

"Yes, if you have a boyfriend, you just have to break up with him, no?" her father replied, laughing. He knew the unique character of his only daughter. She didn't believe in love, only cared about the business. Currently, she only dodged his request to test how important this matter to him was. "And ... I will surely invest a hundred grand for your bakery."

"Seriously? A hundred grand?" Paula screamed in joy. She didn't believe what her father said right now. "I thought you would never care about my startup."

"I always care about you, young lady!"

"As long as this marriage has many benefits, I will have no reason to reject," she concluded, finally agreeing to the arrangement. "Okay, I will leave for Tokyo tomorrow morning. Please make sure that you will transfer the money to my bank account before the wedding."

"Ok, Daddy will take care of everything for you. Make sure you come home at least three days before D-day."

"Sure!"

Well, why should she argue? After all, her father always gave her the best clothes, the best toys, the best food, and the best school, so naturally, her father would also choose the best husband for her. At least, it was supposed to be like that.

***

The sound of a ringing alarm from a cell phone woke Paula up. It's already seven in the morning. She immediately did her morning routine.

While enjoying the fresh warm water splashed on her body, her cell phone rang, and she left the bathroom immediately to pick up the call, which turned out to be from Monica. Her assistant told her the meeting with one of the investors was rescheduled.

"Okay, then tomorrow at eight am, okay! Thank you," Paula said while marking the date and time on the agenda.

She had just hung the call up when suddenly a scream came from the door.

"Aaaaaaarrrgh...!" a dark brown-haired man shouted in shock. Moments later, he awkwardly closed his emerald eyes and turned his back. That's when Paula realized why he was screaming. She was standing completely naked beside the bed.

"Ow, ow! Sorry."

***

"Do you have no shame? How could you do something like that in front of a stranger?" William, Paula's husband, scolded her. His face was as red as tomatoes. Either out of shame or anger. He looked at anything but his wife, despite her beautiful body being neatly wrapped in a hotel white bathrobe.

"Sorry, I thought there was no one in this room. And ... you're my husband, not a stranger," Paula said in a flat tone while drying her hair with a dry towel. "Also, if you were really embarrassed or even angry with me, you should have just shut your eyes instead of staring at my beautiful body for a few minutes," she added casually with a smirk plastered on her face.

William's eyes that had been away from his wife now turned to her again, trying to defend himself. His mouth opened to say something, but he didn't manage to do that.

Feeling guilty about her husband's adorable response, Paula tried to soothe his feelings, "Don't be shy. It's natural to like a beautiful and sexy naked woman-"

"Enough!" William snapped, cutting her words. By now, his face was completely red. She knew that her husband was upset.

Being aware of the unfriendly situation, she was kind enough to get him a bottle of mineral water from the minibar and handed it to him. He gladly took it and immediately drank half the bottle. After that, she asked him a not-so-important question, "Why did you come back? I thought you would leave for good."

At first, Paula wanted to ask where her husband was last night, but she didn't because she was sure he would never answer honestly. If it wasn't a secret, he would say a word, no? "Did you leave something behind?"

William shook his head, "I just wanted to pick you up. We're going home today. Pack your stuff up asap."

That's how it was. Today, Paula went home to William's ... her husband's, not to her father's anymore. She was Paula Montgomery ... no longer Paula Anderson.

'Well, anywhere is fine. As long as I can work well,' she muttered to herself. After all, she was aware that a wife should live under one roof with her husband, immediately after the marriage ceremony.

While driving towards the house, Paula studied her husband's face in silence. She wanted to tease him because she knew that he also stole glances several times. When their eyes accidentally met, that's when his face turned completely red.

Paula chuckled, then asked, "Mr. Montgomery, are you a virgin?"