Love Contract

But it was not until she saw the news on the TV that she realized how much she was hoping for nothing. She was daydreaming like any other girl hoping for a prince charming!

"This morning, the Public Relations Department of GM posted a press release on their official website that Mr. Barry Gu, the CEO of GM in China, will soon tie the knot with Miss Mary Lu, a manager from the same company.

On cue with the report, Selah raised her head and stared at the screen. And instantly, everything she had hoped for crumbled and vanished. Her heart was broken into pieces, and her eyes were filled with tears as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

'Barry Gu, you know Ray is your son, but you never came to see him again since that day. Instead, you are in a hurry to get married. That's right, Ray is just a trouble for you. He is just my son after all.

I wish you a happy wedding, Barry Gu!' Selah thought bitterly. The longer she dwelled on that reality, the heavier her heart got. It was as if a hammer had been endlessly pounding on it.

"He will get married in a few days," Jaime stated, his eyes were also glued on the TV. "I'm going out of town for a few days. Would you like to come with me to unwind? We can get back after the wedding?" he offered, now looking cautiously at Selah.

The latter scratched her fingers uneasily. Before she could say anything, Jaime continued,

"Anyway, the company's business has been suspended recently, and you don't have to shoot for the time being," he informed, pulling up his eyeglasses. "Everyone is busy with the CEO's wedding, and they will all attend it."

After realizing what her agent was up to, Selah flashed him a bitter smile and joked, "Are you comforting me? Jamie, my dear agent, I feel like you are adding salt to my wound." Everyone was busy with the wedding. No one would even remember or search for Selah.

'Tm really doing this for your own good." Looking at her reaction, Jaime felt at a loss. "I have no trouble in dealing with and answering questions from the media, but I can't always seem to make myself understood when talking to you. Come on, Selah. Join me on this vacation."

"Thank you, Jaime. I appreciate it. But, I want to devote all my free time taking care of Ray. My son needs me now more than ever. That morning, when you said you like me, I was really flattered. But I'm sorry, Jaime. I can't return your feelings." Selah lowered her head after saying those words.

"It's alright. Maybe you just haven't given up on him yet. As for my trip invitation, I'll wait for your decision." Without waiting for Selah's answer, Jaime stood from his seat and said, "I have something else to do. have to go now."

"You..." Looking at his back, Selah drew out a heavy sigh. Out of town trip? Could she really leave?

The news of the marriage spread all over the newspapers and magazines. Selah felt so empty, like living a dead life. She couldn't avoid the news when everyone was practically talking about it. "Ray, the stitches are going to be removed today. Are you happy?" The nurse's question brought Selah back to her senses.

"Yes! I'm so happy!" Ray was so excited that he almost jumped up on the bed. "Will my eyes recover totally after removing the stitches? I wouldn't go blind again, would I?" "Yes, Ray, you will be a healthy child once you're out of the operating room!"

"Mom, aren't you happy?" Noticing that her mother kept to herself in one corner, Ray worriedly shifted his attention to her.

"Of course, I'm happy, honey!" Selah hastily waved her hand. Then, smiling widely at her son, she added, "When you recover, how about I take you on a trip?"

"That's awesome! But where are we going? And are we going alone?" Ray asked after clapping his hands excitingly.

"Yes, only Mommy and Ray."

"Knock. Knock. Knock."

While they were talking, a sudden knock sounded on the door.

"Come in, please!"

Barry pushed the door open and walked in, with paper bags filled with toys and snacks. For a moment, he glanced at Selah, evidently lost in thought.

He hadn't seen Selah for only a few days, but did it seem like she had lost some weight again?

"You..." At the mere sight of him, Selah's body tightened in an instant. Her eyes, which keenly stared at him, were utterly bloodshot. "Mr. Gu? What are you doing here?" she asked nervously, her heart was pounding violently in her chest.

"I'm here to see Ray," Barry answered as he walked towards the bed.

"Hello, Uncle Barry!" Hearing Barry's voice, Ray jumped out of bed excitedly.

"Watch out!" Immediately, Barry held the little boy for support. And as he looked at the kid, his eyes, too, were bloodshot. He couldn't believe that Ray was his son! He was holding his son right now!

"I'm fine, Uncle Barry!" Ray shook his head with a smile and asked, "Are those gifts for me?"

"Yes, of course." Barry nodded with a grin and quickly put the things on the bed.

"Uncle Barry, it's so lovely of you! I have only received gifts from my mom before! Thank you so much!" Ray sat on the bed happily and began rummaging the two sacks of snacks and toys. Meanwhile, Barry couldn't help feeling a tinge in his heart as he watched the boy. He had known that Ray had suffered a lot with Selah in the past few years, especially for his eye disease. But this was his son! He deserved the best in the world!

"Ray, is everything all right with your eyes? Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere?" he asked worriedly, carefully examining his son's eyes without being too invasive.

"Mommy said that I'll recover after the stitches are removed!" The kid raised his head and smiled, now holding the Transformer in his hand.

At this point, Barry couldn't help touching his little head, feeling extraordinarily sorry and guilty for his son.

He spent the last three days, profoundly thinking about his circumstance-whether he would choose his son or Mary. But in the end, he still decided to choose Mary. But once the wedding was over, he swore to take care of Ray and give him the best things in life! He would never leave his son alone!

"Ray," the nurse suddenly said, "it's time to remove the stitches. Are you ready?" "Yes!" The young boy nodded and turned to his mother.

"Mommy, will you wait for me?" "Yes, honey. It won't take long. Mommy will wait for you here," Selah answered, flashing him a soft smile.

"Okay!" Ray smiled happily, "Uncle Barry, I will be back soon! Please wait for me too!"

After his cheerful words, the nurse then led him away.

As soon as the boy left, an awkward silence immediately filled the room.

Barry didn't know how to face Selah, and the latter knew of it very well. And with every second they remained quiet, the air inside only became thicker.

"How are you doing lately?" Barry was the first one to break the silence. He suddenly remembered the withered flowers on the balcony of his bedroom.

"Not bad." Selah cursed herself in her heart after realizing how pathetic her answer was. But in all honesty, she felt extremely warm when Barry greeted her even with just a few simple words. "Has Ray asked who his father is?" Barry suddenly asked softly.

And this question made Selah's nose twitch while her throat suddenly turned stuffy. "Yes, he has."

"What did you tell him?" Although his brows were tightly knitted together, a hint of anticipation was highly evident on Barry's face.

"I said that his father has gone to work in a place far away. He won't come back until Ray grows up." Selah sobbed as soon as she revealed those words.

Meanwhile, Barry clenched his fists and wanted to lash out, but he didn't know whom to lose his temper too. It wasn't Selah's fault, nor his back then. But if he wouldn't take care of Ray in the future after learning that he was his flesh and blood, then it would be his fault.

More than that, the woman in front of him was the one he slept with seven years ago. Fate was so naughty!

Barry suddenly searched his suit pocket and took out a red invitation card. "This is for you," he said, handing it to Selah.

Selah understood what it was right away, and even though something sharp flickered in her heart, she bravely took it with her trembling hands.

'Did Barry come here to give me this invitation while making it seem like he was visiting his son? How cruel he is!'

"It's a wedding invitation," Barry said and swallowed. He wanted to sound casual, but he didn't expect this to be so hard. "Sorry for the short notice. If you have time, you are more than welcome to attend the ceremony."

Although the card was thin and light, Selah felt it weighed a thousand pounds. Even her hands couldn't seem to grasp it properly. "Congratulations!" she finally managed to say after hesitating for some time. "Thanks," Barry replied indifferently. He looked up at Selah, only to find that she seemed to be crying. "Hey, are you crying?"

Selah's heart sank after hearing his question. She shook her head firmly and prepared to leave the room.

"Where are you going? Hey, stop!" Barry grabbed her arm, forcing her to raise her head. "Why are you crying?" he asked again.

'She's acting really strange today,' Barry thought, feeling even more eccentric watching her actions.

Selah stopped all of a sudden, and tears began gushing out of her eyes like a stream of water. 'Barry Gu! You bastard! I hate you! I hate you the most in the world!' she thought in her mind.

"Do you like me?" he asked, frowning. He had thought that Selah would blame him for forcing her to be his woman.

At this point, all Selah wanted was to vent all her grievances and resentment in the past few days. "Who do you think you are? Why would I like you? Huh? You're getting married! Why did you come to see Ray anyway? Please leave! Go! Ray doesn't deserve a father like you!"

It was an understatement to say that those words shocked Barry. In fact, it dawned on him with a big bang, making him instantly furious.

He tightened his grip on Selah's arm and asked firmly, "What did you say? Father? So, you know everything? How did you know that Ray is my son? You already knew it a long time ago, didn't you? Tell me!" "I..." Selah wanted to say something but her pale face exposed how hurt she was at that moment. How foolish of her to let her emotions rule her mind!

"Why don't you say anything?" Barry's eyes turned red. "You colluded with that agent named Jerry to blackmail me, didn't you? Selah Shen!" "No, I didn't!" Selah yelled back, shaking her head firmly. "I just knew it not long ago! I heard the conversation between you and Jerry that day..."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Barry seemed to be smiling, but his eyes were full of anger. He suppressed Selah and roared, "I didn't know that I had a six-year-old son, and you hid him from me! You made me the biggest fool in the world!"

Selah bit her lips to hold back her tears. "I didn't know, Barry! I just knew..."

"Selah, my son has suffered so much without me," Barry uttered with so much pain. He then pushed her away at once and added, "I will definitely give him the best life in the future!"

"You... But you are getting married!" Selah was stunned, not knowing what he meant.

"Yes, I am going to get married." Barry nodded, "After I get married, I will take Ray in. He is my son, and his surname is Gu! I won't let him suffer with you anymore!"

"You want to take Ray away from me? 11 Selah's eyes widened in shock. A lump had suddenly seemed to have found its way on her throat.

"I am taking him away." Barry's voice was utterly cold. His lips were pressed into a grim line while his eyes glinted with so much anger.

"No!" Hearing this, Selah hurried to grab Barry's arm and begged, "You can't do this! No, please! I wouldn't let you do that! Ray is my son. I only have him!

Please don't take him away from me!" "I didn't do anything wrong!" Barry's voice thundered in the entire ward. "A woman appeared in my room seven years ago while I was drunk. And then, I got a son. Seven years! You have raised him all those years without saying anything to me! I knew nothing of him, Selah! Do you think I will be willing to go on like this? He is my son! Ray is a Gu! The two days before my wedding will be the last time you spend time with Ray! Cherish those last moments!"

And with those icy, cold words, Barry strode away, leaving Selah in utter misery.

"Woo...Woo..." With tears endlessly flowing on her cheeks, Selah slumped and curled onto the bed, feeling utterly defeated and hopeless.