A whole week had passed since the party, and more specifically since the kiss Ximena had shared with Adriano. Nothing seemed normal after that incident. It was all she could think about, all she would dream about in the night time. And those words he'd so boldly declared to her clogged her train of thought from time to time.

You're mine.

Two very simple yet complex words and she had no idea how to feel about them. Yes, she definitely was angry about just a blatant display of possessiveness but a larger part of her found it thrilling and rather alluring. Long before he'd even said that, she already wanted to be his so now that he had said it...

Shaking the thought away, Ximena continued to fiddle with her thumbs as she rode in silence with her father. Today was the day she had to sign the marriage certificate which also meant it was the day she would officially be married to Adriano Dos Santos. And today of all days, her period had also started so she was more nervous and anxious than usual.

When the car came to a halt, the driver opened the door for her and her father to exist. Emilio had taken time out of his schedule to be a witness. His schedule wasn't as busy as usual since he was slowly pulling out of the company in preparation for Ximena to fully take over. Even though she hadn't been in the office in a while, she would handle some of the work at home in her spare time. She just wanted all of this to be over so she could go back to the one place she felt at ease; her office.

Entering the town hall, they made their way to the receptionist who would immediately direct them to the office where the proceedings would occur. The place wasn't bustling with people, much to Ximena's relief. Too many people all at once made her feel claustrophobic. When they got to the office, they found Humberto, Adriano and to no surprise Carlton there already seated with the lawyer conversing. When Adriano caught a glimpse of Ximena, his eyes scanned her from head to toe and the green hue in them darkened.

Ximena gulped softly. It was like time slowed as he got up and made his way over to them. He kept his eyes locked on her in a sort of predatory manner, and it made a shiver run down her spine. It wasn't like she was wearing anything spectacular; just a striped black and wide sleeveless blouse, denim jeans, black wedges and a white Hermes bag. He, on the other hand, did not fail to impress in a navy-blue Armani suit with a white shirt that had the first two buttons popped and black shiny dress shoes.

"Mr. Dos Ramos," he greeted in his velvety voice as he extended his hand to her father. Emilio simply nodded and returned the shake. He then approached Ximena and hugged her.

"Ximena," he pronounced smoothly and pecked her cheek. His cologne assaulted her nostrils and threatened to knock her out from its potency. Everything about him made her feel weak, it had to be illegal.

She couldn't find her voice so she just smiled at him. Placing the hand on the small of her back, he led her over to the lawyer's desk where there was a vacant chair beside him. Thanking him, she took a seat and patiently waited for the others to finish their greetings.

Humberto came over to her and grabbed her hand, placing a kiss on it. "Ximena, my darling. Como estas?" he said in his arrogant tone, his hollow eyes scrutinizing her. Ximena had not forgotten what he'd said to her the night of her party. In fact, it made her more scared of him than she already was. Something about Humberto Dos Santos did not seem right. He was a manipulative and cunning man and he had a plan. And by the looks of it, this plan of his was going the way he wanted it to.

Retracting her hand in subtle disgust, she replied with an 'I'm okay' and he flashed her another wintry smile before he sat back in his seat. Carlton stood by his side looking as haughty as ever. But why did he need to be there? Why was he always everywhere Humberto went?

"Now that we're all settled, let us begin," the lawyer, Mr. Hathaway said and then began to speak about the terms of the marriage. He seemed to go on forever but eventually, he took out a document from his briefcase and placed it in front him. "Now all you need to do is put your signatures at the bottom and you'll officially have a license to wed."

For some odd reason, Ximena's heart began to pound furiously against her ribcage. Only then had it occurred to her that the gravity of the situation was not a mere joke. She was pledging to officially marry someone she hadn't known for that long. Yes, she was attracted to him but this was just too big of a step. They didn't love each other. If either party violated this agreement, there would be some pretty terrible consequences.

Sweat trickled down the nape of her neck which was cover by her half up half down hairdo. Her vision started to blur and she could see dots in the corners of her eyes. Then she remembered that she had forgotten her anxiety pills at home. It seemed that the walls were closing in on her and it slowly began to tilt. Abruptly rising from her chair, she said, "I-I need some air. Please e-excuse me." Her voice was coarse and sounded foreign to her ears. Once she was out of the door, she stood by a wall in the thankfully empty corridor. She was starting to hyperventilate and her hands shook terribly. Her bag fell out of her hands and she shut her eyes, trying to mentally calm herself.

She was so out of it that she didn't hear the door open and a second later, somebody cupped her face. "Ximena," the person said but it was so faint that she couldn't really hear it or tell who it was that was talking to her.

The person spoke again. "Ximena, amor, I need you to calm down. Can you open your eyes for me," they coaxed her. Even though the voice was a bit muffled, she heard the words and slowly opened her eyes to meet very hypnotic jade ones. Adriano held her face in his hands gently, as he used his thumbs to stroke her cheeks. Vision still blurred; she couldn't quite make out his facial expression but he looked...worried?

"Good girl. Now, I need you to even your breaths for me, okay? Can you do that?" he asked softly and she found herself nodding. Her breaths were becoming less shallow and the rhythm was getting back to normal. He maintained eye contact with her until her breathing was almost back to normal.

Just when her heartbeat was recalibrating, he leaned down and claimed her lips. It was so unexpected that she was shocked at first but the next moment she was kissing him back with so much fervor that it frightened her. And her heart began to beat fast yet again, only this time it was for a different reason. The kiss was gentle, like he was trying to tell her something. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away and pressed his forehead onto her. His eyes were closed.

"I know you're scared, Ximena. So am I," he admitted truthfully? Her hands went on top of his that were still cupping her face. "But we're in this together. I just want you to know that you're not alone in this. I'll be by your side every step of the way. Do you understand that?" he said and she nodded. "Good. Now let's go back in there and get this done."

With that he grabbed he picked up her fallen bag, grabbed her hand and then led her back into the office, where everyone was waiting for them expectantly. Emilio threw his daughter an inquisitive look but she just shook her head discretely, silently telling him she was fine. When they took their seats once more, Adriano wasted no time in signing the document. Handing the pen over to Ximena, she took a deep breath and put her hand over the document. Her hand began to shake once again but when Adriano held her other hand in his beneath the table and gave it a squeeze, she felt calmer which helped her to scribble her signature.

The lawyer took the document and placed a stamp on it. "Well, that concludes our business here. You can now legally get married." He said and extended his hand to each of them to shake. After a few more words they all stood up ready to leave, that is until Adriano grabbed Ximena's arm.

"There is something I want to show you. Do you mind coming with me?" he asked her softly. She looked at her father, who nodded in approval.

"Okay," she replied shyly and left with him.

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