Wow! Got a lot of follows on that last chapter. I wasn't planning on uploading more until next weekend but I decided to add one small chapter. Please review. I am going to try to stick to weekend updates but if I see reviews I might be tempted to post sooner.
Enjoy
Lucy woke up in the plush bed that she had spent the night prior. Stretching, she looked outside and saw that the sun was starting to go down. The funny thing was however, she didn't remember going to bed in the first place.
In fact, the last thing she remembered was sitting in the car with the man she unfortunately would, one day soon, have to marry.
She wondered briefly if he had taken her to bed, yet shook her head when she noticed she was still in her school uniform. She would have reasoned that if Natsu Dragneel ever did something so nice as to carry her to her room, the pervert would have taken the opportunity to change her into a night gown. Pervert.
Stretching, Lucy decided she might as well go and explore the manor, her grumbling stomach signalling that it must be near supper time. Exiting her room, Lucy felt warmth beneath her and silently thanked whomever decided to add a heated floor in the construction of the home.
The house itself was a mixture of old and new, with intricate stonework for walls and highly developed technology for convenience. Lucy's hand ran over the computer screen that was placed just outside her bedroom and noticed the intricate logo of the Heartfillia clan blinking back at her. She smiled at the fact that the Dragneel residence was fully equipped with the home navigation system Lucy's family had developed over a decade ago.
Leonardo was a house based technology that allowed the user to basically plug into the home that it was set up in. It performed a large base of functions that were meant to lessen the stresses of an every day home.
For example, if you wanted to warm up the car for a few minutes before leaving, one would simply inform Leonardo on the keypad and the car would be warm and toasty by the time you got there.
Don't have time to vacuum? Leonardo would send out tank based drones to clean once you were out of the house.
Heck, if you wanted to speak with anyone in the house, Leonardo would automatically find them via their heat signal, and relay your voice through an intercom to whatever room they were in.
Clicking the computer's interface, Lucy saw that while this was the newest model out, it did not have the newest upgrade her company had released a few days ago. After clicking for a few moments, she successfully configured the computer so it would take voice commands, hoping Natsu wouldn't mind. It calmed Lucy a bit to see something that reminded her of home.
When she was a child she was often left alone when her father was away on business trips. It was from this loneliness that Leonardo's voice configuration and personality was conceived. He would learn about his masters habits and speech mannerisms, and respond in the most helpful of ways. It was almost as if he was a real live person sometimes. That way, no matter how long her father was away, she always felt like someone was waiting for her to come home to.
Once her father got word of her adaptions to the program, he quickly got his top tech employees to duplicate and produce the code for everyone's home systems in the world. That had been her first major contribution to the Heartfillia family name, raking in enough money to buy an island.
Which she totally did; then proceeded to turn it into a cat shelter.
It was there that she met Carla, her pure white cat that she just now remembered about. A sharp pang of guilt went through her as she longed to have Carla back in her arms. She would have to speak to Natsu about having her flown over. She briefly wondered if he even liked cats.
"Leo, What is the fastest route to the dining room?"
"A lighted path shall direct you madam. Enjoy your meal" Leonardo replied as lights running along the floor began to light up and show her the way.
Nodding, Lucy began to follow when she stopped in front of a large door to the left of her bedroom. While the lights clearly signalled for her to continue along the pathway, she couldn't help but wonder what was behind it. As far as she could tell, besides her room this was the only other door on her floor. She saw the staircase leading downstairs, its lighted path signalling for her to follow, yet she felt drawn to the door somehow. Her hand reached out slightly, and felt the cool metal of the handle beneath her fingers.
"Authorization required" Leonardo's voice interrupted her action. "Mr. Fullbuster requests to connect to the room for an audio call. Do you accept?"
"Yes." She squeaked as she let her hand fall from the door knob.
"Miss. Heartfillia." Gray's voice rang from the intercom. "Dinner is prepared if you would make your way towards the dining room."
Jumping slightly at the sound of his voice, Lucy withdrew completely from the door and backed away. Shaking her head, she put the mystery room to the back of her mind as she headed towards the staircase.
The dining room was the same as the night prior; large, but small enough to have an intimate conversation. Lucy sat across from Gray and beside Natsu, slowly sipping the soup appetizer that was in front of her.
"If you do not mind reading while eating," Gray began as he passed her a document "Here is the contract that was drawn up for your and Natsu's agreement."
Taking the paper from him, Lucy gave him a curt nod as her eyes began to skim the pages.
Terms: This document states that Miss Lucy Layla Heartfillia agrees to the engagement and marriage between herself and Igneel's grandson. As per the agreement, both parties will participate in the engagement and all related aspects expected in the engagement until the wedding takes place on the anniversary of Igneel Dragneel's death, July 2nd, 2016. After the wedding, both parties are to remain married for an entire year in order to complete the requirements set forth in Igneel Dragneel's will.
Agreement of exchange: In exchange for her compliance in this agreement, Mr. Gray Silva Fullbuster, hereby promises to grant a position to Miss. Heartfillia's friend, Sting Eucliffe in his clinical trial for "Stargardt's disease", starting January 2nd, 2016.
If at any time Miss. Heartfillia breaks the terms of the agreement, Sting Eucliffe's placement in the trial will be revoked.
Monogamy Claus: While in this agreement, both parties are expected the uphold the sanctity of marriage and uphold a monogamous relationship for Igneel Dragneel's will to come into effect. If Igneel's grandson breaches these terms, Miss. Heartfillia will still receive treatment for her friend. However, if Miss. Heartfillia is the one to breach the contract; then she will be denied her agreement of exchange clause, which is located above.
Secrecy Clause: By signing this document, both parties agree to keep this arrangement a secret from the public eye, and are required to act as though they are voluntarily willing to participate. Violating these terms will result in the disbandment of this contract, and both parties shall not receive what is owed.
I, Lucy L. Heartfillia, agree to this document and swear to uphold the requirements to the best of my ability.
Signature:
Date:
I, Igneel's Grandson, agree to this document and swear to uphold the requirements to the best of my ability.
Signature:
Date:
I, Gray S. Fullbuster, agree to this document and swear to uphold the requirements to the best of my ability.
Signature:
Date:
Lucy let out a defeated sigh after finishing reading the contract. While it was pretty straight forward in her opinion, she was momentarily surprised at the addition of the monogamous claus as well as the secrecy from the public clause.
Although she was frustrated with the whole idea, she did admit that they had good reason for adding those two into the agreement.
The secrecy clause made sense as she could just imagine the backlash both her and Natsu's family would get if it became known to the public that their marriage was a sham. Their stocks would fall and their credibility would be questioned when it came to future and current business partners.
The monogamy claus she believed was added in junction with the secrecy claus because if someone caught one of them cheating and reported it to the tabloids, the whole arrangement would come crashing down. They had to make their marriage look legit, and trouncing around with random lovers would surely put their sham of a marriage in jeopardy.
"Do you have a pen?" she asked Gray.
The pen felt heavy in her hands as she took a deep breath before hardening her resolve. It's not like I'm signing my life away, She reasoned. Just the next two years.
Sting had given her much more of his time over the years; especially during a time where she was at her worst.
Letting out an annoyed sigh, Lucy quickly scribbled her signature and pushed the document towards Gray.
Once the dreaded contract was signed, Lucy felt like it was time to excuse herself for the evening. She had had a long day, and her current company was a constant reminder that she was in for a lot of long days in the future.
Natsu watched her leave after she signed the contract. Sighing as he reached out for the pen.
Lucy found herself practically floating back to her plush bed and instantly falling asleep. The last couple of days had really worn her out and rest was her only cure.
Lol, I am so not a lawyer. So don't be too harsh at my lack of contract writing skills.