Inside the Barton household, Claire was wearing a stylish dress, her face sporting an innocent expression. She played with a glass on the coffee table before foolishly lifting it towards the person seated across from her. "G… glass…" She mulled out, drool escaping the corner of her mouth. The set of cross-shaped scars on her face made it hard not to stare.
"He's thanking me by asking me to marry an imbecile?" Tyree posed, not bothering to regard Claire. He skimmed through the reports on his lap, quickly discarding them. The sight of her reported IQ of just 50 made his stomach churn. Although she was pretty and had smooth skin, the constant drooling greatly undercut her beauty. The sight of her was off-putting.
The family butler attempted an explanation, "Your grandfather, he said...Claire saved his life… and now…"
A month prior, Mr. Barton had gone back to his countryside for a spiritual pilgrimage and got lost deep in the wilderness. The Bartons had sent several search parties over several days and nights but to no avail. Once the relentless rain let up, Mr. Barton appeared completely unscathed and was supported by a woman - Claire Gregory.
"He's using my marriage as haggling chips?" Tyree asked coldly, standing swiftly from the couch. He didn't even afford Claire a glance, directing the butler, "Escort her out!"
"Mr. Tyree… but… Ms. Claire is your wife now!" The butler sprung to show him the marriage certificate. Predicting Tyree's refusal, Mr. Barton had made sure to have the marriage paperwork prepared ahead of time, leaving no room for negotiation.
A heavy silence fell over the living room.
Furious, Tyree snatched the marriage certificate to leaf through it. He didn't hesitate showing his desire to rip the paper into shreds.
With his reputation as a titan in the business world and his continued bachelor status at thirty-two, rumors surrounding Tyree's sexual orientation had begun circulating. Mr. Barton's solution was this arranged marriage. Who could have guessed he would pair Tyree with a nincompoop?
"If you don't want anything to drink, do you want some candy?" Claire asked out of the blue, waving a lollipop towards Tyree. Her eyes were wide and bright.
Tyree felt his skin crawl upon making eye contact. With a swift action, he held her hand back; he abhorred sticky things and was particularly meticulous about cleanliness.
"Why're you still here? Get her out and clean her up!" Tyree ordered the butler coldly, his intention being to cast Claire aside.
Before he could make another move, Claire threw her arms around Tyree's and started sobbing uncontrollably, "Darling, do you not need me anymore? All I wanted was to give you a lollipop." As she cried, she unceremoniously wiped her runny nose onto the sleeve of Tyree's tailored suit.
Tyree was taken aback, the butler too, although the latter was suppressing a laugh.
"Don't take me away, Darling! I promise to be a good girl. I'll abide by your rules!" Claire was surprisingly strong for her frail form. She was gripping Tyree so tightly that he began losing feeling in his arm. The more she called him "darling", the darker Tyree's face turned.
