The Secret of the Scorned Husband

Two years earlier

Wedding day

"What God has joined together let no man put asunder, he may kiss the bride." Declared the officiant.

Benjamin reached up to kiss his girlfriend's mouth, but she pushed it away in a gesture of irritation.

Immediately the media began to take pictures of them, people ran from one side to the other and minutes later the headlines of the digital and written press were not long in coming.

"The son″in″law of the Celedóns is a nobody. Do they really want us to believe that it was the ugly one who left the relationship with the Andersons? The first news was true, she had no choice but to marry a useless man".

Benjamin watched the news, as his father″in″law approached.

″I booked them a hotel for the wedding night, but to pay for it, you must first clean all the rooms on the upper floor, you'll see if you want it! ″said the man with malice.

Benjamin sighed helplessly, but in the end he had no choice but to comply with his father″in″law's instructions, he did not want his wife to resent him, besides, for the moment he had no other choice but to be a kept son″in″law.

Ten days before 

The man opened the newspaper and the smile on his face froze when he saw the ad on the front page.

"Last minute!  The eldest grandson of the Anderson family, the second most important in the country, has broken off his engagement with the princess of the Celedon family, rumors say that Paolo Anderson despised her for having her face disfigured. The girl's face became a monstrosity after someone threw acid on it".

″This is unheard of! How dare they break off the engagement with my daughter? And in this way! Who do these wretches think they are? This is an offense, they will make us the laughing stock of the whole country. Who are the Andersons to treat us this way? ″said the man, shaking the newspaper angrily.

″What are you talking about, Genaro? What do you mean, the Anderson family broke off the engagement? ″Estela asked, unable to hide her expression of absolute shock.

″What you hear woman. Go for yourself, there is not going to be a wedding, the Anderson family has broken the engagement with Ana Sofia, after three years they refuse to continue any relationship with a disfigured woman, do you know what that means?

″Our family is finished! The union with the Andersons was going to give us a higher social status, and now we have nothing but money. What are we going to do with a useless daughter that no good man will want? ″I can already see all those women in the club pointing at me and making fun of me... For God's sake! My life is over! Destroyed!

″Excuse me, sir, we can counteract that news," said the assistant.

″We're screwed! We'll be the mockery of Villa Madera's society! ″said the man, running his hand over his head.

″They are not ordered yet, we are going to spread the rumor that Miss Ana Sofia has fallen in love with another man and..." the assistant was interrupted by the woman.

″And where are we going to find a man who wants to marry a woman like her? Only a poor man would be able to look at a monster like Ana Sofia," Estela said contemptuously.

″That's enough, Estela! I remind you that the person you are expressing yourself that way about is our daughter," Genaro spat in annoyance.

″Sir, let's call for a job and there we will choose a husband for your daughter, then we will tell the public that she has fallen madly in love and we will celebrate a wedding in style, after signing a marriage contract for three years," said the assistant, feeling satisfied with his proposal.

″My daughter will not accept him, she is not a submissive woman... if she had agreed to marry the eldest Anderson, it is because that commitment was agreed when she was a little girl and she was only keeping her word, I know her... she will not accept anyone else.

″She will, sir! Just give her what she wants most.

″Working on company projects," the man replied.

″Then that's what it is!

″She must accept! I am not willing to be the laughingstock of the city. Prepare everything, I'll see to it that Ana Sofia gets married.

  

Three days later

″Mr. Genaro, everything is ready, the selected men are in the boardroom waiting for instructions," said the CEO's assistant.

″Remember that it is not necessary for him to be good looking, he only has to be someone malleable, who obeys orders without objection, I don't want someone who tomorrow will get his claws out and want to take over my family's fortune. I don't want someone influential, because after all, with my ugly daughter, I don't think anyone would want to court her, not even say marry her," answered the rich magnate decisively.

″Why don't you come and take a look at each one yourself, it would be better to have your opinion," said the man.

″All right! I'll go alone to the next room, to see each of you through the glass.

*****

He hoped that his interview would be satisfactory and that he would be able to demonstrate his skills to fill the vacancy. His mother, concerned about his situation, took it upon herself to look for the company and gave him the order to go there. He began to walk down the hallway, trying to locate the door that was indicated to him, he opened several offices and rooms, but none of them was the right one.

He was about to give up, until a man came out and asked him where he was going.

″Are you here for the interview?

Benjamin fixed his glasses, hesitated for a moment, and ended up nodding his head, doing that, it was harder than he thought.

″Please come and join me," the man ordered, and he followed him.

From there, he doesn't know how it all happened, he was interviewed about three times, asked a variety of questions, tried to answer each one as he knew people liked, then sat in an adjoining room, leaning against the wall, waiting for the verdict, which would be given in a few minutes.

*****

″Sir, that's all of them, which one are you going to choose? ″asked the assistant.

Genaro once again observed each of the candidates and looked at the tallest one, with glasses, bushy eyebrows, the least attractive and who looked the most submissive.

″That one over there! The one leaning against the wall, the least attractive and shyest of them all, that will be my daughter's husband! Because I need a submissive son″in″law whom I can dominate," said the man without replying to any argument.

The assistant walked next to Benjamin and handed him the contract, 

″Here, sign here, the duration of the contract is three years," said the man.

″May I read it before signing it? ″Benjamin asked.

″You have five minutes to sign it.

Benjamin looked it over and read it quickly, it was a marriage contract, he was going to refuse when he received a text message.

"You must hide very well, because those people are after you." 

After reading the text message, he signed without hesitation.