Flash Marriage: Shrewd Wife, Devious Husband
Chapter 83: Lifting Each Other Up

Chapter 83: Lifting Each Other Up

Marcella yawned slouching on the couch.

"Listen," Tony patted her thigh. "Only this last bit is left..."

Marcella regretted talking to him about the bill. Now she had to listen to him explaining the bill for the past hour. It was not like she didn’t appreciate Tony trying to educate her on the bill because she said she didn’t understand it. As always, she understood the bill. He can make her understand anything. He’s a good teacher. She just couldn’t understand why she needed to understand the bill.

"I get it. This bill helps the "corporations" to get funding from the government in case they get affected by a bad economy," she said.

That was the basic premise of the bill. The rest was legal mumbo-jumbo explaining what every word means.

"Yes," Tony kept the thick bunch of papers down. "Now you got it."

Marcella sighed.

"It’s going to help the workers because now the companies won’t have to fire them or file for bankruptcy. Even their pension funds would be protected if needed," Tony added.

"That’s how you are selling the bill?" Marcella nodded. "Smart."

"What?" Tony asked. He thought she would be impressed by the bill. But she was talking about the promotion of the bill. "We don’t have to sell the bill. It’s what it is."

"Really, Tony? Don’t play with me. Do you honestly not see the repercussions of the bill and how it would be exploited by the higher-ups of a greedy corporation? Yes, it would help the workers but it would benefit the executives more. Not to mention the obvious—the funding. The government does not have any money. All the money the government has is the people’s money—tax money. There’s going to be tax hike once this bill gets passed, right?"

Tony chuckled.

"What? Did I say something stupid?" she asked.

"No, Birdie... Never..." Tony held her cheeks. "You’re smarter than ninety percentage of the people I know. And I know a lot of smart people." He kissed her forehead.

Yes, his dearest is smart. She might not have a college degree or one of them fancy degrees from Ivy league schools. Her GPA might have been average. But still, her common sense beats any one of them with degrees. She can look forward at the future and think of causations and effects.

She’s just smart.

"Are you going to hate me for this?" he pointed at the bill.

"You’re in politics," she shrugged. It’s just a different form of extortion.

Any scheme or freebies the government announces is just a scam. The political party or the politician is going to take the credit but he’s not going to spent a single cent of his money. It’s all going to be the people’s money which will be used. Not many can see through it sadly. But it’s the way of the world.

There once was a time where the strangest ruled the world with their strength conquering lands and forcing people to obey their rules. Times have changed and now it’s the smartest ones who rule the world.

"Will you leave politics if I hated it?" she asked.

He looked relieved hearing her opinion as if it mattered to him. She wanted to know. Love. What are the boundaries of Tony’s love?

"No," Tony’s reply was instant. "I promised your dad that I house you in the White House. He wanted you to become the first daughter. He was stopped. But I will make his wish come true by any means possible. You will become the first lady of this nation."

Marcella wetted her lips. It’s... She couldn’t even blame him for not considering her opinion because he talks about her father’s last wish. He knows how much she respects her father.

"Why not the President, then? Why can’t I be the president?" she asked as a joke.

She really didn’t have such aspirations. She sees the workload Tony has. As they go higher the load will only increase. Not to mention, this country has a track record with its Presidents. She didn’t want to get shot to death in front of thousands of people. And even those presidents who survive would age a couple of decades serving their term.

Why would she want that when she can be free?

But she would very much love to see Tony in that position. Wherever he goes, people would salute him and he will have super security. He would be like the king, albeit until he serves the term.

He would really be the most handsome president ever. She’ll just look pretty by his side. That’s the most she wanted to do.

"I would give anything to make that happen. I would sell my soul~"

Marcella covered his lips. She didn’t want to hear more. She knew it’s a man’s world and she wouldn’t want Tony to fight a battle he would lose for sure. "I am not interested in that. I do not want anything. But I love looking up to you, Tony..." she looked up.

All her life, she’s seen how better Tony is at everything he does. He’s like the eagle rising up in the wind that tries to stop him. It delighted her when he succeeds. That feeling hasn’t changed.

"I love see you soar high up in the sky. I’ll be your aide."

"It’s funny..." Tony leaned on her shoulder. "I never thought I am someone who flies..."

"But you are...at least for me."

Tony squeezed her hand and kissed it. "You always believed in me, didn’t you?"

"I did. I do," she said. It’s the truth. If she didn’t believe in his greatness, she wouldn’t have asked him to marry her. She wouldn’t have believed he would vindicate her.

"I know... When we were in middle school, you were the one who pushed me into the debate team and helped me overcome my stage fear," Tony recalled. Her hands were soft and he couldn’t stop touching it. He gently massaged her little soft fingers.

"You had stage fright? That’s news to me!" She didn’t think Sweet Baby Tony was afraid of anything. "But I did nothing. I told you what I believed."

"I had to..." Tony chuckled. "I always wanted to prove you right. You believed I would win and..."

Marcella went silent. She didn’t think she would have such a profound effect on him.

"It was always you..." he said breaking the silence. "I’ve seen you a thousand times under the maple tree looking up at the sky in scholarly ponderance..."

He was interrupted by Marcella’s hearty laugh.

"Scholarly ponderance? I just stared blankly at the sky... How could you... You really must have been so in~"

She bit her lips to stop herself from finishing the statement.

He must have been really in love if he found her blank stare attractive.

"I’m serious," Tony sat up and looked at her. "You always felt like an elusive bird while I was just a puppy trying to catch you..."

Marcella’s heart skipped a beat.

"I’m called the wolf by my peers. Did you know?" he held her hand. "The puppy grew up to be a wolf because of you."

Marcella smiled. "Don’t limit yourself to the land alone, Tony. You’re an eagle. You can rule the skies if you want to. You can."

"See," Tony buried his head in her hand. "I thought I was the apex predator out there. Powerful people fear me, Marcella. I I thought it was enough, and yet, here you are..."

"I turned out to be an unsatisfiable b*tch, huh?" she chuckled.

"No. No..." Tony shook his head. He will never agree with that. "It’s you trying to lift me up."

"You already have ambitions, Tony. I admire you for that. I mean, how much more ambitious can one get than wishing for the seat of the President?" she asked. "I just am saying that... I know you learned from my dad. He was the best at what he did. You don’t have to follow his ways. You can carve your own path. You don’t have to claw and crawl to rise up. Use your wings. You can leave the ground and soar into the sky piercing through the resistance and reach the heights you deserve to be..."

She still didn’t agree him having a little gang like her father did. He should find other ways to climb up.

How? She had no idea. But it is Tony. He will find a way.

Tony lay on her lap and hugged her around her waist. He said nothing and Marcella wondered if she had made him uncomfortable. It must be presumptuous of her to ask him to change his ways without offering a solution.

"Fear is the quickest way to attain power, Marcella," he breathed out.

"It’s a landmine waiting to blow out any moment though," she said.

Tony said nothing. Maybe this is the one thing they will have to agree to disagree.

"So, my nickname came from you thinking of me as a little bird?" she asked to change the topic. They’ve reached a quiet dangerous place where they have an entirely different point of view. They will have to agree to disagree.

Tony chuckled. "You are my songbird. I love hearing you speak..."

Marcella caressed his hair softly. He hugged her and she could feel him relaxing as she caressed his hair. His eyes were closed, his shoulders were relaxed and his breathing was deep. He looked like he was sleeping.

But she was the one who fell asleep.