The Devil's Favorite

Agreement

Clair's POV

I managed Elara Sawyer's career for 9 years.

She started her modeling career at age 15. Now she's 24.

And is now one of the most popular models in London.

In those years, I had watched her walk through rejection after rejection, sleep through four-hour flights, smile through blistered feet, and stand under thousands of camera flashes without ever allowing anyone to see how exhausted she really was.

I knew her.

Which was exactly why I knew the scandal was a lie.

Someone had edited that video carefully.

Too carefully.

And whoever did it must know enough about Elara's schedule to make the footage believable.

That scared me more than the scandal itself.

I sat inside my office, staring at the folder containing every article that had been published since midnight.

Her name was still trending.

I cared enough for my model, I treated Elara as my own daughter.

Her contracts were being reviewed.

Two brands had already suspended their campaigns.

Three more were waiting.

And Dior—

I closed my eyes.

Dior hadn't terminated her yet.

But they were considering it.

We had to get Elara out of the public eye before the situation became irreversible.

My phone sat on the desk.

One contact stared back at me.

Caleb Vale.

Caleb was my 9th grade classmate. I know him already.

The man wasn't friendly.

He wasn't charming.

And he certainly wasn't the type of CEO who did favors without expecting something in return.

But he was powerful.

More importantly, he owned the kind of company where Elara could disappear without actually disappearing.

Vale Gullermo Co. had offices filled with executives, assistants, designers, lawyers, investors, and clients.

No one would question why a famous model suddenly appeared there.

Especially if her position was temporary.

I picked up my phone.

For several seconds, I simply stared at his name.

Then I pressed call.

One ring.

Two.

Three.

The call connected.

“What a surprise, Ms Fleur.”

His voice was exactly as I remembered, and always calls me by my last name.

Deep.

Calm.

Impatient.

No greeting.

No small talk.

He already knew who was calling.

“Mr. Vale.”

“Whenever you're calling, I know you need something.”

He knew me well.

I glanced at the clock.

8:14 a.m.

“I need a favor.”

Silence.

I almost laughed.

Of course.

Caleb Vale hated that word.

“I don't do favors.”

“I know, I called you because you might be interested in an Agreement."

Another pause.

“Go on.”

I opened Elara's file.

“I need a temporary position for someone.”

“The model.”

I froze.

He knew.

Of course, he knew.

Caleb Vale knew almost everything happening in the business world.

Still, hearing Elara described that way made my stomach tighten.

“You've heard about the scandal.”

“I've seen it.”

“Then you know why I'm calling.”

“I know what the internet is saying.”

His tone remained completely neutral.

“And what do you think?”

“It's irrelevant what I think.”

That answer didn't surprise me.

“I need you to hire her.”

“No.”

The response came so quickly that I almost laughed.

“You haven't even heard the details.”

“I don't need them.”

“Caleb.”

“Clair.”

His voice sharpened slightly.

“You're asking me to put a famous model in my company while she's surrounded by a media scandal.”

“I'm asking you to give her a temporary job.”

“I don't have time to train models.”

“She'll learn quickly.”

“You sound very confident.”

“I manage her career.”

“So?”

I leaned back in my chair.

“So I know exactly what she's capable of.”

Silence.

I continued.

“Fine, I'll convince you now.”

"Hmm Feisty, go on. If I don't like any of it, I'm hanging up."

"She speaks a lot of languages and is pretty fluent in each. She remembers schedules better than most assistants I've worked with. She's excellent with people, and she knows how to remain calm under pressure.”

“And?”

“She needs somewhere to stay out of the spotlight.”

“So you want to hide her in my company?”

“I want to give her a chance to breathe.”

Another silence.

Longer this time.

Then he asked,

"Fine , How long?”

I blinked.

“What?”

“How long would she be employed?”

“Until the gossip dies down.”

“That could take months or years.”

“And when it ends?”

“She leaves.”

He didn't answer.

I looked at Elara's file.

“She won't cause trouble.”

“That isn't what I'm worried about.”

My brows furrowed.

“Then what are you worried about?”

“Nothing.”

There was something strange about the way he said it.

Before I could question him, he spoke again.

“Send me her information.”

I straightened.

“You'll consider it?”

“I'll review it.”

“That sounds like a yes.”

“It isn't.”

“But you didn't say no.”

Silence.

Then, unexpectedly, I heard something that almost sounded like amusement.

“Send the file, Clair.”

The call ended.

I stared at the screen.

That went better than expected.

Or perhaps it didn't.

I wasn't sure.

I opened Elara's personnel file and attached the information he requested.

Name.

Age.

Professional history.

Languages.

Education.

Modeling contracts.

Public appearances.

Recent scandal.

I hesitated before attaching the video.

Then I didn't.

There was no reason for him to see it.

I sent the file.

Less than a minute later, my phone vibrated.

Caleb Vale: Received.

That was it.

No further message.

I placed my phone down and leaned back.

For the first time that morning, I allowed myself to breathe.

Maybe this would work.

Maybe Elara could disappear for a few months.

Maybe gossip would die.

Maybe we could figure out who had leaked the video.

My phone vibrated again.

I picked it up.

Another message from Caleb.

Caleb Vale: She starts Monday.

I stared at the screen.

I hadn't told him she was available Monday.

I hadn't told him anything about her schedule.

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

Caleb Vale hadn't sounded interested in helping a model escape a scandal.

He had sounded interested in one thing.

Elara.

And I had the unsettling feeling that hiring her had been far too easy.