He is ruthless I got in a deal with him

Chapter four

Jane POV

Her room was a huge contrast to the living area, her tiny form running around the yellow walls and pointing at one thing or another. She smiled at me as I played along with her antics, and soon enough, we were having the weirdest little tea party with her stuffed animals.

We sat and laughed as she told her little jokes and poured us imaginary tea, her frilly, pink, princess dress falling around her as her tiara sparkled in the light. She looked so happy, so carefree, and all she'd needed was company.

Tears brimmed in my eyes as I watched her, the whole scene saddening. I'd found my reason to stay, if nothing else. To keep her smiling and keep her grounded, at least until my time was up.

When I finally found Jared again, he was sitted calmly in the living space, on a computer, having some online meeting. With Sophie and my father in mind, I took the Non Disclosure Agreement and signed it, not letting myself think twice about it. I passed it to him as his call ended, his expression unchanging as he scanned it.

“We have a deal, then.” He turned to me as he flipped the pages of the contract, only raising his eyes to see my response.

“Yes, we do. I'm in.” It wasn't like I had much of a choice anyway, so I agreed. I turned to him and felt small under his stare, feeling cut down to size with every second.

“A couple of rules. One, no visitors. Two, I must know of your whereabouts, always. Three, you must look presentable to every place, no matter how simple the errand. The press can be quite the lurkers. When you least expect is when they strike. We can't afford that.” Little wonder he was always wearing a suit.

“-But what about -”

“I wasn't done. Four, Sophie cannot know of our arrangement, no matter the circumstances. Five, you will attend no social gatherings where I won't be present with you. Understood?” His glare intensified, daring me to disagree. I didn't.

“Yes.”

“Wardrobe will be here in an hour. Freshen up and get that rubbish off your body.” He finished and walked off to his study, his laptop in his hands. I looked down at myself in disappointment, wondering what was wrong with what I had on. A maid took me to a big room, on the same floor as was Jared's and Sophie's room, leaving me to my pained confusion once she'd shomn me.

Taking a fresh, long bath and slipping on a robe, I sat, more like drowned in the bed, tapping mindlessly at some game I'd downloaded, awaiting the wardrobe personnel.

“Wardrobe is here, ma'am.” The petite maid said simply and left, at least half a dozen people pouring into the room at once with suitcases and measuring tapes and makeup gear. I stared on in shock as they set up shop all around the bed, pulling out a rack from nowhere and hanging outfit upon outfit on it.

To crown it all, Jared walked in, his countenance a little less than the expressionless face I'd gotten accustomed to, two females walking towards him to direct him towards the couch set up for him, arranged in front of a walkway-like space. He pushed them all away, sitting comfortably on his own and looking out into the distance, like it'd been part of his plan to be present all along.

“What is he doing here?” I asked simply, my voice rising in annoyance. The team only stared at me, offering no explanation, a little shook by my question.

“You really thought I'd leave you to pick and choose the clothes? Darling, come on, we both know your nature as regards to fashion.” Darling? Oh, I was supposed to be playing his girlfriend. I met his eyes as I remembered my place, smiling at his non-chalant expression, as I watched the females drool.

“I'm sorry, my love. I'd forgotten.” I said, cringing inwardly at myself. At this, the females sent me underlying glares, some rolling their eyes shamelessly at me.

I spiralled into a full on fashion show, doing a walk everytime I changed a new dress or outfit, having him decide whether he liked it or not before I even got the chance to see it myself. He hated most of them, sending me an underlying insult beneath every rejection.

“That does not look good on her.”

“She looks poor.”

“There's too much fat showing.”

He directed every statement to the team, as I felt worse with every dress he didn't like. He had a bias for the color green, I noticed, letting through almost every piece of clothing that had the color green incorporated in it. He never smiled, just spewing orders and insults as we went till I couldn't take it anymore.

“No. Change.” He said nonchalantly, returning to his phone.

“Make me.” And with that, I put on my robe and left the room, going straight for Sophie's room to cool off. He'd found all the ways to make me feel less of myself, despite the pretty clothing and hairdos. I didn't feel up to it anymore, so I left, walking away from the whole setup and him as well. I sat with Sophie for a good long while, colouring with her as I tried to cool off and hoped that they would all just leave.

Loud sounds filled the hallway as they carried their things with them, mindless chatter laced with surprise and confusion at what they'd just witnessed. I'd heard Jared bark orders at them to leave and thanked the heavens, hoping that he would, by some unlikely circumstance, follow along with them and not return.

When I returned to my room, they were all gone, Sophie taking a nap in her bed before I left. I sat at the edge of the bed and cried, my soul aching for the freedom I'd lost in such little time.

“What was the meaning of that?” His voice was loud and clear, anger obvious in it. He was angry. Very angry.

There wa

s a reason unlikely circumstances were termed unlikely.