THE BILLOINER FAKE GIRLFRIEND

My life was officially over. I stared at the eviction notice pasted on my apartment door, my hands shaking. Three months rent. I owed three months rent. "Amara! You have till evening!" My landlady, Mrs. Johnson, shouted from downstairs. "If you no pay, I go throw your things outside!" I was 24, jobless, and about to become homeless in Lagos. My degree in Business Administration was useless. No company wanted to hire me. Just then, my phone rang. Unknown number. "Hello?" I answered, my voice broken. "Is this Amara Cole?" A deep, cold male voice asked. "Yes... who is this?" "My name is Jaden King. Billionaire. CEO of King Empire. I need you to be my fake girlfriend. I will pay you 5 million naira for one month." I thought it was a prank. "Oga, abeg no dey play with me. I dey face serious problem here." "I'm not joking," he said. "My family is forcing me to get married. I need a girl to pretend to be my girlfriend for my grandfather's 80th birthday party and for one month. You were recommended by my assistant. You are beautiful, educated, and you need money badly. It's a business deal." 5 million naira. My rent was only 300k. With 5 million, I could pay my rent, start a small business, and save my mother in the village. "Where... where are you?" I stammered. "My driver is outside your compound right now. Black G-Wagon. Come down if you are interested. You have 2 minutes to decide." My heart stopped. I ran to my balcony. Truly, a black G-Wagon was parked outside, with a driver in suit standing. This was real. I looked at the eviction notice again. I had no choice. I grabbed my small handbag and ran downstairs, wearing my cheap slippers and old gown. The driver opened the door for me. "Miss Amara?" I nodded and entered. The AC was so cold, the leather seat so soft. I had never entered such an expensive car. Thirty minutes later, we stopped in front of a massive mansion in Banana Island. The gate alone was bigger than my whole compound. A tall, handsome man in a black suit was standing at the entrance. He was so fine, he looked like a movie star. But his eyes were cold, like ice. "You must be Amara," he said, looking me up and down with disgust. "You look... poorer than I expected." My face burned with shame. "You called me here to insult me?" "No. I called you here to make you rich," he said. He brought out a paper. "This is a contract. Rule 1: You will pretend to love me in public. Rule 2: You will never fall in love with me for real. Rule 3: No s*x, no kissing unless necessary for the act. Rule 4: After one month, you disappear from my life forever. Sign it, you get 2 million naira upfront right now." He placed a cheque of 2 million on the table. My hands shook. 2 million just like that? "And if I say no?" I asked. "Then my driver will take you back to your eviction notice and you will sleep on the street tonight." He was arrogant, rude, and heartless. But he was my only hope. I picked up the pen. "Wait," he said, moving closer to me. He was so close, I could smell his expensive perfume. "One more rule. If you fall in love with me, the deal is over and you get nothing." I laughed. "Fall in love with you? Oga billionaire, I don't even like you. I just need your money." For the first time, he smiled. A small, dangerous smile. "Good. Then we have a deal, fake girlfriend." I signed. I didn't know that signing that paper would change my entire life forever