Until Midnight Said Otherwise

Lisa’s heels clicked steadily on the restaurant floor as she walked toward the table where Luis was already waiting, sitting upright with that same calm smile she remembered from years ago. She had agreed to meet him only after he promised to keep everything between them private. But now that she was here, she couldn’t shake the slight discomfort in her stomach as she gave him a weak smile and sat down across from him. Before either of them could say anything, the air shifted and a tall and dark figure stepped into the restaurant. Everyone turned their heads toward the entrance, and when Lisa followed their gaze, her face immediately drained of color. Arthur Brook. He was coming straight toward them with furious eyes locked on her. Lisa could barely move as ridiculous questions raced through her mind. How did he find her? Why was he here? What was he about to do? Arthur didn’t stop walking until he reached their table, and without even acknowledging Lisa, he looked straight at Luis. “What are you doing with my wife?” He asked coldly. Lisa’s heart skipped as she stared at him in shock, trying to process what he had just said. It was the same look Luis had on his face as he turned to Lisa. “Are you married?” Lisa opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Before she could figure out what to say, Arthur raised a hand and two bodyguards appeared. They grabbed Luis without hesitation and lifted him right out of his seat. Luis started to protest, cursing as he struggled, but the guards already had him, dragging him toward the door as the rest of the restaurant exploded in whispers. Arthur narrowed his eyes at the manager. “Clear the restaurant,” and the moment the words left his mouth, the staff moved quickly to usher people out. One man tried to protest and was immediately silenced when Arthur shot him a look that made it clear he wasn’t asking. Within minutes, the entire restaurant was empty except for the staff, Arthur’s men, and Lisa, who hadn’t moved from her seat, still staring at him with disbelief. “What the f**k, Arthur? I thought we were done!” Lisa gritted out. Oh, how furious was she… Unusually calm, Arthur sat down in the chair across from her like he owned the place. “I am talking to you, Arthur.” Lisa forced herself to speak, “Luis is my friend. You can't just….” Instead of responding, Arthur gestured to one of his men, who brought over a briefcase and placed it in front of her. Lisa’s eyes narrowed as Arthur opened it and revealed a neat stack of documents inside, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He placed the box on top of the papers and opened it, showing her the diamond ring inside. Lisa stared at it for a second, then looked up. “What is this supposed to mean?” Arthur shrugged. “We’re getting married, Lisa.” Lisa felt her chest tighten as the words sank in. For a moment she thought she had misheard him, but… his face was serious, and the documents in front of her only confirmed that he wasn’t joking. She shook her head slowly. “No. You don’t just show up and decide something like that.” Arthur leaned forward slightly. “It’s not just a decision. It’s necessary because of the child.” Her voice cracked. “So this is about the baby?” He nodded. “I need to protect my reputation, and this is the only way.” Lisa let out a humorless laugh and pushed the box slightly away. “What about me, Arthur? Don’t you care how this affects me?” “I don’t,” he replied flatly. And just like that, Lisa sat back, stunned. She wondered how everything had gotten to this point, and how the one man she told herself never to get involved with was now forcing her into a future she never agreed to, all because of one mistake she swore would never happen. A mistake she couldn’t undo. A mistake that started with Arthur Brook. ******** Six months ago, Lisa Ryan was the female lead ‘love for hire’ contractor. Her life seemed perfect until that fateful Monday morning when her assistant, Stephanie, had mistakenly scheduled 15 ‘love for hire' clients. Unfortunately, even while knowing the emotional turmoil that came with acting as dates for disgusting pot-bellied men, Jeremy Stone, the owner of “Love for Hire,” refused to let her back down. "It's a good day," Jeremy had remarked, looking at her knowingly. "How many clients do you have today?" Lisa paled, turning to Stephanie urgently. "How many?" A quick glance at her notebook had Stephanie hesitating. “Fifteen clients today." She admitted. Lisa herself laughed in disbelief as she reached for the schedule note. "How could you schedule everything today?!” "It wasn't my fault," Stephanie mumbled, but her voice was soft with guilt. "You said you wanted the whole clientele for the week today." "When did I ever say something like that?" Lisa shot back. Well, nothing came to mind. "You know what?" she sighed. "Hand me the schedule; let me see if I can cancel it." “No.” Jeremy's timely intervention brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. Lisa had almost forgotten that her boss was still there. He collected the note from Stephanie, scanning the contents with a thoughtful expression. “You can't cancel them. How much time is there between each appointment?" "Thirty minutes, starting now." Stephanie replied quietly, avoiding Lisa’s deadly glare. If only eyes could kill. “You are our best staff. Don't disappoint me.” Jeremy said sternly. In other words, he meant: “Attend to all fifteen clients today.” Lisa’s response to his words was robotic. Once Jeremy was out of sight, she turned to Stephanie. “Who is my first client?” “Roland Emmerich.” Lisa froze. Just then, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Her breathing slowed with realization as she remembered a frustrating Friday night. A client had torn her dress to r**e her. It was after she escaped that she decided to drown her sorrows in alcohol. But she would never forget the name of the man who nearly r***d her all in the name of clientele. Roland Emmerich. And now, he had requested for a service she cannot say no to.