Chapter4-TheContractHasTeeth
1627 Words
Dani's POV
I stare at Xavier.
Save my family.
The words keep repeating inside my head.
I don't know whether to believe him or walk away.
A man like Xavier Cole doesn't just wake up one morning and decide to help someone like me.
There has to be a reason.
There is always a reason.
“What exactly do you want from me?” I finally ask.
Xavier doesn't answer immediately.
He walks back to his desk and sits down.
Then he opens a folder.
I already know what is inside.
The contract.
My stomach twists.
“You will become my wife for one year.”
I almost laugh.
Almost.
Instead, I stare at him.
“You're serious?”
“Very.”
I shake my head.
“This is insane.”
“You said you wanted to know what I want.”
“And this is your answer?”
“Yes.”
I look down at the folder.
There are several pages inside.
Too many pages.
I reach for it.
Xavier doesn't stop me.
I pull the first page out and begin reading.
My eyes move quickly across the words.
Marriage.
One year.
Public appearances.
Living arrangements.
Confidentiality.
No interference in business matters.
No questions about his personal life.
No speaking to the press without permission.
No bringing anyone into the mansion without his approval.
I stop.
“What is this?”
“Which part?”
“This.”
I point at the page.
“You expect me to live in your house and follow all these rules?”
“Yes.”
I look at him.
“You're basically asking me to become your prisoner.”
His expression doesn't change.
“You are free to leave whenever you want.”
“Then why does this contract have so many rules?”
“Because I don't want surprises.”
I laugh bitterly.
“You really think you're in control of everything, don't you?”
“I don't think.”
He looks directly at me.
“I know.”
My jaw tightens.
This man is unbelievable.
I turn another page.
Then I see the payment.
My eyes widen.
That's more money than I have ever seen in my life.
Enough to pay the rent.
Enough to help my mother.
Enough to deal with Dad's debts.
Enough to change everything.
My fingers tighten around the paper.
“No.”
Xavier raises an eyebrow.
“You haven't even finished reading.”
“I don't need to.”
“You do.”
“I said no.”
He leans back in his chair.
“Why?”
“Because I won't sell myself for money.”
Something changes in his eyes.
Not anger.
Something else.
“You think that's what I'm asking you to do?”
“What else am I supposed to think?”
“A business arrangement.”
“A marriage isn't a business arrangement.”
“For some people, it is.”
I stare at him.
He says it so casually.
Like marriage means nothing.
Maybe that's how billionaires see things.
Everything has a price.
Even people.
I place the contract back on the desk.
“I can't do this.”
“You can.”
“No, I can't.”
“You need the money.”
I freeze.
He knows.
Of course he knows.
“You know nothing about me.”
“I know enough.”
His voice is calm.
Too calm.
“You work two jobs.”
My heart drops.
“You are behind on your rent.”
I don't speak.
“Your father's debts are growing.”
I stare at him.
“And your mother is trying to keep your family together.”
My hands begin to shake.
“How do you know all of this?”
He doesn't answer.
“Did you investigate me?”
“Yes.”
The honesty shocks me.
“Why?”
“Because I don't make offers without knowing who I'm dealing with.”
I feel anger rising inside me.
“You had no right.”
“I had every right.”
“No, you didn't.”
I stand.
“You don't get to dig into my family and then sit there acting like you're doing me a favour.”
Xavier remains seated.
“You came here because you wanted answers.”
“I came because you summoned me.”
“And now you have them.”
I shake my head.
“I don't want this.”
I turn towards the door.
“Dani.”
I stop.
His voice is colder now.
“If you walk out, I won't offer this again.”
I slowly turn around.
He looks at me.
“You have forty-eight hours.”
My heart beats faster.
“Forty-eight hours to decide.”
“And if I say no?”
“You go back to your life.”
I swallow.
“Your debts remain.”
My stomach twists.
“Your father's problems remain.”
He pauses.
“And you keep working yourself into the ground until something finally breaks.”
I hate him.
I hate that his words are true.
“You think you know everything.”
“No.”
He stands.
“I know enough.”
He walks towards me.
I instinctively take a step back.
He stops several feet away.
“This contract will solve your financial problems.”
“And what happens after one year?”
“You leave.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“No feelings?”
His eyes remain unreadable.
“No feelings.”
I don't know why those words bother me.
Maybe because they make this sound even more real.
A marriage without love.
A wife without a husband.
A year of pretending.
Then we walk away.
Simple.
At least that's what he wants me to believe.
I look at the contract again.
“What happens if you break the rules?”
Xavier's expression changes slightly.
“The same thing that happens if you do.”
“And what is that?”
“Consequences.”
I don't like the sound of that.
“What consequences?”
He returns to his desk and picks up the contract.
“There is a penalty clause.”
He turns the pages and points to a section.
I read it.
My eyes widen.
“If either party breaks the agreement, they will be responsible for the financial penalties stated.”
“How much?”
He tells me.
I almost stop breathing.
“That much?”
“Yes.”
I stare at him.
“This contract has teeth.”
For the first time, I see something close to amusement on his face.
“Now you understand.”
I close the folder.
“I need time.”
“You have forty-eight hours.”
“I need more.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't have time.”
“For what?”
He looks away for a moment.
“That isn't your concern.”
I study him.
There is something behind his eyes.
Something he's not telling me.
But I remember the contract.
No questions about his private life.
Maybe that's why.
I pick up my bag.
“I'll think about it.”
“Good.”
I walk towards the door.
My hand reaches for the handle.
Then I hear his voice again.
“One more thing.”
I turn.
“If you accept, you will move into my mansion immediately.”
I stare at him.
“Immediately?”
“Yes.”
“And I'll have to pretend to be your wife?”
“Everywhere.”
“What about when we're alone?”
His eyes meet mine.
“When we're alone, you don't have to pretend.”
I frown.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you can be yourself.”
I don't know why, but that answer makes me more uncomfortable.
I open the door.
“Forty-eight hours.”
I nod.
Then I walk out.
The moment the elevator doors close, I let out the breath I didn't realise I was holding.
I look down at the contract in my hands.
One year.
One year with Xavier Cole.
I should throw it away.
I should forget this ever happened.
But then I remember my mother's tired face.
Dad's problems.
The rent.
My two jobs.
The hospital.
The way my body collapsed because I was trying to survive.
I close my eyes.
Maybe this is my only way out.
But something about Xavier bothers me.
He didn't choose me randomly.
He knew too much.
And there is one question I can't stop thinking about.
Why me?
I open my eyes.
The elevator reaches the ground floor.
The doors open.
I step outside.
And just before I leave the building, my phone rings.
It's my mother.
I answer immediately.
“Mom?”
Her voice is shaking.
“Dani, where are you?”
“I'm outside.”
“What happened?”
I stop walking.
“What do you mean?”
There is silence on the other end.
Then she whispers.
“Your father's situation just got worse.”
My heart sinks.
“H
ow bad?”
“He's been threatened.”
I freeze.
“By who?”
“I don't know.”
My grip tightens around my phone.
“Mom, where is Dad?”
Another silence.
Then she says something that makes my blood run cold.
“He disappeared.”
I stop breathing.
“What?”
“Your father is gone, Dani.”
I look through the glass doors of the building.
Far above me, behind one of those windows, Xavier Cole is still in his office.
Watching.
Waiting.
And suddenly, I wonder if his offer came at exactly the right time,
Or if he knew this was going to happen all along.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD