Chapter 3: The rules
1172 Words
Madison didn't open the contract until she got home.
She placed it on her desk and stared at it for several minutes.
A fake girlfriend.
The words still sounded ridiculous.
She had gone to Hayes Holdings expecting a normal personal assistant job. She thought she would spend her time organizing Cameron's schedule, answering calls, or handling small tasks.
Instead, she had been offered money to pretend to be his girlfriend.
Madison leaned back in her chair.
“What am I getting myself into?”
She picked up the contract and opened it again.
The first few pages contained information about the payment, the length of the agreement, and the responsibilities expected from both parties.
She read everything carefully.
Then she reached a page with a bold heading.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Madison took a deep breath.
She began reading.
Rule One: The relationship will remain strictly professional.
She nodded.
“That shouldn't be difficult.”
After all, she barely knew Cameron.
She turned the page.
Rule Two: Neither party will develop romantic feelings for the other.
Madison stopped.
She stared at the sentence.
Then she laughed.
“Who writes a rule like that?”
She read it again.
It wasn't something people could control.
You couldn't tell your heart what to feel just because it was written on a piece of paper.
Still, she continued.
Rule Three: Neither party is permitted to display jealousy or make unreasonable demands concerning the other's personal life.
Madison raised an eyebrow.
“This is getting stranger.”
She turned the page.
Rule Four: No kissing or physical intimacy unless both parties agree that it is necessary for appearances.
Her eyes widened.
“No kissing?”
She quickly looked around her room as if someone might have heard her.
She continued reading.
There were rules about keeping the arrangement private, attending agreed events, behaving like a real couple in public, and maintaining the story they created about their relationship.
Neither of them could reveal the arrangement to Cameron's family, friends, business partners, or anyone else.
Madison reached the final page.
Then she saw the payment.
She stared at the amount.
Her heart skipped.
It was far more than she had expected.
For a moment, she imagined what the money could do.
She could help her mother pay some of the bakery's debts.
She could help buy ingredients.
Maybe Elena wouldn't have to spend every night worrying about suppliers.
Maybe the bakery could finally breathe.
Madison's expression softened.
Then reality returned.
The money came with conditions.
She dropped the contract on the desk.
“This is crazy.”
Her phone rang.
Ava.
Madison answered.
“Hello?”
“So?”
“So what?”
“Did you read the contract?”
Madison sighed.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I don't even know where to start.”
“Tell me everything.”
Madison hesitated before explaining the arrangement.
There was silence when she finished.
“A fake girlfriend?” Ava finally asked.
“Yes.”
“For a rich man?”
“Yes.”
“And he's paying you?”
“Yes.”
Ava took a deep breath.
“Madison, this sounds like the beginning of one of those movies where everything goes wrong.”
Madison laughed.
“That's exactly what I thought.”
“Then don't do it.”
Madison's smile disappeared.
“I need the money.”
“I know.”
“My mom needs help.”
“I know that too.”
Ava's voice became softer.
“But you can't let money make you ignore something that could put you in trouble.”
Madison looked at the contract again.
“I've been looking for a job for weeks.”
“You can keep looking.”
“I could.”
She paused.
“But most of the jobs don't pay enough. And I can't work long hours because of school.”
Ava didn't respond.
Madison continued.
“This job would solve the problem immediately.”
“But is it worth the risk?”
Madison didn't have an answer.
She looked toward the window.
Outside, people were moving along the street, going about their normal lives.
She wished her own life could feel that simple.
Instead, she was sitting in her bedroom with a contract that could change everything.
Ava spoke again.
“Have you told your mom?”
“No.”
“Are you planning to?”
Madison looked at the contract.
“I don't know.”
She already knew what Elena would say.
Her mother would tell her to forget the money.
She would say no job was worth putting herself in an uncomfortable situation.
But Madison also knew what Elena had been trying to hide.
The bakery wasn't doing well.
Their debts weren't going to disappear on their own.
And yesterday, she had watched her mother pretend everything was fine when it clearly wasn't.
“I can't just sit back and watch her struggle,” Madison said.
“I understand,” Ava replied. “But promise me you'll be careful.”
“I will.”
“And if Cameron does anything you're uncomfortable with, you leave.”
Madison nodded.
“Okay.”
They stayed quiet for a moment.
Then Ava asked, “Do you even like him?”
Madison frowned.
“Like him?”
“Yeah. He's apparently handsome.”
Madison remembered the man from the elevator.
The serious expression.
The way he had looked at her.
She immediately shook the thought away.
“I barely know him.”
“That wasn't an answer.”
“It was.”
Ava laughed.
“Fine. Just don't come crying to me when your fake boyfriend becomes a real problem.”
Madison smiled.
“I won't.”
They ended the call.
The room became quiet again.
Madison picked up the contract.
She read the rules one more time.
Strictly professional.
No feelings.
No jealousy.
No unnecessary physical contact.
Keep the relationship private.
She wasn't looking for love.
She wasn't looking for a relationship.
She was looking for money.
That was all.
At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
Madison reached for her pen.
Her hand hovered over the signature line.
She hesitated.
Then she thought about her mother's bakery.
The unpaid bills.
The worried expression Elena tried to hide.
Madison signed her name.
For a moment, she simply stared at it.
It was done.
She had officially agreed to become Cameron Hayes's fake girlfriend.
Her stomach twisted.
“This better be worth it.”
She closed the contract and placed it back in her bag.
She didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
She didn't know how difficult it would be to pretend to be someone's girlfriend.
And she certainly didn't know how complicated things could become when feelings entered a relationship that was never supposed to have any.
But there was one thing she knew.
She had just stepped into a life completely different from the one she had planned.
And she had no idea how difficult it would be to walk away from it.
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