A Compromise Before Christmas

Chapter 12

From the outside, Acacia and Nikolaos looked like two lovers locked in each other's gaze. On the inside, however, it wasn't the case.

Nikolaos looked at Acacia with caution. The fire in her eyes was alluring but dangerous, and he did not want to get caught in them. He couldn't risk it.

Acacia spoke in a calculated manner, leading him to believe she already knew what she wanted from him. He wasted no time in finding out what it was.

"It seems you already have something in mind. Won't you share?"

"I'll be glad to. You see, Nikolaos, the more I thought about your 'plan', the riskier it sounded. We're talking about faking an engagement. That's no simple task to pull off."

"I'm well aware."

"It also dawned on me that your family wouldn't be the only one knowing about 'engagement', correct?"

"Correct"

"With all those things considered, I decided my pay must be worth the work."

"And how much are you asking for, exactly?"

"The exact amount is yet to be calculated, but you'll find out once we've established a contract."

Nikolaos' eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"A contract?"

"Of course, were you planning on making such an important proposal without one? I need a guarantee that you will be true to your word."

Acacia made him realize that there were still some very important factors that he had missed in his plan.

"You really thought this out, huh?"

"Someone had to. Judging by your reaction, I assume you hadn't thought of one at all."

"You're right, I didn't. Which is exactly why I needed you to think of it for me."

Acacia rolled her eyes at Nikolaos' cheeky grin.

"Focus"

"Sorry"

"The contract not only guarantees that you'll keep your word, but it also guarantees that I'll keep my word. This is a mutual agreement; we should both benefit from it."

Acacia impressed Nikolaos. He still could not believe that she had accepted his proposal.

"I admire your nobility even though this is a scam."

"As I said, if we're going to do it, we're going to do it right."

"And that we shall"

Nikolaos felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Acacia agreeing with him meant they could reach their goals more quickly. But there was still a long way to go.

"So, this contract, will you be doing the honors, or will I?"

"We'll both do the honors."

"How will we do that?"

"We both need to place some rules. I believe there are some things you'd want me to do and others you'd want me to avoid during this arrangement. I have my own as well. Once we've listed our rules, we can form the contract and then proceed from there."

"Ah, I see. But what happens if one of us breaches the contract?"

Acacia fell silent, and her face bore a thoughtful expression.

"I don't know. I guess I just assumed we'd both hold up our ends of the bargain. Why don't you decide?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I have no intention of breaching the contract, so I'm not worried about any consequences."

Nikolaos smiled brightly.

"Perfect! So, it's settled; we'll make our lists of requests and meet... let's say, 3 days from now. Does that work for you?"

"It does. Where shall we meet?"

"In my hotel room."

Acacia raised an eyebrow, but Nikolaos laughed in response

"It's strictly business, I swear."

"I'll take your word for it then."

Nikolaos didn't expect a simple conversation to give him so much joy. Perhaps it was because his plan was finally moving along, or maybe it was because Acacia was no longer hostile toward him. Whatever it was, it made him feel like the happiest man on earth.

***

The 3 agreed days had passed, and it was finally time for Nikolaos and Acacia's second meeting. After their first, they exchanged contacts and made plans on what exact time they would be meeting. Acacia still had to work, so they scheduled it for after she clocked out.

Nikolaos sat in his hotel room and impatiently watched the hands on the clock on his wall. When he wasn't watching the clock, he was rereading his list of requests, making sure he did not miss a single one.

There were only two requests on the paper, and though he was pleased with them and sure that they made sense, a small part of him still felt nervous. Acacia was an unpredictable woman; there was no telling how she would react.

Just as he was in the middle of rereading his list, he received a knock on his door. The watch on the wall read 8:45 pm, the time they agreed to meet. Acacia punctual, but he expected nothing less.

Setting his paper down on a coffee table, Nikolaos walked to the door but stopped midway to look at himself in the mirror. Even though he knew she wouldn't be interested in his appearance, he still wanted to look presentable.

After 5 minutes of retouching his hair, he finally moved toward the door to open it. Acacia stood in the hallway in her work uniform. Once again, she looked exhausted, but it did not hinder her beauty.

"Good evening," he greeted

"Good evening,"

"Come in."

Nikolaos stepped to the side, and Acacia walked into his room.

"Make yourself at home."

"Thanks"

Acacia put her bag on the sofa by the window and took a seat

"Can I offer you anything?"

"Water is fine."

Nikolaos returned with a bottle of chilled water and handed it to Acacia.

"Right, I can see you're exhausted, and knowing you the way I do, you probably want to get started already."

"You can read minds, how nice for you."

Nikolaos picked up his paper of requests and sat across from Acacia. The nervousness he had felt earlier was still present, but he proceeded regardless, not to waste Acacia's time or patience.

"Alright, starting strong with behavior. You must promise to act in a way that won't upset my family."

Acacia took a sip of her water before responding.

"Could you elaborate?"

"Of course. You see, my family, specifically my grandmother, has a certain way she likes things. Although I'm not the best example when it comes to behavior, she isn't too fond of the eccentric."

"That won't be a problem because I'm not eccentric."

"True, but you do have a powerful personality."

"So?"

"Not saying it's a bad thing, but I have a strong feeling you may clash with my grandmother because she, too, has a powerful personality. That is why I am asking that you... tone it down a little."

Acacia squinted her eyes.

"Are you saying you want me to become docile?"

"No, well, not exactly. What I'm saying is that you should behave in a way that my grandmother will like. It's more favorable for us if you do."

Nikolaos was aware of how absurd he sounded because he thought he sounded strange, too. There just wasn't an easy way of explaining his difficult family.

"So your grandmother likes yes men and women?"

"In a way. She just doesn't like being questioned or talked back to, so please avoid doing that."

Acacia sighed, "Fine, I won't talk back to or question your grandmother. I will also 'tone down' my 'strong' personality."

"Thank you"

"I don't get it, though. You said I have a personality that your grandmother would like; now you're telling me I would clash with her. So which is it?"

"I think she'll like it if it isn't clashing with hers. Grandma loves hardworking people; she also likes people with discipline, so she will definitely like you. What she won't like is you thinking you can talk back to her because you have character."

Acacia's expression showed great confusion. Nikolaos sympathized with her because she wasn't the first person to be confused by Corinna Cassavetes.

"This is messing with my head; let's move on."

"As you wish." Nikolaos looked at his paper, "Next, and probably the most important one. You must do everything in your power to make our relationship look authentic. This means you must do everything I tell you to ensure everything goes as planned."

The request that Nikolaos read was the one he was most worried about, and with good reason. He knew very well what he was asking, and whom he was asking. Convincing her would probably take the entire night.