Campus Romance: The contract girlfriend

Chapter 10:No going back

The internet exploded.

#DamianEngaged was trending number 1 in Nigeria by 8am.

#GoldDiggerAva was trending number 3.

Campus was a war zone.

Girls glaring in the hallway. "She used him."

Guys taking secret pics. "That's the girl who bagged Cole."

Even lecturers were whispering when I walked into class.

Damian held my hand through all of it. His grip was the only thing keeping me sane.

Press conference at 4pm. The business school auditorium was packed. Reporters. Bloggers. Students with phones out.

"Is this real?" a reporter from Pulse shouted. "Or is this another PR stunt, Mr. Cole?"

Damian looked at me. Then at the 200 cameras pointed at us.

"Yes. Ava is the woman I want to marry. With or without my father's approval. With or without the money."

Flash. Flash. Flash.

My hands were sweating.

"Ms. Ava, is it true you signed a contract for ₦850,000?" another reporter asked.

I opened my mouth but no sound came out.

Damian squeezed my hand. "The only contract that matters is the one we're signing at the altar."

After, in the car, I finally broke down crying.

"Now there's no going back," I sobbed. "Your dad. The company. Everything-"

Damian wiped my tears with his thumb. "Good. I never wanted to go back."

"But what if he ruins you?"

"Then we build something new. Together."

His phone rang. Mr. Cole.

Damian answered on speaker. Put it between us.

"Congratulations, son," his father's voice was ice. "You just lost your inheritance. Your trust fund. Your position in the company. You're cut off. Effective immediately."

Click.

Silence.

The driver stared straight ahead.

Then Damian smiled at me. A real smile. Not the fake billionaire one. "Guess we’re broke."

I laughed through tears. "We're screwed."

"Maybe." He squeezed my hand. "But we're screwed together. And I'd rather be broke with you than rich without you."

That night we didn't go to the penthouse. Too many reporters.

We went to a small hotel in Ikeja. Paid cash. No names.

For the first time in months, we just talked. About our childhoods. About our fears. About what we wanted.

"I want a small wedding," I said. "Just us."

"I want you happy," he said. "That's all."

At 2am, my phone buzzed one last time before I switched it off.

Unknown number: `You think you won? Wait until the wedding. Wait until you meet his real fiancée.`

Linda.

Attached was a photo.

Damian. 5 years ago. With a beautiful blonde woman. At what looked like an engagement party.

My heart dropped.

Damian was asleep next to me. Peaceful.

I stared at the photo until my eyes burned.

What else didn't I know about him?

What else was I walking into?

To be continued...