CHAPTER 4
1014 Words
I locked myself in the bathroom and pulled out my phone with shaking hands.
I dialed Tammy’s number and she picked up on the second ring.
"Girl, what happened?"
"Tammy." My voice came out strangled. "I need help."
"What's wrong?" Her tone shifted immediately. "Cal, what happened?"
"He asked me to be his fake girlfriend and….”
"What?" She cut me off. “Tell me you’re joking.”
"I swear, I am not. He told his family we're dating. To get out of marrying some woman named Charlotte. And now his grandfather wants to meet me at dinner and he's offering me seventy-five thousand dollars to pretend for three months and I don't know what to do."
The words tumbled out in one breath.
"Hold up, hold up. He asked you to be his fake girlfriend for seventy-five grands?"
"Yes."
"For three months?"
"Yes."
The only thing I heard next was our breath exchange.
"Cally. What do you mean you don't know what to do?" She replied slowly.
"I mean I don't know if I should….."
"Cal." She cut me off. "Are you hearing yourself right now? Seventy-five grands. For three months of eating fancy food and pretending to like a man who already risked his whole reputation to defend you."
"But it's lying…”
"It's acting. There's a difference." I heard her moving around, probably pacing. "Listen to me. You got rent you can't pay. Your business is currently almost ruined, you’ve got to pay your mum caretaker and stuff like that. And now some fine-ass billionaire is handing you a solution on a silver platter and you're hesitating?"
"It's not that simple…."
"It's exactly that simple. You show up, smile pretty, let his grandfather think you're together, and walk away with enough money to keep your head above water for months. What part of that is complicated?"
I pressed my hand against my forehead. "What if they find out?"
"They can’t. I’m sure Thorian will make sure of that. But Cal…" Her voice softened. "You can't keep drowning like this. I've been watching you run yourself into the ground trying to keep everything together. If this is a way out, even just for a little while, you gotta take it."
"You really think I should do this?"
"Hell yeah I do. Actually…." She paused. "Tell him eighty-five grands."
"What? No. That's greedy…"
"It's called negotiating. He's a billionaire, Cal. Seventy- five grands is pocket change to him. And you're putting your reputation on the line. That's worth something."
"Tammy, I can't just…"
"Fine, fine. Seventy-five is still good. Just…make sure you protect yourself, okay? Get his terms in writing. Make sure he can't just back out and leave you with nothing."
I took a breath. She was right. I hated that she was right, but she was.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. I'll do it."
"That's my girl." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Now go back out there and get your money."
***************************************************
I walked back to the table, my heart pounding in my chest.
Thorian looked up when he saw me.
I sat down.
"I'll do it," I said before I could change my mind.
Something shifted in his face….relief, maybe. "You will?"
"Yes. But I have terms."
He straightened. "Alright. What do you need?"
I pulled out my phone and opened my notes app, where I'd frantically typed out a list in the bathroom.
"First….this stays between us. No one else knows it's fake. Not your friends, not your assistant, no one."
"Agreed."
"Second……you handle your family. If they get suspicious, if they ask questions I can't answer, you step in. I'm not going to be left hanging."
"Done."
"Third….." I hesitated. "If this goes south. If they find out, or if something happens and the deal falls apart….you don't throw me under the bus. I'm not taking the fall for this alone."
His jaw tightened, but he nodded. "You have my word."
"And fourth….." I looked at him directly. "At the end of three months, we're done. Clean break. No extensions, no 'just one more event.' Three months and then I'm out."
"Three months," he agreed.
I set my phone down. "I want this in writing."
"Of course." He pulled out his phone and started typing. "I'll have my lawyer draft something simple. Nothing complicated. Just the terms we agreed on."
"And the payment?"
"Half up front. The other half when the two weeks are done."
My breath caught. Half up front. That’s about thirty-eight thousand dollars.
"Okay," I said quietly.
He finished typing and looked up at me. "I'll have the contract ready by tomorrow. We can meet, sign it, and then..." He paused. "Then we start by attending the dinner my grandfather arranged for formal introduction.
"When's dinner?"
"Friday night. My grandfather's estate." He ran a hand through his hair. "I know this is a lot. And I know I'm asking you to walk into a situation that's way over your head. But I promise…..I'll make this as easy as possible."
"Easy," I repeated, almost laughing. "Right."
"Callista." He leaned forward, his voice low. "I meant what I said earlier. If at any point you want to be out, just say the word. I'll figure something else out."
I looked at him, at the exhaustion in his eyes. He meant it. He'd actually let me walk away if I asked.
But I wasn't going to ask.
Not when I needed this as much as he did.
"I'm in," I said.
He exhaled, and some of the tension seemed to leave his body. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." I stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Let's see if we can actually pull this off first."
He stood too, extending his hand. "Deal?"
I stared at his hand for a moment. Then I reached out and shook it.
"Deal."
His grip was warm. And for a second, I let myself believe that maybe…..just maybe….this wouldn't completely blow up in my face.
But deep down, I knew better.
Nothing this complicated ever went according to plan.
- Writer
