I Fell For My Contract Partner

Chapter 4.1 Caleb POV : Be My Temporary Boyfriend

07:00 PM...

Now, I was in the lobby of Marion Hotel with my family and in front of us were my father’s business partners and their families.

The Wilson family along with Candice, twenty years old, was their daughter—the one I was supposed to be engaged to.

She… was beautiful, kind of my type honestly.

Her long, wavy black hair gave her an elegant presence. And her green eyes…

I stared at her but my mind drifted elsewhere.

Sean...

A memory replayed inside my mind—his face staring straight at me with those glassy bluish eyes and messy red hair. Even his rough breathing was still echoing in my ears, sending a shiver through me and raising my blood pressure.

And when I touched him after that...

"Caleb? Are you even listening?"

A woman's voice—my mother. She sounded sharp, sending me a death glare.

Yeah, great. I must have lost my mind for a second. Why did I suddenly start thinking about him?

A quiet scoff escaped from my mouth before I realized it.

"Sorry, I don't think I ever said I agreed with the marriage plan," I said coldly, shooting them a dagger look.

The situation became tense. Candice lowered her head slightly, gripping her mother’s hand, while her father—Edric Wilson—coughed.

Meanwhile, my family gasped in disbelief. Wrinkles formed on my mother’s forehead, her face filled with anger, while my dad tightened his jaw, struggling to keep himself from shouting at me.

"Any questions...?" I asked, roaming everyone's faces one by one. "Well, if there's no else, I'll excuses myself...."

I pushed myself up from my seat, ready to leave— but of course my dear, lovely mother always stood in my way.

"Caleb, are you insane?!!" She clearly was mad and couldn't hide the rage from her voice.

"Nah, I am doing this for Candice and her family’s prestige! It would be a shame for them if they lost the groom on the wedding day," I said, turning my head toward her, "Right...?" A quick glance flashed from my dark eyes, a faint smirk playing on my lips—a warning of what would happen if they kept forcing this marriage.

She grunted, looking unpleasent as she tightened her fist.

Who cares? Don’t call me cold, I just be honest.

"Ah, beside I already have a boyfriend," I added with wide smile and a little scenario played on my head.

"Caleb, enough. Don't play around. Sit back!" Finally, my father spoke, sounding like he was almost losing his temper.

I shot him a look and put one hand on my hip. "I am not playing, since you guys already played around with my life." A chuckle slipped out.

"CALEB!!" His voice blared in my ears, filling the room.

Everyone become silent. His voice draw attention from another guest, they were staring and whispering

Triggered by anger, I grabbed someone’s arm at random. The guy happened to be passing right beside me. I didn’t know who he was, and just pulled him closer.

"He’s my lover!" I declared confidently in front of them, without even looking at the person I had just grabbed.

Everyone stared at me like I had just dropped a bombshell.

"A guy?!" After a couple of seconds, my uncle yelled and pointed at me. "He looks like a punk you can find on the street! Look at him—red hair, and his clothes are shabby!" He began roasting the man.

Wait a minute... did he say red hair?

It can’t be him...

Sean… his face flashed again in my memory. Geez.. ever since the incident at the restaurant, his image has invaded my brain like a virus.

No, this person isn’t him.

I turned around just to make sure—and froze.

It’s him again!! Of all people, why does it have to be him? That means I’ve run into him three times in a single day!

Our eyes met and locked. He looked surprised. I wasn’t any better—I stood frozen, completely at a loss for words, my mind going blank as I tried to process how to respond.

"Say, you're just lying right now!" my mother's voice snapped me back to reality. "He can't be your boyfriend!" She stood up and shot a sharp glare at me, then at Sean.

He tried to move away, giving some space between us but I hold his hand tightly.

"What are you doing!?" He whispered harshly and eyeing me with piercing look, as if he could kill me with those eyes.

"I need your help right now..." I said in a serious tone, hoping he would catch a glimpse of my urgency.

"Help? What ki—"

I cut him off with all respect, but my mind was already shifting in another direction.

An idea had just formed—a little scenario I needed to play out.

Well... I wasn’t using him for my own needs. This is what you’d call a good opportunity, and I just took the chance.

"Now, everyone knows I already have someone special in my life. I can never agree to an arranged marriage with Candice—not today, and not ever," I said loudly across the lobby, drawing the attention of everyone around us. They stared at us with curious expressions, clearly eager to gossip.

This is great...

"Watch your manners! Don't be disrespectful to Candice's family!" I could see his face burning with anger.

"Mr. Felix, your son has embarrassed my family and my daughter! How could he choose a brat over a diamond like Candice? I can't accept this!"

That Wilson man stood up, clearly showing his dissatisfaction.

"We're really sorry about this..." my mother spoke up, trying to calm him down.

"Caleb, apologize to Mr. Wilson and Candice. Now." He shot me a sharp look and glanced at the Wilson family.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'm tired of pretending." I looked back at him, uninterested, and chuckled with a wide grin spread across my face. "Let's go, babe."

I took his hand and pulled him along as I walked away, guiding him through the hotel lobby toward the exit. Eyes followed us from every direction, watching the scene as if it were a TV drama, while hurried footsteps echoed behind us.

Maybe my family—or...

Click! Click! Click!

Paparazzi...! s**t, I forgot they were here too...

Their blitz of camera flashing from each of angle.

"Lower your head..." I whispered, placing my hand carefully on his red hair and gently tilted his head down.

We rushed toward the parking area, with them still following behind us.

"Oh my God..." he sounded surprised, raising his voice slightly.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw him looking back with widened eyes. "Don't look back—hurry!" I said, tightening my grip on him.

I pulled out my remote car key and pressed the button from a few meters away. The car doors unlocked with a soft click.

"Now, get in," I said firmly, already opening the door.

He stayed still for a moment, watching me. Then his gaze shifted to the car, and let out a low sigh.

"Guess I have no choice then..." he got into the car without any protest.

That’s good, actually—so I didn’t need to drag him inside. I quickly opened the other door and joined him.

SLAM!

I shut the door loudly and started the car engine.

The sound of my Phantom roared through the parking area as I steered it out of the place, passing the crazy reporters who were still running after us to take our photos.

I sighed in relief once we were on the road, finally freed from all the chaos at the Marion Hotel. For some reason, he didn’t talk as much as he usually did, which made me feel uneasy and glanced over him slightly....

"Sorry for troubling you, but everything has already happened, so I guess I need to ask you something..." I said, trying my luck, even though a sense of guilt crept in my chest.

I don’t know… should I ask him this? He’s just a stranger I’ve met a couple of times, and I shouldn’t involve him in my personal problems, but....

"Huh? What is this?" He asked me in curiousity look on his eyes.

Doubt lingered in my heart. I felt like a bad person for dropping him into my problems so carelessly.

I took a slow breath.

"I want to offer you a work contract..." I said seriously, my expression steady so he’d know I wasn’t joking. "Be my lover for one year, and I’ll pay you handsomely."

Then I pulled my car to the side of the road and stopped there for a while.

"Three billion.Take it or leave it?" I offered, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. Well... normally people would say, "yes"—it was a lot of money.

But I was wrong.

His brows furrowed, and his eyes scanned me like he was trying to find any trace of a lie slipping out of my mouth.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked about my situation first.

"Before that, I need to understand your situation," he said, taking a steady breath. "If you don’t mind, can you explain it to me?" His eyes briefly glinted as the light from another passing car flashed across and he gave me a worried look, as if he really cared or was simply curious.

"Let's go talk somewhere else..."

.