Sugar Daddy For Revenge

The Contract Marriage Proposal

I sat at my desk for a long time after David left. The papers in front of me looked the same as always but I could not focus on them. His words kept going around in my head.

A secret wife for one year. Money and shares in the company. A way to show the people from my past that I was not nothing anymore.

The phone on my desk rang and made me jump. I picked it up.

“Laura, can you come into my office for a moment?” David’s voice said.

“Yes, sir. I will be right there.”

I stood up and walked down the short hall. My heart was beating faster than normal. I knocked once and opened the door.

David sat behind his large desk. He looked up and pointed to the chair in front of him.

“Sit down, please,” he said.

I sat and placed my hands in my lap. “You wanted to see me?”

David leaned forward a little. “Have you thought about what I asked you earlier?”

I took a small breath. “I have thought about it a lot. It is still a very big decision.”

“I know it is,” he said. “But I need to know which way you are leaning. Time is short for me.”

I looked at him. “If I say yes, what exactly would I have to do?”

David spoke in a calm voice. “We sign private papers. You live in a place I provide so it looks real if anyone checks. You come to a few company events with me as my wife. No one else knows the full truth. After one year we can end it cleanly if that is what you want. In return you get monthly payments and real shares that will give you power.”

“And if someone finds out it is only for the rule?” I asked.

“Then we both lose,” David said. “That is why it has to stay secret. I chose you because you know how to keep things quiet.”

I nodded slowly. “I want the shares more than the money. I want enough that my old family will see I built something.”

David watched me carefully. “I can arrange that. Larger shares if you agree today.”

I sat quiet for a few seconds. “All right. I will do it.”

A small smile showed on his face. “Good. I am glad. We can sign the papers this evening after work if you are free.”

“I am free,” I said.

David stood up and walked around the desk until he was closer to my chair. “One more thing. While we are in this arrangement I will treat you with respect. But I will not pretend I feel nothing when I look at you. I told you that earlier and I meant it.”

My face felt warm again. “I understand.”

He looked at me for a longer moment. “Do you feel nothing at all when we talk like this?”

I looked down at my hands and then back up. “I feel something. I am not sure what to call it yet.”

David nodded once. “That is enough for now. We will take it one step at a time.”

He walked back to his chair and sat down. “Go finish the afternoon work. Meet me in the lobby at six. We will go sign everything somewhere private.”

“Yes, sir,” I said and stood up.

I walked back to my desk and tried to finish the papers. My hands still felt a little unsteady. At five-thirty I packed my bag and waited. At six I went down to the lobby.

David was already there. He had taken off his tie and looked less formal.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

We walked outside to a black car that was waiting. The driver opened the door and we both got in the back seat. The car moved through the city streets.

David turned his head toward me. “Are you sure about this, Laura? Once we sign there is no easy way back for the full year.”

“I am sure,” I said. “I need the power it will give me. That part is clear in my mind.”

He studied my face. “And the part where we have to act like a real couple in public sometimes?”

“I can do that,” I answered. “I have pretended things before when I had to.”

David gave a short laugh. “I suppose we both have.”

The car stopped in front of a quiet building. We went inside and up to a private office where a lawyer waited with papers. David and I sat side by side and signed our names in several places. The lawyer checked everything and then left us alone in the room.

David looked at me after the door closed. “It is done. You are my secret wife for the next twelve months.”

I looked at the signed papers on the table. “It feels strange to say that.”

“It will feel less strange with time,” he said. He reached out and lightly touched the back of my hand. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

I did not pull my hand away. “Thank you for the chance it gives me.”

We sat there for a moment without talking. Then David stood up.

“I should take you home,” he said. “Tomorrow we can talk about the apartment I will set up for you and the first event we need to attend together.”

We walked back out to the car. The ride was quiet but not uncomfortable. When the car stopped in front of my small apartment building David spoke again.

“Sleep well, Laura. We start this properly tomorrow.”

“Good night, David,” I said and got out.

I walked up the stairs to my apartment and unlocked the door. The place was silent. I put my bag down and sat on the edge of the bed.

My phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up and saw a message from a number I had not used in years.

It was from Eren, my exboyfriend

The message said: I found out where you work. We need to talk. I am not giving up.

I stared at the screen and felt my stomach drop.

How did he find me after all this time?