For Rent and Love

CHAPTER 6: "Tea on your chin, CEO"

The smell of burnt toast hit Nico before he opened his eyes. He had dozed off again after the whole crazy contract proposal.

He sat up on the couch, hair sticking up in every direction, and immediately regretted the last 12 hours of his life. The blanket burrito was gone, replaced by harsh morning light and the sound of Summer having a full-blown negotiation with a kitchen appliance.

"Why are you like this," Summer muttered, slamming the toaster lever down for the third time. At 17, she had the energy of someone who ran on caffeine and t****k drafts. "I just want edible carbs. Is that too much to ask? Is that illegal in this apartment?"

"Because you bought the cheapest one at the 24-hour mart," Luna said without looking up from the stove, hair pulled up in a messy bun. She was a 25 years old web designer and kind of a tech guru "And because you keep using it to reheat pizza."

"I can multi-task!" Summer said, offended. "I'm a TikToker / Future lawyer. Multi-tasking is my brand."

Nico swung his legs off the couch. His head throbbed. "You're seriously making breakfast."

Luna glanced over her shoulder, spatula in hand. "We're not letting you walk out on an empty stomach after signing a contract with us. Bad optics. Looks like we're exploiting you."

"Exploiting me," Nico repeated flatly. "You kidn*pped me from a fountain."

"You jumped in," Summer said, finally winning the toaster fight. Two blackened slices shot up and landed on the counter with a thud. "We saved you. Big difference. Legal distinction."

"It's breakfast," Luna said, cutting through the chaos. She slid a chipped mug of tea toward the dining table and jerked her chin at him. "Sit. Eat. We're civilizing you."

Nico eyed the toast like it had personally wronged him. "That's charcoal."

"It's artisanal," Summer said, plating it with the seriousness of a Michelin chef. She sprinkled something over it. Salt, probably. Maybe glitter. "Charcoal detox. Very expensive in your fancy gatherings, I bet. You guys probably serve this at investor meetings."

He sat because standing felt more petty than sitting. The mug was too hot, too sweet. He didn't say anything, just wrapped his hands around it like it might bite him.

For a minute, it was just the sound of burnt toast being chewed too loudly, the hiss of the stove, and Summer's brain running at full speed.

"So," Summer said, leaning on the counter with her chin in her hands. "It's Friday. Deadline's tonight. But you said you'd talk to your uncle about extending it to tomorrow, right? So we get married tomorrow?"

Nico's jaw tightened. "Yeah. I'll call him. If he agrees, city hall first thing tomorrow."

Luna stopped flipping the egg. "And the rent?"

"I'll transfer the down payment tonight," Nico said, clipped. Like saying it out loud made it real. "So you don't get kicked out before we're even legally bound."

Summer's eyes went wide. "Wait, you're paying us before we're married? That's trust, CEO. That's dangerous."

Luna shot her a look. "Summer."

"What? It is!" Summer turned to Nico, grinning. "See, this is why people fall for you. You're all 'cold CEO' on the outside, but you pay rent on day one. Swoon."

Nico ignored her. His eyes caught on Luna instead - the way her hair fell out of the clip, the smudge of flour on her cheek, the way she was watching him like she wasn't sure if she should thank him or tell him to keep his money.

There was something there. Something warm and stupidly distracting.

Annoying, he decided. All of it.

Luna cleared her throat. "We appreciate it. But the contract still stands. Two months, business only."

"Business only," Nico echoed. He didn't sound convinced. Neither did she.

Summer noticed. Of course she noticed.

She leaned on the counter, grinning. "So, introductions. Proper ones. I'm Summer Chen, 17, aspiring TikToker s***h upcoming lawyer s***h high schooler, Luna's little sister. Our parents died when I was twelve, so it's just us. Rent's due tonight, which is why we're here. Also, I'm a terrible cook but an excellent negotiator. You'll see."

Luna shot her a look. "Summer."

"What? Transparency builds trust. Corporate 101," Summer said, shrugging. "Your turn, CEO."

Nico went still. His fingers tightened around the mug until his knuckles went white.

"My parents are alive," he said finally, voice flat and clipped. "They're in Switzerland. I don't talk to them."

"That's it?" Summer said, leaning forward like he'd just skipped the best part.

"That's it."

Luna set her own mug down slower than usual. "What about the uncle?"

"What about him?" Nico said, sharp. He took a bite of toast to avoid answering. Immediately regretted it. The texture was closer to gravel than bread.

Luna watched him chew, saw the way his jaw worked like he was chewing words too. She didn't push.

Instead she said, "You don't have to tell us anything. But if we're doing this for two months, we need to know when to duck. If your uncle shows up with lawyers, I'd like a heads-up."

Nico swallowed. "He raised me after my dad pulled out. Thinks the only way to keep Moretti Group stable is to marry me off to someone 'suitable'. I think he's a control freak with a controlling shares obsession."

"Valid," Summer said, nodding like he'd just solved a case. She tapped her pen against her notebook. "Also, rude. You're cute when you're not being a CEO about it."

Luna kicked her under the table. Hard.

"Ow! What?" Summer hissed, rubbing her shin. "I'm building rapport! Rapport is important in contract law!"

Nico stared at her, then at Luna, then back at his tea. "You two are exhausting."

"Thanks," Summer said, grinning. "We try. I'm like a golden retriever in human form. High energy, zero boundaries, loves snacks."

"You're nothing like a golden retriever," Nico said.

"See? Sharp tone. I love it," Summer said. "It means you're paying attention. Luna goes quiet when she's actually mad. You go sharp. Useful data."

Luna groaned. "Don't profile him."

"I'm not profiling, I'm analyzing," Summer said. "It's what I do. Also, you've got tea on your chin, CEO."

Nico wiped his chin too fast. "I don't have tea on my chin."

"You did," Summer said, pleased. "Now you don't. Victory."

For a second, none of them said anything. The apartment felt less like a crime scene and more like... a kitchen. Normal. Ridiculous. Warm in a way Nico hadn't felt in years.

And Luna felt it too - that stupid, electric pull when his eyes lingered on her a second too long before he looked away.

Luna picked up the second slice of toast and broke it in half, pushing the less burnt piece toward him. Her fingers brushed his. It was accidental. It still made her breath hitch.

"Eat," she said, voice a little lower than usual. "We've got an appointment at city hall tomorrow. Try not to scowl at the clerk. It scares people."

Nico took it, scowling. "I don't scowl."

"You do," Luna and Summer said at the same time.

He opened his mouth, closed it, and took another bite instead.

Summer watched them, grinning like she'd just won something. "You know, if this works, I'm putting 'secured a billionaire husband for my sister' on my resume. That's a skill."

Luna dropped her head into her hands.

Nico just muttered, "I'm going to regret this before lunch."

"Already do," Luna said under her breath. But she didn't move her hand away.

Outside, the city was waking up. Inside, the toaster finally gave up and died with a small pop.

Summer clapped. "RIP. You served us well, king."

Nico stared at the dead toaster, then at the two sisters in front of him, and decided that maybe, just maybe, losing control of his morning was the least of his problems today.

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