HE WAS MY CONTRACT NOT MY HEART

Chapter 1: The Agreement I never thought I would sign a contract that would change my life. My name is Lena, and at twenty-two, life had already taught me that survival sometimes matters more than pride. Rent was overdue. My mother was sick. And my part-time job barely covered anything. So when I got the offer, I didn’t ask too many questions. It came through an email: “We are offering a paid relationship agreement. Six months. Full compensation. No emotional attachment required.” At first, I thought it was a scam. But then I saw the number. It was more money than I had ever held in my life. The meeting was set in a quiet café in the city center. He was already there when I arrived. Black shirt. Calm posture. No smile. He didn’t even look up when I sat down. “Lena?” he asked. “Yes,” I answered softly. He finally raised his eyes. Cold. Direct. Unreadable. “I’m Adrian,” he said. “Before we start, I need one thing clear. This is not a romance. It is a contract.” I nodded quickly, even though something in his voice made my stomach tighten. He slid a folder across the table. “Six months,” he continued. “You will appear as my partner in public events. In return, you will be compensated every month. Everything is legal and documented.” I opened the folder. Everything was already written. My name. His name. Rules. Boundaries. Even penalties for breaking the agreement. It felt too organized. Too perfect. Like I wasn’t the first person to sit in this seat. “Why me?” I asked before I could stop myself. For the first time, something shifted in his expression. Not emotion. Something closer to hesitation. “You were available,” he said simply. That should have ended the conversation. But it didn’t. Because as I signed my name at the bottom of the page, I noticed something written in smaller print. A final clause I hadn’t seen before: “Emotional attachment from either party will be considered a breach of contract.” I froze for half a second. Adrian stood up, adjusting his coat. “From this moment,” he said, “you are my contract partner. Nothing more.” Then he walked away, leaving me alone with a pen still warm in my hand. And for some reason I didn’t understand yet… I couldn’t stop watching him leave. chapter 2 coming soon........ CHAPTER 2 — THE RULES OF THE CONTRACT I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him again. Adrian. The way he looked at me across that café table… calm, cold, impossible to read. And somehow, that scared me more than if he had been rude. My apartment felt smaller than ever that morning. The ceiling had stains. The heater barely worked. The sound of arguing neighbors leaked through the walls. I stood in front of the mirror brushing my hair, trying not to think about the fact that by tonight, I might be living somewhere completely different. My phone buzzed. Unknown Number. My stomach tightened before I answered. “Hello?” “A car will arrive in ten minutes.” Adrian. Straight to the point. No greeting. “Oh… okay.” The line went dead. I stared at the screen for a second. Who hangs up that fast? I grabbed my suitcase and headed downstairs. The black car waiting outside looked expensive enough to pay my rent for years. The driver took my bag politely, but the entire ride was silent. Honestly, I was grateful for that. Because my thoughts were already loud enough. What kind of man pays someone to pretend to love him? And why did he choose me? The city blurred past the windows until finally the car stopped in front of a massive building downtown. Glass walls. Private security. The kind of place people like me usually only entered to clean. I stepped out slowly, suddenly aware of how cheap my shoes looked. The elevator opened directly into Adrian’s apartment. And God… It was huge. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the entire city. Everything smelled clean, expensive, untouched. But something about it felt strange. Empty. No photos. No personal decorations. No warmth. Just silence. “You’re staring.” I jumped slightly. Adrian stood near the kitchen holding a coffee cup in one hand. Black shirt. Grey sweatpants. Messy hair. For one dangerous second, he looked unfairly attractive. Then he spoke again. “You’ll have your own room.” And just like that, the moment died. “Oh. Right. Cool.” Nice one, Lena. Very intelligent response. He walked past me toward the dining table. “Sit.” I hated how naturally I obeyed. Another folder waited there. Of course there was another folder. Adrian sat across from me, calm as ever. “There are additional rules.” “More rules?” I sighed. “Yes.” “You really enjoy controlling people, huh?” His eyes lifted slowly toward mine. “No. I enjoy avoiding problems.” Something about the way he said it made me stop joking immediately. He opened the folder. “No dating.” “I’m fake dating you.” “You know what I mean.” I rolled my eyes quietly. “No interviews. No discussing private matters with anyone. And no emotional attachment.” There it was again. That rule. I leaned back in my chair. “You keep repeating that one.” “Because it matters.” His voice changed slightly when he said it. Not softer. Just… heavier. I studied him carefully. “Did someone fall in love with you before?” For the first time, Adrian went completely still. Oops. The silence stretched between us. Then he closed the folder slowly. “That topic is not part of the contract.” Bingo. Definitely a yes. Before I could push further, his phone started ringing. He checked the screen and immediately looked irritated. “I need to take this.” He walked toward the balcony. I wasn’t trying to listen. Okay, maybe I was a little. His voice became lower outside, harder to hear. “No.” Pause. “I told you she means nothing.” Another pause. “I’ll handle it.” She? A weird feeling twisted in my stomach before I could stop it. When he came back inside, his expression was colder than before. “What’s wrong?” I asked carefully. “Nothing.” “You know normal people usually don’t answer every question with ‘nothing.’” A tiny smirk appeared on his face. Tiny. But real. And somehow that was worse than the coldness. Because now I wanted to see it again. “You ask too many questions,” he said. “And you avoid too many answers.” For a second, we just looked at each other. The air suddenly felt strange. Heavy. Dangerous. Then Adrian stepped closer and reached past me for the folder beside my chair. His arm brushed mine lightly. That was it. Just a small touch. But my heart reacted like an i***t. I moved back too quickly, nearly hitting the table. Smooth, Lena. His eyes narrowed slightly. “You nervous?” “No.” “Liar.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he was already walking away again. “Dinner is at eight,” he said casually. “Wait… you cook?” Another tiny smirk. “I’m rich, Lena. I hire people.” And somehow… That annoyed me more than it should have.