I WILL MAKE YOU LOVE ME

The landlord threw my father's empty coffin into the street in Ajegunle."Three days, Tomiwa! Bury your papa or pack out of my house.

he shouted. My mother knelt beside the coffin crying. The whole street watched us. Shame burned my body.We needed two million naira for burial and mortuary bill. I had only twelve thousand naira left in my account.My phone rang. Unknown number."Miss Tomiwa Ajayi? Mr. Cole Benson will see you now. Benson Towers, Lekki Phase 1, 8th floor. Be here in thirty minutes."I knew that name. Cole Benson. Lekki billionaire. Forbes Under 30. Oil and real estate. Every girl in Lagos crushes on him.I borrowed my neighbor's gown and took keke to Lekki. My last two thousand naira.Benson Towers was like heaven. Glass everywhere. Cold AC. Security looked at my old slippers with disgust."Appointment?""Tomiwa Ajayi. Oga called me."He called and quickly opened the gate.On the 8th floor, a beautiful secretary said, "Oga hates waiting. Go in."I opened the door.He was there. Tall, dark, fine, beard, black suit. Typing on laptop. He did not look up."Tomiwa from Ajegunle. Twenty four. Yabatech graduate. No boyfriend. Father dead. You need two million in three days.""How you know me? Are you stalking me?""I investigated you. Sit."I sat, heart beating fast."I need a wife," he said straight.I laughed. "Oga you dey joke?"He pushed a document to me. CONTRACT MARRIAGE - 30 DAYS - 5 MILLION NAIRA."My father died. His will says if I don't marry in seven days, I lose fifty billion inheritance to my step-brother. I need a fake wife for thirty days. You need money to bury your father. Business."Five million. I could bury papa, pay house rent, save mama."Why me?" I whispered."Because you are poor and desperate. You will not disturb me after. You are not my circle. And you are not my spec, so I won't be tempted."His words cut me like knife but he was saying truth.He brought out RULES.Rule 1: Don't fall in love with me.Rule 2: Don't touch me without permission.Rule 3: No kissing, no s*x. Just acting.Rule 4: After thirty days, take your money and disappear from my life."If I refuse?""Your father remains in mortuary, you and your mother sleep under bridge. Your landlord is my tenant. I already told him to give you three days."Wicked. Cold. Heartless billionaire.But father's coffin was in street.I picked pen with shaking hand. "You will pay today?""Two million today. Three million after thirty days. Divorce and go."I closed eyes. I saw mama crying. I saw papa in mortuary.I signed: TOMIWA AJAYI.He signed: COLE BENSON.He stood and walked to me. He smelled like money and power. He lifted my chin."Welcome to my world, fake wife. Don't fall in love. I never love Ajegunle girls."I looked into his cold eyes with tears and fire."Listen, Cole Benson. In these thirty days, I WILL MAKE YOU LOVE ME."He smirked. "You? Try."My phone vibrated. Alert. 2,000,000 naira from Benson Group. Credit.I gasped. Real money."Driver will take you to bury your father. Be back tomorrow 8am. We go to court to sign marriage certificate. And Tomiwa, buy better shoes. You are now Mrs. Benson."I walked out of Lekki billionaire's office as his fake wife, holding two million, crying, shaking.Tomiwa signs contract and buries her father in Ajegunle with the 2 million. She moves into Cole's Lekki mansion as fake Mrs. Benson.Cole is cold. He gives her separate room. He tells house staff "She is just for show."But Tomiwa is different. She cooks white soup and fufu in his big kitchen, she sings in Yoruba while cleaning, she prays loudly at night. The mansion that was silent for years starts having life.Day 7: They must attend his father's will reading. Cole's step-brother and wicked step-mother laugh at Tomiwa's cheap dress. Tomiwa shocks them by speaking perfect English and defending Cole with fire. Cole is impressed.That night they win the 50 billion. Cole is drunk happy. He drinks whiskey. Tomiwa drinks small wine to celebrate. One thing leads to another in his penthouse balcony... They break Rule 3. They sleep together. First time for Tomiwa.Next morning Cole is cold again: "It was a mistake. Forget it. Rule 4 still stands."Tomiwa cries but says nothing.ACT 2: THE PREGNANCY (Chapter 8-18)2 weeks later, Tomiwa is vomiting every morning. She does test in mansion toilet. POSITIVE. She is pregnant for Lekki billionaire.She wants to tell him but his ex-fiancee returns: Vanessa, half-caste i********: baddie from London. She left Cole 2 years ago for Dubai man. Now she hears he got 50B, she wants him back.Vanessa tells Tomiwa: "You are just Ajegunle house girl hired for acting. He will never love you. Abort that bastard or I will destroy you."Tomiwa decides to hide pregnancy and finish 30 days, collect 3 million, and run.But Cole starts changing. He sees Tomiwa vomiting, he brings doctor secretly. He starts coming home early. He catches himself staring at her lips. He gets jealous when his driver smiles at her.One night, NEPA takes light. Tomiwa is scared of darknes