THE CEO'S CONTRACTED GIRLFRIEND

THE CEO'S CONTRACTED GIRLFRIEND Chapter 1 — The Wrong Door Aria Santos was having the worst day of her life. Her alarm didn't ring. She missed breakfast. She nearly missed her class. And now, she was standing inside one of the most expensive buildings in the city, holding a stack of documents that wasn't even supposed to be her responsibility. "Thirty-second floor," she whispered, checking the note on her phone. "Executive office." Her aunt had asked her to deliver the documents to someone at Valencia Corporation. It was supposed to be simple. Drop the papers. Say thank you. Go home. Nothing complicated. At least, that's what Aria thought. The elevator doors opened. She stepped onto the thirty-second floor. The hallway was silent, with polished marble floors and huge glass windows overlooking the city. Aria suddenly felt extremely out of place in her simple blouse, skirt, and worn-out shoes. She looked at the number written on the note. 3201. "There." She walked toward the large wooden door and knocked. No answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. Aria sighed. Maybe the person wasn't inside. She looked at the documents. "If I leave these outside, they'll probably blame me." Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door. "Hello?" Silence. She stepped inside. The office was enormous. A dark wooden desk stood in the middle of the room. There was a large bookshelf against one wall and a beautiful view of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Aria placed the documents on the desk. "There. Done." She turned around. And froze. A man was standing near the window. He was tall, dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit. His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp. Aria immediately recognized him. Everyone did. Elias Valencia. The CEO of Valencia Corporation. The youngest CEO in the company's history. And, according to the magazines, one of the most powerful businessmen in the country. Aria swallowed. "Oh." Elias stared at her. "Who are you?" "I—I brought documents." "You're not my secretary." "I know." "Then why are you in my office?" Aria pointed at the papers. "I was asked to deliver those." Elias walked toward his desk. "By whom?" "My aunt." "Name?" "Marissa Santos." He paused. "You're her niece." "Yes." He looked at her for a moment before picking up the documents. Aria took a small step toward the door. "Well, I'll leave now." "Wait." She stopped. Elias placed the papers on the desk. "I need a favor." Aria slowly turned around. "What kind of favor?" Instead of answering, Elias opened a drawer and pulled out a folder. He placed it on the desk. "Read it." Aria walked closer. She opened the folder. Her eyebrows immediately rose. "Is this a contract?" "Yes." She looked at him suspiciously. "What does this have to do with me?" "I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend." Aria stared at him. Then she laughed. Elias didn't. Her smile disappeared. "You're serious?" "Very." "You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?" "Yes." "For what?" "My family." Aria crossed her arms. "Why?" "My grandmother wants me to get married." "Okay." "My father has already chosen someone for me." "Okay..." "I don't want to marry her." Aria stared at him. "And you think pretending to have a girlfriend will solve that?" "It will make them stop." She shook her head. "This is crazy." "I'll pay you." Aria stopped. "How much?" Elias mentioned the amount. Aria's eyes widened. Five hundred thousand pesos. For six months. Her mind immediately went to her aunt. The hospital bills. The unpaid expenses. The constant worry about money. She hated that he knew exactly what would convince her. "You investigated me," she whispered. "I needed to know who I was making the agreement with." "That's still creepy." "Perhaps." Aria looked at the contract again. "Six months?" "Six months." "And after that?" "We go our separate ways." She thought about it. It was only pretending. Six months. She could do it. Probably. "What exactly do I have to do?" "Attend family dinners. Come to certain events. Act like we're together." "That's it?" "That's it." Aria looked at him suspiciously. "And there are rules." "Of course." "No kissing." Elias raised an eyebrow. "Agreed." "No unnecessary touching." "Agreed." "You can't control what I wear." "Fine." "You can't interfere with my studies." "Agreed." "And you don't get to tell me what to do." He paused. "Within reason." "No. Completely." Elias sighed. "Fine." Aria picked up the pen. She stared at the signature line for several seconds. Once she signed, there was no going back. But she needed the money. She slowly signed her name. Aria Santos. Elias signed underneath. Then he extended his hand. "Six months." Aria shook it. "Six months." Neither of them knew how much those six months would change their lives. --- That evening, a black luxury car stopped outside Aria's house. She stared at it through the window. "You've got to be kidding me." Her phone vibrated. Elias: I'm outside. Aria quickly typed. Aria: You're picking me up already? Elias: We have dinner with my grandmother. Aria: You could've warned me. Elias: It's in the contract. Aria rolled her eyes. She grabbed her bag and walked outside. The driver opened the door. Aria climbed inside. Elias was already sitting in the back. He glanced at her. "You're late." "It's been three minutes." "Three minutes is still late." "You're annoying." "I've been told." She sat beside him, leaving a noticeable amount of space between them. Elias looked out the window. "Relax." "I'm relaxed." "Your hands are shaking." Aria immediately placed them under her bag. "They're not." He almost smiled. Almost. The car stopped in front of a massive mansion. Aria stared through the window. "This is your grandmother's house?" "Yes." "This is bigger than our entire neighborhood." Elias looked at her. "Don't say that inside." "Why?" "She'll start asking questions." Before Aria could answer, the door opened. They stepped outside. Elias offered his arm. Aria looked at it. "Do I have to?" "Yes." She sighed and linked her arm with his. The moment they entered the mansion, an elegant elderly woman smiled. "Elias!" Then her eyes moved to Aria. Her smile grew wider. "So this is the girl." Aria forced herself to smile. "Good evening." Elias's grandmother approached her. "I've been waiting to meet you." Aria glanced at Elias. He gave her a warning look. Don't mess this up. She smiled. "It's nice to meet you too." Dinner began peacefully. Until the questions started. "How did you meet?" Elias answered immediately. "At the company." "Who fell first?" Aria looked at him. Elias looked at her. Then he calmly said, "I did." Aria nearly choked on her drink. His grandmother laughed. "Really?" Aria quickly recovered. "He's very persistent." Elias looked at her. "And she pretends she doesn't like it." Aria kicked his foot under the table. He didn't even react. His grandmother smiled. "You two seem perfect together." Aria smiled politely. But deep inside, she knew the truth. They weren't a perfect couple. They weren't even a real couple. They were strangers who had signed a contract. And six months from now, this would all be over. At least, that's what Aria believed. Because she didn't know that the cold CEO sitting beside her would soon become the one person she wouldn't want to leave. And Elias didn't know that the girl who had accidentally walked into his office would become the one person capable of changing everything he thought he wanted. For now, however, they were just pretending. And neither of them was prepared for what would happen when the pretending started to feel real. TO BE CONTINUED...