Love Contract

Psycho CEO

Alex’s POV:

The taxi ride back home seemed to drag on, mirroring the heaviness in my heart. When I finally arrived home, I paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk. I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and pushed open the front door.

The quietness of the apartment greeted me, a stark contrast to the chaos of emotions within me. I knew Tori would be home soon from school, probably eager to hear about my interview. I began to prepare lunch, and just when I finished, Tori arrived from school.

She settled down, and after that, we sat at the dining table to eat. I asked her how school was, and I listened to her animated stories about how it was. The question I had been dreading to hear finally came up too. "How was the interview?" Tori asked me.

I thought back to how infuriating and dreadful the day was, but then I hid it all with a smile. "The interview was great. I got the job on the spot," I said to her. I didn't particularly lie.

"Alex, that’s so great! I knew you’d get it," she said, her eyes lit up, and her face was beaming with the good news. I didn't want to ever see that smile leave her face.

We finished eating, and Tori assisted with cleaning up. Later, I helped her with her assignment. As bedtime approached, Tori yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "You should get some rest," I said to her and chuckled a bit. "I'm really happy the interview went great," she said, excitement still evident in her voice.

"I am too," I said as I smiled back at her. I took her to her bedroom and tucked her in. "Sleep well, Tori. I love you."

"I love you too, Alex," Tori said, her eyes already starting to drift shut. I turned off the lights and went to my own room. I stared at the ceiling, imagining how my first day at work was going to be, and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

I woke up really early the next day and started preparing as soon as possible so I wouldn’t get to work late. I set off immediately I was done, and thanks to that, I was able to get there before the clock hit 7:30.

To be honest, the day was actually going fine. It was nothing like how I envisioned it to be. I hadn’t had any encounter with a partner yet—the big dogs—but most of the other associates were actually okay, and some of them were even nice. I thought to myself that maybe this place really wasn’t so bad after all, until…

A guy burst into the room, and I noticed that almost all the associates had a look on their face—a look that said this guy was trouble. His eyes scanned through the room as if he were looking for someone to punish. They finally landed on me. "Julie, come with me," he said.

I was caught off guard. I picked up the first file I saw on my desk and stammered, "Yes, sir." Who the hell was Julie? And why did he ask me to follow him?

He turned back and started walking away. I looked at the other associates, and I could literally feel them pitying me. I struggled to get out of my tiny cubicle and tried to catch up with him, trying to explain to him that I wasn’t Julie, but I felt like a ghost because he didn’t even listen to a word I said. He finally turned back, and I came to a halt. "Where are you on the Johnson’s case?" he asked me.

I coughed a bit. "I just got here, sir," I said to him. "Wait, you’re not Julie."

Well, surprise, surprise. I think I spoke too soon about this place not being bad because how the hell will any human not remember who they were working with.

"Oh right, I fired her…" What?!

"Well, get familiar with the case quickly, we need to play a little good cop, bad cop so we can get them into settling."

He handed over the files to me, without even a care in the world on how I should go through an entire case I have nothing about in only God knows how long, but there was nothing I could say. "Sure, I’ll get right on it," were the only words that could come out of my mouth.

"Be quick with it and meet me in the deposition room before 12," he said. He turned to leave but then he turned back to me. "Also, there’s a file in there that needs the managing partner's signature. So get to Daniel Asher and tell him I need it signed."

Again, a million questions and things to say were on my mind, but all I could say was, "Yes, sir."

"Okay," he said and then he finally left. I waited till he was completely out of sight, and when he was, I let out a sigh of relief. I turned back and went back to my cubicle. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

I opened the folder to start getting ready, and the file I was meant to get to Daniel Asher, the managing partner, was left on top. I picked it up and scanned through it and knew I needed to get it to him as quickly as possible. I closed the folder and proceeded to his office with the file in my hand.

I wonder what he would be like. Even with my short time here, I had heard a lot about him from the other associates, especially the females. I even heard some whispers about them talking about how hot he was—not like it was any of my business.

Apparently, he’s the youngest managing partner in the entire city, which was a really big feat, to be honest. The closer I got to his office, the more anxious I got. I couldn’t wait to see the dream guy that’s the talk of the town in the firm.

I finally got to his office. I could see his name and his role as managing partner boldly written on the glass door. There was an empty seat just before entering his office; it was his secretary’s, but she wasn’t there. I got to the entrance, and there he was. I couldn’t see his face because he was staring out the window, probably enjoying the view, but I could still tell even from the shirt he was wearing that he had a very good physique. I was beginning to understand a little why almost all the girls were drooling over him.

I couldn’t wait till his secretary came back, so I just decided to go in by myself. As I stood outside his office, my heart raced with a bit of excitement and nervousness. This was my chance to impress, and I could put myself on the map as a great associate if this went well.

My hand trembled slightly as I lifted it to knock on the door. "Come in," his voice drifted through the closed door, and as it reached my ears, I couldn’t help but notice how captivating and alluring it sounded

"It was a voice that demanded attention, a voice that even made my heart skip a beat a little. I gently pushed the door open, and he was still looking out the window, probably gazing at the cityscape. I couldn’t help but notice his imposing figure again, exuding confidence and power. His presence alone seemed to fill the room.

He still hadn’t turned back, and it was honestly beginning to get a little weird for me. 'Good afternoon, sir,' I managed to say, my voice betraying a hint of nervousness that I hoped he wouldn’t notice.

As the managing partner turned back toward me, I braced myself for our conversation to begin. But as my gaze met his, an overwhelming sense of recognition washed over me, and my heart sank to the pit of my stomach.

It was him—the man from the day before, the same one I accidentally spilled drinks on and screamed at because he was a jerk. How could fate be so cruel to make me end up in this situation? I knew my time here had already come to an end, and I was probably going to get fired.

In an instant, my awe and admiration transformed into panic and embarrassment. I felt my cheeks flush, and I desperately wished that the ground would open and swallow me whole.

He looked at me curiously, a flicker of recognition crossing his features as well. 'Do I know you?' he asked, clearly not playing along that we had met, and I really hoped he wouldn’t remember.

“Uh, I don’t know. I actually get that a lot; my friends say….” I started, but he cut me off before I could finish my lie. “Wait a minute. You’re the girl from yesterday.”

I didn’t know what to say. ‘Uh,’ was the only thing that could come out of my mouth.

“It was you,” he said again.

“Okay, yes. It was me,” I finally confessed. “But I’m so sorry, Mr. Asher. I was having a really bad day yesterday, and I honestly didn’t mean to take it out on you,” I said to him, even though I still felt like it was all his fault. But I couldn't say that given the whole situation now.

He looked at me as I said all that, and it didn’t look like he was moved the slightest. He began to walk to his seat and then he sat down while maintaining eye contact.

“You know you embarrassed me, right?” he asked.

“And I am so sorry about that, sir. If there’s anything I could do to tell you how sorry I am, I’d do it,” I said to him.

“Hm…,” he said. It seemed like he was thinking of something. “There actually is something you could do for me,” he finally said.

“Anything, Mr. Asher.”

The words that came out of his mouth next shocked me to my bone. “I want you to get into a fake relationship with me.”

What?! I was in awe. “Wait, what?” I finally managed to say.

“I’m in a bit of a bind, and I would need someone to act as if they were in a relationship to help me get out of it,” he explained as if that made it sound any better.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Asher, but I don’t think I can do that,” I said. It took everything in me to suppress my frustration.

“You just said you were in my debt, and since you owe me, I’m asking you to do this for me,” he said.

“And I said I can’t,” my frustration already beginning to seep through. What the hell did he see me as?

“Okay,” he said, and I felt a little bit of relief. “How much would it cost?” he added, and everything came rushing right back.

“What?” I said, not hiding my irritation one bit.

“I said I would be willing to pay you for the duration in which the fake relationship would go on for. How does a hundred thousand a month sound?”

“I’ll tell you how it sounds. Not over my dead body,” I said, picking each word one at a time as I walked closer to his table. “And I’m not going to have you disrespect me for something that was your fault in the first place. So you can go ahead and stuff your hundred thousand down your ass,” I said. I slammed the file on my hand on his table and then I stormed off.

The weight of what I just did settled in when I sat down in my cubicle. I knew I was definitely going to get fired; I might as well begin to pack up.

I was about to begin packing up when a lady called me and told me the guy who came by earlier told her to tell me that I better not be late for the deposition. I picked up the folder quickly and went over the case; then I rushed to the deposition room before the clock hit twelve, and I met him.

I was about to tell him I didn’t have the file the managing partner was meant to sign when he pulled it out from his suit pocket. I was honestly really shocked.

The deposition went great. The good cop, bad cop plan worked. Obviously, he was the bad cop. It went so well that he even commended me, which the other associates told me was a first.

The rest of the day went normally, and by the end of it, I wasn’t fired, and it didn’t seem like I was going to be. Immediately it was time to go home, I packed up and went out the door.

I stopped a taxi and got in. I thought about how my day went, and I couldn’t wait to tell Tori all about it; I’d leave out the part of the managing partner being a psycho, though.

My phone began to ring from my purse, and I brought it out to pick the call. It was Tori’s teacher. I picked the call and put the phone on my ear.

“Hello. Is this Alex? We’ve been trying to reach you all day,” she said.

“Yes, that’s me. Is everything alright?”

“That’s why we’ve been trying to reach you,” I immediately began to feel unease. “Tori’s in the hospital."