Chapter 3 The devil’s bargain!

Lila

“Ten grand, Lila. Ten fucking grand!” Jenna slammed her palm next to the cash, making me shake while she continued pacing the room.

“And you’re just gonna stare at his creepy-ass card? You’re insane if you don’t at least try." She picked up the card and then waved it in my face before dropping it back on the table.

"It’s weird, Jen. He didn’t even touch or talk to me. He just threw the money at me like… like I was some charity case." I replied tracing the embossed ‘DS’ on the black card.

“That’s not a job offer, it’s a trap.” I chimed in, shaking my head.

“So walk into the trap then!” She slammed at me.

“Don’t you get it?? He didn’t even touch you, Lila! You just stood in front of him awkwardly and he gave you ten thousand f*cking dollars! That’s more than I make even in a good week. Do you have any idea what that means?"

"That he has too much money to throw around?" I replied while Jenna rolled her eyes.

"So? Since when do we care how rich men spend their money? That could cover your bills for weeks, Lila and you didn’t even have to do anything. Trust me, that man sees something in you and if you don’t call, you’ll never know what it is."  She let out and I hate that she has a point.

I wanted to argue but the hospital bill waiting for me and the looming eviction made it hard to be stubborn. Still, something didn't feel right.

"What if it’s something shady?" I muttered. "What if…"

Jenna wasn't even having it anymore at that point, before I could overthink it, she snatched my phone and dialed the number.

“Jenna…!” She clamped a hand over my mouth as the line rang,

"Sterling Enterprises." A deep voice answered.

“Hi, yeah, this is the girl from the club, she's calling about the arrangement.”

"Name?"

"Lila Brooks." She replied.

"One moment." There was a brief pause before a new voice came on.

"Miss Brooks." The calm, authoritative tone sent a shiver down my spine.

"You impressed Mr. Sterling and he has a business proposition for you. If you’re interested, come to the Sterling Tower tomorrow at ten." he hung up immediately while Jenna squealed, grinning like she’d just won the lottery.

"You have to go!" She exclaimed while I frowned.

"What? Hell no!! I don’t even know what it is. You shouldn’t have called, Jen. I’m not going.”

“Heyyy! Is that the thank you I get for saving you? Mia’s got four days left. Are you really going to gamble her life on your pride?” She quizzed while I went mute for some seconds.

“I’ll think about it.” I finally said.

Jenna left shortly after to prepare for the morning’s shift while I was left with my thoughts.

I kept staring at the money. It was more than I ever made in months and all I did was embarrass myself in front of a man who wasn't even impressed. And now Jenna wants me to go to him? I don’t think so. It's one thing to humiliate myself once, I can't voluntarily sign up for a second round…

I got to the diner in the morning and once Jenna saw me, she just shook her head but didn’t saw a word.

I started working immediately and barely had a second to breathe as I rushed between the tables. Everything was going fine until I got to a table and a middle-aged man in an expensive suit, sitting alone sneered at me like I was dirt beneath his shoe.

"About time, I’ve been waiting forever." He muttered while I forced a polite smile.

"I’m sorry for the delay, Sir. What can I get you?"

"How about getting me a waitress who knows how to do her damn job!” He snapped but I still tried to be calm.

"I’ll bring your order right away, Sir." I said and then turned but his voice stopped me.

"Maybe if you spent less time standing around looking useless, you’d actually make something of yourself."

Anger rose in my chest as I clenched my fists, forcing myself to ignore walk away.

"I bet that’s why your kind ends up stripping for money." He chimed in and I froze immediately.

My kind? Every ounce of restraint I had vanished at that instant and I spun around.

"You know what? If you’re so miserable, maybe you should learn how to cook your own damn food." I snapped at him and his face turned red.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh yeah, you’re definitely excused." I grabbed my notepad, tore out the page with his order, and shoved it into his water glass. The people around us gasped but I didn’t care.

"Lila! Apologize now!" The manager suddenly while storming over.

“No!” I said firmly.

"See? Trash." The man yelled before walking out while the manager then turned to me.

"You just cost me a valuable customer and I’m taking it out of your paycheck. You should be grateful I don’t fire you.” He said and I felt something in me turn cold.

After all the extra shifts and the stressful evenings, this is what I get in return? I yanked off my apron and threw it on the table.

"Keep the paycheck, and shove it where the sun don’t shine. I quit!” I slammed angrily at him.

Jenna was so full of pride as I walked out of the diner.

“Let me know how it goes…” she quickly whispered to me…

About an hour later, I was standing in front of Sterling Tower. The building was massive and my reflection in the lobby doors looked small and cheap like I didn’t belong there. I almost turned around but I remembered Mia again and suddenly got motivated.

I was directed to the boss's office, and getting to the door, I let out a deep breathe before I knocked and pushed the door open.

The moment I saw his face, I felt out of place again. He was sitting behind an enormous black desk, dressed in a suit, his hair neatly styled, making him look so handsome.

“You’re late.” He let out in a sharp tone, without even looking up.

“Traffic,” I lied, hoping he wouldn’t press further.

“Sit.” He said and then finally glanced up while I sank into the chair.

“The job is simple, I need a wife.” He simply said, like he hadn’t just dumped a bomb on me.

"Excuse me… what?" I exclaimed

"A legal marriage," he continued.

"It’s just for a year, no intimacy or complications. You just have to follow my schedule, attend events, and maintain the image I require."

“Marriage? Are you…?”

“Joking?” He cut in sharply before I could finish.

“My time is precious to me so you won’t find me joking around. Are you interested or not?”

“I don’t understand, why me?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around the whole thing.

“That’s a wrong question because you're not special and it could have been anyone else. You should have asked why I’m doing this.” He said and then continued before I could react.

“I need to get married before my 30th birthday or I will lose my inheritance. I can’t have that happen and that’s why I’m paying you a million dollars to be my wife.”

I felt my heart skip a beat when I heard the money. I had expected a huge amount but a million dollars? Not even in my wildest dreams.

With that amount, I would be able to pay for Mia’s treatment, pay the rent and even get a place of my own for my art gallery.

My goodness! Everything would be sorted with just that one paycheck!!! What’s the catch though? There has to be one, right? He’s not just going to throw that huge amount around with no conditions attached.

As if he was reading my mind, he started talking again.

"There are rules and the first is you have to move in with me. We will appear in public together, go for events, interviews and it has to be convincing. If you agree, we will meet at the court tomorrow, get it done legally and you get half the payment then. The other half will be paid at the end of the contract which is in a year. If you fail to uphold the agreement, you forfeit the money." He said each word emphatically and his tone kind of sent a shiver down my spine, making me exhale slowly.

"You don’t have to decide now," he said after studying me briefly.

"But if you agree, the contract will be sent to you and the moment you sign, there’s no turning back. You’ll be spending the next one year of your life playing the role of Mrs. Sterling.” He added while I swallowed hard.

This is indeed the devil’s bargain and I can’t believe I was actually considering it…