Nina.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed I would ever meet the most feared man in this city. His curly hair was neatly combed just as I had seen it earlier this morning.
Beside him stood a well-built man. The way he glanced at me repeatedly made me shift uncomfortably in the chair.
I fiddled with my phone, and just then I received a text from Melinda. “How’s it going? Are you still doing it?”
“Yes.” I texted back and dropped my phone in my bag.
“Max, you can leave now,” Lucian said to the man and he nodded. “Okay, boss.”
Lucian cleared his throat facing me as the huge-looking man left us alone.
"I'm glad you agreed to our little arrangement, Nina," he said, leaning back in his chair. The way he called my name with some kind of smirk on his lips formed some kind of wetness in my undies.
"What exactly is this arrangement about?" I asked, my voice cautious.
"You'll be moving in with me, immediately after your mother recovers," he informed me.
I paused before speaking up. "And what about my boyfriend? I mean the allegations...?"
"I'll take care of it," he assured me. His voice sounded convincing enough and I knew he had the power to escape allegations that were worse than mine; that information wasn’t new.
"But let's focus on our arrangement. You'll be my wife in name only, and your main duty is to protect my daughter, Emilia, like she's yours."
My voice was laced with surprise. "You have a daughter?"
"Of course," he replied. "And she's the reason I need you to pretend to be my wife. My grandmother has been on my neck, demanding I settle down. Once she's convinced I'm married, she'll hand over my trust fund."
I nodded my head slowly, finally realizing what this was about.
“This information is between you and me, no one knows about it. Not even my right-hand man.” His voice thundered, causing my heart to race in fear. “I’ll have your head if anyone else knows of this. Do you understand?” He asked.
“Yes,” I muttered.
“Good.”
"How long do I have to keep up this charade?" I asked.
"Six months should be enough," he replied. "After that, we can go our separate ways, no strings attached."
I hesitated before responding. "Okay, deal."
Lucian smiled, satisfied. "Excellent. Sign there." He handed a document to me, pointing to a set of pens neatly arranged by the edge of the table.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text from Jake.
"Hey, Nina. I'm ready to correct my wrongs. Meet me at our usual spot. We need to talk."
My eyes narrowed. What did Jake want now?
“Change of plans?” Lucian’s voice interrupted my thought, causing me to jerk.
“No, not at all.” I dragged the document to my front and signed it at the end of the paper without going through it.
Lucian gave me a satisfactory smile and stretched his hand toward me. It was a check. My eyes widened in shock and I looked up to see him laughing.
That was the first time I genuinely saw him laugh, he was always so cold.
I smiled hesitantly, pointing to the paper I was holding.
“This is more than what I need for my mom’s surgery. It’s twice the amount.” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“I know. It’s all yours.” He replied. “My driver will drop you off.”
“Thank you,” I said, standing to my feet.
I pushed the chair forward before walking to the door.
“Nina,” Lucian called me. I turned to look at him but he was no longer smiling. “If you fail to keep to the end of your bargain, I’ll have your head.”
I knew better than to think that was a threat. It was a promise.
I gulped. “I won’t fail you.”
