🥀Chapter 09🥀

She took the folder.

Inside were nine rules, neatly listed. No complicated legal talk, just straight-to-the-point terms. It was exactly how a guy like Finn Leighton would do things.

She read through them all.

----

CONTRACT OF ARRANGEMENT

Between Finn Leighton and Selene Calloway

1. Duration

This deal will last for six months from the day it is signed. No extensions unless both parties agree in writing.

2. Physical Boundaries

No kissing. No hugging. No physical contact unless it is absolutely necessary for a public appearance. Any PDA must be agreed on ahead of time.

3. Separate Rooms

Both parties will have completely separate living spaces in any house they share. Privacy is non-negotiable and must be respected at all times.

4. Public Appearances

Both parties agree to go to at least three public events together every month. Schedules must be shared at least seventy-two hours in advance.

5. Secrecy

Neither party will tell anyone about the true nature of this deal, except for their lawyers. Breaking this rule means paying a major fine.

6. Staying Out of Each Other's Business

Neither party will interfere in the other's personal or work life. Whatever belonged to each person before this contract stays completely theirs.

7. Social Media

At least two posts together per month on public platforms to make the relationship look real. Both parties must approve the content before it goes online.

8. Ending the Deal Early

Either person can end the deal at the six-month mark. Leaving earlier requires a written agreement from both sides and means the person who wants out has to pay a huge fine.

9. No Feelings

Neither person will catch, chase, or act on romantic feelings for the other. This is a business deal. It will stay that way.

---

Selene reached the last rule.

She read it twice.

Then she closed the folder and set it down on the table between them. She was quietly proud of how calm she managed to look.

"Fine," she said. "I agree to all of it."

Finn reached forward and grabbed the pen off the table. He moved without any rush, He opened the folder to the signature page and signed his name.

Then he turned the folder around to face her.

She picked up the pen without hesitating and signed her name right below his.

Selene Calloway.

Done.

Finn picked up the folder, checking both signatures quickly to make sure everything was official. Then he set it back down and stood up.

He was quiet for a second, looking around the room like he just remembered something.

"I haven't even offered you a drink," he said, almost talking to himself.

"I'm totally fine..."

But he was already moving.

He walked over to the corner of the office where a grey mini-fridge sat flush against the wall. She hadn't even noticed it before; it blended in so perfectly with the room. He opened it up, pulled out a cold can covered in condensation, and walked back over to hand it to her.

She looked at the can, then up at him.

"I'm really..."

"Miss Calloway." He said her name the way he said everything else.

She took the can.

"Thank you," she said.

He grabbed a napkin from the side table and wiped the cold water from his hand where he'd been holding the drink. It was a quick, neat movement. Then he turned around and leaned back against the edge of his desk, looking totally relaxed. He locked those ocean eyes onto her, giving her his full attention.

She looked back at him for about two seconds.

Then she dropped her gaze to the can and focused entirely on opening it, running her fingernail under the tab like she was trying to disarm a bomb.

Finn's eyes drifted across the room to the shelf. He looked at the neat, sad little pile of white, purple, and gold pieces that used to be a gorgeous artwork.

Then he looked back at her.

"The vase," he said.

She took a sip of her drink. "Mm," she muttered.

"I had it specially made," he said. His voice was casual, like a guy about to say something completely insane but keeping his tone totally normal. "Handmade by a specialist artist in Busan, South Korea. Took him four months to finish." He paused, giving his next words plenty of room to land. "It cost me eight hundred million won."

Selene kept her face completely blank.

"That's..." He tilted his head a bit, acting like the mental math was a minor annoyance instead of a total death sentence for her bank account. "...around six hundred and fifteen thousand dollars."

The drink in her mouth instantly lost all its flavor. Every single drop.

She sat completely frozen and stared at him. He stared right back, and she could tell there was something hiding deep in his eyes that looked a whole lot like amusement. It was close enough to a smirk to be incredibly annoying.

"Six hundred and..." she started.

"Fifteen thousand," he finished helpfully. "Dollars."

She shook her head. It was a firm shake, like she was drawing a line in the sand. "No," she said. "No, I am not just absorbing that cost, It was an accident. My hand slipped. The shelf was closer than I thought..."

"Miss Calloway." That almost-smile was back on his face, looking completely at home. "You picked it up."

She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it.

"You picked it up," he said again, sounding perfectly pleasant. "You walked across the room specifically to grab it. You looked at it, and then you dropped it."

The silence in the room felt incredibly heavy.

"You'll pay for it," he said. It was final, like the conversation was already over. "That's not negotiable."

She stared at him for a long moment. Then she straightened her shoulders.

"Fine," she said. The word came out decisive, wrapped in all the fake confidence she could muster. "Fine. Six hundred and fifteen thousand. I'll send it over right now." She reached into her bag. "Right this second. It's not even worth arguing about."

She pulled out her phone, opened her banking app, and logged in with the confidence of someone who definitely had over half a million dollars sitting in her account.

She looked at her balance.

She stared at the screen for a really, really long time.

The number on the app stared right back at her.

It was not six hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. It was not anywhere near that. To be completely honest, it wasn't even close to a quarter of that amount. It was barely a fraction of what she needed.

She sat there with her phone in her hand and the app open, watching the reality of that number completely destroy all the boldness she had walked into his office with.

The silence on her end stretched out forever.

"Lost your confidence all of a sudden?" his voice was low, and it practically dripped with amusement.

Selene locked her screen.

She slipped her phone back into her bag, the dignity of a woman making a completely intentional choice and absolutely not like a criminal hiding evidence from a crime scene.

She looked up at him.

She squared her shoulders.

"Would it be..." she started. "...at all possible to pay in installments?"