Deal or no deal

“It’s… it’s um” Alexa blinked her eyes still fixed on Clinton.

“Thelma, It’s me Clinton.” Clinton said as he boldly stepped in.

“Maybe he finally came back to his senses” Alexa thought as she became so calm and her eyes beamed with light like a puppy that found it’s owner. She closed the door and walked in.

“Clinton…” Thelma said with her eyes stern, boring a hole into him.

“See Thelma, you and Alexa have every right to be annoyed, but things are not what they seemed to be that day. Alexa is my life. I just need you to hear me out first.”

Alexa melted on the table beside her, her eyes wrapped with compassion for Clinton, she missed him and her soul longed for him again.

“Yeah, she’s all you got because she was your financial oxygen” Thelma said walking towards the door. She swung the door open and gestured out. “Out, now and ever, take this as your last warning”

Clinton turned to Alexa, moved closer and held her tiny, soft fingers.

As he opened his mouth to speak. A scream echoed behind him, followed by the feeling of warm water splashed on him from behind, leaving him soaked.

“Get out!” Thelma screamed at Clinton on top of her lungs. Those in the house woke up suddenly from their sleep, wondering what was going on. Sophie, Ella and the twins gasped in shock as they saw they scene.

Alexa fixed her eyes on Thelma, pleading for Clinton with her eyes.

“You heard her right, leaveeee.” Carmella and Catherine added, Alexa shot her eyes on them, but they ignored. “We mean now, or you need some help with moving?” Catherine asked, her voice so cold and face void of emotion.

Clinton took a deep breath and stormed out, his face masked with fury.

Thelma hissed and banged the door the second he left.

Alexa sighed, rubbing her forehead and sat at the edge of the sofa.

Catherine and Carmella walked right in, acting like nothing just happened.

“Lex, believe me when I say this is a distraction from the pit of hell, you don’t wanna be late for your interview” Sophie said

“What if it was really a misunderstanding?” Alexa said cracking her fingers

“You saw him kissing Anna, do you want to see Anna carry his baby before you stop being deceived?”

“Listen, we do not undermine how you feel Lex, but that gold digger doesn’t worth a second of your time, Brush up your make up and get going baby” Thelma said with the softest voice ever.

Alexa’s shoulders dropped, still heavy with a weight uncertainty.

“Thanks guys” She said reluctantly

“Sophie, do I look like a mess?” Alexa asked

“Yes”

“What?!”

“You look amazing as usual my pumpkin” Sophia said with a slight giggle.

She smiled and left, her mood already lifted. Finally! She’ll get a good job and resources to deal with Anna!

****

“Welcome Miss Alexa, I’m Charles” A young and handsome looking man welcomed her into his office, extending his hand.

“Thank you” she replied, bumping his hand with a slight smile.

Everything about the company screamed luxury. Even the security guards and cleaners looked so clean and honourable.

“Mr. Bryan told me few things about you and I must confess he didn’t do justice to it, you’re way more amazing” Charles said.

“Oh, thanks but I haven’t handed over my resume yet” she said, raising her eye brows looking a bit confused.

“Yes, let me have them please”

The conversation and the aura seemed a bit too light for an interview in such a sophisticated company.

“Oh great, amazing skills you have here. Congratulations Miss Alexa, the job is yours”

“Thanks, but what’s the role?” she asked tapping her fingers on each other, feeling nervous because that was not how an interview should go, no questions, nothing.

“Here is it” He handed the job description file over to her.

Her jaw dropped at the salary.

She looked at Charles, who was so relaxed, holding a pen around his cheek and swinging his chair from side to side.

Then she read a bit further and saw the actual role.

FAMILY ASSISTANT

Assist the CEO in building a family, by being his wife for a year and bearing him a son.

Thirteen million dollars for agreeing

Fourteen million dollars for getting pregnant

Fifteen million dollars after giving birth

Sixteen million dollars when breastfeeding

Seventeen million dollars to walk away and never return.

“What?!” She exclaimed, banging the paper on the table.

“What?” Charles asked casually.

“Is this… the job?”

“Oh, if you read further, you will see the other benefits, ummm, houses, cars, not just for you, but for your family also, umm…. we also have…”

”Darn it!” she banged the table hard standing up swiftly.

“You want me to sell my body and child for… some amount of dollars?”

Charles already looked scared.

“Hey... no… see… okay, we’ll double everything. How about that?” His eyes pleading.

“I’m done here!” she muttered with tears gathering under her eyes already, she turned sharply and left his office banging his door.

****

“I cant believe it, that’s insane” Catherine, one of the twins said, tearing a sweat wrapper.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s a lot of money. How I wish I was the one” Sophie said, typing on her laptop.

“Sophie!” Ella and Alexa echoed at once

She raised her eyes from the laptop looking confused “What?

I’m not killing anyone or selling drugs or doing anything bad, it’s just…. acting for a year, giving him a son and become sorted or the rest of my life” she shrugged.

“I can’t believe I was born immediately after you Sophie” Ella, the third born said.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea” Carmella, the second twin added. She is the only one who took after Alexa in being quiet until life changed Alexa to something else.

“You don’t? That’s morally and ethically unacceptable kiddo” Catherine said pulling the sweet out of her mouth.

“It’s not a bad job sis, you’re really not harming anyone and this could be life changing for us. Okay, you know what, why not tell him to tweak the contract a bit, that you’ll be able to see your son privately and your sisters will get an allowance every month” Carmella said, searching for validation in Alexa’s eyes.

Alexa could only take a deep breathe as her mind was getting clouded. She stood up and walked into the room.

“Alexa, tell him I can bear the child if you don’t want to” Sophie shouted from behind

“I could also assist in bearing the child sis” Carmella’s little voice echoed also.

Sophie must have been privately mentoring that sweet innocent kid.

****

“Let me know if you change your mind please”

A text from Bryan woke Alexa up the next morning.

She tossed the phone aside, ignoring it.

“I am broke, I don’t have a house or a car any more, neither can I afford it” Sophie grumbled, rubbing her eyes, yawning and stretching.

“Well, Sophie, you went shopping yesterday, you bought…”

“Okay I am not broke… yet, but I’m on my way to being broke soon. If this money finishes, what do we do then? What if Thelma gets married and we have to leave her house, we are financially insecure, we need to be secure” Sophie replied Ella.

“Ella, you are the only one who has a job, Alexa and I were sacked from our dad’s company by some witch, Catherine and Carmella still needs a lot of money to graduate from school. Now your salary can’t cater for that.” Sophie added.

“If this is about accepting the contract, I’m out of here” Alexa said jamming the bathroom door behind her.

“Arrrrghhhh” Sophie exclaimed, slipping under her blanket back.

***

Alexa never knew the privilege of being born in a rich family until now. She was before her computer from morning till night searching for a decent paying job.

The jobs she saw were either not able to even pay her sister’s school fees or it was a scam.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

“Hello Doctor, how’s my mum now?”

“What?!”

She exclaimed over the phone and Ella walked in immediately, just arriving from work.

“What’s wrong Lex?”

“Nothing.. it’s.. it’s mum… her condition is growing worse” She replied, bringing the phone down from her ear.

“Hmmmm” Ella took a deep breathe, collapsing on the bed, then she sat up and looked straight into Alexa’s eyes.

“Well…” She muttered, twisting her fingers

“What… No Ella, don’t tell me they convinced you”

“No, but maybe you should consider tweaking the contract like Kiddo suggested” She rose and went to massage her shoulders

“Sis, this is a life-changing opportunity”

“This is ridiculous" Alexa said under her breath, walking out.

****

“You’ll be moving to Texas also” Bryan said, passing her the pen to sign her part of the contract. She finally accepted when she didn’t find anything else to do and could not bear to watch my family that way.

“Why Texas?” She asked while signing the contract

“That’s where the head office and my houses are. Don’t worry, your family is coming along also” He said with a cold smile.

“Cool” she replied.

“See you by 6a.m at the airport, wife” Bryan said, heading out.

“You look pretty as ever Alexa, I was admiring you since you stepped in” Charles said, shaking Alexa’s hand as he was about leaving.

“Please add some beauty and colour to Bryan’s stubborn and dry life” Charles whispered into her ear and she giggled.

Charles seemed so pleasant and he made her feel comfortable.

Bryan walked back in and the waves of both shock and jealousy rose on his face.

“Boss, I’m right behind you” Charles said, swiftly leaving Alexa’s hand.

He looked at both of them again, looked around the room and left.

Stillness lingered in the air after he left.

Alexa was finally getting her life together again… or, so it looked.