5

Chapter Five

The binding contract

Aria’s POV

“Aria?”

I turned at the sound of Coach Thyl’s voice, and one look at his face made my stomach tighten.

He wasn't smiling.

“What happened?” I asked.

His expression softened, but somehow that made me even more nervous.

“The principal wants to see you.”

My fingers tightened around the strap of my gym bag. “Why?”

Coach Thyl hesitated.

“It's about your scholarship.”

My heart dropped.

For the first time since arriving at North Ridge, I wondered if all my fighting to get here had been for nothing.

I had barely reached the principal's office when the door suddenly swung open.

A tall man in an expensive black suit stepped out.

I recognized him immediately.

Matheo Silver.

One of North Ridge's biggest donors.

My steps slowed.

He stopped too.

His eyes moved over my face, and something changed in his expression.

Recognition.

It lasted only a second before his face became unreadable again.

He walked past me without saying a word.

I watched him disappear down the corridor, a strange uneasiness settling in my chest.

Why did Matheo Silver look at me like he already knew who I was?

I pushed the thought aside and turned toward the principal's office.

I had bigger problems.

I was about to find out whether I still had a place at North Ridge.

I pushed the door open just as Principal Lyne settled on his chair.

"Good day, Principal Lyne.”

"Have a seat," he said in a sharp tone. I could tell whatever conversation he had with Matheo Silver must have placed him in such a mood.

I sat down, my heart beating fast with every second. He was about throwing me out of the academy.

"Am I in trouble?” I asked in a scared tone.

"Well, not exactly. Your sponsors are pulling out.”

For a second, I didn't understand the words.

I stared at Principal Lyne.

“What?”

He lowered the letter onto his desk.

“Your sponsors have formally withdrawn their support.”

My fingers went cold.

“No.”

The word left my mouth before I could stop it.

“They can't.”

“Aria—”

“They can't do that.” I pushed myself out of the chair. “You told me this scholarship was secure. I was accepted because of my athletic record. I've done everything required of me.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you telling me I'm losing it?”

Principal Lyne's expression softened.

“Because the decision isn't mine.”

My chest tightened.

Mylo's hospital bills flashed through my mind.

Mom's tired voice.

The rent.

The medicine.

Everything we'd sacrificed to get me here.

It was all suddenly hanging by a thread.

“How long?” I whispered.

“Three days.”

I stared at him.

“Three days to find another sponsor,” he continued. “If you don't, you'll have to leave North Ridge.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

I stepped out of the principal’s office, tears running down my cheeks. As I made to walk away from it, a door in the opposite direction opened, and a tall man in a suit beckoned to me.

I walked into the office. It smelled like leather and old money. I sat in a chair, back straight, hands clasped in my lap, not even bothered about wiping the tears rolling down to my cheeks.

The man sitting across from me looked at me with so much pity in his eyes. He offered me a tissue.

"You lost your scholarship.”

"How did you know that?”

"When students come out of Principal Lynne’s office crying, it’s either two things. They lost their sponsors or have been rusticated for certain actions, and looking at your background, we both know why.”

I wanted to ask how he knew my background just before my eyes caught sight of his name and the silver name on a plaque on the left side of his desk, director of student relations. I felt nauseous immediately just as everything clicked on my mind. My mouth dropped open to ask a question just as he pulled out a file.

"I have an offer," he said, sliding a folder across the mahogany surface.

I didn't touch it.

“Who are you?”

“Marcus.”

"Marcus, what?”

He gave me a small smile.

“Marcus Silver.”

My stomach dropped.

I pushed the folder away.

“Then whatever is inside that folder, I don't want it.”

His expression didn't change.

“You haven't even seen what I'm offering.”

“You're a Silver. That's enough.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You hate the Silver family that much?”

“You have no idea.”

“Actually,” he said quietly, “I know more about you than you think.”

I laughed. It came out sharp, disbelieving. "I'm not interested," I said, pushing back in my seat, uninterested. I don’t want to have anything to do with the silvers.

He didn't smile. He just opened the folder and turned it toward me. My eyes dropped to the file open in front of me, and my eyes caught sight of Luca smiling straight from the file, and boldly written beside his name was SILVER. I stared down at the picture in horror. How did I not notice this?

So that's why the name had sounded familiar.

Luca Silver.

The arrogant roommate I'd been arguing with since the day I arrived... belonged to the very family I wanted nothing to do with.

My mind drifted back to every single incident that happened. The coffee, the arguments, every single encounter replayed in my head.

It all made sense to me at this point. Was this just a coincidence... or had everything been planned from the beginning? Was none of this an accident?

"Ninety days."

"I'm not interested in whatever this game is. You think you can just come in and dangle the contract like some medal and expect me to conform to whatever this is.” I stood up abruptly. "I should be searching for sponsors and not this.”

"All you have to do is date Luca.”

"Him?" I pushed the file away as if it had burned me. "You're asking me to date a Silver?"

Marcus watched me carefully, remaining perfectly calm.

""Do you know who you're asking me to stand beside? I'd rather lose my scholarship than pretend one of them cares about me," I said furiously.

"Think carefully before you refuse...This may be the only opportunity you'll ever have to save your family, and I will pay you hugely for this.” He persisted.

And I stopped taking this as his sign; he continued.

"Trust me, I have run my own findings on students in need of support, and you were on the top list of Principal Lyne.”

“Your scholarship covers almost everything,” Marcus said. “Your tuition for the next term is still outstanding.”

I swallowed.

“I'll find another sponsor.”

“Will you?”

Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist.

“Your mother is already behind on rent.”

My blood ran cold.

“How do you know that?”

Marcus didn't answer.

“Your brother, Mylo, is due to begin a new treatment protocol next month.”

My breath caught.

I stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.

“How do you know my brother's name?”

Marcus remained seated.

“Because I did my research.”

“You researched my family?”

“I needed to know whether you were capable of accepting the offer.”

“What kind of offer requires you to investigate my family?”

He slowly pushed the folder toward me again.

“One that could save all of you.”

My legs shook in fear at what this contract contained. The hatred for the Silvers ran even deeper in my heart. But I knew this was for the best of my family.

I stared at the contract.

Ninety days.

Ninety days of pretending to date Luca Silver.

The boy I'd spent the past week arguing with.

The heir of the family I had been taught to hate.

It felt wrong.

Every instinct in me screamed to walk away.

But then I remembered Mylo.

I remembered Mom crying on the phone.

I remembered the way she had tried to sound strong when she told me they might lose the house.

This wasn't about me anymore.

I could hate Luca.

I could hate his family.

I could hate every second of this arrangement.

But I couldn't hate my family enough to let them suffer because of my pride.

I picked up the pen.

My hand trembled as I reached for the pen.

Marcus presses the intercom.

"Send him in."

Before my fingers closed around it, the door opened.

I looked up.

Luca. He was wearing the same jacket from the photo, his hair still wet from a shower, his eyes finding mine immediately and then Marcus's. He looked down at the contract on the desk, and something flickered across his face. I could tell he was aware of the contract.

My stomach twisted.

Of all the people I expected to see, he was the last one.

His eyes moved from me to the contract.

Then back to me.

And something in his expression told me he hadn't walked into this room by accident.

“You,” I whispered.

Luca closed the door behind him.

“Me.”

Suddenly, the contract in front of me felt much heavier.

"Before you sign," he said, his voice low and even, "we need to establish some rules."

Marcus leaned back in his chair.

"Good. Now that you've met, I'll leave the details to the two of you.” He stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

I slowly lowered my hand and raised one eyebrow.

"Rules?"

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. The lock clicked, final and irrevocable.

"Rule one," he said, not looking at the man sitting in front of me. His eyes were fixed on me.

“Rule one. No one finds out this relationship is fake…"

"Excuse me…” I started to say it, but he wasn’t ready to listen to me.

"Rule two." Luca ignored me, moving closer, close enough that I could smell his soap and the tension in his jaw. “Don't bring up questions about my family.”

"Rule three, you're not allowed to leave my side in public.”

“Rule four. No kissing unless absolutely necessary.”

"Five, this is business and nothing more. No matter what anyone says, no matter what it looks like. You are not expected to fall in love.”

I stood up, meeting his gaze. "Fall in love? Trust me, Silver. You’re the last man I’d ever love.”

Luca held my gaze without blinking.

"We'll see."

I wanted to wipe that arrogant confidence off his face.

I had no idea that signing that contract would drag me deeper into the Silver family's secrets than I could ever imagine.

I didn't know that before those ninety days were over, I would discover the truth about what happened between our families.

And I certainly didn't know that the very thing I had agreed to do to save Mylo...

...would put his life in even greater danger.