Intriguing Contract

I couldn’t believe it! Here? Now? Of all places and times?

My jaw felt like it was cast in iron as I gave that impeccable face of his the once-over. He looked as if he'd struck a deal with Lucifer himself to get a mug like that.

His hair, black and short, was always slick as the silk pillow I buried my face in every night. His eyes, dark as an insomniac night, twinkled like stars making light of the moon's absence. And that jawline... oh, that jawline...

"Reina?"

"Damn!" I cursed, louder than I intended.

"What?"

"Nothing!" A little too quickly, I collected myself.

"Are you okay?"

Of course I wasn't. The CEO of the company I worked for – the stingy, insufferable, unrecyclable piece of trash – was the VIP guest. How could I be okay?

"Absolutely! Why wouldn't I be?" I forced the corners of my mouth to curl up in a smile, while my right eye twitched like it was sending Morse code for 'SOS.'

"Good! I need you for your A-game today."

Easy for her to say. Her boss wasn't sitting right across from her, looking like a Greek God in Armani.

"Count on me! I won't disappoint!" I summoned my best fake smile – one of my proudest achievements in this lifetime.

"Good. Now go introduce yourself." She shoved me forward, as if a gentle push was all I needed to plunge into this social abyss.

"Just you wait till I hit the jackpot." I muttered, adjusting my dress.

"You must be-"

"Queen Leita." I arched an eyebrow and stretched my lips into the most humanly possible smile.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Aryan." His hand reached out, ready for a shake.

'Oh, I know who you are...' I thought, maintaining the Cheshire Cat smile, while my teeth gritted against each other like tectonic plates. 'You're the reason I'm in this godforsaken place.'

"Nice to meet you, Aryan." I took his hand and shook it, pretending I wasn't imagining tossing him into the Mariana Trench.

"Please, have a seat. Let's get to know each other."

'Oh, how charming! Aren't you supposed to be working overtime, Mr. CEO?' I thought, while sarcasm was dripping from my every word.

"Of course, I apologize for my rudeness." I took the seat across him, crossing my legs and taking in the full view of the devil in a three-piece suit.

"So, Reina, how long have you been working here?"

His outfit was no different than his usual office attire: a nude-colored jacket with matching pants, dark shoes, a cloud-white shirt spotless as a teenager's search history, and a black tie that I'd love to use as a garrote someday...

"I know you were in need of money, but I didn't know you were this desperate."

His words were washing over me like a monotonous tide. My mind was too occupied with his hair, always looking like they were combed by the wind. His sense of style seemed to be a homage to the 1890s, yet he managed to make it look more alive than any trend you'd find on a Paris runway.

"As I was saying, perhaps you would be interested in signing a contract with me...?"

His words flew in one ear and out the other, like a bored pigeon on a sightseeing tour. I had zero interest in the babble of this maleficent creature.

"Reina, are you listening to me?"

"What? Oh, yes! I'm sorry!" His voice yanked me back to reality.

"So, as I was saying, maybe you would like to sign a contract with me?"

"A contract? What contract?" I leaned back, my eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Reina, were you even paying attention?" His voice inched up a notch.

Hold on a sec! Reina? 'How does he know?' I thought, my eyes bulged out like a cartoon character.

"How did you know?" I slapped the table with both my hands, causing a minor seismic disturbance in the room.

The room filled with murmurs, and all eyes turned our way. The music was loud, but my talent for making a scene was louder.

A short laugh escaped from his lips, a snort more like, echoing of mockery. He leaned back, nonchalantly placing a dark cigar from a golden plate into his mouth, puffing it like he was auditioning for a gangster movie.

"You'd be better off asking what I don't know..." he finally replied, his words suddenly hanging heavy in the air.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly felt drier than a desert at noon. His black eyes felt like they were boring holes into my soul and extracting it through my nostrils. No!

"I won't repeat myself, how did you know?"

Ignoring me yet again, he began to speak his cryptic language.

"I have a contract for you..." He placed the cigar back onto the golden plate and clasped his hands together, pointing them at me like a preacher mid-sermon.

"What contract?" My lips twisted in distaste. 'What in the world is this man blabbering about now?'

"I know about your mother's health... ahem, she'll soon be crossing the Styx if you don't settle the hospital bills..."

His words knocked the wind out of me, 'how does he know about my mom???'

"But I could help." He suggested, "I mean, the contract I offer could help."

He leaned back again, making himself comfortable while placing his arm on the armrest.

"What contract???"

"I believe if you sign it, you could achieve anything you desire, and I would get what I want as well. It's a win-win situation, darling."

This didn't sound like a win-win to me. More like a scam email from a Nigerian prince.

I couldn't back down here, "And what exactly is it that you want, Mr. CEO?"

"What I want wouldn't interest you, but what you would get in return... it could chase away all your worries in life..." he paused, then looked around, "and perhaps help you escape this dreadful place?"

He wasn't completely wrong about the place, but the people here were at least bearable.

"What are the conditions?" I leaned in closer.

I saw the corners of his lips lift slightly, "Well, there's just one..."