(Raya POV) "...why don't you just hire a surrogate? I might even consider being a candidate if the pay is good." Just a few minutes ago, I was sobbing, feeling humiliated instead of grateful for the pity job offer. I know he means well, but my pride is stinging, and I can't help feeling this way. It's been a long, difficult day, and here I sit, being fed by a kind stranger who has everything she needs and has no problem risking it all for a few seconds of adrenaline high. Life just feels so unfair… But the drink must have started affecting me because now I find myself laughing, braying like a donkey at my own joke. My laughter dies down awkwardly because he doesn't join in. "Hmm… Actually, that's not a bad idea," he says pensively, more to himself than to me. I must be drunk because I feel myself sober right up. "Wha— no! I was just trying to be funny. What's wrong with you!?" I say sourly. "Hey, I'm not the one who came up with the idea." "Well, you shouldn't even be considering
(Kaan’s POV) I sigh as I close the door to the room Raya is in and head to the kitchen to put the bags of takeaway food on the table. As always, the place is spotless because my housekeeper comes in daily to make sure everything is in order, with not a speck of dust in sight. I don’t know what Raya is going to do for me tomorrow when she wakes up, in exchange for sleeping here tonight. I would have to mess up the place a little for her to be able to do something, but it seems a bit extreme. And I do hate clutter and mess. D@mn, what am I even doing, bringing her here? I mean…sure, we clicked and I had a great time but I could have just hailed a taxi and sent her home. Or called my driver for an overtime gig, he would have come. But for some reason, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I experienced extraordinary fear for the first time tonight. It’s an unfamiliar emotion because I never felt it for any of the extreme sports I ever tried. I never blanched in front of the highest jump, the deepe
(Raya’s POV) It was a disaster, one after the other. My phone’s alarm clock did not do its only job, but then, I can only blame myself, because how would the blo0dy calculator know that it was supposed to wake me up? Yes, I wrote 630 on the calculator, instead of setting my alarm at 6:30 a.m. and only my bladder saved me from sleeping until my next lifetime. I must have been so tired when I set it up. Anyway, I had a moment of panic when I woke up this morning and did not recognise the room. Then everything came rushing back and I sighed as I stood up to go to the bathroom, doing my early morning ablutions in a rush so I could start paying my debt for last night’s dinner and lodgings. My clothes had not yet dried after I washed them last night so I decided the bathrobe would do while I waited and then I went out of the guestroom to see what I could do today to help out. Nothing. The place was immaculately clean. Does he have OCD? In my experience, bachelor’s places are usually
(Raya POV) He stares at me pensively while leaning against the door. I stare back, waiting for him to give me a proper explanation. He sighs as he walks back to the table. “Do you know why I was at the pub last night, Raya?” I blink in confusion, trying to remember what he said his problem was but my mind is drawing a blank at the moment. “I…” It would be so embarrassing to admit I don’t clearly remember so I take a deep breath and cautiously say “I thought you weren’t being serious.” He chuckles as he sits back on his chair. He wraps his hands around his giant mug of coffee and stares at it, without really seeing it. “On the contrary. The woman you saw with my parents just now, Ms. Westley? I was on a dinner date with her last night before I ended up in the pub.” “Oh?” Again, the twisted little painful stab in my chest that I don’t even want to think about anymore. He glances at me before staring back at his cup, tracing the rim with his forefinger absent-mindedly, around an
(Raya POV)“Be my pretend mate…” He tells me, explaining a little what it entails and I gawk at him. “...by the end of which, we will part as good friends and… I will pay you ten million dollars.”Ten million dollars. An absurd amount tossed like that as if it was nothing. I would have believed him more if he’d said ten grand…It’s still a preposterous amount for someone like me, but at least it’s reasonable. So he’s gotta be sh*tting me, right? Ten million dollars, my sweet patootie! There’s no way he’s serious. Well, two can play this game…I close my mouth, the lower part of which must have dropped to the ground with the mention of ten million bucks, and I try to keep a bland expression on my face, although the way his lips twist in amusement tells me I am unsuccessful with my effort so I just roll my eyes instead.“You never really explained what a mate is and why you called me such.”He acknowledges it with a nod as he beckons me to sit with him in the living room.“I had to cla
(Kaan’s POV)I close the door of my room behind me with a sigh. It’s barely eight in the morning and I’m bloody exhausted. I’m trying to keep it together because I’m a grown-up and a f*cking lycan with noble king ancestors. I’m a businessman who can destroy a competitor’s life’s work without batting an eyelid and still sleep well at night, as if it’s just another day. Dealing with women shouldn’t be this hard, right?Wrong.Right now, there’s nothing more I’d like to do than bang my head on the door, but Raya might hear and worry about me. To be honest, I really need to be alone right now. To get dressed for work. To process what I just did and ponder upon my life choices. To calm my soldier down.What have I done?What was I thinking, offering her such a tacky proposal? Pretend mate? I sound like a f*cking romance novelist. Where the hell did that come from!? What the hell happened to my sanity this morning? Why did I go through with it!?Why did I kiss her?Why…why did it feel so…go
(Kaan’s POV)My father's eyes shift away from mine, and for a moment, he seems unsure of what to say. Finally, he sighs and meets my gaze once more.He admits. “Your mother didn’t send me. I told her I have an important meeting to attend. I came here to see if you’d be here.”I lean back on my chair. “Why?”“I was worried about you,” he says, his voice tinged with concern.“Why?” I ask again, genuinely perplexed. My father looks at me intently, his eyes searching mine. “You didn’t look like you found your mate.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say finally, my voice low. “I didn’t realise there was a particular way I should look like…I must have missed the memo when it got out.”“I meant happy, Kaan. You didn’t look happy. That’s how I wanted to see you when you finally found her.” My father says firmly. “You claim that she’s your mate…but what I saw this morning tells me a very different story.”I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. My father's words hit a nerve, and I f
(Raya POV)“...will you let me court you?”I stare at him suspiciously, unable to stop the snort that escapes quite inelegantly from my nose, breaking the magical moment. “Right.”His eyes fill with amusement at my unorthodox reaction. “What? You know, sometimes I feel like you never take me seriously because I'm good-looking—”The intercom cuts his teasing remark short and he frowns as he turns to answer it. “Yes?” He asks curtly.Melissa nervously clears her throat. “Um, sir, I’m very sorry to intrude, but the investors have started to arrive and we still have to go over some of the details for the presentation…”Kaan sighs, distracted from our conversation. "Alright, Melissa. Just give me a moment, and then we’ll start. But first, please tell Elijah to come in here."Melissa gives a relieved affirmative before the line goes off.He whispers to me. “Don’t tell anyone about our agreement, not even Elijah,” he mutters something else under his breath but before I can ask him to repeat