“Yeah…I didn’t see him that much, but I knew you two were dating. What happened to him? I remember you guys broke up abruptly and you said something about him disappearing. Now that I think about it, there was a time when I thought you two would get married for you sure after graduation…” Justin said as he recalled his memories from the past. “He’s our man,” I stated before winking at Justin. “Huh? What?! Are you saying…” Justin said before gasping and covering his open mouth with his hands. “Yes. Brandon, the current CEO and largest shareholder of Renox, is my ex-boyfriend,” I stated. The reason why he wants me for the job is probably because…“And he probably wants me for this job because he knows that I hate him. Falling in love with him for me is out of the question. The same can probably be said about him. He’ll never fall in love with a girl he dumped before,” I surmised soundly. “Oh…now that you put it that way, it does make a lot of sense,” Justin muttered. “Umm…I see. S
The first place that I visited was a complete bust. There was nothing wrong with the room itself but the man living next door was a heavy smoker and frankly, I could smell all his tobacco. Plus, I didn’t want to live with a heavy smoker always smoking on the balcony right next to mine. The second place was not bad, so I noted it down as a possible option. After thanking the agent, I headed to my appointment with another agent at the third and last place for the day. By the time that I arrived at the third apartment building for the day, the sun was about to set. I spent a few minutes gazing up at the sky as it turned orange while I waited for the real estate agent to arrive. Honestly, I don’t remember the last time that I appreciated the small joys in life like this. Spending money on retail therapy was what I was really good at during my marriage to George and that was what I considered joyful. Now that I think about it, admiring nature and the various things around me wasn’t so bad
Suddenly, a large crowd of people came along causing a ruckus in front of the building where we were standing just now. I could feel the man tense against my body as his hand tightened over my mouth needlessly. It wasn’t like I could call for help like this. As the crowd came closer, I could make out what they were saying. “Where did he go?”“I’m sure he came this way…”“We need to find him!”“Oh my god! Where did he go? I wanted to see him up close…”“Are you sure that it’s even him?”“Of course, I’m sure. It’s definitely him!”“Sorry, boss…I think we lost him…”Is this guy some criminal on the run? Am I being held hostage right now? After a while of standing there in confusion, the crowd continued walking past the sidewalk in front of the building until their voices died down completely. My captor let out a long sigh, but he still had his hands on me. “Mhhmmm!” I made a protesting sound. “Oh…sorry…” he said as if he had just realized that he was still holding onto me. His hand
“Stop,” he said all of a sudden as he reached for my hand. “Let go…” I said immediately. I tried to pull my hand away, but he only held on to it tighter than before. “Hi there, can I have the usual? Oh, make that double the usual…” he called out at a shop.“Sure thing! You hardly drop by anymore…” a man’s voice replied. “Shit got busy…sorry…” he called back. I looked in confusion at the store that we had stopped in front of. Apparently, it was a patisserie with its display window filled with macarons, cakes, tarts, and the like. “Thanks, bro…” EROS said as he took two bags from the man and paid him. I watched in confusion at the exchange and wondered to myself what I was still doing here and why EROS was still holding my hand. “Here. This is for you…” he said calmly. I raised an eyebrow at him as I stared dubiously at the cute little pink bag that he held towards me. “What is this for?” I asked. “For you. It’s an ‘I am sorry’ gift,” he said and I could tell by his eyes that
“He wants a contract wife to act as a mother to his daughter and complete the appearance of a perfect family. Well, that’s the story that he’s giving us…” Justin said with a hint of suspicion in his voice. “What do you mean? Is there something else that I should know?” I asked dubiously. “Well, this isn’t confirmed so it’s off the record but there are strange rumors about his ex-wife and how she passed away,” Justin said before he pressed his lips into a thin line. “What happened to her?” I asked as I was starting to get a really bad feeling. “No one knows. The official disclosure says that she was terminally ill and passed away a short while after giving birth to their daughter,” Justin explained before sighing softly. “I see…” I said softly. “Will you take him on?” Justin asked as he stared at me hopefully. “Are all cases in your agency as complex as this?” I asked curiously. “Nope but then again, the other cases don’t pay as well,” Justin replied before pouting his lips at
“You’re so honest. I really like that about you,” Adrian complimented me. “Thank you, I guess…” I replied humbly. Adrian smiled at me, and I could feel that he was suddenly quite serious. I guess this is where the real talk starts. I smiled a little at him to encourage him to start. “Well, you’ve probably heard from your manager about my request. That day that you were at the hospital, you met my daughter briefly,” Adrian said with his gentle eyes on me. I nodded as I remembered the little girl that ran up to Adrian. “My daughter’s name is Millie. Her mother, my ex-wife, passed away shortly after giving birth to her so Millie doesn’t remember her mother at all. I’ve tried my best to raise her up properly for the past five years but, I guess…it’s hard being a single father. To be honest, it’s been harder than I thought,” Adrian told a summary version of his story. “I won’t lie and say that I’ve got experience with kids, but it does seem like a tough job to be a single father,” I
“I appreciate the offer, really. However, I think you should consider someone else. Perhaps Justin can introduce you to other women from his agency,” I politely refused his offer. “I have considered other women before, but I don’t feel like any of them has what I’m looking for. If you don’t accept the offer, I guess I’ll have to continue on as a single dad,” Adrian said sounding defeated. He looked so sad and deflated that it made me feel so guilty for being the source of his distress. “Why do you want me to take this job so badly?” I asked curiously. “I think you’ll do great at it, and I also want to help you out. I think your situation is unfortunate and there are many things that happened that was beyond your control. Why don’t you help me and allow me to help you out?” Adrian offered passionately. It was like his kindness and earnestness struck a chord within me. The way his eyes held mine as he waited patiently for my answer reminded me of someone that I knew from my childho
Laughing a little at my cursed fate, I wondered how long I’d have to live with it before it got taken down. Quickly, I closed the curtain and headed out with the intention to explore my new neighborhood a little. After all, I had a completely free day today and I worked so hard in moving in. I truly deserve a break. Heading out was the right decision. The weather outside was perfect for a casual stroll. The location of the apartment building was very convenient with many shops lining the streets. There were convenient stores and restaurants. My feet came to a stop when I arrived at the patisserie where EROS dropped by to buy some macarons for us. Just like that day, the shop display was lined with many pretty treats, and they seemed to sparkle like jewels. While I was admiring the pastries and their lovely pastel colors, my phone started ringing. Of course, it was Justin who was calling. “They want a contract wife for EROS?” I asked in shock after hearing what Justin had to say. “