One more condition

Zara’s pov 

I was small again. 

Too small for the weight pressing down on my chest.

“Stay back.” 

“No— please—“

The hallways stretched in front of me like it had no end, the walls slightly bending as though the house itself was breathing. My bare feet made no sound against the floor, but I could hear everything else too clearly—the voices crashing through the house, sharp and unbroken. 

Then a heavy sound hit the ground.

My chest tightened immediately. I always knew where I was going before I even reached the sitting room. The door stood slightly opened, creaking softly as I pushed it with a small hand that didn’t feel like mine. My fingers hesitated for a while before I stepped inside. 

She was there. 

On the floor. 

“Mama?” 

My voice came out small. Thin. Almost swallowed by the silence. 

I moved slowly, my legs shaking as I got closer. Broken glass crumbed under my feet, sharp and bright against the dim floor. I didn’t care. 

Her hair was spread across the floor, one arm slightly twisted beneath her like she had been reaching for something that never came back. 

“Mama?” I said slightly, my throat tightening.

I dropped beside her quickly, my knees hitting the floor hard. Pain flashed through me, but I didn’t care.

I grabbed her shoulder, it was cold. Too cold in fact. 

“No…” I whispered, shaking my head like that could change what I was feeling. “No, no, no…”

I began shaking her slightly, my fingers tightened around her arms. “Mama, wake up…”

But she didn’t move. I shook her harder now. “Please..”

Still nothing. My chest had started to hurt now. I couldn’t breathe anymore. My vision was beginning to blur. Tears streaming down my eyes. “Wake up!” I screamed at the top of my voice. 

I felt movement. And then her eyes opened. But she wasn’t looking at me. She was looking past me and I could see great in her eyes. She held her breath, like breathing would cost her more than she could ever repay. 

I turned to look at what she was looking at, but I saw nothing, just a dark hallway. 

When I turned back to look at her, she was gone. The hands that held her were empty. 

My breathing became fast—-

—then I woke up. 

I gasped, sitting up so fast that the blanket slipped off my shoulders. My heart was racing fast. 

My room was dark but light was slowly slipping through the curtains. I pressed my shaky hands against my chest, trying to slow my breathing. 

I closed my eyes for a second, swallowing hard as I pushed the feeling away, but it stayed somewhere under my skin. I reached for my phone and the time was 7:34am, my eyes widened instantly. 

“Oh no.”

I threw the blanket aside and rushed out of bed. My mind was running ahead of me—traffic, airport, Elizabeth voice already shouting before she even saw me. I got dressed quickly, barely thinking, just moving on instinct . My hair was still slightly messy when I grabbed my bag and ran out of the apartment. 

The air outside felt humid and heavy. It was about to rain. I flagged down a cab immediately. 

“Airport,” I said. The driver glanced at me through the mirror but didn’t comment. The car pulled into traffic and it was what I was trying to avoid. Once it’s about to rain, the road automatically becomes jam packed. 

I leaned back against the seat, letting out a long breath as the city moved past me. 

—-

The airport was crowded. 

People moved in every direction, dragging suitcases behind them, voices blending together beneath the constant announcement echoing overhead. I paid the driver quickly before stepping out of the cab. 

My phone buzzed in my hand and of course it was Elizabeth.

Before I could reply, I heard my name. 

I looked up immediately. 

Elizabeth stood near the entrance doors with one hand lifted dramatically in the air while the other gripped the handle of her suitcase. Oversized sunglasses sat at the top of her head despite the cloudy weather and somehow she still managed to look better after a flight than I did on my best days. 

“You are alive,” she announced the minute I got close to her.

“Barely.” 

“You are late.” 

“There was traffic.”

“There is always traffic with you.” 

I rolled my eyes and pulled her into a hug before she could continue complaining. 

We headed to the entrance of the airport to get a cab, but I was stopped by one unfortunate fellow. 

“Can you watch where you are going?” I barked. 

He looked exhausted, like he just had a very bad day. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bump into you.” 

“Of course you didn’t mean it.” 

He nodded and left, holding a small suitcase. I looked at the ground and saw a card which I suppose came from him. 

Silverstone Holdings. 

“Excuse me?” I said hoping to get his attention. But he was nowhere to be found. 

“I’ve heard of this company before,” Elizabeth said, taking the card from my hand. 

I looked around to look for him, but he had suddenly disappeared. 

“Can we go now?” 

“Yes, I’m sorry.” I said.

——-

“How did the meeting go?” Elizabeth said casually turning towards me. 

We were at a diner across the street to get breakfast before the traffic cleared. 

“It was…. complicated.” 

She sat up straight immediately. “What does that mean?” 

“I don’t know how to tell you without you getting mad.” 

“Absolutely not. Why would I get angry at you? What do you take me for?” She asked, pointing to herself now. 

“You cannot text me saying something crazy happened and then just stay mysterious for twenty four hours and then tell me that I will get mad. Come up with something else.”

“I wasn’t being mysterious.” 

“You literally ignored three of my calls.” 

“I was busy.” 

“Talk.” 

I exhaled slowly. There was nowhere I was escaping her stare. 

I pulled out my bag and brought out a file. Her eyes followed my movement. 

“What’s that?” 

“A contract.” 

“Okay….”

“This contract is worth ten million dollars.” Before I could finish she screamed. Which drew the attention of some of the people sitting around. 

“Ten million dollars? Why would anybody want to give you five million dollars for a proposal that you needed five thousand dollars for? This is insane. Is that even legal?”

I burst out laughing before I could stop myself. 

Elizabeth pointed at me immediately. “Why are you laughing? I’m serious!” 

“I didn’t have a choice.” 

“Of course you did. Everyone has a choice but yours isn’t looking like it. She continued. “Who is this person and what do you have to do?” 

“I have to date him for six months.” 

“And did you meet the supposed person you are about to be in a relationship with?” 

“No.” I said looking at my fingers. 

“Zara Edwards—you are trying to tell me now that you agreed to date someone for six months and you do not know who this person is or what he looks like?” 

I hated when she called me by my full name. 

“There is one more thing,” I said. Elizabeth's expression changed immediately.