One week fiancée

CHAPTER FOUR 

Marie's POV 

Be my Fiancee for one week?

That sounded like the kind of things that I read in romance books. 

You know, stories where the woman agrees, and then she ends up falling in love with the man. 

This is reality. Things like that don't happen.

“Uh, I appreciate whatever it is you're offering, Mr, But I'd rather be behind that counter before Brandon comes at me.”

“He wouldn't be stupid enough to do that while you're standing here,” he said with authority.

“Please I have other tables to attend to, I'd appreciate it if…”

“Two hundred thousand dollars for a week, Marie. You simply have to act like my fiancee and not resist me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean it. You'll be out of this gutter of a place and—”

I pulled my hand away from him in one swift movement and walked off, my face hot from embarrassment. 

Was it so clear that I was poor?

Did he really assume he could just come in here and buy me off?

I had a job. A life. A broken heart to nurse back to health and….well, a house that I hadn't been able to pay for recently?

I reached the counter and didn't see Brandon. I breathed a sigh of relief as I settled on one of the bar stools. 

My eyes stayed on Ryan Cole and his friend. They were talking now. 

I didn't know what they were talking about but Pete was smiling. 

Tears started to well in my eyes again. 

I didn't know why, but it was getting more difficult to keep the tears back by the minute. 

I reached into my apron and pulled out my cellphone. 

There was a message sitting in the phone. 

A message from my landlord: TOLD YA YOU'D GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY PROPERTY IF YOU DON'T PAY UP IN ANOTHER DAY.

What the hell?

I didn't even have anywhere to go. Nancy wasn't my friend anymore and Callum was definitely not part of my life anymore. 

The tears came in hot torrents. I was sobbing uncontrollably, my shoulders shaking violently as I lowered my head. 

But then I heard Brandon speaking to someone close by and my head snapped up. 

I wiped my face and stood up straight. 

I needed to take that deal from Ryan Cole, whatever it was. 

If a billionaire wanted to buy my time for a few days and pay me enough to never have to work for Brandon anymore, why was my pride standing in the way?

Just then, I saw Ryan Cole and his friend rising from their seats. They had not even opened the wine. 

I literally ran. I needed to take the offer. It was my only lifeline at this point. 

“Sir!” I called. 

The bar went silent and all eyes fastened on me. 

I walked to them. My legs felt like jelly but I needed to do this. 

I heard Brandon swearing behind me and I heard Callum ask someone what was going on.

I reached Ryan Cole and whispered, 

“I'll take the deal.” 

He nodded once. 

“I was expecting you to,” he said with a small smile. 

He reached inside his breast pocket and fetched his card.

RYAN COLE. CEO, TURNIP CORPS.

He handed it to me.

“I'll have you picked up tomorrow.”

And without saying another word, sauntered out of the bar with his smiling friend.

I walked back towards the counter, Brandon was standing there, fuming. 

“Bran, I…”

“You incompetent bitch, what did you do this time?” He demanded.

What?

“What did I do?”

“Don't ask me stupid questions.”

He took my hand and disappeared with me behind the counter. 

“Why didn't they touch their wine? And why didn't they seem pleased? I told you not to mess anything up!”

“I didn't mess anything up. They probably didn't like your most expensive wine so they left it untouched,” I said. 

They hadn't been impressed with the drink. Maybe I was right.

“I know you, Marie. You probably did something wrong.”

I sighed. I didn't have the mental or physical strength to get into another argument with Brandon.

“I'm so sorry you thought I did something. I didn't. And, well, you just got a free bottle of Lundois. That should make you happy.”

Knowing how greedy he was, he should have been happy that they paid and left the item untouched.

He was still looking at me, trying to make sense of what had transpired between me and the CEO. 

“Bran…can I take one week off? You can deduct as much of my money as you want. I just need to get away for one week.”

“Why?” He demanded.

“For—”

“So you can go whoring?” He asked, cutting me off. 

I blinked. Where did he get that from?

“Let me tell you,” he breathed, his fat face coming so close to mine I could smell his bad breath. “You think you're going to do well as a whore because you have a pretty face and a nice ass? Well go try and see how much success you can achieve.”

I was still reeling from the shock of Brandon's accusation when he said, 

“Pack your things and leave. You are fired.”