Contract termination

Chapter Seven

Andrea’s POV

“The contract is terminated.”

Tristan’s voice hits me the moment I step into the dining area. I freeze right there in the doorway, still in the soft white robe Claire left outside my door this morning. 

My inner thighs ache with a dull throb from last night, a constant reminder of that one rough push he made before everything stopped. I woke up too early because Claire said Mr. Hale wanted to see me before he left for work. Now I wish I had stayed in bed.

He sits at the head of the long table, already dressed in a sharp dark suit that makes him look even more untouchable. The jacket fits perfectly over his broad shoulders. His hair is neat, not a strand out of place. A folder lies open in front of him with papers inside. He does not look up at first.

Sunlight from the tall windows catches on his watch, the expensive kind that probably costs more than a year of my mother’s salary. He looks every bit the powerful man who can end my problems with one phone call or destroy my last hope with a few calm words. I clutch the edge of the robe tighter, suddenly aware of how thin the fabric feels in this bright room.

“What?” The word comes out small and shaky.

He finally raises his grey eyes to mine. “You heard me. The contract is terminated. I will pay you half the agreed amount as compensation. The driver will take you home this afternoon. Pack your things.”

My stomach drops. This cannot be real. It feels like a bad joke. Everything seemed okay last night until he pulled out and left without a word. Now he sits there in his expensive suit like none of it matters.

“C-Can I ask why?” I say, my voice cracking. I take a few shaky steps closer to the table. “Everything was going fine last night. I thought… I thought we were okay.”

Tristan leans back in his chair and looks at me calmly. “Why didn’t you tell me you are a virgin?”

Heat floods my face. I open my mouth, then close it again. “I didn’t think it mattered. I didn’t know it would make any difference.”

“It makes a lot of difference.” He taps one finger on the table. “Your boldness at the gala made me assume you had the same confidence in bed. Clearly I was wrong. You are too innocent to handle how rough I like it.”

“Mr Hale, please…”

He looks away for a second, jaw tight. “I do not involve virgins. They start attaching meaning to things that are supposed to stay physical. And I cannot promise you anything more than that.”

The words hit hard. Panic rises in my chest until it feels like I cannot breathe. Tears sting my eyes. 

If I leave now, I go back to the same mess. The overdue bills piled on the kitchen table. Mom crying quietly when she thinks no one is watching. Ethan’s weak coughs and the way he tries to smile through the pain. Those loan sharks banging on the door again. I already told Mom the new job would fix everything. I promised Ethan I would get him that Transformers set soon. How do I go home after one single night and say it all fell apart?

I cannot do that. I will not.

“Please,” I whisper, stepping even closer until my hands rest on the edge of the dining table. “Don’t send me back. I can’t go back there now. Not after I told them things would get better.”

Tristan watches me without speaking. His face stays cold, but I keep going because I have no choice.

“I can learn,” I say quickly. My voice shakes but I force the words out. “I will watch videos tonight. All night if I have to. I will study exactly how to do it. If you like it rough, I can adapt. My body can handle it. I know it can. I am willing to do whatever you want. Please, Mr. Hale. Just teach me. I will be a fast learner. I swear.”

My mouth feels dry as I keep talking. I have never spoken this much to any man before, especially not one like him. My hands start to tremble on the table edge. “I can practice every day if you want. You can tell me exactly what you like, how fast, how hard. I will listen. I will remember. Last night was just… surprising. Next time I will be ready. I will not scream or push you away. I will take it better. Please give me the chance to show you I can improve.”

He stays silent, eyes fixed on me. The quiet stretches and makes my heart beat louder. I feel desperate now. The kind of desperate that makes pride disappear.

“I promise I won’t fall in love with you,” I add fast, leaning forward over the table. “It will be strictly about satisfying you and nothing more. I won’t attach any emotions to it. I won’t make demands. I will stick exactly to the contract. No questions, no expectations. Please. I can do this. Just give me one more chance.”

My hands grip the edge of the table tighter. Tears slip down my cheeks before I can stop them. “I already promised my family. My little brother… he needs the treatment. My mom is exhausted. Those men keep coming to the house. If I go back now, everything stays the same. Or worse. Please, Mr. Hale. I am begging you. Don’t throw me out after one night. I can be what you need. I will learn to take it however you want. Just don’t send me away.”

Tristan studies me for a long moment. His grey eyes narrow slightly. Something shifts in his expression, a dark flicker that passes quickly. He does not smile. He never does. But the way he looks at me now feels darker.

He leans forward a little. “I can’t promise you romance, Andrea. This will never be that.”

His words hang in the air between us. In my old fantasies I imagined a softer man who would hold me afterward and maybe even care a little. But this is not a fantasy anymore. This is survival. I wipe my wet cheeks with the back of my hand and straighten my shoulders even though my knees want to buckle.

“I know,” I say quickly, nodding hard. “I’m not looking for romance. This is the only way I can save my family, and I can’t afford to mess it up. Please… just let me stay, Mr Hale.”

The silence returns. My legs feel weak. I stay standing there, waiting, praying he does not say the words that send me back to my old life.

The folder with the termination papers sits untouched between us like a silent judge. I stare at the neat signature line where my name should have stayed for a full year. My breathing comes faster now. If he changes his mind right here, everything changes. If he does not, I lose the only safety net I have managed to grab in my entire life.

Finally he gestures with two fingers.

“Come closer.”

I move around the table fast, heart racing. When I reach him, he points at the smooth wooden surface in front of him.

“Lie on the table,” he says, his tone firm and commanding. 

I glance down at it, hesitating, wondering if I heard him wrong. Then his voice comes again, sharper this time, leaving no room for doubt. “And spread your legs wide.”