The Price of a Lie

Chloe fled to her room, but closing the door behind her did nothing to quiet what had just happened between her and Adrian. She lay awake until dawn, her thoughts churning, refusing to settle.

The next morning, she made her way to Adrian's residence, where the contract was to be signed. A member of the household staff led her to the sitting room. Adrian was already seated, and Ethan, his secretary, stood across the room. They both looked as though they had been expecting her for some time.

Chloe exchanged greetings and took the seat directly opposite Adrian.

"Here is the contract," Adrian said, passing her the document Ethan had prepared.

Chloe began to read aloud. "This contract between Party A and Party B sets out the terms of a simulated romantic relationship, as well as a requested meeting with the grandfather of Party A." She glanced up at Adrian with an intense look, then returned to the page. "In the event of a breach of contract, the penalty shall be one hundred times the contract amount."

"One hundred times?" she snapped. "That's ridiculous!"

"I was so dizzy that I had to clear my entire schedule," Adrian said, propping his head against one hand. "I lost an important contract. Do you know what that cost me?"

"Even so, this isn't right!"

"Suppose someone ordered a chicken from your restaurant and you failed to deliver it." He folded his arms. "What would that do to your reputation?"

"That's... I could just make it up to..."

"There is no 'next time' in this world," Adrian cut in. "You've lost trust, and you can't put a price on that."

"But still, this isn't right," Chloe insisted.

"Accept my offer, and I won't sue for damages. I'll even pay you what I promised." He turned to his secretary. "Mr. Ethan, contact legal and tell them to proceed with the lawsuit right away."

"No, I'll do it!" Chloe said quickly. "Fine." She snatched up the pen and signed in a rush.

"You're very impatient," she muttered, sliding the document across to him.

Adrian signed while Chloe sat watching him, unable to look away. When he finished, he handed the contract to Ethan, who had moved to stand behind him.

Ethan then led the two of them to a video projection room. "I've summarized the essentials you'll need to carry out this contract," he said, switching on the projector. "You must memorize all of it. His blood type is B. He attended a private school in the Eastern district from elementary through high school. After graduating early, he was admitted to Harvard at eighteen."

"Eighteen?" Chloe exclaimed. "Wow."

She kept memorizing, half in awe, as Adrian spoke with a smirk. "My only flaw is that there's nothing I'm not good at."

"Anyway," he went on, "the meeting with the Chairman is next Sunday. Be sure you've memorized the backstory we've prepared for you by then."

"Okay..." Chloe answered, dropping her gaze to the table.

Adrian leaned in until she could feel how close he was. "I will not tolerate mistakes. Do you understand?"

Chloe nodded.

She left the house and boarded a train home, a stack of cards in her hands: her own details and Adrian's. She had to learn her new name, the one she had given him: Stephanie. Chloe was her real name, but she had lied to hide the fact that she worked at his company.

"Stephanie, you went to a really good school," she whispered, running through the cards.

By the time she reached home, she was exhausted, yet she stayed awake, doing her best to fix every detail in her mind.

Morning came. Chloe dressed for work and went straight to the company, cards still in her hands, still reciting. Then something caught her eye. Adrian's face looked down at her from the company billboard.

"Stephanie," she murmured to herself, "you certainly snagged yourself an impressive boyfriend."

Aria called soon after, hoping to cheer her up with a meal. Chloe went straight to meet her, cards in hand and fatigue weighing on her.

"Wow, you're really getting immersed in your new identity, Ms. Stephanie," Aria teased. She plucked the paper from Chloe's fingers and skimmed it. "Is this really worth all the effort?"

"What choice do I have?" Chloe said, taking it back. "Otherwise I'd owe him a hundred times the contract amount."

"A hundred times? A hundred times, my ass!" Aria burst out laughing. "Did Chloe get spooked by some absurd lie again?"

"He was going to press charges," Chloe said. "He would have found out my real name, and that I work for his company. Then what? I'd be fired, and..." She trailed off and lifted the paper to her face. "Look, this is the best I can do."

Aria gave an awkward little cough. "So, how's the studying coming along? For your fake boyfriend, I mean."

Chloe sighed. "Hmm... The more I learn, the more unbelievable he seems. He was born with a silver spoon, no, a diamond one, in his mouth. He's brilliant, he's good at sports, and on top of that, he's ridiculously handsome. But his parents died in an accident when he was young."

"Oh, that," Aria said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I've heard about it. It's why there are no relatives in any of the subsidiaries."

"Really? Why?"

"Don't even get me started." Aria motioned for Chloe to lean closer. "Rumor has it that someone was behind the accident that killed his parents."

"Really?"

"I mean, I have no idea whether it's true. But apparently Chairman Blake, Adrian's grandfather, fired every one of their blood relatives to protect him."

"Oh my God," Chloe breathed.