chap.5

LUNA POV

"What! You couldn’t get it? But you said you’d do your best!" Rose said, pacing around her office.

"I did—I even went to his company, but he still wouldn’t give us a chance," I said, my mind flashing back to the degrading deal he’d offered.

"This can’t be! He was my only hope," she said, her voice cracking with desperation.

"He’s not the only wealthy company out there. Can’t we find another one—someone who’ll appreciate our work?" I asked.

"No one wants a small, upcoming agency. He was the only one who even gave us the time of day. We need this contract, or we’ll go bankrupt," she said.

"What? But how?" I asked, stunned.

"I borrowed a lot of money, and I don’t know how to pay it back. This contract was my only way out," she said.

"And now that we don’t have it—how are you going to pay what you owe?" I asked.

"You’re going to do something about it, Luna. You owe me this much," she said suddenly.

"What?"

"Have you forgotten I paid your mom’s hospital bills? You still haven’t paid me back, and I want that money now!" she snapped.

"But you said I could pay you whenever I could," I said, my voice cool.

"Well, I want it back by tomorrow. Either you give me my money, or you find a way to get that Callaghan contract," she said.

"You’re being unfair, Rose," I said.

"Unfair or not—I need to survive, even if this company falls apart. So you get me what I want, or I’ll make sure you regret ever borrowing money from me. You know how I am when it comes to unpaid debts. You’d better think long and hard about how to get us that contract—or pay me back in full," she finished.

"You’re cruel!" I said, and stormed out of the office, my blood boiling.

Where am I going to get that kind of money for Rose? I thought as I walked home, my chest tight with worry.

"My child, you’re back early," my mom said as I walked in.

"We got let go early," I said, taking off my coat.

"You look worried—are you okay?" she asked, coming over to me.

"It’s nothing, Mom," I said, and went straight to my room.

Getting Mom involved will only make her sad. So it’s either accept Cade’s deal, or find a way to pay Rose—and I don’t have the money right now.

What am I going to do? How do I get out of this mess? I thought, until sleep finally took over.

I woke up feeling awful. I’d slept late, tossing and turning all night, trying to figure out a way out.

When Mom was in the hospital, needing money for surgery, I didn’t know who to turn to. But Rose had helped me—she’d said I could pay her back whenever I was able. If I hadn’t been paying the house bills and other expenses, I wouldn’t be in this spot. I would’ve paid her back by now.

But Rose is terrifying when it comes to money. I’ve seen her be ruthless with people who couldn’t pay, and I knew I wouldn’t be an exception.

Just then, the door opened, and Mom rushed in.

"Luna, you have to see this!" she said, handing me a piece of paper.

I took it, and when I read it, I looked up at her in shock.

"Eviction notice? But how?" I asked.

"That’s what I want to ask you! Haven’t we been paying the rent every month?" she said, her voice trembling.

"Of course we have! I paid it just last month," I said.

"Then we need to go talk to her! What’s with this sudden notice?" Mom said, angry.

"No, Mom—don’t. I’ll go myself. Let me handle this alone," I said.

"But why won’t you let me come with you?" she asked.

"I need to talk to her by myself. Let me face this on my own," I said, getting out of bed.

I quickly changed into jeans and an orange crop top, brushed my messy hair, and left the house to go see our landlady.

It wasn’t far, so I got there quickly. I knocked several times before she finally answered.

"Oh—it’s you," she said, sounding unimpressed.

"Yes, it’s me. What’s this eviction notice?" I asked.

"It’s exactly what it says. I want you out of my house as soon as possible," she said.

"That’s not right! We’ve never missed a rent payment, and you can’t just evict us without proper warning!" I said.

"I have given you proper warning—two days. If I were you, I’d start packing," she said.

"We’re not leaving! I pay you every month, I’ve never owed you a cent—you don’t have the right to kick us out," I said firmly.

"Fine—don’t leave if you don’t want to. But once the new owner gets here, you’ll be thrown out for sure," she said.

"You sold our house?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, I sold it. And the new owner wants you out immediately," she said.

"Who? Who did you sell it to? Give me their number—I want to talk to them," I said.

"Do you really think I’ll give you their number? Well, I’m sorry—I won’t," she said.

"Madam Nina! You can’t do this to us! You just can’t evict us!" I said, my voice cracking with frustration.

"We can and we will. Madam Rose made me promise I’d..." She stopped abruptly, realizing she’d said too much.

"Madam Rose?" I asked.

"That’s not what I meant!" she said quickly, trying to backtrack.

"My boss bought our house from you?" I asked again, my mind reeling.

"Look—all I can tell you is to get out soon, or you’ll regret it," she said, and went back inside, slamming the door.

I walked home, my heart heavy. Rose had bought the house—all to force my hand: either help her get the contract, or pay her back the money I owed.

I’d rather die than go back to that horrible man, I thought.

I turned down another street, went to the nearest ATM, and withdrew all my savings. It wasn’t enough to pay Rose back in full, but maybe I could give her what I had and ask for more time. I headed home, hoping against hope.

"Mom, I’m home," I said, unlocking the door and walking in.

"Come in, my child," I heard her call from the kitchen.

"You have a guest," she said, and I knew it must be Gracie or Michael—they were my only friends in the city. We’d gone to college together, worked at the same company... but I planned to resign from Rose’s firm soon.

I walked further in, and stopped dead in my tracks.

It was Cade Callaghan.

"Here’s your visitor, dear. He said he’s a very good friend of yours, so I let him in," Mom said, setting a cup of tea in front of him.

"Really? It’s a surprise to see you here, Mr. Callaghan," I said, sitting down on an empty chair.

"I’m here to continue our conversation from yesterday," he said.

"But I already gave you my answer," I said, not hesitating for a second.

"But I haven’t finished mine," he said.

"I’ll leave you two alone. Once you’re done, come tell me what happened with the eviction notice," Mom said, and walked out.

"Eviction? Are they evicting you?" he asked, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"It’s none of your business. Come on—let’s talk somewhere else," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him outside.

As soon as we were out, I dropped his hand and glared at him.

"Why the hell are you here?"

"To see you."

"Why?"

"To know if you’ve changed your mind."

"Look, Mr. Callaghan—I told you my decision yesterday, and I won’t change it."

"Not even when you’re being evicted?"

"I told you—it’s none of your business!"

"But I can make it my business. I can help you. Just accept my deal, and whatever you want will be yours," he said.

"No! No, Mr. Callaghan—I won’t do it!"

"Why? Why do you even want me? I’m not in your league. I’m not one of those brunettes you’re always with—can’t you choose one of them instead?" I yelled.

"That’s exactly why I chose you. You’re intriguing. You’re the only girl who hasn’t thrown herself at me for my money. You’d make a perfect fake bride, and you’d pull it off easily," he said.

"Just accept my deal, and all your problems will be solved—I promise you that!" he said, a mischievous look on his face.

"I can’t do it. It goes against my principles. Lying to your parents might be easy for you, but I couldn’t look them in the eye and pretend," I said.

"I’m not asking you to do this forever, Luna. Just until I go back to the island," he said.

"It’s still a no. Have you ever thought we wouldn’t be compatible? You don’t suit me, and I certainly don’t suit you. How are we supposed to convince your parents if we can’t even stand each other?" I said.

"We can start somewhere, Luna. We can get to know each other. I’m sure we can make it work," he said, sounding confident. I didn’t understand why.

"Mr. Callaghan..."

"Just call me Cade," he corrected.

"We aren’t close enough for that," I said.

"We can be," he said.

"Look, Mr. Callaghan—I’m not one of those airheads you do your dirty work with..."

"And that’s the main reason I chose you. I want you as my pretend bride. We won’t actually get married—we’ll just pretend in front of my family. Once I’m done with my business there, we’ll come back to the city. You’ll get the contract, and I’ll go back to my life with... whoever you want to call them," he said.

"What do you say, Luna?" he asked, waiting for my answer.

I stood there, thinking about his offer. It’s just pretending, nothing more. He wouldn’t try anything with me, and I’m sure he can be a gentleman if he wants to.

But then I thought about Mom and Dad being evicted. The money I had might be enough to rent another apartment, but it wouldn’t last. And Rose would still be a threat—she’d never stop until she made me pay, one way or another. She’d find a way to get her money back, and I’d be trapped forever.