A Borrowing Life

He left me alone in his room so I could go over the contract like I said to him. I sat there with so many thoughts in my head about everything that had just happened. I wished I could turn down this contract and walk away from it all. But there was a part of me that wanted to see what he could possibly do to me, to see if he truly meant it when he said he could ruin my life. The whole thing sounded ridiculous. Never in my life did I think something like this could happen to me.

But I cannot deny the fact that this is a real life situation. These are the untold stories people go through, especially in the hands of those who believe they have too much power. We see this happen even with celebrities. The things they are forced to do even when they do not want to, just because they are under management that controls how the public sees them. They cannot speak up. And as much as I try to tell myself this is not real, that he cannot really do anything to me, I cannot afford to be careless. I cannot risk the chance of losing the future I have always wanted. A life I get to choose for myself.

I thought about Aria. How she has been living her best life since things changed. Even though part of what she did was wrong, even I, who had always been skeptical, embraced the change. I let myself enjoy it. In those few weeks, I saw how easy life could be when you can get what you want without begging for it.

I knew this decision would change the way I perceived my future, but sometimes there are moments in life that we cannot control. Maybe they were meant to happen. Just like this one. I held the pen he left behind for me, clicking it slowly as I sat in silence. My fingers trembled a little. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath before doing what had already taken over my mind. One stroke of ink that would change the course of my fate.

I signed.

I placed the papers down on the desk after signing, staring at them as if I wanted to pick them up and shred them into pieces. I quickly got up from my seat and opened the door. He turned his head toward me. That slight smirk was still plastered on his face. Such a beautiful face should not belong to a man with so much arrogance, I said to myself. He looked at me like he already knew what my decision was. He stepped in and came close, staring deeply at me before saying,

“Finally made your decision.”

I nodded, stepping aside to let him in.

He walked to the desk, sat down, and picked up the papers. The moment his eyes landed on my signature, he smiled and nodded.

“Good decision,” he finally said after what felt like an endless silence.

The tension in the room was thick. Reality hit me all at once. Signing those papers meant I was leaving with him today to Norway. My thoughts grew heavy. What had I just done? And now, I would have to face Aria with this decision. She was not even okay with me being here just to look after his daughter. Only God knows how she would feel once I told her what I had just agreed to.

“So where do I go from here?” I asked curiously. I wanted to be very clear about the contract, even though he had already given me some clarity on what it meant. But I needed to know more. Why would someone like him fake a marriage contract? Why would a powerful billionaire need to pretend to be married, and for what reason? All these thoughts ran through my head, but deep down, I doubted he would even give me a single honest answer if I asked.

“You travel with me this morning like I said,” he replied, his tone firm. “And don’t worry about going back. I’ll send my guard to get whatever you need from your sister. We have less than two hours before we take off.”

“At least let me go and see my sister,” I said, trying to make him understand. “I need to speak to her so she doesn’t get worried about me.”

“You are not going to be gone forever,” he responded, sounding slightly impatient. “You will get the chance to meet her again, maybe in a week, when you and I come back for my business meeting. Besides, you have your phone. Call her. It’s that simple.”

He got up from his chair as he said that, making it clear the conversation was over or at least he wanted it to be.

“You can go back and prepare yourself so we can leave,” he said, gesturing for me to go as he stepped out of the room.

“Wait,” I said, and he stopped to look at me.

“I have school. What happens to that?” I asked. This was very important to me. I had only a few years left to finish law school.

He looked at me for a bit, his hands in his pockets.

“I have assigned you a personal assistant. She will take care of that,” he said, his answer short and clear. I wanted to push back because I needed more answers than that, but the look he gave me definitely shut me up.

I got back to my room and stood behind the door after closing it. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. I wished I had not signed those papers. The way he talked to me, the coldness in his expressions, I just knew I had put myself in a situation that would require me to tolerate his pride and his ego. I closed my eyes for a second and breathed deeply, trying to calm myself.

After a while, I got into bed and checked the time. It was already three in the morning. I had not even slept. I did not know if I should call my sister or if she would even answer. And if she did, what would she say about me calling her at this hour?

Still, I tried. On the third attempt, she picked up.

“Hey,” she said in a sleepy voice.

“Hey, sis,” I replied.

“Oh my gosh, Judi, why are you calling at this time? Hope everything is okay. Has that man done anything to you? I swear if he did, I am going to—” she said, her voice growing louder with each word.

“No, it’s fine. I just wanted to talk to you,” I said gently, and she told me to go ahead.

“I will send someone over. Please pack most of my things and give them to him. I will not be coming home today,” I said, my voice shaky.

“Why? I thought you said you were only looking after his kid for two days. So how long are you going to be gone? I do not like this. That man literally sent me to prison and promised to make my life hell. Why are you still dealing with him? He could do worse to you,” she said, clearly upset.

“He is not that bad, you know. He has totally forgiven you. There is so much I cannot say over the phone. I promise when I see you in person, I will explain everything. After my trip back from Norway,” I said softly.

“Wait, hold on. You are going to Norway? Judi, what the hell is happening? If you need me to call the police or if he is forcing you to do something, just tell me. I do not like this, especially knowing I am the reason you got into this situation,” she said with concern.

“You do not have to worry. Please do not make this worse. Just do as I said and do not forget to include my passport. It is important. Love you,” I said, and hung up quickly.

It was a lot for me to handle, but I could not tell her the truth. Not yet. I just wanted her to know I was not coming back for now. When I finally saw her in person, I would tell her everything.

I went to the closet and packed the few things I had brought with me back into my bag. I took out a dress I would wear that morning and walked to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Standing in front of the massive mirror on the wall, I looked at myself. I expected tears after everything I had just done signing away my freedom over allegations that were only half true.

I thought about what would have happened if Aria and I had never crossed paths with him. Who else would he have convinced to do something like this? Or maybe it was always part of his plan, to set a trap for someone to fall in. But then again, there were actual photos of his nephew in their chats. The ones Aria did not show me because she knew I would have been against it. That was why she shut me down so quickly whenever I asked about the online dating thing. She lied.

I showered quickly and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself. As I walked back into the room, I was surprised to see a woman laying different clothes on the bed. They were not my clothes. She was dressed in a black blazer and trousers, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a pair of glasses rested on her nose. She looked somewhere in her mid thirties.

I guessed she was the personal assistant Aleksander had mentioned. She turned and noticed me, adjusting her glasses with a warm smile.

“Miss Thompson, sorry to barge in like that. I knocked but no one answered,” she said politely. “I had to bring in some clothes for us to choose from for you to wear. And hi, I am Sarah Wilson, your assigned personal assistant from Mr Barginsen.”

She extended her hand, which I shook. She looked beautiful and approachable, her whole presence calm and well put together. Her energy made it easy to return her smile.

“It’s okay. I figured you were the assistant he mentioned, although I wasn’t expecting you so soon. And please, call me Judi,” I said as I stepped closer to where she stood, the bed now covered with about four different outfits.

“I want us to make a selection quickly. We need to leave in thirty minutes,” she explained, pointing to two outfits she had already picked out from the rest.

I chose the white long sleeved floral dress with pink rose patterns paired with silver heels.

She helped me get dressed and pulled out a makeup bag, doing a soft, natural makeup look that still made me feel put together. Then she styled my hair into soft waves. She moved with such ease and care, I could not help but admire her talent. I realized I had been complimenting her silently the whole time.

Once she was done, I stood in front of the mirror, taking in my reflection.

“This is beautiful. Great job,” I said to her, still staring at myself.

“You are beautiful. This is just the little I could do since we are in a rush,” she replied with a kind smile. “Now let’s go downstairs to meet everyone. Your bags will be taken care of.”

I nodded and followed her, not knowing what exactly to expect next but feeling a little less anxious thanks to her calming presence.

We got downstairs to find Mr Billionaire already waiting, holding his daughter in his arms as she slept. He stared at me as I descended the stairs and gestured for me to follow him to the car. There were three different black cars parked outside. He got into one with his daughter, while Sarah and I got into another, the door held open by one of the guards.

Once the doors shut, the car pulled off the compound. That was when it truly sank in. The decision I made was no longer just an idea. It was real. I inhaled deeply, realizing that from here, we were heading to the airport and out of the country. This was going to be my first time leaving, and not even for personal reasons. It still did not feel entirely real.

In the car, I turned to Sarah, curiosity buzzing inside me. I wanted to know more about her, about him, and how all of this worked.

“So, how long have you been working for Aleksander?” I asked, finally breaking the silence.

“I think it’s been about five years now,” she replied. “I started not too long ago as his executive assistant and public liaison. I mostly help run his business here in the States.”

I nodded slowly. “And what kind of work does he do, if I may ask?”

She smiled at how curious I sounded and went on with the explanation.

“He is currently the acting CEO of his family’s company, Barginsen Energy Group. And he’s also the founder and CEO of Aleksis Empire, his own real estate company based in the UK.”

“Anything else you want to know?” she added, glancing at me playfully.

“Oh, I have a lot of questions,” I said, half laughing. “But do you know why he made you my assistant all of a sudden?”

“You mean if I knew you are his contract wife?” she said casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

My mouth dropped open in surprise, forming an “oh,” and she laughed at my reaction.

“Of course I knew. There was no way he would let me work for you if I didn’t,” she said.

“And I am sure you have a lot of questions about why he made you sign the contract, which I wish I could answer. But unfortunately, that’s not my place. Just give him some time. I’m sure he will tell you himself,” she added, gently holding my hand in reassurance.

“Hopefully he does. I’m very conflicted about the whole situation,” I admitted. “Also, if his business is in the UK, where does he actually live? Norway or the UK?”

“Good question,” she said, nodding her head.

“Mostly, he is in the UK. That’s where his main work is. But business takes him around a lot.”

“What about Norway?” I asked.

“He goes there quite often, yes,” she said.

Now it made sense why he spoke such perfect English with a British accent. He was based there, and I was pretty sure that was where he had gotten his education.

The conversation slowly shifted, and we started talking more about general things, girl stuff, which helped ease the tension a little. Sarah had such a sweet and kind personality. I hoped I would get along well with her during my one year as Mr Billionaire’s wife.

As for him, I could not hope for that.