CHAPTER 2: A Deal With The Devil

Julian's face inched closer to mine, his warm breath dancing across my ear. "Think about your mom," he whispered, his voice low and husky.

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I stared at him, my eyes wide with a mix of fear and desperation.

"If you accept my offer, I will immediately get her operated on with the best doctor I know," he continued, his words dripping with persuasion.

I repeated his words, my voice barely above a whisper. "W-What? Be your l-lover..?" I stuttered, my eyes searching his face for any sign of deception.

But Julian's expression remained unreadable, his eyes gleaming with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.

He turned and walked towards his walk-in closet, his broad back coming into view as he reached for something. "Not a literal lover, though," he said, his voice matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing the weather.

He turned around, his eyes locking onto mine. "Just pretend to be my lover," he clarified, his voice devoid of emotion.

I stared at the floor, weighing my options. If I accepted Julian's offer, I could get my mom the operation she needed, and I wouldn't have to skip class to work at the restaurant. My mom would be saved, and I wouldn't fail my subjects.

But pretending to be his lover was a bit difficult... I looked up at him, my curiosity piqued. “Can you tell me your reason first why you need to have a fake lover?” I asked.

He came out of the closet fully clothed and sat on his desk chair. “To run away from my dad’s unstoppable desire to get me married to a girl I don’t love,” he answered shortly.

I nodded my head in understanding. So we had to pretend that we were in love in front of his family so his dad would stop pestering him about marriage? But how would I act lovey-dovey with him if I didn’t even have feelings for him?

We barely knew each other and were literally strangers. What if our act wasn’t enough to convince his dad that we were together and he noticed that we were just pretending? Then we were doomed!

What would happen to us if that happened? I looked down again, weighing my options. His offer was tempting, but I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off.

I bit my lip, unsure of what to do. His offer was too good to pass up, but I was scared of getting caught in our lie... But nonetheless, I looked up at him, determination etched on my face. “Okay. Let’s do it,” I agreed.

Julian smirked, a small smile creeping onto his lips. “It’s all settled then. A deal is a deal. I will help you with your mom as long as you help me with my dad,” he stated, his eyes glinting with amusement.

I nodded, my mind racing with the implications. “Okay. But how long do we have to pretend?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Julian shrugged. “Six months, one year, I don’t know. All I can tell you is that we need to pretend until my father is finally convinced of our relationship, which I know will definitely take longer than we anticipate.”

I nodded, resignation washing over me. Fair enough. Less or more than a hundred thousand definitely takes more than just a year to accumulate. But who was I to complain? Julian's offer was too good to pass up.

A question popped into my head, and I felt a flush rise to my cheeks. I didn't know if I should ask him, but I felt like I had to. “D-Do we have to k-kiss and such then?” I asked, closing my eyes in embarrassment.

I felt like I was going to die from shame. Oh my gosh, Yna! You're so shameless! I'm sure I looked like a ripe tomato right now.

Julian's voice was calm, but still cold. “Yes, we have to, just to make him believe our act.”

I opened my eyes, feeling a pang of disappointment. We'd already sealed a deal, but his tone with me was still frosty.

Julian's eyes locked onto mine, his gaze expectant. “What's your name, by the way? You've been here for hours, and we even made a deal, yet I still don't know your name.” His voice was smooth, but I detected a hint of impatience beneath the surface.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I introduced myself in a barely audible tone, my voice cracking. “I-It's Yna. My name is Czahryna Torres.” I felt a flush rise to my cheeks as Julian's eyes seemed to bore into mine.

Julian's gaze never wavered, his eyes piercing. He hummed, a low, throaty sound that sent a shiver down my spine. “Nice to meet you, Yna.” A smirk spread across his face, his lips curling up in a way that made my heart skip a beat.

“Give me your phone number so that I can call you later in terms of your mom's operation, and of course, to sketch out a smooth plan for our act. I can't just introduce you to my family carelessly, can I?” He raised an eyebrow, his expression teasing.

I hesitated, unsure of what to do next. But before I could respond, Julian's phone rang, shrill in the silence. He glanced at the screen, his expression darkening like a storm cloud.

What just happened?