CHAPTER 4: The Agreement

CHAPTER 4: The Agreement

I didn’t find someone better than him.

“Dear, are you sure about this?” Asked Nana who was on the other side of the phone. 

I was alone in my car, driving alone towards Nana’s old neighborhood where the House was.  

Two days passed and I already asked my secretary to help me find someone for the role, but still, we haven’t found someone who was fit for the job. The company event is tomorrow, and I’m becoming desperate.

I sighed. “Yes, the anniversary is just a day from now and I still haven't found anyone for the role. And I don’t want Aunt Veronica and Robert to be handed over my spot just because I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Nana just heaved a deep breath on the other side. She wasn’t able to come, nor Ted was here to drive me. This was an abrupt decision which I’m making after work.

It was already way past eight in the evening, and I know there was a possibility that Levi may not be there in his house. But tomorrow is the event, and grandpa with the rest of my family is already waiting for my boyfriend to show up. 

I’m in desperate need of someone. And whatever it takes, I’m getting that fake boyfriend to show to my family tomorrow.

I stopped my car on the same parking spot we had the last time I was here. The street was already dark, but there were some people lurking around. I looked over the narrow street where Nana and I walked in and saw how dark it was. 

“Nana, I have to drop the call. I already arrived,” I said and took my jacket on the driver’s seat and wore it. I also tied my hair and untucked my blouse. I didn’t want to look too formal and eye-catching in this place.

“Okay, dearie. I’ll call some of my friends to watch you there.” I smiled despite tensing over the situation. “No need, Nana. I can take care of myself. Thank you.”

“At least let them watch you, so if anything happens, they’d come to your rescue.” 

I sighed. “Just tell them I’m at the House or at this guy named Levi’s place. I’ll be there. Call me if I still haven't gone home in an hour and a half. If I don’t answer, then tell your friends to come find me in the places I mentioned. Would that be good?”

“Alright.” Nana finally settled. I may be quite tensed right now, but I don’t need Nana to worry about me too much. I also already texted my whereabouts to Ted so he’d be here any minute now.

“Be careful, okay. Don’t cause any trouble.” I smiled. “I’ll try, Nana. Wish me luck.”

“I will.”

I dropped the call and immediately got out of the car. Without delaying, I started walking towards the House where Levi said he was staying. I just really hope he was there.

As soon as I walked towards the fenced small basketball court in the area, I immediately saw a couple of guys playing. They all turned to me, but I ignored all the looks and continued walking, but someone suddenly called.

“Jen!”

I stopped and turned to the side. A relieved smile immediately plastered on my face at the sight of those warm brown eyes Tim owned. 

“Hey, Tim,” I greeted when he stopped in front of my figure. He smiled.

“What are you doing here? It’s late,” he asked, playing with the basketball in his hand, spinning it.

“I just—“ I started, but he beat me to it.

“Haven’t found the one?” I sighed heavily. I met his eyes. 

“Actually, I’m here to fetch the person I’m hiring.” Tim’s face immediately lit up in curiosity. 

“Wow. So someone really went through those high standards of yours. Congratulations to him. Who is it?” He asked and chuckled.  

I hesitated for a moment, but thought better of it. I should hurry, anyway. And I don’t know where to find that guy.

“Have you seen Levi? Can I ask where I can find him?”

“Levi?” Tim asked, with a surprised look in his eyes. I nodded, looking around. 

That man may just be here, playing with them. 

“Yeah. I talked with him the same day we had the interview. He knew things about business.” I said, looking back at him. 

Tim’s brows furrowed a little. “Of course, why wouldn’t he? Lev’s—“

“Miss Allistair.” Tim’s words were cut off when a deep familiar voice spoke from behind. 

I turned to my back and saw Levi in almost the same clothes I saw him the other day. Ripped black jeans and a lousy white shirt. He was taller than Tim and the other guys around. And although one can’t deny how good he looked—even admittedly better looking than Tim and the rest I met at the House—one could ask: does he not own other clothes that looked more presentable?

Despite my thoughts, I fully faced him. A small smirk immediately plastered on his lips. I wanted to scoff, but held myself still. He knew I swallowed my pride for this, seeing the glint of amusement in his glassy gray eyes.

I stood tall and held my chin up as he crossed his arms in his chest.

“You came back, and you’re looking for me.” He chuckled. “I thought you didn’t need me, and you’d find someone better?”

I clenched my fists on my side and kept myself from glaring. 

If I only really have a lot more time, I wouldn’t ever come back for this prick! Arrogant jerk!

“I need to speak with you somewhere…private.” He glanced around the area, still with his smug face. 

“What’s wrong here? We can speak freely with Tim and the guys around.” I gave him a hard look, irritated over how he’s enjoying making me angry. 

I hate this. I hate how I can’t throw him out and just find another one! And I hate how he seems to know it!

The look in my face must have given him the idea how seriously angry I was when he put his crossed arms down and smirked at me.

“This way.” I just nodded as he turned and started walking away from the basketball court and the people that were around. 

Silently, Levi led me towards the same street we were in the last time we talked. I looked around, slightly nervous about how quiet and dark it was. 

Gosh. I might have just settled for the basketball court when he said we should do the talking there. I hope Nana already called her friends to come look for me. 

“What? Scared now?” My head snapped back at Levi when his deep voice almost echoed around the empty street. The same light post was lit up, but it was slightly dimmer than I remembered it was.

I composed myself and hid any emotion that would show him how anxious I was of this. 

“I’m here because I want to offer you the job, despite what happened. You were the only one who knew things about business, and…“ I raised a finger at his face, even when he wasn’t about to speak. 

“Before anything else, let me explain why I’m doing this, and how this job I’m offering is nothing like that irresponsible game you said I was playing.” Levi raised a brow, but didn’t speak nonetheless.

I sighed and put my hand down on my side.

“As you may have already known. I am hiring a fake boyfriend, but I’d also want that fake boyfriend to be my fake husband…”

“Fake husband?” He repeated, intrigued about how this is going. I nodded.

“Yes, fake husband. That’s why I’m paying a big amount for anyone I’d be hiring.” I paused for a while, observing his face for any further violent reaction from him. But all I could see in Levi’s face was intrigue. 

I inhaled a deep breath and continued. “You see, I was given the CEO and President position in our company by my grandfather who had those titles before. Do you know Allistair Group, perhaps? One of the companies we hold is a shipping company. We deliver things from shops online. You may have gotten a delivery from Allistair’s. That sounds familiar?” 

I explained a little bit further, just to give him an idea what company I’m holding.

Thankfully, he nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay. So that’s only one of the few companies in the Allistair Group, and soon, I will be taking over as the head of that big corporation. But my grandfather thought it would be best for me to get married first, saying I would need all the help I’d be getting as I take over, which I honestly don’t need—just to point that out. He arranged a marriage deal with another businessman and I don’t want that. I don’t want to get married just yet and I don’t need someone’s help to do my job. Which that man for sure would just try dominating over me and get my company away from me.”

Levi watched me for a couple of seconds, analyzing everything I dropped on him. He spoke up after a breath. 

“Have you ever thought about how your grandfather may be right? Like you said, you’re going to handle a big corporation. You might need someone that could help you.”

Irritation immediately spiked in my system, making me glare at him. 

“Why can’t you men understand that women can also do what men can? If that bachelor business man he so praised for being good, while being single, handled his business properly, why can’t I? I trained almost half of my life for this. It was my parents’ company. And I will have it without having to rely on someone!”

Levi raised his palms up in mock surrender as a small smile made it’s way on his face. 

“Okay, I’m just saying. Your grandfather has been in that world for longer than you did. He might have a point. But I also agree that you can handle it on your own.” I stared at him as he said that almost sincerely. He raised a brow, coaxing me to relax. And so slowly, I heaved a deep breath and let go of my irritation. 

Goodness. I need to calm down.

“Alright, so why don’t you just tell that to your grandfather? Why bother hiring someone and lying about this?”

I shook my head at him. “Grandpa Al wouldn’t let me. I already tried reasoning out to him, but I can see how determined he was to get me married first before handing me over the position. I know him, and I know how stubborn he is. And I don’t want my being single to be the reason for my greedy aunt and cousin to take over the business I have worked so hard on. It’s the last thing my parents left for me to have.”

I looked down on my hands after saying that, knowing I was spilling too much on him even when he hadn't agreed yet. But I’m sure he’s the one I want. He has to be, because I basically have no other choice here. 

And I feel like with the background he has on econ and marketing, teaching him more about the business world wouldn’t be so hard. Besides, I would only need to teach him terminologies for the most of it, just for the sake of conversations. Push comes to shove, I’d teach him about stocks and other bigger things as well. But we’ll get there when that needs to be done.

Also, despite how irritated and angry I got over this guy, I liked how he wasn’t easily intimidated by just anybody. When he meets my family and other people in the business, that confidence is strongly needed.

A couple of silent seconds went, and I let everything sink in for Levi first, and to me as well, to be honest. This is getting more real than it was a few hours ago.

“Levi,” I sighed and met his eyes again. Desperation was clawing over me as time ticked by. He didn’t waver when he looked into mine. 

“Will you take the job offer and be my fake boyfriend and husband soon? I just really need someone for this. I can’t be tied with someone I don’t even know and potentially give him the power to take over my company. It will be just in six months, then it will be over. I will arrange the divorce papers even right after we get married, and you’ll be free. I promise.”

Seeing how desperate I was getting, Levi uncrossed his arms and heaved a deep breath. I could now see how that careful and warning wall of his was now slowly crumbling. Slight understanding crossed his face. 

“How do you know you can trust me? You don’t even know my full name.”

I closed my eyes for a while and breathed in. He’s right, but… I’m just really risking this right now.

“I’m not here to judge, but I bet you need money. You’re working as an escort, and I don’t know if this is just a side hustle or anything—and that is none of my business,” I clarified, looking directly into his eyes, so he’d know how sincere I was about this. 

When he didn’t show any signs of being insulted or being put out and just continued looking at me, I continued.

“I need someone who is as desperate as I am. I am desperate of not letting other people take my spot, and I hope you’re as desperate as earning as much money as you can gather in just a couple of months.” 

I swallowed. “Like I said, I’m not here to judge, and I know with this thing I’m doing, there’s a lot to judge about me. But I just really really want this—I need this.”

“That company is more than just a business to you, is it?” Levi suddenly asked, sounding a bit more empathetic than I thought he could be. It made me a little emotional.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and held my tears in. “Yes. It’s the very thing that makes me feel closer to my late parents. I know they’d want me to get it. And I consider it my home. My spot to connect with them.”

Levi once again just stared at me for a while, his eyes scrutinizing. Me, or the situation. Nonetheless, he looked like he was calculating the pros and cons of this.

He suddenly looked me up and down, the same way he gave me a once over the first time we met. 

I didn’t know what's with his look, but I started feeling tingles in my body. The atmosphere suddenly changed a bit.

I cleared my throat, making those intense eyes of his come back to my face. I couldn’t help observing how he suddenly looked like he just woke up from a trance.

“May I know your full name? You got a point when you pointed that out earlier. And don’t worry, I won’t ask everything about you today. I will soon ask a few more questions I’d be needing if you agree to take my job offer. But for now, I want to know your name. I at least need to know that by now.”

“Levi Anderson,” he briefly stated, still staring into me. He was now openly watching everything in me with those intense eyes of his, making me slightly uncomfortable.

“Okay,” I said and looked around, wanting to take the awkward atmosphere around. I then noticed he had stepped a foot inside the old house that was in front of us. 

I pointed at the house. “Is this your place? I thought you stayed in the House?”

He didn’t even bother taking his eyes away from me when he answered. “I alternate. I stay here if I don’t want anyone bothering me.”

I just nodded, still feeling his entire attention in my face and body. 

Silent seconds passed before I finally couldn’t handle it. 

I’m not an awkward highschooler anymore.

I met his eyes and saw them already looking at me. Levi Anderson looked downright gorgeous, but still, I can’t freak out over a man I just met. 

I stood up straighter and asked. “Will you take the offer?”

“What’s in it for me?” He immediately asked in return. I held my chin up. 

“I’ll be compensating you.” 

“How much are we talking about?” 

“1 million dollars.”

“That’s it?” I raised a brow. He crossed his arms and leaned on the doorway he was standing in. I could see a challenging glint in his eyes, wanting me to raise the offer.

I did everything I could to stop glaring when his eyes went back and forth to my body and face again. 

I see he has taken the opportunity for this. That’s fine. Like I said, I wanted someone as desperate as I was.

“A free stay in my house, food, clothes, car and a renovation in this…” 

I gestured towards the tattered small house he was in. He raised a brow, an amused glint sparkling in his eyes. I just waved my hand.

“I will renovate your house, and you will have basically every privilege a boyfriend and a husband will have. So, what do you say?” 

He didn’t move in his position and just stared at me for a second. And when those deep gray eyes of his went roaming around my body for the nth time, I felt things I shouldn't have for a man I just met.

“Including sex?” Levi asked, tilting his head a little.

My eyes widened. “N-no! No! All the privileges except that. We don’t need to do anything intimate when we’re alone. We’re just pretending so I could have my position from my grandfather.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” The bastard smirked, and I hate how that just made something stir in my stomach and gave me incomprehensible sensations. 

I clenched my fist behind me, gone was the shyness I was feeling earlier. 

“The fun is all the money you can have in just six months. Six months after marriage, we’ll get divorced. Done. Everything I mentioned is all yours. All I need is the position in our company. I still don’t want to get married nor even planning to in the near future. I will write all of that in a contract and we will sign that to seal this agreement.”

“Your old man would probably not like that,” he suddenly commented seriously, the smug look on his face gone for a little while. But I didn’t say anything. 

Yes, grandfather would not like this, but there’s no way I’m going to let him arrange me to a marriage like we were still in the medieval times with a man who will take over my position and work. I don’t even know who he is. There’s just no way.

I don’t need a man for me to run our company. I can do this on my own. If I ever want a man, then it won’t be because I need him for the business. I know I’m smart and trained enough to have the president and CEO position.

I love grandpa Al, but I can’t just do what he says this time.

I shook off the guilty feeling I got from his words and gave him a serious look. 

“All the things I said will be yours. I will have it in a contract we’ll both sign and you’ll be rid of me after six months. Deal?” I stretched out my hand for him to take. 

Levi’s amused gray eyes went to it. He was back to his jerk-y and annoying character. And it was crazy, but I suddenly felt tingles on my palm with his look. 

Gawd. I hate how good he looks.

Slowly, he started taking my hand. I looked at him and saw his smirk turn into a grin, making me see that attractive shallow dimple he had. 

“Deal.” 

I sighed in relief and nodded. But Levi suddenly pulled me closer and that made me gasp.

“Nice negotiating with you, my dear soon-to-be wife.” He raised my hand that he was still holding and I couldn’t help the fast beats of my heart when he kissed it. 

The heck. He was just treating me like a pest a few minutes ago, and now this.

“Fake soon-to-be wife,” I emphasized, getting a hold of myself. I pulled my hand away from him. 

The bastard just chuckled. 

“So, what are we gonna do? When do I sign those papers? I need it for my protection.”

I raised my brows at him and stepped back. His smirk was still plastered on his face, and I couldn’t help noticing how playful he was getting after agreeing with me.

So, he’s deemed me not as a scam and a rich spoiled girl now?

I fixed my jacket and cap. “There will be an event tomorrow. So you have to be ready. Don’t worry about the clothes and all the things you’ll be wearing for it. We’ll talk more about this soon. I’ll pick you up at 9 AM.”

Curiosity filled his face. “What’s the event tomorrow? Who am I meeting?”

It was my time to smirk at him. 

“You’ll be meeting my Grandpa Al, and the rest of my family and business acquaintances.”