Chapter 7

Isabelle Campbell

‘I will never subject myself to such thin’ the promise I made to myself kept repeating in my head as I sat in a café opposite my bakery while I waited for Alessandro.

The nervousness was creeping inside my every being, my fingers twitched and I kept biting my bottom lips, looking at the door whenever it opened to welcome a customer.

“Does he have the courtesy to know not to keep a woman waiting?” I grumbled in annoyance.

I am feeling anxious about this decision I am making. I want to be sure this is what I want but my situation leaves me no choice.

My phone buzzed in my purse, so I opened it to take it out. It was a message from Olivia. She’s coming to town in a few days since she had to leave promptly a day ago after getting an emergency call from home.

I pressed the sent button after typing my response to her message when a deep, familiar voice caught my attention.

I looked up at him, my phone still close to my face, and watched him sit on the chair before me.

He smiled at me and looked around the small café before returning his gaze to me.

“Homely, I guess” he comments.

I glared at him. “Twenty minutes should be twenty minutes” I called for a waiter to come over “You’re a businessman, you should know that” I completed.

His eyes widened a bit and he became stoic. He nods “I apologize for the inconvenience”

I passed him the contract paper I brought after the waiter took my order. He didn’t want anything.

Alessandro looked through the papers and frowned. He looked at me for a second then went over the rest of the pages.

“We’ll have to re-print this contract papers seeing as you decided to do some kids drawing on it” he sounded irritated.

“If you’re going to be rude, I’ll leave this place.” I warned “I added things I am comfortable with in there. we are equal parties and should be okay with what is written there” I point at the papers he was holding.

He put them on the table and crossed his arms on the table as he leaned forward a bit.

“I agree with you Ms. Isabelle, but it would be nicer to let me know we would be changing some things at least” My cheeks warmed up as I realized he was right.

“I’m sorry about that” I apologized.

“It’s fine.” He opened the papers again. “These are all you want added to the clauses?” he asked then chuckled at something he read.

“Yes, and what is funny”

He turned the paper so I could read it. “No physical touching, holding hands, and kissing,” he said out loud.

“Yes, I don’t want any of that happening.” I breathe out. “I prefer we didn’t do any of those”

“How else are we going to convince people that we are together?” he asked, his right eyebrow raised in question.

I felt my cheeks flushing as I thought of what to say without looking at his lips and thinking of how soft they’d be agai-

“We need to be a real couple in front of everyone. I don’t care about whatever you do with your business or personal life, I just want this to be believable to people when they see us, and acting as a real couple will do the trick” he said, cutting through my train of thought

We don’t have to do any of these” I protest.

“Why don’t you see it as acting? You’re being paid to act as the girlfriend to a billionaire, only you get to write your script” he said. He leaned back, letting himself relax on the chair as he watched me with expectant eyes.

My mind went to some of the romantic movies I watched and how in love the main characters look and they were just acting the part. I think I can do that.

“Fine,” I sighed. He took out his phone and typed something then looked at the paper and typed some other things. “What are you doing?”

“I have the digital format of the contract on my phone, I will send you copies before and after we sign them” I nodded in agreement and we went over the rest of the paper I added some things in.

He would shake his head most of the time with a small smile on his lips when I explained my reasons to some of them.

We were done with editing and shared it with me before he signed so I could go over it again.

“I do not need you to get me a place” I stated.

“Your place isn’t presentable enough to have my parents or sister visiting” he responded. This riled me up and before I could open my mouth to say anything he beat me to it. “I am not trying to insult you. You’re aware of the environment you live in, that’s what you can afford, I respect you for that, but I rather you get a place closer to mine and where my mum and sister would approve of at least” he explained.

As much as I wanted to argue with him, he was definitely right. I have met his mum and she’s an elegant woman who I believe expects much from people around her.

‘Probably why she looked at me the way she did when I first came to work at the mansion’

“You’ve seen my mum?” I nod “My sister is an extreme version, so you know where I am driving at,” he raises both brows. ‘Such a wonderful family’. Note the sarcasm.

“I think at this point, you’ll tell me you need to change my entire wardrobe” I rolled my eyes.

“It’s in the contract” he points to my phone.

“That’s the line”

“I am not trying to take your independence from you. I get that you work hard for everything you have and might see this as a charity, but it’s not” he said quickly when I gave him a warning look. He sighed, then looked away from me. “You should learn to accept gifts from people who genuinely want to… you know, just spoil you” he shrugged when he returned his gaze back to me.

Freebies aren’t in my dictionary, except they come from the tips customers give but that’s through a business. Olivia gives me things but it’s different with her. We are family.

I let out a sigh and then signed them on his phone, he signed too and sent me the signed contract.

I stared at my phone for a moment then looked at him when he asked for my bank details.

He transferred some money I will use to buy some new clothes, get my hair and nails done and for any other thing I need. I was shocked at the money he sent and when he saw the look on my face, he was alarmed that it wasn’t enough.

We said our goodbyes and I crossed to the other side of the road to meet with Mr. Darren since I noticed him enter the bakery from the corner of my eyes.

I saw Penelope inside with him too and I felt irritated instantly.

“I am here to transfer the money for this space,” I told him.

He looked at me with a nasty grin on his lips. “The price went up to eighty thousand dollars dear”

My mouth dropped and so did my shoulders. This man is a money ripper. Why would he do something like this?

“Why would you do something like this?” I questioned, trying to get over the shock of what he was saying.

He laughed. “Market price, darling” he winked. I suddenly felt the urge to throw up from that irritating thing he did. “Pay eighty thousand dollars on this spot and you have the space to yourself” he grinned.

“That’s a huge rip-off and it’s not right to do” I confront him.

He rolled his eyes and turned to Penelope who had been eyeing me since I came inside like she wanted to strangle me. “Congratulations, you’re the new owner of this sp-”

“We’d like to buy the entire building,” a deep, male voice said from behind me and I knew the voice all too well to know who it was.

The look of shock on both Penelope's and Mr. Darren’s faces was enough for me to know.

I felt warm hands over my shoulder followed by a warm torso beside me. His palm caressed my arm and he leaned to kiss the side of my head.

“I am buying this entire building for my girlfriend,” Alessandro said.

Penelope’s purse dropped from her hand.