"At this point, I'll be grateful for your pieces."
*****
Jessica Franklin is at her wit ends, literally. With two sisters depending on her and a mountain of debts on her neck, she needs a way out before she breaks down...
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When I finally arrive home, Emma is still up, waiting for me. The second she sees me, visible relief crosses her face and she jumps out of her seat, her eyes immediately scanning me. Seeing I didn't come home with any weird marks on my skin, she lets out a sigh, a smile on her face.
"Welcome home." She says, ushering me in.
"Thank you." I mutter, smiling at her.
"So, how was your date?" She asks as she goes back to sit, her voice laced with interest. I let out a small sigh, removing the coat from my body.
"Great? At least, I didn't get killed since that's what you were so worried about." I tell her, removing the jewelry I have on. She smiles, rubbing her palms together.
"I can't help it. You tend to do worrisome things."
"So I've heard." I murmur.
"Who's the person, though?"
I pause, then decide to tell her truth. "Devon Reeves." I say simply, walking to the kitchen to grab myself a bottle of water.
"Devon Reeves?" She repeats, staring at me, her eyes widened in surprise. I nod.
"No way! He was your blind date!? How did you...!?" She trails off and I grin, shrugging my shoulders.
"Just my luck." I murmur but a nagging voice at the back of my mind prods me to tell her the truth. "You know him?" I ask, ignoring that.
Emma shrugs, running her fingers through her golden locks as she stares at me. " Well, he's pretty popular... His company, I mean. What's their name again? Amplex Companies, yeah. He owns one of the most successful tech companies in the state and they have multiple branches and other business ventures. Not much is known about him though. He only recently began to allow pictures and interviews be taken of him."
I'm not fond of crowds. His voice floats through my head and I stiffen. Why would a billionaire want to live in secrecy?
"How did you manage to get someone like that to be your blind date?!" Because it's not a blind date of any kind. I'm planning to marry him.
Tell her, Tell her, the voice in my head screams. She needs to know! A shudder works through my body as I gaze gently at Emma, her eyes still filled with questions. I can't tell her or Sophie the truth, they won't agree to it. Dropping the empty water bottle in the trash bin, I walk towards Emma, kissing her forehead. "like I said, it's just my luck. The date was fine and hopefully we might see each other again? I'm not sure. You should rest, it's already late." I say, ending the conversation. Emma frowns and I expect a protest but none came.
"Well, since you're home safe, I can finally relax. Have a good night."
"You too."
I watch as she disappears into her room before my smile drops, guilt eating away my heart. My shoulders slumped, I trudge to my room and close the door behind me, sagging against it. Standing motionless for a while, I push myself from the door and start to remove my clothes.
Devon Reeves. He was nothing like I expected. Being a billionaire, I had expected a much more colder, emotional unavailable, handsome but scary man before me as my date. Hell, I had even expected meeting with a subordinate and the contract ready. He wasn't anything like that. He felt... Normal. I don't do normal.
But the offer was to attractive to refuse. A million dollars would give me the financial freedom I desperately need at the moment. I would be able to pay up all of our debts and save just enough for Emma's college fees. And I don't need to complete the six months timeframe for that to be possible. But at what cost?
The clothes completely off me now, I stumble into the bathroom and have a shower. What I would like a good soak in the tub but I have to make do with ice cold water running down my skin as I can't afford a heater. All of this would change if I got married. I shudder, suprised that my thoughts are already going in that direction.
Thinking about my date, I grimace, closing my eyes. Despite my calm demeanor, I had never been much closer to slipping. The voices in my head wouldn't let me rest and the man before me and raised some unexpected reactions from me. Reactions that I blamed on nerves. Which was weird because I'm hardly ever nervous. What is it about him?
I step out of bathroom with a cold body and even colder heart. Slipping into a cardigan, I bring out an old desktop and turn it on, connecting to the internet. I type his name on the search bar for any information i can find of him. Just like Emma had said, there wasn't much information about him but his companies were extremely successful. The only information I could scour was in his mid-thirties and he recently just achieved his billionaire status. So he wasn't an old money kind of guy. So other than his mom and ex, I shouldn't be dealing with any other annoying family members.
I bring out my phone and begin to write out my terms, reading through it and cross checking if it's what I want before clicking on send. He'll see it and respond. I hope he refuses.
Setting my laptop and phone aside, I close my eyes, rubbing my face with my hands. I'm really doing this. After all the potential dangers this could possibly bring, I'm still going ahead with it. What if he's just a green snake under the grass? What will happen to me then?
It's just a contract marriage, I tell myself. Nothing will go wrong. Perhaps if anything did go wrong, I can protect myself right?
Yeah, just like your mother did years ago? The voice in my head snickers and I stiffen, my heart pounding. Images of my father treating my mother like a punching bag spring up and I close my eyes, trying to force them away. Unfortunately I can't pretend like they never happened. They tear at my soul, opening up old wounds. I stare at my hands and notice how much they're shaking, my breathing ragged. Those memories never go away, always waiting for my weakest moments to strike me down and turn me into a mess.
What if I was putting myself in a similar position? I bit my lips, willing my shaking hands to stop. The tremors soon subsided and I take deep breaths, calming my racing heart.
It's okay, as long as my sisters don't get hurt. I can do this.
I will do this.
**** Looks like a decision has been made.... Thanks for reading!!! See you in the next chapter 🙈🙈🙈
