Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen - I Need An Answer!
Orson
I come out of the shower and fall on the bed. I left Everly to think about what I offered her. I don’t care that I am wrong in blackmailing her. Shit happens. She will get as much out of it as I will, more so. If I wanted to be a complete jackass, I could have threatened her job and not offered her anything. She should be thankful I am offering her something that can change her entire life.
I reach for my cell and see a text from my brother.
You can make up all the lies you want, but the deal is mine. I knew you were many things, but I never thought you would stoop so low as to make up a fiancée. That is low, even for you.
My grip tightens on my cell. He angers me so much! He knows how to push my buttons. I swear my parents would have been happier if they only had one son. Who wants a disappointment like me? The worst of it is that I work harder than my brother. Do I have my life together like him? No, I don’t, but I put more effort in. I have done more for the business than him.
I can’t wait to see your face when you realise it isn’t a lie, and I get handed the deal.
You are pathetic. Grow up. You don’t have the heart to love someone. You are too high-strung, selfish, and careless to give a damn about another person.
Before I can stop myself, I toss my cell against the closest wall, groaning loudly in frustration, and it shatters onto the floor. I hate him! I mean, I really hate him. I don’t care he is my brother. Everly comes rushing in a moment later.
“What the hell was that?” she asks.
Her eyes glance around the room and fall on my smashed cell. “My brother pissed me off.”
She shakes her head. “So, you threw your cell against the wall?”
I pounce to my feet, and her attention diverts to my half naked body. She runs her eyes over my bare chest and arms, her tongue darting along her lower lip. She is checking me out. I would smirk, but right now, I am not in the mood to tease her.
“Yes, because he is a fucking asshole. I changed my mind. I need my answer now. You either agree, or you can leave. I am not waiting any longer.” I hiss, my anger flowing out and directed at her.
“You said I had until before dinner. That is still a while away.” She hisses back.
“I changed my mind. I need an answer now because if you won’t do it, I will find someone who will. I will double what I offered you if you agree to it.”
Could I have found a better way to deal with things than lying to my father? Probably, but it happened. I said what I said, and I can’t take it back.
Her eyes widen, and her mouth falls open. “Did you just up your offer to six million dollars? How desperate are you?”
“Yes. I will give you whatever the hell you want. No, I am not desperate. I am pissed and tired of being compared to my perfect brother. It is a simple yes or no, Everly.”
I have no patience left. I can easily find someone else. The only problem with that, the other women I do know that I could ask already have some feelings for me, whether it be sexual or emotional, and that is not what I need. I need someone like Everly who hates me, so that there is no risk of anyone falling.
“Fine! Yes, but there are some conditions. It’s only for a few months, and you’ll have to come up with a story about why we broke up. You don’t tell a soul about my second job. You don’t threaten to fire, back chat me or yell at me.”
“Those terms are fair enough. How much do you want? Name your price.”
“Two million, and you rent me a new apartment because mine is small and needs a lot of work.”
“Two million? I offered you six, and you are taking two? What is wrong with you? I will buy you a new apartment, but it will be in my building. That way, you are close by in case I need you, but you need to spend some nights at my place.”
“Because two is more than enough for me. If I liked you, I would have taken less, but no matter how much I hate you, I refuse to take six million from you.”
“Deal. Should we shake on it?” I ask, offering her my hand.
She shakes her head. “No, I want a contract of some sort written up. I don’t trust you. I want a legal document to state everything because, for all I know, you will happily use me and not give me anything.”
I roll my eyes and clench my jaw. “Fine! I will have my lawyer create one, but only if you sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). I don’t trust you not to blab the truth to someone.”
“I can do that. Our agreement doesn’t start until both the contract and NDA are signed.”
“I will have them ready to be signed when we return.”
I never thought I would do something like this. I am better than this, but sometimes, we all need to do things we wouldn’t usually do or want to.
“Great. I don’t have to join you for dinner now. You can dine alone.” She says smugly, sounding pleased.
“You still have to join me. Nothing is official yet. I could still change my mind and fire you, sweetness. So, maybe take the smug look off your face. Go and get ready, we can have a drink before our meals. We could both be doing with one after the events of the day.”
The smugness is quick to disappear. She rolls her eyes, flips me off and storms out. I sit on the bottom of the bed and laugh. Just because it is all pretend, it doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with it, with her. We are both stuck once everything is signed. Hopefully, we can get through the next few months without killing one another. She hates me, that’s obvious, but she better not mess it up for me. I will need to add my own rules to the contract to prevent it from happening. I need it to be believable to everyone around us, and I can’t do that if she refuses to act like she cares.