8. The Agreement
Samantha
I can’t believe I’m seriously considering helping him. This plan is completely insane. And yet…
When I look at him, I see everything he isn’t saying.
He’s a man on the verge of breaking.
I feel his distress as if it were my own.
He’s just discovered that the woman he loved was cheating on him, and that the company he’s poured his heart and soul into could be destroyed. Out of sheer revenge.
And my heart breaks for him.
How could it be otherwise? I’ve loved him for as long as I’ve been old enough to understand what that word means.
Could I have stopped all this from happening? Hard to say.
I suspected she never really loved him.
All she wanted was to prove she was better than me. That she could have the man I loved.
All that… just to cheat on him. And with that flashy show-off Grégoire, of all people.
Anger rises inside me.
And now she wants to destroy his company?
My chest tightens. He wants me to become his temporary fiancée—just long enough to stabilize the IPO.
I want to help him. But can I really do this?
Can I pretend without putting my heart in even greater danger—knowing that, for him, none of this is real?
I’m terrified of the choice I’m about to make.
Because I already know I’m going to say yes.
Because it’s him.
How will my family react? They’ll never speak to me again after a betrayal like this.
Then again… what do I really have to lose? All they ever do is criticize me anyway. So it won’t change much.
That thought is true—even if it hurts.
And before I fully realize what I’m doing, I hear myself say:
“I want clear, precise rules.”
My voice is steady. Determined.
“You set the limits,” he replies.
“Six months. Not one day more. After that, we end things cleanly.”
“Agreed.”
“In public, we play the part. But in private… nothing changes. We’re friends. And I want us to stay friends afterward.”
I know it’s impossible. But I have to try to protect what we have.
“Promise me you won’t cut me out of your life afterward.” I add.
The words come out in a rough whisper, carrying all my vulnerability.
He steps closer and looks straight into my eyes.
His hazel eyes are so intense, so sincere, that my heart starts racing.
“Never,” he says, with a conviction that steals my breath.
He’s so close. I could reach out and touch his face. I could—
I nod slowly.
“Then… it’s a deal. I’ll do it.”
And just like that, it’s done.
I’ve sold my soul to the devil.
I just hope the awakening won’t be too brutal.
*
When he drops me off an hour later, I’m still in shock from the contract I’ve just agreed to.
The car stops in front of my building. Alexander turns to me.
“We’ll talk it through tomorrow with Oliver and David,” he says. “We have to think of everything. We need to be credible.”
“Okay.”
As I get out of the car, he grabs my wrist. His touch burns.
“Sam… thank you. Truly.”
Then he lets go gently. I nod and disappear into my building.
*
My two roommates are watching a crime series when I walk into the apartment. They pause it as soon as they see me.
Emelyne jumps up from the couch.
“So? How did it go? Is he okay?”
I take a deep breath.
“I just got engaged.”
The silence is deafening.
“What?” they both exclaim, their voices jumping an octave.
“Alexander asked me to be his fake fiancée to secure his company’s IPO,” I explain.
They stare at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“His fake fiancée?” Emelyne repeats.
“It’s a long story.”
“In that case, we need drastic measures,” Emelyne says, already heading for the stove to make us hot chocolate.
Five minutes later, I tell them everything as we sip the creamy drink.
Kristel and her betrayal. The threat she poses to MatchMapping. Alexander’s plan. My decision to accept.
When I finish, Mara whistles.
“Damn. Your life is a novel.”
“Seriously, you never do anything the normal way,” Emelyne laughs.
Her reaction catches me off guard.
“You don’t think this is crazy?” I ask.
“It is. But you only live once,” she replies. “Go for it. What do you have to lose? I’ve watched you love that man in silence for years. This is your chance.”
“But it’s just a temporary deal,” I protest. “He doesn’t feel that way about me.”
Emelyne sits down beside me and takes my hand.
“Listen,” she says gently. “If after six months of playing lovers he doesn’t fall in love with you, then you’ll have to accept that he’ll never be yours. And it’ll be time to move on. But at least you’ll have tried.”
*
Later, as I’m getting ready for bed, my phone buzzes.
Alexander: Thank you, Sam. You’ll never know how much what you’re doing means to me.
I stare at the screen, my heart pounding wildly.
If only he knew.
My fingers hover over the keyboard.
Sam: Good night.
Alexander: Sleep well. See you tomorrow.