Chapter 1: The Offer
The first time I met Adrian Blackwood, he offered me money to hate him.
Not date him.
Not work for him.
Hate him.
I stared at the man sitting across from me, wondering if I had somehow walked into the wrong office.
He looked completely serious.
“You want me to what?”
“Pretend to hate me.”
I blinked.
Then I laughed.
I couldn’t help it.
Maybe this was some kind of joke rich people played when they had too much money and too much free time.
Adrian didn’t laugh.
He just watched me.
That made me stop.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
I looked around his office.
Everything about the place screamed money. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed half the city. The furniture looked expensive enough to pay my rent for a year. Even the glass of water sitting in front of me probably cost more than my lunch.
I looked back at him.
“Why me?”
“Because you’re convincing.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“It wasn’t supposed to.”
I frowned.
He pushed a folder across the desk.
I didn’t touch it.
“What is that?”
“Your contract.”
“My contract?”
“You’ll be paid monthly.”
“How much?”
He named the amount.
My mouth went dry.
That was more than I made in several months.
I hated that my mind immediately started calculating what I could do with the money.
Rent.
My mother’s medication.
The electricity bill I’d been ignoring.
The debt I’d promised myself I’d pay before the end of the month.
I swallowed.
“You expect me to pretend to hate you for that much money?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Six months.”
I stared at him.
Six months.
Six months of pretending to hate one of the most powerful men in the city.
It sounded ridiculous.
It also sounded like the solution to every problem I had been desperately trying to solve.
I finally picked up the folder.
The first page was simple.
My name.
The payment.
The duration.
Then I reached the rules.
Rule One: You will never reveal the agreement.
Fine.
Rule Two: You will never ask questions about my family.
I paused.
Strange.
Rule Three: You will never develop romantic feelings for me.
I almost laughed again.
“Seriously?”
His expression didn’t change.
“You’re worried I’ll fall in love with you?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“I’m warning you not to.”
I stared at him.
There was something about the way he said it that bothered me.
Like he wasn’t being arrogant.
Like he was actually afraid of something.
I continued reading.
Rule Four: You will never enter my private residence.
I looked up.
“Why?”
His eyes met mine.
“Don’t ask questions.”
“That was literally a question.”
“And I told you not to ask.”
I closed the folder.
“This is insane.”
“Then you can leave.”
My hand tightened around the folder.
He knew.
He knew I needed the money.
And somehow, that irritated me more than the ridiculous contract.
“You knew I’d need it.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Silence.
For the first time, Adrian looked away.
Just for a second.
Then his expression hardened again.
“You’ll be given an advance today.”
I stared at him.
I should have walked out.
Instead, I opened the folder again.
“What’s the catch?”
“There isn’t one.”
I almost smiled.
“There’s always a catch.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Then consider this your chance to find out.”
I looked at the contract one more time.
Six months.
A ridiculous amount of money.
Pretend to hate Adrian Blackwood.
No questions.
No feelings.
No private home.
Simple.
At least, that’s what I thought.
I signed my name.
Adrian reached for the contract.
His fingers brushed mine.
For the briefest second, something changed in his expression.
Not satisfaction.
Not relief.
Fear.
Real fear.
Then it was gone.
He pulled the contract toward himself.
“You start tonight.”
I stood.
“Tonight?”
“My family is having dinner.”
“And?”
“You’ll be there.”
I frowned.
“You want me to insult you in front of your family on the first night?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His eyes darkened.
“Because they need to believe you hate me.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
He said nothing.
I sighed.
“Right. No questions.”
I turned toward the door.
My hand was already on the handle when his voice stopped me.
“Ava.”
I looked back.
Adrian was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t understand.
“Don’t go anywhere alone tonight.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
He stood.
“Just don’t.”
And before I could ask anything else, he walked past me and opened the door.
The meeting was over.
I stepped into the hallway, confused and slightly annoyed.
I had no idea what kind of game Adrian Blackwood was playing.
I only knew one thing.
I had just agreed to pretend to hate a man who looked like he already knew something about me.
Something I didn’t know myself.
And somehow, I had a feeling that signing that contract had been the biggest mistake of my life.
