Page 37 of Shattered Throne
I stared at those words. Wanted to believe them. Didn't let myself.
I want everything in writing. A contract. Signed by both of us.
Done. I'll have something drafted by tomorrow.
I was really doing this. I was agreeing to pretend to be Xavier Dubois's girlfriend for three months, to lie to his family, to let him pay me for a role that went against everything I believed about honesty and integrity and self-respect.
But self-respect didn't pay rent. Pride didn't fix cars. And my daughter needed stability more than I needed to feel good about myself.
I took a deep breath.
This was for Zoe. It was all for Zoe.
After a long moment, I typed:
See you tomorrow, Mr. Dubois.
Xavier. If we're doing this, call me Xavier.
I stared at the screen. At his name. At the new shape my life was taking.
Then I typed:
Goodnight, Xavier.
And for the first time since this whole thing started, it didn't feel like a surrender.
It felt like a choice.
6XAVIER
Kim satacross from my desk with the contract spread between us.
She'd been reading for twenty minutes. Every line, every clause, every piece of legal jargon my personal lawyer, Michael, because Gerald was a little snitch, had stuffed into the document. Her finger traced the text as she went, lips moving slightly, brow furrowed in concentration.
I leaned back in my chair and tried not to fidget.
"Section four, subsection B." She looked up at me. "It says I'm required to attend 'all family functions as reasonably requested.' What does 'reasonably' mean?"
"It means I won't drag you to every cousin's birthday party. Major events only. Dinners, galas, that kind of thing."
"I want that clarified. 'Major family events, not to exceed two per week.'"
"Two per week?" I raised an eyebrow. "You think my family gets together that often?"
"I think rich people have a lot of parties. I want it in writing."
I nodded at Michael, hovering near the door. He scribbled a note.
Kim returned to reading. Another five minutes passed. I watched her face, trying to read her thoughts, getting nothing. She had the best poker face I'd ever seen.
"Section seven." She tapped the page. "The compensation structure. It says I’ll receive the full payment at the end of the three months."
"That's standard for…"
"I want half upfront." Her eyes met mine. "The other half when it's done."
"That's not…"
