THE CONTRACT

"I got home 20 minutes late because I decided to get a snack," I said to Julie as I locked the door behind me, she was sprawled out on the couch watching a show and stuffing her face with pizza. "You love pizza so much," I added. She smiled back at me, her cheeks full of pizza as she held out the box offering me a slice. I laughed as I took a slice and sat down next to her on the couch, enjoying the show and the pizza together with my favorite person.

"How did the interview go?" Julie asked, turning towards me after we finished eating the pizza. She had a grin on her face, eager to know the outcome of my job hunting efforts. I gave her a brief summary of what happened, including the offer he gave to me.

Julie's expression turned to surprise as I told her everything about the interview, her excitement building as I continued. Suddenly, Julie broke out with shouts of joy and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing her tightly in a hug. "You can finally pay your mom's hospital bills," she said. The excitement in her voice and mannerisms was contagious, and before I knew it, I was smiling too and laughing as we jumped around together.

We stopped jumping when we heard a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" Julie asked curiously. I went to open the door. The knocking continued as I reached the door, finally opening it to reveal an unfamiliar guy.

"Is this Miss Layla's residence?" the man asked, and I confirmed that it was.

"I have a delivery for you."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, " I said, collecting an envelope from him. "Have a nice day" I said as I shut the door.

"Who was that?" Julie asked, curious about the visitor.

"No idea, but he said he had a delivery for me," I replied, setting the envelope down on the nearby coffee table.

Julie read the writing on the envelope carefully and noted that it said "To: Miss Layla Woods" before adding "From: Alexander Romanov"

Julie exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! You have a letter from Alexander Romanov delivered to you!" I felt a little bit honored but I acted nonchalant but I couldn't keep the smile off my face, "It must be the contract." I said as I opened the envelope and took out the letter. The letter was in a fancy envelope and had a seal that she recognized as Alex's family crest. I opened the letter eagerly and read through the text, and it was indeed the contract . Julie waited anxiously, unable to contain her curiosity.

"What does it say" she asked

"I, Miss Layla Woods, hereby accept the offer to be Mr. Alexander Romanov's fake fiancée, and I agree to all the terms and conditions outlined within this contract.

I understand that I am to stay with Mr. Romanov during the marriage, but that I can have a boyfriend outside of the arrangement as long as he is kept off the media. Furthermore, no children will be conceived during the marriage, and Mr. Romanov will be responsible for all financial and living arrangements throughout the marriage.

Signed: Mr Romanov

Julie said, "All you have to do is sign this."

I took the contract again and carefully read through it once again, making sure I fully understood all of the terms and conditions. I then took a deep breath and signed my name at the bottom, agreeing to everything that was mentioned in the contract.

"It's not bad at all" I said to myself

Julie suggested that I should call Alexander and tell him that I already agreed to his proposal. However, when I called, he didn't answer after three rings. Thus, I decided to try again tomorrow to ensure that we discussed more on the contract .

Julie and I were getting ready for bed when my phone rang. I was expecting Alexander to be on the other end of the line, but when I looked at the caller ID, I saw that it was none other than my excuse of a father. My immediate mood instantly turned soured as I answered the call.

"Hello," but he quickly retorted, "That's not how you greet your father."

I sighed and responded by asking him, "What do you want?"

I knew the conversation would be anything but pleasant, and just wanted to get it over with as swiftly as possible because I have no intention of talking to him.

He sighed and started to say, "Your mother told me that you tried to take your sister's boyfriend." His words set me off, and I suddenly interrupted him by shouting, "she's not my mother and I do not have a sister! You can't just force me into accepting them by saying it to me." I felt furious, but tried to maintain my composure.

The phone line was silent for a few moments, as it seems like he was taken aback by her outburst. Finally, he responded by saying, "What are you saying? You're my daughter, and she's my wife, which makes her your mother and Claire your sister.what are you talking about?"

"You left my mom when she needed you the most? Seriously...I can't talk to you right now." I continued, getting more frustrated as I thought about how he had changed since Claire's mom came into our lives. Finally, I yelled, "I don't want to deal with you."

I hung up the phone forcefully, letting out a deep sigh.I was about to toss the phone onto the bed but stopped just in time when I realized that I didn't have enough money to replace the phone if I broke it.

I tossed my pillow to the floor and then began to scatter my drawers, the anger coursing through my body causing me to tightly clasp my fist. I hard to suppress the tears that were starting to fall from my eyes, but they were too much and I found herself sitting on the floor, sobbing, with my head buried in her arms.

I heard the door open, but I didn't bother looking up. I knew it was Julie, and I didn't want to speak about the topic at hand, or at all for that matter. Julie sat by my side, rubbing my back silently and comforting me by providing a physical presence instead of just words. Her presence and gentle touch was enough to calm me down, and I allowed herself to fall asleep due to tiredness, finding solace in Julie's care.