10/11
~THE PACT~
-Chapter 10-
Unedited
‘’Desperate people do desperate things.’’
Back at the office, I pace back and forth restlessly thinking about what I just did- I acted on impulse from pressure I wasn’t thinking straight. How do I even find a man who will agree to act like my fiancé for a couple of days?
My phone rings bringing me out of my trance, on the other end of the phone is Jada, ‘’hello,’’ I say.
‘’Hey babes, I have been waiting to hear from you, dad told me you went over but he didn’t tell me what you discussed.’’
‘’I have messed up pretty bad.’’
‘’What did you do?’’
‘’I told your father I am traditionally engaged and will be tying the knot soon.’’
‘’Kristian!’’ she exclaims. ‘’How could you do that? Daddy P is going to find out that you lied and it will be over for you.’’
‘’’He has invited me and my fiancé for your sister in law’s birthday dinner on Sunday.’’
‘’That’s a day after tomorrow, what are you going to do? How could you be this careless?’’
‘’I was desperate, I really nee-d this job to prove to get back at Mr. Msizi, plea-se help me.’’
‘’You are putting me in a ti-ght situation Kristian, you want me to pl@yalong and lie to my family.’’
‘’I will tell him the truth once I get the job and prove myself worthy of him.’’
‘’Oh lord, what do you want me to do?’’
‘’Just help me think, I nee-d a fiancé between now and Sunday.’’
‘’Lee? Didn’t you he wanted to be committed how about you call him and tell him you are re-ady for a serious relationsh!p?’’
‘’You think he will pl@yalong with it?’’
‘’You don’t have to tell him that this is for a job, you pl@yalong with him for a couple of weeks and when you have it all figured out, you stage a break up and go your separate ways.’’
‘’That sounds like a good idea, thank you so much friend, I owe you one.’’
‘’You owe me big you fool.’’
‘’I really appreciate what you are doing for me.’’
‘’I hope this is really worth it.’’
‘’It is, I promise you it is, I will not disappoint your father, I will so ha-rd to gain his approval.’’
‘’Okay.’’
We talk for a moment and when she hangs up I call Lee, he answers almost immediately.
‘’Kristian?’’
‘’Hey babe.’’
‘’Babe?’’
‘’How are you?’’
‘’I am okay, what can I do for you?’’
‘’I want you back.’’
He laughs, ‘’you must be sick or something.’’
‘’I am okay.’’
‘’So can we meet up later and talk?’’
‘’We have nothing to talk about. I am sorry but I have moved on,’’ with that he hangs up without giving me a chance to respond.
I try to call his number again and it takes me straight to voicemail. How dare he treat me like I am trash? What do I do now? Who do I call to help me out? Maybe I should go back to Mr. Sondash and come clean with him but would he forgive me for lying to him in the first place? Lord I nee-d this job, I nee-d to teach Mr. Msizi and that stupid Kenzie a lesson, they nee-d to see that I can make it without the both of them.
The office door opens and I turn, upset that my thoughts have been interrupted.
‘’Mr. Msizi,’’ I regard him pointedly. ‘’You don’t knock anymore?’’
‘’Calvin told me that you were free.’’
‘’How can I help you?’’
‘’Where have you been all morning? I was looking for you? We had a management meeting, you weren’t even answering your phone.’’
‘’I had a few errands to run.’’
‘’You are slacking with work.’’
‘’I am not in my right frame of mind.’’
‘’Maybe you should take some time off.’’
‘’Are you firing me?’’
‘’I am not firing you but I won’t hesitate to do so if you continue with this pathetic attitude- I am speaking to you as your boss.’’
I laugh, ‘’she finally put you up to it right?’’ I cl@p my hands.
‘’What are you talking about?’’
‘’Your daughter Kenzie, she put you up to it? She asked you to threaten me? You know what fire me if you want, I don’t care.’’
‘’I am tired of your tantrums Kristian, yes things didn’t work out between your mother and I, I left and married someone else, yes you grew up without me but I showed up eventually and I have trying to make it up to you, what else do you want me to do to show you that I am sorry for not being there for you when you were growing up huh?’’
‘’You don’t have to do anything Mr. Msizi, just leave me alone.’’
‘’Honestly I am tired of all these fights, I am tired child, can we plea-se start over? Allow me to love you, allow me to make up for the years I missed, plea-se don’t let me die without ma-king things right with you.’’
‘’I think you should leave.’’
He opens his mouth to say something but instead he closes it then he turns on his heel and storms out, slamming the door behind his back. I smile, ‘’wait until I leave this place.’’
I sit down at my desk and spend the next few hours working by the time I am done with everything on my table. It’s past sixteen and I am tired and hungry, I didn’t even have time to buy food because I had a lot of things to work on.
After that I just sit at my table and think about where I will get a person to pose as my fake fiancé, when an idea hits my mind, I don’t think twice about instead I gr-ab my phone and instantly call.
‘’Can you plea-se come to my office?’’
‘’Right away.’’
He walks into my office a few minutes later and I eye him from head to toe, I really hate him and he has a weird fashion s-en-se, he has these cheap and common clothes, I wonder what he does with the money we pay him.
I don’t know how but the idea in my head will have to work one way or another, he is my last option.
‘’You called for me?’’
‘’Yes, plea-se sit down.’’
‘’Huh?’’ he asks obviously surprised that I am asking him to take a seat in my office.
‘’plea-se sit down.’’
‘’Is there a problem?’’
‘’No, I would like to talk to you about something personal and I hope whatever we discuss stays between us.’’
‘’Okay.’’
‘’I nee-d a hvge favor from you.’’
‘’A favor? From me?’’
‘’Yes.’’
I reach for a paper and write down my address at the back.
‘’That’s my home address, I nee-d you to come over this evening.’’
‘’To your house?’’
‘’Yes, I will explain everything.’’
‘’Are you sure everything is okay?’’
‘’Yes.’’
‘’Okay.’’
I pu-ll out my purse and re-move some hundred kwacha notes and hand them to him, ‘’you can use this for your taxi, 7 P.M. I will be waiting up for you don’t disappoint me.’’
‘’Sure,’’ he stands up and walks out.
I know this is like the stupidest thing I have ever done but I am desperate.
~THE PACT~
-CHAPTER 11-
7 P.M, I get out of the taxi and walk to the door, I hesitate a little before knocking on Kristian’s door.
I don’t even know what I am doing here, what does she want to talk to me about?
Kristian has never talked to me about anything unless it is to yell out her demands and give me orders. What’s also confusing is how polite she acted this afternoon, she didn’t shout, she didn’t demand, she said she wants me to do her a favour. This is beyond surprising and my heart can’t st©p racing because I don’t know what to expect.
When Kristian opens the door clad in a pair of very short shorts and a tank t©p, I swallow ha-rd and try not to stare.
This is the first time I have seen her look this casual, she is always wearing formal clothes at the office. She opens the door for me, guiding me inside. We enter into the spacious, elegant living room and she asks me to sit down.
‘’My maid just finished preparing dinner, I hope you don’t mind having a meal with me,’’ she says.
‘’I am fine,’’ I lie. I am actually starving, I haven’t eaten today ap@rt from the glas-s of coffee I drank at the office in the morning. My groceries have run out and I don’t have any more left on me to spare. I am saving up for Joan’s medication.
‘’No offence but you look malnourished- like you haven’t eaten for days, it will do you good if you join me, come on.’’
I stand from the couch and she proudly leads me to the dining room, ‘’plea-se take a seat,’’ she says and I do.
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and spaghetti catch my eye as she dishes up for me, my mouth waters, I haven’t had a proper meal in a long time. We eat in silence, trying to hide how nervous I am, I keep my eyes on the plate. The food is amazing, her maid sure knows how to cook, when we finish eating, she pours some wine into two glas-ses and hands me one.
‘’Thank you,’’ I say. Then I stand up and try to clear the table but she asks me to leave everything on the table.
She leads me back into the living room and we sit down, for a moment there is silence, then she gr-abs her glas-s of wine, drains the glas-s and places it back on the table before she says, ‘’I have a preposition for you.’’
‘’Okay,’’ I casually respond.
‘’First things first, how old are you and are you single?’’
‘’Madam Msizi, I don’t un-derstand what this is all about–.’’
‘’Kristian,’’ she corrects. ‘’plea-se just call me Kristian, you are ma-king me look old.’’
I shoot her a quizzical look.
‘’I know all this sounds crazy but plea-se answer my question, I would like to know how old you are and your marital status before we continue, I will explain everything in due course.’’
I clear my throat, ‘’I am thirty years old and I am not seeing anyone at the moment.’’
‘’That is amazing news.’’
‘’Oh!’’
‘’I am quitting my job at Msizi daily mail.’’
My jaw drops, ‘’why?’’ well everyone knows that Kristian and her father don’t get along but she loves her job, why would she think of quitting? What will happen when she leaves? Will the news even run as smoothly as it currently does?
‘’You must be aware that Mr. Msizi has stepped down as Chief Editor and his daughter Kenzie has taken over.’’
‘’Yes.’’
‘’You and I both know I was the right person to take over from him but he betrayed me, I can’t continue working un-der such an environment so I am leaving, I have found a job at Sondashi Inc. as a Marketing Director.’’
‘’Why are you telling me this?’’
‘’I nee-d your help.’’
‘’What kind of help could I offer you?’’ I ask, confused.
‘’Sondashi Inc. hasn’t officially hired me because apparently they want someone who is married or family oriented. I was desperate because I nee-d this job so I lied that I am traditionally engaged and will soon tie the knot. The problem is that I am not seeing anyone at the moment and that is where you come in.’’
‘’I don’t un-derstand.’’
‘’I would like to offer you a job.’’
‘’You want me to be your as-sistant at your new job?’’
‘’No, I want you to stand in as my fiancée.’’
‘’Pardon me?’’ I stare at her motionless.
‘’I know this is crazy but I am desperate, this is just business, I will pay you a lot of money if you agree.’’
I stand up, ‘’ you must be joking right?’’
‘’No, I am not joking, I have never been more serious than this in my entire life.’’
‘’I am sorry but this is absurd, you and I don’t even get along, how am I supposed to stand in as your fiancée?’’
‘’Just say yes and we shall work this out, plea-se.’’
‘’plea-se?’’ I laugh. ‘’Kristian Msizi just said plea-se?’’ I laugh even louder.
‘’I will pay you and we will sign a contract, this will only last for six months and then we are done.
I want to walk out but then she talked of paying me and I am in desperate nee-d of money, I nee-d to keep my daughter alive. I hate this woman with a pas-sion but then this is business right and I have nothing to lose.
‘’How much are you willing to pay?’’
‘’Name your price!’’
‘’Thirty thousand that’s all I want!’’
‘’Let’s make it fifty,’’ she says and I gape at her.
‘’Money is not the problem here, I am just doing this to get back at Mr. Msizi.’’
‘’You don’t even like me, why would you want to pay me that much to pretend to be your fiancé?’’
‘’I know you are not fond of me either so we are even, like I said this is business.’’
‘’So what exactly am I expected to do?’’
‘’Take ph0tos with me for social media, go with me to the functions I go and pres£nt yourself as my fiancé. We will also nee-d to fake an engagement where you put a ring on my f!nger.’’
‘’Oh.’’
‘’First things first, we nee-d to change your wardrobe, no offence but you dress like a street adult.’’
‘’That’s insulting.’’
‘’I am not even sorry for saying that, have you taken a good look at yourself and the clothes you wear?’’ she laughs.
‘’You know I could say no.’’
‘’What’s your answer?’’
‘’When am I supposed to get this money?’’
‘’I could give you half today and you get the rest when we are done, there will also be allowances in between.’’
‘’How about you give me thirty now and the twenty later.’’
‘’It’s a deal.’’
‘’Yes it is.’’
‘’We will set some ground rules that will set the tone of this relationsh!p.’’
‘’No problem.’’
‘’So let’s meet up tomorrow and get you some new clothes and then you can meet my mum in the evening.’’
‘’Your mum?’’
‘’Yes.’’
‘’We also have a function on Sunday evening. When I get the job I will give you one of my cars for easy movement.’’
‘’What about the job? Am I supposed to continue working for your father after you leave?’’
‘’Nop, you s£nd me your papers, I will get you a better job.’’
‘’Great.’’
*
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