"What do you say, bellissima?"
"Stop calling me that, Arius."
"Over my dead body, wife."
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:˚ ♡ ⋆｡˚･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Lucian West was in desperate need of a job to pay for her mother's loan. When she finally gets the job, her boss offers h...
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Arius
"Marry me," I blurted out, and immediately felt a rush of regret at how those words hung in the air between us like an awkward silence.
Lucian’s reaction was priceless. She looked horrified—eyes wide, mouth agape, like I’d just suggested we dive off a cliff. The water she had just been sipping from her glass shot out of her mouth in a quick, startled spray and drenched her blouse, which was, of course, white. My luck was just awful today.
I couldn't help but stare as the soaked fabric clung tightly to her skin, revealing the black bra underneath. A rush of inappropriate thoughts flooded my mind, and suddenly I found my heart racing. This was not the moment I had planned.
Just then, I heard Lucian clear her throat, pulling me back to reality. I was pretty sure I looked like an absolute creep, lost in a trance while ogling my assistant.
"I—what are you talking about?" she stammered, frantically using my handkerchief to dab at her chest, looking around like she wanted to disappear.
"I’ll pay you ten million dollars to marry me for six months," I said, trying to keep my tone straightforward as I leaned back in my chair.
"What the hell?" she whispered to herself, though it was loud enough for me to hear.
"You can’t just ask me to be your wife and expect me to just say yes. I mean, yeah, you’re attractive and all, but what the hell?" Her expression switched between anger and disbelief, which I found oddly entertaining.
A grin crept onto my face. "You think I’m attractive?" I couldn't help but ask, excitement thrumming beneath my skin.
"What? That’s what you took away from this? Self-centered much?" she snapped, her cheeks flushing with irritation. I was baffled; I thought this deal could help us both.
"I need a fake bride, and you need cash, Lucian," I explained matter-of-factly. "It could benefit both of us. Just think about it."
She sighed deeply, a sound that conveyed a mix of exhaustion and resignation. I recognized that feeling; we both seemed to be treading water in our lives, just trying to stay afloat.
"So?" I asked gently, locking eyes with her. They sparkled with frustration but also with something fiery.
"You know we only live once, right?" Lucian replied, her tone shifting slightly. "What’s the worst that can happen anyway? Right?"
"Right," I echoed, feeling a flicker of hope.
"So, are you going to take me up on my offer or something?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual, though I was keenly aware of how desperate I felt.
"Or something," she chuckled, but the sound was laced with a bittersweet edge.
"Lord, save me," I heard her mutter under her breath, glancing at the now-empty water bottle on the table. She looked lost in thought, which concerned me. Did she feel alive, or was she just trying to survive in this world?
"I understand," I said, handing her the contract I had hurriedly put together the night before. Proposing to her was nerve-wracking enough without adding the layer of urgency, but I didn’t want to let this opportunity slip away.
I needed to fix my reputation.
"What’s this?" she asked, eyeing the document suspiciously.
"It’s the marriage contract," I said, holding it out. As she reached for it, our fingers brushed, sending an unexpected jolt through me.
She studied the contract and then glanced back at me, mumbling to herself—a habit of hers that I had grown fond of.
"How are you so sure I’m going to accept your offer, Mr. Moreno?" she asked, avoiding eye contact.
"We’re just Arius and Lucian outside of work. And no, I can’t be sure you’ll say yes, but you need money, and I need a bride."
"A fake bride, Mr. Moreno," she corrected me, her tone teasing but annoyed.
"A fake bride, right," I agreed, feeling thankful that she could still find humor in this outlandish situation.
"Go home, Lucian. Take the contract with you, make any changes you need, and think it over. If you decide to accept my offer, just call or text me on my personal number." I wrapped up, waving her off as nonchalantly as I could manage, even though I was desperate for her to say yes.
---
Later that day, I found myself standing before my brother Alex’s grave, grappling with the weight of my father’s disappointment that always seemed to linger.
"I am very disappointed in you, Arius," my father said, fury dripping from every word.
“I’m sorry, sir,” I replied quietly, placing flowers on the grave—the only place where I felt understood.
In my father’s eyes, I was a failure—reminded constantly of the son he wished I could be, the son who wasn’t supposed to exist.
"I should’ve been the one who died instead of him," I thought bitterly, burdened by a sense of guilt that gnawed at me, making me question my very existence.
I had carried that pain for so long. Maybe if I had been the one to go, it would’ve eased his torment and he wouldn’t lash out the way he always did.
"Leave," he commanded, ending our conversation as he always did.
As I walked away from the grave, the weight on my shoulders felt heavier than ever. I thought about the shadows in my life—those that overshadowed Lucian and me, complicating our paths in ways I hadn’t fully realized.
Maybe entering into this ridiculous arrangement wouldn’t just be about survival for either of us. I hoped I could find the strength to stand firm against those shadows, regardless of how dark they were.
With that thought lingering in my mind, I made my way home, the night sky pressing down on me. The dance between light and shadow had only just begun.
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words: 2000
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Never realized a caring and sweet person like Arius could have a traumatic past.
