The Contract

Chapter 14 - The Waiting

"Pearl, this is another reminder for the meet-up with Mr. Ferrari tomorrow," Kourtney reminded me over the phone, and I only hummed in reply.

"Are you even listening?!" she nearly yelled, and I paused to glance at what I was typing on my laptop. "Yep," I replied with a sigh.

"Pearl, tomorrow is really important. The appointment is at 8 in the morning. Mr. Ferrari is going to come with his fiancée, you have to show up early. This won’t be like other days."

"I'm the boss, Kourtney."

"And that won’t change. Just please, show up on time," she insisted, her voice softening as though she was pleading. I sighed again. "Yeah, whatever," I muttered, ending the call before she could say more, and went back to typing.

It was Monday evening, and I didn’t even want to think about tomorrow. The appointment with Travis was supposed to be this big engagement appearance.

I was supposed to show up with him as his fiancée. The thought alone made me groan, leaning back on the sofa. I hadn’t seen him since Thursday, hadn’t even bothered to call. Planning Fortune's 35th anniversary on Friday had taken up all my time.

It was one thing to strut into his office and pretend to be his girlfriend, but it was another to play this act in front of people who actually knew me. None of them would buy it. I hadn’t even come up with a believable story.

I groaned again and shut my laptop. All this was giving me a headache. I got up, still in my work clothes, and glanced at the clock. It was already past 9 p.m. I needed to get to bed.

Kourtney would have a meltdown if I showed up late tomorrow. I grabbed my bag and headed to my room, dropping everything onto the bed and sighing before heading to the bathroom.

Once there, I undressed, brushed my teeth, and got into the shower, letting the water ease some of the tension. After a few minutes, I stepped out, headed to my closet, and put on my silk nightwear. As I dried my hair, I walked back into the room just as my phone started ringing.

Bella.

I picked it up, pressing the phone to my ear. “How’s a week of married life treating you?” I asked, a grin tugging at my lips as I imagined her newlywed glow. She laughed, the sound warm and familiar.

“Hey, lil sis, how are you doing?”

"Surviving. I’m actually about to pass out from exhaustion.”

“Figured you’d still be up,” she replied, amused. “You always struck me as the workaholic type.”

"Yeah, yeah. What’s up? Why did you call?" I asked, settling onto my bed.

"Just checking in on my lil sister. Hope you’re not working yourself to death?" she teased. "Though, knowing you…”

I laughed softly. "Let’s just say I can’t tell a lie before bed."

She chuckled. “How’s Travis?”

I sighed, setting the towel aside. "He's… good. We’re good."

“I heard about the dinner on Wednesday. Mom invited him?”

“Yeah, he was already planning dinner with the family.”

“Ohh, is he going to propose?” I could practically hear her grinning.

I rolled my eyes. “Bella, what about Derrick?”

“He’s doing well, actually, he’s in the shower right now. We finally moved into our new house. You should come visit sometime.”

“I’ll try to make time,” I said, forcing a small smile as I felt the weight of everything else crowding my mind.

“Well, I guess I should let you go, you sound beat up. Get some sleep, Pearl.”

“Thanks, Bella. Goodnight.” I ended the call and sank back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

If only I could get a good night’s sleep without thinking about tomorrow.