THE NEXT DAY
CAILY GALILEO
I was nervousness personified as I sat in the beautiful restaurant the lawyer had asked for us to meet. He had asked for us to meet at 5pm as that would be the only convenient time for me since I finished work at half past 4pm.
The restaurant had been fairly close to my workplace so it had taken me only about fifteen minutes to get there and now I was waiting for the lawyer, Mr. Homes.
We had gone over most of the terms of the contract over the phone earlier and the terms were very reasonable, too reasonable in fact.
Sitting here, I was left wondering if I was really taking the right step. Yes, I was desperate to get money and yes, I was quite desperate to also not be home when Dylan came begging but was all that worth what I was about to do?
Yes, there was going to be a legal document but still, wouldn’t it be a risk? Could I really afford to do…
“Miss. Galileo?” A manly voice shook me out of my thoughts and I pulled myself together to face Mr. Homes.
My signature smile immediately appeared on my face and I reached my hand out to accept his handshake.
“It is really nice meeting you.” He shook my hand.
“Nice meeting you too” I smiled at him.
He let go of my hand and sat opposite me.
“So…” He brought out a couple of files.
“This is the contract. You can go through it and we could effect whatever change it is that you want as soon as possible.” He said, gently tipping the contract over to me.
I smiled and took the contract but my smile vanished as I noticed that the name of the other party had been taped over, covering it up.
“Uhm, since we are signing a document, can’t I see the name of the other party?” I questioned.
“Oh, my client wishes to remain anonymous until you both meet. My client is a quite huge personality and things like this are quite necessary for him to do.”
“But I’d be seeing him tonight anyways, right? So I should be able to see his name.” I argued.
“I’m sorry, Miss. Galileo but these are terms that have to remain unchanged. Anonymity until my client himself shows up in front of you”
I stared at Mr. Homes suspiciously.
“Then can I sign this contract after I meet with him tonight?” I asked.
“No.” His response was quite firm.
“You can only meet with my client after you have fully signed these documents because only after you have signed these documents are we going to be sure that you’d not go ahead and reveal this to the general public.”
“And why would I want to reveal this to the general public?”
“Miss. Caily Galileo, these are necessary measures that we have to take to protect my client.”
I blinked, trying to understand how it all made sense. Was this man some sort of huge celebrity? Or some politician of some sort who had a perfect reputation?
“Uhm… How old is your client? If I may know that?”
“He is 45.” He replied and my brows furrowed.
The voice I had heard had sounded a little bit too refined to be that old.
“Alright then, I guess” I mumbled and got over that.
I read through the terms and was very satisfied to find the term that said I would not be touched by him unless I absolutely requested for it.
“I will not be requesting to be touched so can we taken away that condition?” I asked, looking up from the documents.
“Not really, Miss. Galileo. Since the relationship between you and my client would be you sexually entertaining him, that condition cannot be overruled. But do not worry, my client will not take things over the terms of your job without your consent.” He assured me and I sighed softly, nodding.
This was wild. That I was sitting here, reading a document that was going to make a contracted adult entertainer to some stranger was wild.
“The amount is blank, how much is your client offering to pay?” I asked after going through the other terms.
My face was quite flushed pink from embarrassment at reading all the terms of the contract.
“Oh, about that. We would love to work on your price. How much would you like to get?” He asked and I swallowed, not knowing what to say. I didn’t want to seem too greedy and yet I didn’t want to request for something that would be too little.
“This isn’t the first time your client is doing this, right? So could you tell me the price range?” I requested to know.
“I am sorry I can’t. You’d have to give me your price and we would work on that”
Four hundred? Five hundred? Six hundred?
Heavens! I was too greedy! The lawyer would probably kick me out if I mentioned those figures.
“Just say the figure you have in mind, Miss. Galileo” he pushed.
“Five hundred” I stuttered out without another second of thinking and then I froze.
“I… I didn’t mean to say…”
“The world is going to think my client has gone broke with that amount” Mr. Homes said and my jaw dropped.
Gone broke? What? How?
“A million and five hundred, how does that sound?” He asked and my eyes widened.
“No, No. NO.” I shook my head muttering that single word, each ‘No’ firmer than the last.
“This is too good to be true and so I will not be signing this. What exactly do you guys want to use me for? Some sort of underground slavery thing? That amount is too outrageous and it’s not going to tempt me into signing this. This money… It is all too easy and I won’t fall for it.”
“Miss. Galileo” he chuckled my name as I pushed the papers over to him.
“My client would probably even be mad that you are having just a million and half. My client is a reputable billionaire and that is why his anonymity is also very important. To be noticed and liked by my client is a one way ticket out of financial crisis. But if you really do not wish to sign this, I guess I’d personally find someone else to replace you, Miss…”
“Stop.” The word left me and I slowly sat back down in my seat, teeth gritted.
“I… I looked you up before meeting with you and you, Mr. Homes are a very reputable lawyer so I… I am going to trust you and sign this.” I said the words very slowly as if I was still considering it.
A million and half was going to be life changing! This experience… How could my financial state suddenly change so much after just clicking on a link? What was this sudden stroke of good fortune?
The terms of this contract were too good. Even though, I’d ordinarily never do what I would have to do for this stranger, it was still a lot of money. A shit load of money.
“Here you go, Miss. Galileo” Mr. Homes tipped the papers back to me with a pen.
I picked up the pen, reciting in my head that I was making the right decision.
I pressed my pen to the paper and gave my signature.
“I did it. I just signed it.”
*
I was in the backseat of a posh car. I knew very little about cars but I knew what comfort was and I also knew the feeling of luxury and this was it. This was definitely it!
Mr. Homes’ car was reeking of luxury and comfort as the car moved smoothly on the road. When last had I ever felt so much luxury from a car?
My phone beeped with a text and for a second I thought it was another message from Dylan but when I checked, I found that it was a message from Aunt Mandy.
“I need the money badly, Caily. How much can you get me?” The message read and I felt my heart hurt.
How did Aunt Mandy get to this point? Perhaps I should never have left her to seek goddamned greener pastures. I should have stayed by her side even when I was in college. If I had been by her side, this would not have happened to her.
“I am working towards the deadline. I’ll be back with the money soon and I’d come get you out of that place too. Please stay safe for me.” I sent the message and exited our chat.
I decided to open Dylan’s messages anyways and there was quite a lot of messages. He had also called me a whole lot but I had ignored his calls.
His last message made me feel like I had taken the right step by signing this contract.
‘I am at your home, Caily. Where are you? Please we really need to talk. I love you a lot’ The message read.
I suppressed a hiss and tucked my phone back into my purse as the car sped into an estate. I looked out of the window, wowed by the majestics of this estate.
“Your client really owns a house in this estate?” I asked with bulging eyes.
“Owns a house?” Mr. Homes chuckled.
“He owns the entire estate.” He replied and I settled back into my seat with a small jerk of my body.
The entire estate? This outstanding estate?!
The last time I had been in a privately owned large estate was years ago. That estate owned by that family.
But this estate was a lot of times grander than that estate.
“And we are here!” Mr. Homes remarked as he drove us through wide open gates.
There was a huge water fountain in front of the mansion and it held my attention as Mr. Homes parked the car.
I pushed the car door open and stepped out of the car, still looking around at the place. I let my gaze settle on the gigantic mansion in front of us.
How could any human have enough money to build not just this but an entire estate of this?!
“I… I now see that a million and half truly means little to your client” I whispered in awe.
“Let’s go in. My client is waiting for you.” He replied and I nodded a few times, tearing my gaze off the perfect architecture of the mansion and following Mr. Homes.
I clutched my purse tightly, feeling more nervous and self conscious with every step I took. I should have changed into something better. For a man this wealthy, he would definitely prefer a woman more elegant, more well dressed.
I was dressed in my office wear, a white shirt and a black pant trousers with black heels. My hair was held in a neat bun. At least that was something good.
I hoped I would not be too disappointing for this man, whoever he was but even then, he had proposed the contract so it would be all on him.
We finally stepped into the living room and it was another masterpiece on its own but I couldn’t pay attention to it as my gaze settled on the man who was seated on the sofa, bouquets of tulips all around him. The living room was quite dimly lit so I couldn’t see his face very clearly.
How did he know that tulips were my favourite? Not even Dylan knew that.
The man on the sofa exuded powerful aura. The look on his face, the way his body relaxed into the sofa. Everything screamed money and power but his face…
His face was familiar from what I could make out under the dim light, just like his voice had been so familiar.
The curiosity and confusion on my face slowly paved way for clarification as an image of Pietro from years back flashed in my head.
‘Shit’ I cursed in my head as the face of the man seated before me clicked.
“Did you miss me, Peaches?”
Pietro.
Pietro Giacometti. The Monster.