Theodore glanced at his wristwatch. The sleek metal hands pointed just two minutes before 2 PM. He looked up from his watch and fixed his gaze on Amaira, who was still sitting across from him, her posture stiff with unease.

“You look tense,” Theodore said casually, his voice light, as if they were discussing the weather.

Amaira raised an eyebrow, shooting him a half-nervous, half-annoyed look. “Gee, I wonder why,” she muttered under her breath.

Theodore ignored her sarcasm and leaned forward slightly. “Before we go any further with this arrangement,” he said smoothly, “there’s something I need you to do.”

Amaira blinked in confusion. “What?”

Theodore’s face was as calm and collected as ever, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Your first task.”

“Task?” Amaira repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. She looked at him with a big question mark practically hovering above her head.

Theodore nodded. “Yes. You didn’t think you’d just be sitting around, looking pretty, did you?”

Amaira’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about? What task?”

Theodore checked his watch again, then glanced toward the entrance of the hotel lounge. “I have a blind date at 2 PM here.”

Amaira’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “You... what?!” Her eyes widened, and she gave him a disgusted look, her thoughts running wild. He’s asking me to be his contract wife, and he’s going on a blind date?

Theodore noticed her expression and immediately responded, his voice filled with mock offense. “Hey, don’t look at me like I’m some kind of sleazy dirtbag. This was arranged by my mother.”

Amaira crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, staring at him as if waiting for an explanation that made sense. “And this concerns me... how?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Theodore smirked, clearly enjoying her reaction. “Simple. Your first task as my soon-to-be ‘contract wife’ is to introduce yourself as my girlfriend and stop the date from going any further.”

Amaira nearly choked. She sat up straight, her eyes wide in disbelief. “I’m sorry—what?”

Theodore gave her an amused look, as if her confusion was the most entertaining thing he’d seen all day. “You heard me. You’re going to play the part of my girlfriend and make sure this date doesn’t go well.”

Amaira stared at him, her mind racing. This is insane. Absolutely insane. She shook her head vigorously. “No. No way. That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s your first task, Amaira,” Theodore said, completely unbothered by her protest. “You said you’d do anything, remember?”

Amaira opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it again. She had said that. In a moment of desperation, she had promised she would do whatever it took to pay him back for saving her all those years ago. But this? Posing as his girlfriend to ruin a blind date? That wasn’t exactly what she had imagined.

Her face flushed, and she glanced around the lounge nervously, already feeling the weight of her embarrassment building. “You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend... in front of some poor woman who thinks she’s meeting you for a date?”

“Correct,” Theodore said with a nod, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

Amaira wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. Why me? Why did I agree to this? She could already feel the humiliation creeping in. “But—”

“Listen,” Theodore interrupted, leaning in with a serious expression. “My mother has been setting me up on these blind dates for months. Every single time, I’ve had to sit through hours of awkward small talk and terrible attempts at matchmaking. If you help me out here, I’ll owe you. And it’s part of the job.”

Amaira’s heart was pounding. “And what if I say no?”

Theodore’s lips twitched in amusement. “You won’t.”

She glared at him. “You don’t know that.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Then walk out. Go ahead. But remember, this is a one-time offer. You walk away now, and you’re walking away from everything we discussed.”

Amaira bit her lip, feeling trapped. She didn’t want to do this—pretending to be someone’s girlfriend on command was humiliating enough, but doing it to ruin someone else’s blind date? That was on a whole new level of awkward. But as much as she hated the idea, she knew Theodore was right. She had made a deal, and backing out now meant throwing away the chance to fix her life.

Letting out a long sigh, she gave Theodore a resigned look. “Fine,” she muttered. “But you owe me big for this.”

Theodore’s smirk returned. “I always pay my debts, Amaira.”

Amaira wiped her sweaty palms again, her heart still racing. “What do I even say?”

Theodore chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry. Just be yourself. You’ll figure it out.”

“Be myself?” she muttered. The only version of myself right now is a confused, sweaty mess. She looked around nervously, already feeling the heat of the situation building.

Before she could protest any further, Theodore’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then looked back at her. “She’s here.”

Amaira swallowed hard as she spotted a well-dressed woman approaching the lounge area. Her heart pounded louder in her chest. This is happening. This is actually happening.

The woman walked over with a bright smile, clearly excited for the date she thought she was about to have. Theodore stood up to greet her, flashing his usual charming smile. “Ah, you must be Maya,” he said smoothly.

Maya smiled back and nodded, clearly pleased by his manners. “Yes, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Amaira felt her stomach twist in knots. I can’t do this.

But Theodore gave her a subtle glance, signaling her to get up and play her part.

With a deep breath, Amaira stood up and, before Maya could sit down, slid herself right into Theodore’s side, wrapping her arm around his. She plastered on the most convincing smile she could muster. “Hi! I’m Amaira—Theo’s girlfriend.”

Maya blinked, her smile faltering for a moment. “Oh... I—um... girlfriend?”

Amaira could feel her palms sweating, but she pressed on. “Yes! Theo and I have been together for a while now. Isn’t that right, babe?” She looked up at Theodore, giving him an exaggerated, lovesick smile.

Theodore played along perfectly, his expression cool and collected. “That’s right. I’m surprised my mother didn’t mention you, Amaira.”

Maya’s face turned a little pale, and she forced a polite smile. “Oh, I... I see. I didn’t realize...”

Amaira squeezed Theodore’s arm a little tighter, trying not to let the panic show on her face. “Well, it’s been lovely meeting you, Maya, but we actually have plans for the rest of the day. I’m sure you understand.”

Maya nodded slowly, her expression a mix of confusion and disappointment. “Of course. I... I didn’t realize. I’ll just... go, then.”

As soon as Maya walked away, Amaira let out a huge breath of relief and immediately released Theodore’s arm.

“That was awful,” she muttered, still trembling slightly from the adrenaline.

Theodore chuckled, clearly pleased with how it had all played out. “You did great. Babe!”

Amaira shot him a glare. “I can’t believe you made me do that.”

“You survived,” Theodore said with a grin. “And now, you’re officially on the job.”