A Word of Praise
Chapter 14

"What now?" She demanded. Chris watched her turn around rolling her eyes and was glad to hear the annoyance in her voice. She was incredibly underdressed for a day in court but still had been more comfortable in that room than the four men in suits. He was delighted when his move threw her off and hoped to leverage it now that the legal part was over.

"We need to sort the payment out." He didn't hide the amusement in his voice, and it did the trick. Her eyes squinted into thin lines and... did she bare her teeth? Oh god, that was perfect. He almost wished she would growl. "Do we need to do that right now?" She didn't growl, but the way she hissed out the words was just as enjoyable.

"I don't see why not. Today is as good a day as any" He pointed towards the clear skies above as if the absence of clouds was a perfect reason for her to be led into an excruciating conversation. Because it would be, he'd make sure of it. "Is that man bothering you, Kiara?" Chris turned around to meet the odd lawyer that defended her, annoyed to have an intruder in his private conversation. He didn't say much during the meeting, not even to drop the agreed price. His lawyer advised the other party would do it, so they pumped up the initial offer.

When he didn't counter, Chris was a bit stunned and for a moment thought the woman would choose prison again. That just couldn't happen, an inmate would make a terrible fake girlfriend. That freak decided to open his big mouth precisely when he got back in the driving seat.

"Excuse me"

"I am talking to Kiara, Mr. Wright. Kiara darling, are you ok? You didn't wait for me at the end of the session"

What the fuck? That man was in for a punch. Were they seeing each other? He was definitely eye-fucking her, so that could mean something.

Chris turned around to wait for Kiara's response but was rendered even more puzzled after he saw the look in her eyes. She was displaying a mix of angry and fear, which caused her hands to slightly tremble but her eyes to squint, poking holes through his skull.

So she didn't like the lawyer? That made no sense at all. Why would she pick an attorney she didn't like? Unless...

"Kiara, let's get some coffee to discuss the terms of our agreement. Since we chose not to involve the lawyers, I believe we do not need your help, sir."

She pondered over it for a moment, and Chris hoped he had read into the room well enough to predict her answer. By going with him, she would lose another battle in their little unspoken fight, but it was a perfect excuse to get away from the strange lawyer.

"Sorry Gregory, I'll be discussing the arrangements with Chris now. Bye."

She power-walked away from them, and Chris shot a smug glare towards the lawyer. Fucking weirdo. He followed right after, leaving behind an apparently disappointed Greg.

"Talk," she blurted out after they sat in the pastry shop she picked for their chat. Her order, a cake and a double scoop ice-cream, surprised him, but it was only fair after the tons of stress she was going through. He laughed at the irony, considering if he should advise her to get herself a milkshake already. The stress was just beginning.

"First things first, what kind of fucked up lawyer was that? Why in hell would you pay for that?"

He wanted to start strong, but that man was bothering him, and he thought insulting her attorney's choice was just as likely to annoy her. He could always circle back to his initial plan later.

"Well, I didn't get to choose, did I? I got the one they assigned to me" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm as if it was his fault she ended up with a shitty lawyer. She was the thief there, not him.

"If you couldn't even pay for a decent counselor, how do you expect to pay me back?" Much better, the aggravated look on her face was exactly what he came to see.

"I'll pay." The words almost didn't pass through her gritted teeth.

"How?" He raised an eyebrow to defy her just a bit more. He knew it was getting awfully dangerous for him. If she were too mad, she wouldn't even consider his new offer. But he was getting rapidly addicted to seeing her fuming figure and couldn't help but push it a little further.

"Give me some time."

"A month."

"Are you insane? Do you have any idea what normal people earn in a month? I bet you old-money jackasses don't even know how much you spend in that period."

He tried to suppress his annoyance at her comment. If there was one thing he hated was being considered lazy because of his money. He might be the heir to an empire, but he worked his ass off to get where he was. That being said... he didn't know how much he spent in a month.

"How long do you need?"

"Six months?" She clearly meant to say it with more certainty, but it came out as a question. Perfect time to drop the bomb.

"There is another option, you know" Her face contorted into a grimace, and he knew she was trying to avoid the display of hope. "What is it?"

"You could accept my previous offer and be my pretend girlfriend for the holidays"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Will you do it? I'll cancel your debt." Her expression was priceless. It was a mix of horror and irrevocable disbelief. "Why?"

"I told you, I need someone to bring to the family vacation."

"Why in the world do you need that?"

"Because my family requested."

"Jesus Christ, rich people are absolutely insane," she murmured to herself. He was about to protest, but she was accurate about the slightly deranged aspects of his family.

"So?" He tried to keep his cool, but the truth was he really needed her to say yes. He tried to contact a few girls from his past, but he was positive they would try to poke a hole in the condom when they saw his family's island. No way, he was better off with the rich-hatter. She might steal a piece of jewelry, but she'd probably hate everything else.

"I'm good. I'll pay you in six months" No fucking way! She was doing it again.

"Damn woman, what is wrong with you?" He coursed his hands through his hair. Why was it so hard for her to just say the word 'yes'? He could swear he never had a harder time making a woman cave. And now she was looking at him weirdly. "What are you looking at?"

"You." Her tone was off. He could understand if she were mad, considering the offer on the table. There was a real possibility she would be feeling helpless, which was what he had hoped for. But she was simply curious as if she just found out something new and too interesting to look away.

"Why are you..." He didn't get to finish his sentence. "I'll do it."

"What?"

"I'll be your whatever for the holidays."