"No. Definitely not. I will never ask you to marry me." His statement reverberated in her mind.

She quickly shoved the idea of marriage at the back of her mind. It was a topic that had no place in this arrangement. "I'm glad to hear that because I don't have any intention of marrying you too." She told him with certainty.

They continued with their meal, telling small information about each other. Nothing important, just small details that they mostly knew from their profiles. Just the essential so that they could get to know each other more.

"So, tell me more about this contract. If I do agree, how will we proceed with it? What will be the duration of the agreement?" She wanted more information since the contract lack the details, she needed to fully process the situation. Treating this dinner as if it was a business arrangement.

"I'll be honest with you. I am already pressed for time. You see my birthday is coming up in a few more days. By that time, I will need to present someone as my fiancé. So, I will be needing your answer by tonight." He knew he was dropping a bomb at her lap, but he needed answers soon.

He explained that the agreement would take effect upon her acceptance tonight and would continue for six months. He assured her that no wedding would occur after the contract expired.

By then, he trusted that he already found a solution to avoid getting married to her or anyone else without compromising his family's honor. He believed that no rule could not be broken. Every problem had a solution, he just needed time to dig for answers.

"What happens if I say no?" She suddenly felt pressured by his time frame. She was not aware that the contract would take effect right away. She thought that she would have more time to think about it. But she appreciated that he was being forward with this information.

"If you say no, then I will have no choice but to find another one by tomorrow morning. It's either you or someone else. Either way, I will be presenting someone to my family on my birthday." But he was hoping that it was her who would be standing by his side.

"What does 'being your girlfriend' entail?" She wanted to know what would be her obligation as acting fiancé during the duration of their engagement. The contract was vague on that part.

"All I need is for you to act natural. Be yourself. But around other people, we need to look like we are a true couple. We need to appear that we are in love." He told her what he expected from this fake relationship.

Seeing that she was seriously contemplating his offer, he decided to ask his own question. "I know what I will be getting from this. What about you? What do you want in return for helping me?"

In her opinion, he was more than generous in his offer as compensation based on what she already read in the contract. But of course, the consequence of being discovered also had a huge impact on their family and personal credibility. Therefore, it was only natural that the risk should be equally rewarded.

"I think you already place a nice clause about what I will get from this." She could not complain. She was not sure if she would need anything else.

"I don't want you to feel that this is a one-sided agreement. If you need anything added to the contract, just tell me." He informed her as he took a sip of his wine.

Silence enveloped them for a few seconds as they were preoccupied with their thoughts. Each trying to gauge what the other was thinking. Then, it was her who spoke first.

"Why me?" She voiced another concern of hers. She studied his expression, trying to read what was going through his mind.

She was sure that there must be other women who would be more willing to accept his proposal. More cooperative than her, but why did he keep insisting on her.

She was troubled that he might have another motive for choosing her. She did not plan to be blindsided once again. She had to figure out what his real intentions were before she could agree to this proposal.

She was afraid that he was just like Nick who only wanted to be under the good grace of her father.

Nick was able to get close to her, befriended her, courted her, and then promised to marry her. When he got the contract that he needed from her father. He dumped her, just like a sack of potato. Leaving her alone, humiliated, and heartbroken.

She was not going to be fooled once again. If she would agree to this, she needed this agreement to be transparent. There should be no hidden agenda.

"Because you are perfect for the role. You possessed the qualities that my family will approve of." It was the simplest explanation he could think of. "I believe you are the most suitable person for the position. No one came close to your qualifications." He continued as he watched her reaction.

"What do you mean qualifications?" She asked, not satisfied with his rationalization. Although she could sense the sincerity in his voice, she still wanted more clarification.

"You are beautiful, charming, intelligent, and came with a good name. Something that my family will approve of. With you by my side, they will never question our relationship." He enumerated her characteristic, thinking that it should sum up his reason why he chose her.

She looked at him more confused than before. It was as if he was speaking in riddles. The way he talked about his family did not make sense to her. She began to evaluate what else he knew about the man in front of her.

She realized that she barely knew him except for the small details in his profile. But it mostly consisted of basic information about him and his business and his achievements, nothing much about his personal life. What did she know about his personal life? Nothing.

"Who are you?" She finally voiced out her curiosity. "What is my assurance that you are not just using me to get to my father's good side?"

She could not stop the question from escaping her lips. She felt like something was missing in this equation that did not sum up. A puzzle that she could not put together.

But before he could answer her, somebody else interrupted them. An uninvited guest just dropped by unannounced.

"Alex, what another coincidence of running into you?" The stunning woman stood in front of them and gave her full attention to the man sitting across her.

He immediately stood up and greeted her. "Tyra, it is indeed a coincidence." Giving her a slight peck on the cheeks.

"I'm sorry, but I hope I'm not interrupting your meeting. After you're free, I'll love for us to have a chat." Tyra stated but she kept her gaze on him, still tightly holding into his arms, clearly flirting with him and completely ignoring her. While Alex just stood there, entertaining her advances.

She did not know what happened next as she stood up and grabbed his other arm and staked a claim on him.