THE DEAL.

XIMENA.

“I agreed to marry him.”

She looked at me like I had horns growing out of my head.

“Ximena, you agreed to marry a total stranger?” Mia asked, finally finding her words.

“Look, the offer sounded too good to be true. I couldn’t let it slip out of my hands. Besides, it’s a contract marriage—it doesn’t really hold much ground. It’s not like I’m pregnant.”

“You signed your common sense away because I don’t see how this sounds attractive to you.”

Mia was my childhood best friend. We had lost touch when she moved out, and on getting to Mexico, she was the first person I saw. We rekindled our friendship instantly.

“I know, but this is my chance to have the last laugh, and I can’t even start explaining how this would lift my modeling career.”

“Listen, Ximena, you have been doing this without this man. You singlehandedly built your career to this stage, and I’m very sure there’s more you can do without him. Why can’t you see that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it wasn’t easy for me to get here. Why should I reject an easier way to achieve better?”

She sighed in frustration. I knew I was being stubborn, but I had a lot to achieve with White Horse attached to my name.

“Is this about your career or about Dean?”

The name stung my heart. I felt a sudden wave of anger washing through me.

“This is more than just Dean,” I said.

She knew I was lying.

“Come on, you locked yourself inside your room, feeding your eyes with body development exercises online. You completely changed your diet because you wanted to get back at this man who’s probably still in the honeymoon phase with the person he left you for. Can’t you see this man has moved on and doesn’t care?”

“He wouldn’t still care even if you put on this whole show. He knows what he left, and you don’t have to constantly remind him. Move on, girl,” she added.

She was right. I knew she was, but I wasn’t ready to back down. I wanted him to see what he was missing, and I didn’t care if my desire for revenge landed me in an ocean. I had made my choice, and I would stick to it.

“It’s too late,” I said and started walking away from her. I’d had enough of her lectures already.

“Do you know anything about this man aside from the fact that he’s a billionaire?”

“What’s there to know? We spent the whole night together and he didn’t harm me. The only thing is for me not to get pregnant, and I can enjoy the benefits without necessarily being tied to him. I’m on the pills—I’ve been on them for the longest time. Trust me.”

“I’m honestly trying to, but you’re leaving me with nothing to work with. This man is merciless when it comes to his dealings. He treats everything like a business deal, and no matter how deep you dig, you can’t find anything on him even when you know there’s something there. I fear for your safety, Xim. You have so much to lose if this goes wrong.”

“I appreciate your worry, Mia, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”

I left, unsure of what else to say. I had already ended the conversation by walking out, and she knew me too well to raise it again.

I lay down on my bed, my mind going back to him—Jason—with his beautiful eyes and commanding voice.

The night we shared together and how he worshipped my body… no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get that feeling out of my mind.

Did I even know anything about this man? It didn’t matter. We’d all be fine at the end of the day.

I brought out my phone and went to check Dean’s Instagram page. I had been doing this for the longest time. He had uploaded more pictures of his trip to Zanzibar with his wife.

She smiled so much that it made me envy her. I had been waiting for their relationship to end, but they had proved me wrong.

I made sure to check all his pictures without accidentally clicking the like button. He was supposed to be blocked, but I needed more reasons to be angry.

---

A week later

“Ximena!”

I heard Mia shout my name from the living room. I stood up from where I was sitting in the bathroom and made my way outside.

“Why do you look so tired? Shoots?” she asked, dropping her bag.

“I heard you calling my name. What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting close to her.

“It’s Jason.”

“What about him?” I asked, already angry.

“I found something about him—and it’ll shock you.”

“I told you to leave this topic alone! You can’t change my mind, but you still went ahead to dig into him,” I said, yelling at her.

“Ximena, I had to! I didn’t want you going through what you’ve already passed through again. Girl, you really have to leave that man alone.”

I covered my face with my hands. I had a lot going through my head, and this was the least of my issues.

“His last name is Hansen. Doesn’t it ring a bell?” she said, snapping her fingers.

I scoffed.

“People share the same last name all the time. Why does this have to be different?” I asked, tired of the discussion.

“He’s Dean’s elder brother. They share the same father. His father left him and his mother to marry his secretary—Dean’s mum. He managed to survive with the help of the owners of the White Group after he lost his mother. They had no child, so they adopted him and gave him everything. Ximena, please, get out of there before you regret it.”

My body tensed.

“No, that can’t be,” I said, trying to wrap my head around what I had just been told.

Dean and Jason are brothers? Why didn’t I notice any similarities between them?

“What have I gotten myself into?”

“It’s not too late. You can tell him you’re no longer interested.”

“If all you’ve said about him is true, then he’ll destroy me even before I start. I got into a contract marriage with him,” I said tearfully.

“Contracts get broken all the time. Yours won’t be the first. End this sham and move on from anything that has to do with the Hansens. One has already done damage—two will kill you. Ximena, please,” she begged, holding my hands.

My body was shaking. My hands too. I couldn’t control myself. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel bubbles in my chest.

“It’s more complicated than that,” I said as tears streamed down my eyes.

“What else? Did you take money from him? We can take a loan from the bank.”

“No, it’s not that,” I said, looking at her.

“Then what?”

“I’m pregnant.”