37 Raising My Worth
“Yeah...I didn’t see him that much, but I knew you two were dating. What happened to him? I remember you guys broke up abruptly and you said something about him disappearing. Now that I think about it, there was a time when I thought you two would get married for you sure after graduation...” Justin said as he recalled his memories from the past.
“He’s our man,” I stated before winking at Justin.
“Huh? What?! Are you saying...” Justin said before gasping and covering his open mouth with his hands.
“Yes. Brandon, the current CEO and largest shareholder of Renox, is my ex-boyfriend,” I stated.
The reason why he wants me for the job is probably because...
“And he probably wants me for this job because he knows that I hate him. Falling in love with him for me is out of the question. The same can probably be said about him. He’ll never fall in love with a girl he dumped before,” I surmised soundly.
“Oh...now that you put it that way, it does make a lot of sense,” Justin muttered.
“Umm...I see. So, he’s looking for someone to act as his fiancée to appease his family so that they can stop trying to pair him up with available female socialites. Marriage apparently is a prerequisite for him to take over the company after his father...” I said as I went through more details in the contract.
“The classic of the classic...” Justin mused.
.....
The case is super classic, Justin was right, but he could only say this because he doesn’t know Brandon and how hard it is to be around let alone manage him. This isn’t going to be an easy job at all. Ten times the usual rate seems like a lot at first but...
“What about we negotiate for twenty times the usual rate?” I asked before winking at my good friend.
“You can’t be serious...that’s crazy. Oh my god...” Justin exclaimed with his eyes popping out of his sockets.
“You can pull this off, Justin,” I said with an encouraging nod of my head.
“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do...or so they say...” Justin said as he pulled up his phone and began dialing a number.
I closed my eyes and prayed that I was making the right decision. With the debt, I needed the money for sure. I just hoped that everything will turn out fine. Needless to say, I still remembered that wild night I spent with Brandon because of George screwing up his bet. Why am I always getting looped into these crazy situations with these insane men anyways?
“Oh yes, she will definitely be worth it. I’m sure that the client knows that as well...great. Amazing, that would be all. I will send you the details for settling the deposit. Of course...have a wonderful day,” Justin spoke in his professional voice through the phone.
I could tell from the direction that the conversation was going and also the bright smile on Justin’s lips that the deal was as good as done. Justin was a genius at negotiating and also selling the services of his agency. He really was a top-tier salesman...or saleswoman.
“Where do you want to go out for dinner, girl? We did it! Twenty folds, baby!” Justin cried out loudly as he jumped up and down.
“Calm down...” I said while giggling a little at his over-the-top reaction.
“I need a drink...this is unreal...” Justin said as he continued jumping up and down.
I watched him going around like a crazy chimpanzee around the room as I shook my head at him. Elena, you can do this! It’s going to be bad, that’s for sure but come on, how bad can it be, right?
Back then I didn’t foresee what I was about to get myself into...
...
“I don’t feel so ready to start. Is it possible to postpone the start to the first of next month? I mean, that’s in only a week’s time so it should be ok, right?” I asked hopefully.
The truth was, I wanted to sort out my life a little before I began working. Within a few days of concluding the payment rate, the contract was signed by both parties which meant that now I had one contract husband already. On the pay scale that was equivalent to having twenty contract husbands because he is paying twenty times the usual rate.
I rolled my eyes as I thought that the money was probably close to nothing for someone like Brandon. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to meeting him again. My lawyers had been calling me frequently lately to provide follow-up updates on my various lawsuits. The outlook didn’t seem positive, and I knew that I had to work hard to rake in some real cash to pay off my debts.
“I can negotiate the start date for you, no problem. What are you going to do between now and then?” Justin asked.
“Well, since I have a little money now from my first contract, I’m thinking of moving out and getting my own place,” I replied.
“There’s no need for you to rush on that. I don’t mind you staying here with me...” Justin said.
“I appreciate it, truly...but I can’t leech off you forever. So, I’ll go out looking for a place,” I said with determination.
“I wish I could go with you, but I need to go to the office,” Justin said regretfully.
“That’s ok. I’ll sort it out. Hopefully, I can find a free place that I can move in within next week before I start working,” I said hopefully.
“Good luck with that. Let me know if there’s something that I can help with,” Justin chimed in before heading for the door.
“Sure. See you later!” I called after him.
I waved goodbye to Justin as he exited to go to his office. Since I’ve been thinking about moving out for a few days now, I’ve already done some online searches for rooms available for rent that was within my budget. Now I just need to visit those agencies that I’ve set up appointments with to go see the property. Fortunately, there were a few options not too far from Justin’s neighborhood.
–To be continued...
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