His for a year. - Chapter 3: Chapter 3
You are reading His for a year., Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Read more chapters of His for a year..
Just as I unlocked the door, Amanda grabbed my hand tightly. “Where do you think you’re going at this time?” she asked, her voice sharp with panic and concern.
I was quiet and wasn’t intending to answer her, she noticed the jacket in my hand and then snatched my phone from me, she saw the text and sighed immediately.
“I know it’s not easy right now but you can’t go out like this, see the time? It’s late and you’re a woman”, she said calmly trying not to get me upset with her command.
Maybe she was right, it’s literally 12:34am, I couldn’t even walk to the fridge alone at this hour. What is happening to me?
Amanda led me gently to the bed, took my jacket from my hand and placed my head on her chest patting me gently.
The blaring alarm woke me. I hated the sound it made, even though I chose it myself.
“Ughhhh, can't believe I forgot to turn this thing off”, I groaned, reaching for my phone on the desk to silence the alarm.
Everything that happened yesterday came to me in a flash, like a slap in the face. A dull migraine suddenly crept in.
“Oh right… Zade Avner,” I muttered.
I checked the time, it was 6:30am. I grabbed my towel and dashed to the bathroom, I had to meet him fast.
By the time I finished getting ready, it was already 7:05 AM. I decided to head straight to the school gate and wait there, hoping to catch him as soon as he arrived. I got there just in time -7:40 AM on the dot.
“Hey there,” a familiar masculine voice greeted behind me.
I turned to get a look, it was Zade Avner standing tall with the kind of effortless confidence that made it hard to look away. His black hair was thick and perfectly styled, yet somehow still looked better when he ran his fingers through it. His shoulders were broad and defined, the kind you’d see on an athlete or someone who had spent years building quiet strength.
Then he started moving towards me, every movement he made felt deliberate, controlled.
But it was his gaze that held everything together -intense, steady, and almost too deep to meet for long. I couldn't pick which of his eyes to look at.
His dark eyes didn’t just look at you; they saw through you, like they were made to uncover truths you didn’t know you were hiding. He wasn’t just good-looking -he was dangerously captivating, the kind of man people wrote stories about.
How can someone look like this? And he’s smiling at me, this may be a good sign.
He slipped his hand into mine, swinging out hands as he led me through the school gate’s crowd.
Okay… where are the cameras?
This couldn't be real.I followed him like a lamb to the slaughter. I could feel so many eyes piercing into me from all directions, I couldn't blame them because I would have done the same if the college’s heartthrob was openly holding a random girl’s hand smiling through the crowd.
He led me to that same empty hall we had spoken in yesterday. The memories flashed back quickly like a movie recap, I bowed my head in shame.
As he shut the door, he let go of my hand abruptly. I didn’t know the feeling but it was more of curiosity, why did he do that? Why am I here? Why didn't I protest?
He ran his hand through his hair roughly, ruining the hair style. It made my heart pound. I would definitely hate to see him angry- not at me at least.
“What’s your name again?”, he sighed, not looking at me.
“Olive”, I said quietly, taking a step back.
“I need you to strike a deal with me. No- actually, just agree to whatever I’m about to say. “
“But… how would I know if I can do what you want?” I asked, almost in a whisper.
“Because you’re desperate Olive and you said you’d do anything to save your mom. Anything.”
The way he emphasized on the word was unsettling.
This wasn’t what I imagined, I never knew he’d want to strike a deal. I was expecting a time to pay off the money he would lend to me,but, a deal? Now that’s scary. But, I have to do it. It’s not like I have anywhere to get the money. He was right, I had literally no other options.
“I can see you’re thinking”
I jerked. I didn't realize he was watching me so closely.
He began pacing. “Here’s the situation. My mom is forcing me into a lineup of blind dates. She wants to present me to the media as the future chairman—with a suitable partner. My dad’s bedridden, and the board needs a face they can trust.”
He paused, checking my reaction. I nodded for him to go on.
“I told her yesterday that I already have a girlfriend. Someone I love, someone I plan to marry and is from a respected family. That’s why I held your hand outside. It was all for her benefit, she was watching.”
He stopped walking and looked me in the eyes. “So, I want you to be that pretend girlfriend. The one I’ve been hiding to protect.”
“I… I don’t know if I’m the right person for this,” I stuttered.
“In summary, I want us to get married,” he said flatly.
My eyes widened.
“Not because I’m in love with you or anything,” he scoffed. “This is mutual. You said you’d do anything -I didn’t say it first.”
‘Curse the words of my mouth’, I sighed. I bit my lower lip in regret. How was I supposed to get married? I’m just 22, and a fake one at that? What would my future husband think of me? This is not good.
“Yeah but no one would believe it, we’ve never even talked before “
“That’s what makes it believable. It shows we’re good actors, good at hiding our love.”
“But what if your mom doesn’t like… “
I paused, reminding myself it’s a ‘fake’ marriage and she doesn’t have to like me.
“I mean, what if she suspects us- me especially? What if she decides to dig into my life and past?” I rephrased.
“My assistant would take care of it, I’d let her in on it and they’d be a real wedding and actual wedding rites”
Sweat ran down my cheek. He seemed so serious to think it was a prank. Marrying into the Avner Lloyd's family?
“What about my mom?”
“I’ll have her moved to our hospital where she’d be well taken care of.“
“Oh my God”, I gasped. I couldn’t place my feeling, was it happiness that mom would be alright, or astonished by the amount of wealth his family possesses to even have a whole ass hospital.
“I’ll do it”, I said after finding my voice.
How bad could it be pretending to be in love with a millionaire and deceiving his mom and the whole country?
“Good”, he patted my head and walked out of the hall.
When I stepped out, Amanda was waiting for me. Her eyes said it all- what did you just do?
Before I could explain, my gaze shifted. A woman stood nearby, dressed in sleek black with a matching red Versace bag and heels. Everything about her screamed power and elegance.
My heart sank into my stomach. Is that his mother?
I was quiet and wasn’t intending to answer her, she noticed the jacket in my hand and then snatched my phone from me, she saw the text and sighed immediately.
“I know it’s not easy right now but you can’t go out like this, see the time? It’s late and you’re a woman”, she said calmly trying not to get me upset with her command.
Maybe she was right, it’s literally 12:34am, I couldn’t even walk to the fridge alone at this hour. What is happening to me?
Amanda led me gently to the bed, took my jacket from my hand and placed my head on her chest patting me gently.
The blaring alarm woke me. I hated the sound it made, even though I chose it myself.
“Ughhhh, can't believe I forgot to turn this thing off”, I groaned, reaching for my phone on the desk to silence the alarm.
Everything that happened yesterday came to me in a flash, like a slap in the face. A dull migraine suddenly crept in.
“Oh right… Zade Avner,” I muttered.
I checked the time, it was 6:30am. I grabbed my towel and dashed to the bathroom, I had to meet him fast.
By the time I finished getting ready, it was already 7:05 AM. I decided to head straight to the school gate and wait there, hoping to catch him as soon as he arrived. I got there just in time -7:40 AM on the dot.
“Hey there,” a familiar masculine voice greeted behind me.
I turned to get a look, it was Zade Avner standing tall with the kind of effortless confidence that made it hard to look away. His black hair was thick and perfectly styled, yet somehow still looked better when he ran his fingers through it. His shoulders were broad and defined, the kind you’d see on an athlete or someone who had spent years building quiet strength.
Then he started moving towards me, every movement he made felt deliberate, controlled.
But it was his gaze that held everything together -intense, steady, and almost too deep to meet for long. I couldn't pick which of his eyes to look at.
His dark eyes didn’t just look at you; they saw through you, like they were made to uncover truths you didn’t know you were hiding. He wasn’t just good-looking -he was dangerously captivating, the kind of man people wrote stories about.
How can someone look like this? And he’s smiling at me, this may be a good sign.
He slipped his hand into mine, swinging out hands as he led me through the school gate’s crowd.
Okay… where are the cameras?
This couldn't be real.I followed him like a lamb to the slaughter. I could feel so many eyes piercing into me from all directions, I couldn't blame them because I would have done the same if the college’s heartthrob was openly holding a random girl’s hand smiling through the crowd.
He led me to that same empty hall we had spoken in yesterday. The memories flashed back quickly like a movie recap, I bowed my head in shame.
As he shut the door, he let go of my hand abruptly. I didn’t know the feeling but it was more of curiosity, why did he do that? Why am I here? Why didn't I protest?
He ran his hand through his hair roughly, ruining the hair style. It made my heart pound. I would definitely hate to see him angry- not at me at least.
“What’s your name again?”, he sighed, not looking at me.
“Olive”, I said quietly, taking a step back.
“I need you to strike a deal with me. No- actually, just agree to whatever I’m about to say. “
“But… how would I know if I can do what you want?” I asked, almost in a whisper.
“Because you’re desperate Olive and you said you’d do anything to save your mom. Anything.”
The way he emphasized on the word was unsettling.
This wasn’t what I imagined, I never knew he’d want to strike a deal. I was expecting a time to pay off the money he would lend to me,but, a deal? Now that’s scary. But, I have to do it. It’s not like I have anywhere to get the money. He was right, I had literally no other options.
“I can see you’re thinking”
I jerked. I didn't realize he was watching me so closely.
He began pacing. “Here’s the situation. My mom is forcing me into a lineup of blind dates. She wants to present me to the media as the future chairman—with a suitable partner. My dad’s bedridden, and the board needs a face they can trust.”
He paused, checking my reaction. I nodded for him to go on.
“I told her yesterday that I already have a girlfriend. Someone I love, someone I plan to marry and is from a respected family. That’s why I held your hand outside. It was all for her benefit, she was watching.”
He stopped walking and looked me in the eyes. “So, I want you to be that pretend girlfriend. The one I’ve been hiding to protect.”
“I… I don’t know if I’m the right person for this,” I stuttered.
“In summary, I want us to get married,” he said flatly.
My eyes widened.
“Not because I’m in love with you or anything,” he scoffed. “This is mutual. You said you’d do anything -I didn’t say it first.”
‘Curse the words of my mouth’, I sighed. I bit my lower lip in regret. How was I supposed to get married? I’m just 22, and a fake one at that? What would my future husband think of me? This is not good.
“Yeah but no one would believe it, we’ve never even talked before “
“That’s what makes it believable. It shows we’re good actors, good at hiding our love.”
“But what if your mom doesn’t like… “
I paused, reminding myself it’s a ‘fake’ marriage and she doesn’t have to like me.
“I mean, what if she suspects us- me especially? What if she decides to dig into my life and past?” I rephrased.
“My assistant would take care of it, I’d let her in on it and they’d be a real wedding and actual wedding rites”
Sweat ran down my cheek. He seemed so serious to think it was a prank. Marrying into the Avner Lloyd's family?
“What about my mom?”
“I’ll have her moved to our hospital where she’d be well taken care of.“
“Oh my God”, I gasped. I couldn’t place my feeling, was it happiness that mom would be alright, or astonished by the amount of wealth his family possesses to even have a whole ass hospital.
“I’ll do it”, I said after finding my voice.
How bad could it be pretending to be in love with a millionaire and deceiving his mom and the whole country?
“Good”, he patted my head and walked out of the hall.
When I stepped out, Amanda was waiting for me. Her eyes said it all- what did you just do?
Before I could explain, my gaze shifted. A woman stood nearby, dressed in sleek black with a matching red Versace bag and heels. Everything about her screamed power and elegance.
My heart sank into my stomach. Is that his mother?
End of His for a year. Chapter 3. Continue reading Chapter 4 or return to His for a year. book page.