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Room 206

As though he were a teacher catching her committing examination malpractice, she jumped, terrified.

He didn't mean to scare her. She was too cute to be stressed if you’d ask him and was too exquisitely dressed to hang around a motel aimlessly in front of someone else’s assigned door.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't —” He was going to explain how he didn't intend to startle her but was cut short.

Readjusting her position to perhaps look more presentable, “Are you the one?” She asked.

Now, he was more than confused.

The one what?

Perhaps, the stranger he heard her mention earlier? He thought he had misheard it. He heard something about a bucket list and a contract marriage too.

“The hired fiancee.” She hurriedly whispered, hands above her mouth.

The daring fuck?

He had indeed heard it all right earlier then. However, she didn't open her mouth to speak at that time, so how did those words get out?

The shock of analyzing the words he heard from earlier coupled with the ones she spewed now had left him speechless but his speechlessness had been interpreted in the wrong way by her.

Gesturing towards the door, “Then hurry. Open the door already. My legs are already hurting from waiting for so long. You seem to relish taking all your time!” She softly snapped.

There was something about how feathery her voice was. How she could be stern and yet sound so tender had bewitched the already emotionally drained Davis.

He knew the right thing to do was remind her that she got the wrong person and he wasn't some hired fiancee. He could sense that there was something deeper about whatever her deal was for standing in front of the door the receptionist assigned to him.

Yet, all his senses seemed to process was her mention of being exhausted from standing for too long. Perhaps, it was the gentleman in him or his respect for women – he nodded in understanding.

“Can you move a bit so that I can unlock the door?” He politely demanded, wondering why he was being humble to one woman after another just messed with his life for two years.

She skillfully veered and he took to dipping the key in the keyhole.

A minute later, they were inside the motel room.

It wasn't much of a sight and definitely not where someone like her would want to dwell. Judging by the rich scent of her cologne and the luxurious outfit she had on, he could tell she was more comfortable financially than being in such a place.

The moment they entered, she had instantaneously sat on the double-sized bed that had a thin mattress and obviously cheap sheets.

As she seemed to cup her forehead, seemingly deep in thought, Davis examined her appearance even more. He wondered just how long she had stood for her to be this worn out.

Her blonde hair was styled in a bulbous shape, with the ends curled up and out. It was a nice highlight to her whitish complexion, Davis decided.

Even her fur coat was well seated above a nude tight-fitting designer dress, and black high-heeled shoes to balance.

Everything about her seemed wholly in place. She was —the type of woman Davis shouldn't fantasize about or vividly analyze the beauty of her outfit.

It was interesting to imagine why a woman like this would be hanging around in a motel. Maybe she was on a secret rendezvous with a lover. Maybe she was a spy on a mission. Or maybe she was just a woman who loved to live life on the edge.

Whatever the reason, she was sure to turn heads wherever she went.

Chastizing himself to quit plunging into her attractive eerieness further, Davis allowed his eyes to settle on the dresser made with cheap wood and had right about the perfect combo of peeling paint.

He waited for her to talk.

It took a while and when she finally did, “I need to ask you one last time, are you sure about this?” She asked.

Baffled Davis wondered; what in the blazing hell was she talking about?

Not that she gave him enough time to brood about it or correct her before she wasted more of her time with him.

“Wait, wait, wait, don't answer that yet. I need to retell to you the details of this deal once more. You can decide if you want to go on with it then. But since you already came with a suitcase…” Her eyes fell on his suitcase and then, her chin tightened. “I guess you indeed are not here to play.” She finished.

Or so he thought.

He decided she was talkative when she went on. “I have stage four pancreatic cancer. So yes, I am dying.”

Davis stiffened. She was so beautiful and yet, she was a cancer patient?

Now he understood the reason behind her fatigue. Standing there must have taken a lot of energy from her since she mentioned she had been standing there for a while.

That brought him back to the bucket list.

This had just confirmed all the things he heard from her when he touched her earlier. She wanted to have sex with a stranger because it was the sixth thing on her bucket list. She also wanted to marry this stranger on a contract marriage, fulfill the rest of her bucket list with him, and then die after.

Now, what stranger would be foolish enough to marry a stage four cancer patient?

Was she thinking of him?

Definitely not!

Unless though…. Unless it came with some mouth-watering reward. One that involved money and shelter for a desperate man like himself.

Perhaps, all of his wishes were about to come true tonight. Or maybe he had just seen too much Disney content in the past.

“I asked Mrs. Diana to find you and she said you consented to get married to me on a contract marriage that will be terminated once I die. Don't worry, I will see to the end of my part of the deal if you are willing.” She tilted her head, her hair falling to the side.

It was all a more beguiling sight for Davis.

Whoever this hired fiancee was, he would be having a nice time with this lady during those four months. She looked like a queen dropped out of one of those Barbies series.

It already dawned on Davis that his actions weren't controlled by him any longer. He knew the right thing to do yet, he didn't do it.

“And what could that be?” He found himself asking, already tapping confidence from nothing.

This pretty blonde folded her hands in front of her. “I am a wealthy heiress and have inherited all of my parent's wealth since I was seven. You get sixty percent of my wealth when I die.” She supplied and Davis gulped.

Sixty percent of her wealth?

Just what was the estimation of that?

She had probably deduced Davis's frozen countenance for something else as she added, “I'm a trillionaire. You are not going to regret this. I specifically chose this location to avoid prying eyes. I can't stay here for longer. You have to make a decision now.” She finished for real this time.

Davis’s shoulders dropped. What the hell of good luck had he just gotten himself into?

He never knew there were some unknown wealthy people – a woman surprisedly. It was highly impressive and only made him feel inferior the more.

However, if he took this deal, he would never have to feel inferior all his life ever again. Better, he would finally have all the means to teach Madeline some lessons and have his revenge.

For all of the humiliations he had been forced to endure and finally bring down all of those who had belittled him.

This — he needed this.

Nevertheless, he needed to let this woman know he wasn't the hired fiancee but was ready to take the job if she was willing to let him.

Hence, he advanced to sit beside her, her eyes following him and making him feel more of uneasiness. Still, if he had to convince her, he needed to make it soft and intense.

He placed his left palm on her arm but alas!

The unexpected happened…

A concise throbbing harsh effect burned on his thumb and when he glanced down at it, he saw that it was the thumb where he had slipped the drunk man’s ring from earlier on.

He had almost forgotten about it.

It didn't end there…

…. He began to hear a roller coaster of the lady’s thoughts.

He knew it was her thoughts he was hearing because she was sitting there, eyes on him and mouth sealed.

“I hope he buys it. There's no hired fiancee but the number four thing on my bucket list was to bring a total stranger with me home. I need to tell this lie to do that. I need to do all the crazy stuff that no one could ever dare to do. That way, my short-term life would have more meaning and accomplishments – at least, to me.”

Those were the words he heard.

It caught him so off guard that he withdrew his hand from her arms and right about when he had his palm removed, the words ceased.

He stopped hearing it. Like a graveyard, the room was quiet again.

D — did he just read her mind merely by touching her?

Those words he heard from behind the door too. He had been mulling over how he never saw her speak yet heard her speech. It also happened right when he touched her.

It couldn't be that he read her mind… could it?

But then again, she never spoke and yet, he heard. His every cell started to get colder and colder.

There wasn't even an air conditioner in the room but it felt like he was in a bed of ice packs.

It was anxiety and apprehension from all of the many things happening to him so quickly. It was even more derailing that it was real-life shit.

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