Chapter 10

"I will introduce you to my mom now," he said, and I was extremely shocked.

"W-what? Introduce me? B-but I'm not ready!" I said in panic.

"Look, I need you now," he said, bending over as if troubled.

"I-I thought I was just supposed to pretend to be your girlfriend. You didn't say anything about introducing me to your mom," I said, still confused.

"I made the contract because I needed a fake girlfriend to introduce to my mom. She wants me to marry the daughter of her business partner, and of course, I don't want to. I know the girl she wants me to marry. I've met her through business, but I don't love her; I only see her as a friend. They're pushing for us to get married, and I don't want that. That's why I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. Even just for 2 months, I just need to convince her that I love someone else. After 2 months, they'll go back to England. But for now, they're still here, along with my mom's business partner's daughter." After explaining, he sighed deeply, clearly distressed by his situation.

The downside of being rich is that your parents dictate your future. I didn't know what to say, but I felt sorry for him.

"So please... I really need you. I promised I'd help you, didn't I?" he said.

"Okay, I signed a contract with you. Let's go," I said. He smiled at me, and I saw hope in his eyes, which surprised me when he suddenly hugged me tightly. It felt like my world stopped for a while. When he let go, we got into his car.

"We will meet my mom at a restaurant. We'll have dinner together with her," he said as he drove, and I sat beside him in the front seat.

"Does she know you're introducing me?" I asked.

"No, she doesn't know I have a girlfriend. It's a surprise. She only knows I'm coming. She wants to discuss the wedding," he said. I felt a bit nervous and scared.

"W-what? What if she gets angry with me? What if she pulls my hair or drags me away? I've seen those dramas; they get treated badly," I said, panicking and worrying.

He chuckled slightly, so I looked at him. Although he stopped laughing, he was still smiling. I lightly punched him on the arm.

"You're still laughing! You're really happy, aren't you!" I said irritably.

"I just added to my problems," I muttered to myself.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you. I won't let you down. Trust me," he said, looking into my eyes. I don't know why, but I melted under his gaze, so I looked away and stared out the car window.

After about half an hour, we finally arrived at the restaurant he mentioned.

"We're here," he said as he parked the car. My heart started pounding rapidly, and I was stunned.

"Let's go. Don't worry, I won't let you down," he said in a calm tone. I tried to trust him and got out of the car. We went into the restaurant and headed to the table where his mom was sitting.

"Hi, Mom," Alzid said, hugging his mother.

"It's good to see you, my son," his mom said happily.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend. This is Laine," Alzid said, and I could see the shock in his mother's eyes as she looked at me.

"Hello, good evening," I said softly, feeling nervous and scared.

"Break up with her," his mother said firmly, and my eyes widened in fear.

"Mom, I can't. I love her," Alzid said calmly. He could easily be an actor with his dramatic performance.

"But I want you to marry Brianna," his mom said.

"No, this time you can't force me, Mom. I love her more than anything! I can't live without her," Alzid said, his eyes almost blazing with fire as he held my hand tightly.

"How dare you, Alzid! Is that what this woman has taught you? To be rebellious? I can't accept this, my God!" his mother ranted angrily.

"I'll fight for her until the end, no matter what," Alzid said firmly, which only made his mother angrier.

She slapped him and walked out, and suddenly everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. I felt sorry for him, so we decided to leave the restaurant in silence and got into his car.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly. He was holding the steering wheel but hadn't started the car, staring into the distance.

He looked at me and smiled, but there was sadness in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said.

"It's nothing. I signed a contract with you, so I had to do it," I said.

He didn't respond, but I knew he was hurt by what his mother had done and by everything that had happened.

"You're good at drama, huh? Best actor, haha," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"What if I told you it's not just drama... and that it's true?" he said seriously. My heart raced at his words. What did he mean? I couldn't reply.

Suddenly, he ruffled my hair and smiled at me.

"It's a joke. Anyway, thank you. You saved me tonight," he said, and started the car. I remained silent, not fully understanding how I felt.

He dropped me off at the gate of my subdivision because I didn't want him to see me in front of the house, where my aunt might see him.

I didn't know what the future held for the contract I signed, but one thing was certain: I had to fulfill my responsibilities as stated in that contract, and after two months, everything would be fine.