The Billionaire's Fake Affair

Chapter 4

In a private lounge of a popular restaurant at the heart of Cebu City, Samantha is sitting on the single couch, sipping the tea that the waiter serves her first. She is waiting for Kendrick Santana after she called him because she wanted to discuss his offer. After hearing from Margarita that she wanted to go home, Samantha made up her mind. She decided to accept Kendrick's offer to pretend to be his girlfriend and to make things work, a contractual marriage.

“Are you certain about your decision?” She remembers how Kyle wanted to be sure of her decision, but her best friend knows once she makes a decision, no one can change it. She has no choice anyway. She said she would talk to their family lawyer again but that was just her, she said. She knows that she can't make him waver from his decisions. However, the lawyer did help her financially a few times.

She feels uncertainty about her decision. Although the relationship she is having with Kendrick is fake, she still feels uncomfortable thinking about it. She never imagined all her life that she would be with a man and Kendrick was popular. Soon, when she agrees with him, her name and her personality will be dragged away every time and when everything is about him. It's one of the consequences she expected to happen once Kendrick went all out with their relationship. She is ready anyway. She knows she can handle it. She expected the consequences already. She was not prepared only once it reached Margarita's knowledge. She knows she will go against it but she is hoping that Margarita will understand her.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the door swung open. The hotel personnel came and opened it, ushered the guy behind him. It's Kendrick Santana in his gray suit wearing his iconic cold and authoritative aura, followed by his two bodyguards who stay behind the door while the others are outside. Anyone who doesn't know him might tremble in fear once they meet him, but for Samantha, she doesn't care. She used to have an authoritative boss in her previous and current job.

“Sorry, I'm late!” Kendrick says and bends down, face closer to Samantha like, about to kiss her, but Samantha averted her head, avoiding him.

“Mr. Santana, do you want me to leave, or do you want to find someone to replace me?” Samantha said, still didn't turn to look at Kendrick who was smiling mischievously. He purposely bends down, pretending to kiss Samantha, but he has no plans to do it. He doesn't want to ruin his plans. He doesn't understand, but it just came out of his mind to intimidate her.

“Okay! As if I have a choice,” he said, fixing his tie and walking towards the couch opposite Samantha. He immediately put down the brown envelope he carried on the table between their seats. Samantha raised her brows and looked at him, asking about the envelope.

“The contract! You can read it,” said Kendrick, who seemed to read her mind.

“Did I say, I accepted your offer, Mr. Santana, to have your contract ready?” She asked, smirking and looking intently at him.

Kendrick leaned his back against the couch and spread his arms on the armrest, showing confidence to Samantha, who appeared to measure his sincerity in his offer.

“Ms. Muñoz, I know that you are in need financially, right now. Margarita Melgarejo is in the hospital and you need money to take her out from there,” Kendrick said nonchalantly, full of authority, showing that he is not that easy to be fooled around.

“Wow! Did you check my background already, huh?!” Samantha asked and shook her head. She was amazed at how Kendrick checked about her godmother.

“Well, as I said during our first meeting, I don't like someone who will just accept my offer because this is me. A man they can flaunt to their peers and will use me for power,” he said confidently.

Samantha just shrugged her shoulders and took the envelope and opened it gently. She hovered her gaze on what was written on the contract. Her eyes widened when she read the condition stated in the last section of the contract.

“Mr. Santana, is there a need to put this kiss and hug thingy in the contract?”

Kendrick chuckles, “you are the one who mentioned that.”

“Yes, I know. But written here is…..okay never mind,” Samantha replied, shrugging her mouth. After she hovered with the papers, she looked directly at Kendrick and said, “I’ll accept your offer. And to be honest, yes! I am doing this for my godmother. I am in need financially because of her and nothing else.”

“Good. Well, 1 million, I think will help you a lot to take her out of the hospital,” Kendrick responds, taking a pen and passing it to Samantha. “You're so kind, Sam. I admire you for that,” he added.

“Thank you, but I am returning a favor. She raised me after my parents died when I was ten. She never had any intention of getting married because of me, so I think she deserves my love and care, too,” she replied, and started signing the contract that Kendrick gave to her.

“So, what is your plan after this?”

“I will take her out to the hospital, of course. With the money, you'll pay for me. I could take a private nurse for her since I couldn't stop working and take care of her,” she answered, tucking the papers back in the envelope and passing them to Kendrick.

“I will transfer the money on this day using the bank account that you filled out in the contract. Anyways, can I help you when you take her out of the hospital?”

“No!” Samantha quickly responds, making Kendrick taken aback. “Sorry! My godmother doesn't know that I did this for her and she hasn't met you yet.”

“I can introduce myself to her then,” Kendrick insisted.

“Mr. Santana, we are just going to pretend. Everything is for our benefit and nothing serious here, so you don't have to do that kind of thing,” Samantha said, trying to bring out what they agreed.

“But, isn't it effective and more convincing if we do those things that people usually do when getting to know each other or getting into a relationship?”

Samantha heaved a sigh. She seems to want to regret accepting the offer, but when she thinks of Margarita, she relaxes.

“Whatever you think is right, fine! But don't expect too much from me. After all, it is just fake.” She reminded Kendrick. The latter just shakes his head. Samantha is untameable, but for his inheritance's sake, he will do everything to tame her. He doesn't have plans to manipulate or control her, but for the success of his so-called fake affair, he needs to do everything to make her comfortable with him.

They agreed to have lunch together after signing their contract and Samantha got the chance to ask Kendrick about the reason why he needed to get into a fake relationship. He didn't tell her during their first meeting, so she came up with the idea of asking him to be prepared when the time came.

“My parents wanted me to get married by thirty to earn full ownership of our wealth. If not, they will donate it to charity,” Kendrick said.

“Oh?!” Samantha couldn't believe what she heard but continued to listen to Kendrick and didn't judge his parents.

“I understand them though, but what I don't understand is, why do I need to get married first? Isn't it enough for them that I did a lot and spent my time growing our businesses, then they will just donate it?”

“I don't know what to say but they might have a bigger reason why they have to give you such a requirement?” She started and got a glass of water to drink while her eyes looked intently at Kendrick.

“Still unfair for me. If they want me to get married, they can ask me to find a woman to marry without putting me into a situation where I don't have a choice,” Kendrick replied, cutting the steak, putting on the pressure that creates a clicking sound of a knife against the plate.

After lunch, Kendrick offered to send Samantha to her workplace. Being professional and civil, she agrees, besides. Besides, it's some kind of practice for her to be with him for her incoming role to pretend to be his girlfriend. She is working at a well-known creative and design agency in Cebu City as a freelance designer.

“We're here, Sam,” Kendrick announced when his driver stopped the car at the porch of the building.

“Thank you!” She said, unbuckling her safety belt but paused when Kendrick spoke.

“ To what office are you going?” Kendrick asked because Samantha didn't tell him which office she was going to. All he knows is that she is a graphic designer. The building they went to is one of those buildings owned by their family.

“J&L Creatives and Advertising Agency,” Samantha answered before moving out of the car.

Kendrick nodded. Something came to his mind upon hearing the name of the agency where Samantha was working.