Husband for Hire: Andres Santillan; the Valiant Baker

The Contract

 “Anywhere from twenty to fifty million, depends on the duration of the contract,” Ara told her and Aya spat her drink before looking at Ara with wide eyes.

“Are you kidding me?!”

  Aya was shocked to her wits upon hearing the price.

“What? Why is it so expensive?” Aya asked.

  Ara Thelis smiled at her.

“There are many things that will be taken care of when a contract is made, Ms. Enriquez.” She said and Aya looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Let me explain it to you more precisely.”Ara paused and leaned back.

“Let’s set your situation as an example. Your grandfather is hell-bent on marrying you off to a stranger, and in addition to that you are being bummed on appearing in your high school reunion.” She continued and Aya frowned.

“You are highly informed,” Aya grumbled.

“Protocols Ms. Enriquez.” Ara said.

“Whatever, explain to me how this entire contract works and why the hell is it so expensive.”

“In your situation, I can assume that the only way for you to get out of the arrangement is if you are no longer single like what your boss Ms. Cho did. She hired a husband, of course, the marriage is fake but we had to make everything looks like it is real; from the marriage contract down to every bit of evidence. All the expenses on that will be shouldered by the client”   

“In addition to that, everything that the hired husband will be using from the set of clothes, shoes, gadgets, and vehicles are also shouldered by the client. Now, if you decided to go on with this, there are some things that you needed to know about the contract.” Ara paused and pulled a folder from under her desk.

“This is a sample contract, please read it as I explain.” She said and Aya took the folder.

  Aya opened the folder and scanned the documents inside.

“The contract contains confidentiality agreements, special clauses, and topics that encompass the general procedures of the company. Should any of these be broken, consequences will be placed depending on the severity of the deed. There are actually what we called the twelve commandments of the company. You can see it there.” Ara paused as she pointed at the document.

“First on the list, is that you are forbidden to fall in love with your husband,” Ara said and Aya looked at her.

“Next, it’s strictly forbidden for the client and the hired husband to consummate their marriage, meaning s*x is not allowed and the client in any situation cannot get pregnant. It is also forbidden to touch each other below the belt. Biting also comes with additional charges, so no biting. Public display of affection is permitted but French kissing has its limit.” Ara said.

“I can live with that. I am not most girls who get weak when being held by a man.” Aya said nonchalantly while looking at the sample contract.

  Ara smiled and continued.

“Any personal info is classified and cannot be shared during deployment. The hired husband may only use the identity provided by the company. It’s for their own privacy purposes.” 

  That rule somehow caught Aya’s attention.

“So the husband that will be hired has a complete unknown profile? And everything about him, during the duration of the contract, is made up by the company?” Aya asked and the woman in front of her nodded.

“Wow.”

“Be advised that the husband shall only perform the tasks given by the council and before accepting the job, screening must be done on the part of the wife, for safety purposes. If a problem arises, the company’s council will be a direct recipient of any complaints and legal discrepancies brought up by the client. Lastly, the company has the right to execute actions according to the mandate of Ricardo whether it be written or not.” Ara said and Aya looked at her.

“Everything seems fair though I don’t know who this Ricardo person is. What else should I be informed of?” Aya asked.

“Be informed that the husband has a separate contract with us, and they are strictly under the protection of the Council for as long as their title ‘Husband’ stands.” 

“Okay, noted,” Aya said and continued to read the contract.

“Now, before the signing of the contract, the wife must sign a waiver to ensure the safety of both parties. If you choose to sign a contract and hire a husband, as the client who is the wife, you’ll sign the waiver first. The waiver contains the following...” Ara trailed.

“First, the wife will agree to take ob gyne tests depending on the length of the contract or pieces of evidence gathered by the agents. The wife must not drag the husband to any sort of danger, or any situation that may tarnish the company's reputation. The wife must strictly adhere to the company’s protocols and should provide the necessary information to the Husband no matter how small it is.”

“Okay.”

“There are also clauses added to it. First of all, the wife cannot share or expose any information about her ‘Husband’ except what was provided. The wife above all else must protect the information of the contract. Second, the wife is forbidden to dig deep into the husband's personal identity for the sake of transparency. Alongside with this, changes to the contract and additional clauses must only be performed by the council regardless of how big or small it is.”

“And finally, since the company value contracts above all else, it is expected that both sides must be prudent in making sure everything is working flawlessly. As stated on the "Rules and Technicalities", Penalties and even ex-communication will immediately take place the moment the contract has been breached, no matter whose end it is.” Ara explained.

  Aya nodded as she finishes reading the sample contract. Then she placed the folder on the table.

“I have no problem with what’s on the contract. It seems fair and just, also Ms. Cho looked like she didn’t have any problem with your company and she is indeed happy now. So I would like try this hiring a husband thing, for my own personal reason.” Aya told her and Ara smiled.

“If that’s the case, please sign the waiver.” She said and pulled a piece of paper from under her desk and gave it to Aya.

  Aya took it and scanned what was written on it. When she’s satisfied with its contents, she took a pen and signed it before giving the waiver back to Ara who took it and smiled.

“Since we are in this now, I need you to go home first and think very hard if you still wish to proceed. If you do, I need you to email me specifics such as the purpose for hiring a husband, other limitations imposed by the wife – if there's any, any preference for your husband of choice, demands and compensation upon completing the contract.” Ara told her and then she stood upheld her hand towards Aya.

  Aya looked at her and stood up as well. She looked at the woman in front of her and gave her a tight lip smile before taking her hand, shaking it.

“You’ll hear from me tonight or tomorrow morning,” Aya said, and then she bid Ara goodbye before walking out of the office.

  After Aya was gone, Ara let out a sigh of relief.

“Will her icy demeanor melt once she meets her husband?” She mumbled, and then she shrugged and started tidying up.