When the Contract Ends

Prologue

"I'm ready to retire." I've been waiting to hear those words ever since I graduated business school.

"That's great Grandfather!"

"Yes, but unfortunately," Uh-oh. "I do not think that you are ready to take over this company."

"What?" My grandfather started a construction company right out of high school and now it's one of the most lucrative construction companies in the world. When I graduated I was promised that, as long as I showed interested in the company it was mine. "You're kidding right?"

"No, Sebastian, I am not kidding." The look on his face shows me he's really not. He leans back in his chair. "Tell me the story of your grandmother and I."

I sigh. "You became so buried in building your company that you worked yourself to exhaustion. Grandmother was the nurse the hospital assigned to you. You both fell in love and she taught you there was more to life than work." I rattle off monotonously, having heard the story a million times.

A faint smile plays on his lips as he reminisces, no doubt. "Yes, work is not the only thing in life." His face turns serious, the wrinkles on his forehead becoming more prominent. "But for you, it seems as though it is... You have become too focused on this company and I will not allow you to go down the same path I went down."

"I'm not-"

"Yes you are. So I've made my decision. If you want this company you have to do something first."

"Anything." I tell him.

He studies my face for a minute. "I am giving you one week, one week to find a girl you want to marry. If you don't find someone I will pick someone for you and in three months you will marry. Should you refuse to marry I will give this company to Jimmy." Jimmy was a distant cousin who's greatest aspiration in life is to manage a McDonald's.

"Jimmy?!" I shout, standing up from my chair. "Look, if this is about working too hard I'll get a dog, they have to be taken care of." I can't get married, I'm not ready to be tied down.

"This isn't only about your work habits. It's also about the Hayes name you drag through the mud every time you're photographed with a new woman; which, is almost every night." He frowns in disgust. "So a wife seems to be a good solution." His stern eyes stare into mine. "No wife, no company."

I open my mouth to argue but he cuts me of.

"You're dismissed."

"But-"

"Dismissed." His voice holds a sense of finality.

—————

"Mr. Hayes!" My personal assistant Paisley stands in her apartment doorway looking shocked. Her blonde hair is in a sloppy braid that comes around her shoulder, she's in a pair of black sweatpants and a Fall Out Boy t-shirt. A spatula is in her hand and an orange cat rubs against her ankles.

"Good morning Paisley." Paisley Coleman has been my personal assistant for the past three years. She's been a diligent worker all three of those years. She's down to earth and one of the few woman a can stand to be around for more than a few hours. Most importantly she's the kind of girl I know grandfather will approve of.

I watch as her shocked expression turns to one of confusion. I understand her confusion, we may be on friendly terms in the office but outside we're strangers. "Can I come in?"

She opens the door wider and steps back. "Please."

"So, what can I do for you Mr. Hayes?" She asks once I step inside.

"Sebastian, Paisley, outside of meetings I'm Sebastian." I remind her, looking around her clean apartment. I notice the wallpaper peeling from the walls and cigarette burns in the carpet. If this is the type of apartment she can afford, she needs a raise.

"What can I do for you Sebastian?"

"You know that meeting I had with my grandfather yesterday?" I ask her and she nods. "He's ready to retire but I have to do something before I get the company."

"Which is?" She asks, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I have to get married." A laugh escapes her throat and she tries to cover it with a cough.

"Is that funny?" Her response is understandable but still irritating.

"I'm sorry, it's just in the past two weeks I've sent out seven 'It's not you, it's me' bouquets. And now you're getting married?" She laugh again, this time not trying to stop it.

The look on my face must show her I'm not amused because she stops laughing. "Do you want me to make a list of potential wives?"

"No," I shake my head and tug her towards the middle of her living room. "Now, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to think about it over the weekend and give me an answer on Monday. Okay?"

When she nods I pull a manila envelope from my pocket.

"Paisley, you are the exact kind of girl my grandfather wants me to marry. So, I have a proposition. If you marry me for one year, I will pay you one million dollars." I hold the envelope out for her and she slowly takes it. "In there is a contract I wrote up, it basically says that you agree to one year of marriage, at the end of which I'll pay you the one million." She pulls the paper from the envelope and starts reading. "I'm going to leave, just give me your answer on Monday."

"Okay." She whispers not bringing her eyes away from the paper. I start to walk away but her voice stops me.
"Sebastian,"

I turn back to face her. "Yeah?"

"Hypothetically, if I said yes, I can bring Simba, right?"

"Is that the cat?"

I cringe when she nods. I hate cats. It doesn't matter though, I'm desperate for her to agree.

"It stays out of my room and office." I say before turning around and walking out of the apartment.