Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

"It says here that it is a year and six month contract? So does this mean that after a year and six months, we both go our separate ways?" he asked.

"Yes Scott, that's precisely what it is. We're not really married so we can't exactly stay together for too long. I wouldn't want you to miss the chance to be with another woman you truly love and that is why I believe that once this contract expires, we'll both come up with an understandable reason why we couldn't make our marriage work and after faking a divorce, we'll go our separate ways happily," she responded and Scott could feel a slight pain in his chest as soon as she explained her reasoning.

He never expected that their acting would have an expiring date and he cursed himself mentally for thinking too far and expecting way too much.

He wondered if that one year and six months would be enough for him to get her to fall in love with him because from what he had read in the contract, she had clearly stated that when they are out of public eyes and by themselves, he is to stay away from her and do whatever he pleaded away from her.

"Isn't this a little too much?" he asked.

"What's too much?" she questioned.

"Your rules are what's too much Miss Olivia and also, why are you the only one that gets to make rules? I mean, I should set up my own rules too since you chose to come up with the most ridiculous things," he hissed and Olivia was confused.

"What exactly do you find ridiculous?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Except when we're out in public, I'm not allowed to come anywhere close to you? Like seriously Olivia, why is that? You make it sound like I have some contagious disease or something. Why do I have to stay away from you like you're a plague or something?" he questioned.

She clicked her tongue. "I didn't mean to sound insulting Scott. I just don't appreciate anyone being too close to me, especially in private. Besides, what other things are you and I supposed to even talk about? We're acting anyways and that's about it and that rule is something I came up with so we can both get out personal space when we're alone. You're allowed to do whatever you want and I'm allowed to do whatever I want. Our agreement should not restrict us from living our lives and it shouldn't make us forget our places," she retorted harshly.

"To the best of my knowledge, this contract is an agreement between both of us and how we would like things to work while we're married. What this means is that we both have a right to include whatever we want to proceed with the agreement. Just because you're paying me doesn't mean I will have to compromise myself and do whatever you want me to do. I know you think being married is all that matters and nothing else but how can we fake a relationship on the outside, if we can't even be friendly with each other?" he questioned.

Olivia rolled her eyes at him. "I definitely don't see anything wrong with the contract at all, Scott. I mean, everything written in there makes perfect sense so why are you so worked up? It's not like we were actually friends before all of this and I doubt we need to keep up a friendship that never existed," she snickered with a dismissive shrug that annoyed Scott.

Scott knew Olivia had a condescending personality but he just didn't know how stuck up her ass she really was. He wondered how she expected them to make a fake relationship work if they couldn't even be friendly with each other. He wasn't even asking for them to be close friends but simply suggesting that they were cordial enough so their fake relationship doesn't end up suffocating both of them.

The fact that she still simply saw this agreement as a relationship between an employer and an employee made him even more upset. She wasn't interested in a friendship with him solely because she was still stuck in her head and in her belief that Scott was not on her level and that because of her higher status, she couldn't possibly be friends with him.

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as he let out a tired sigh.

"For this to work out as perfectly as we want, we will have to be friends with Olivia or at least, be cordial with each other and develop a better connection. We can't fake something when there is no background at all. I need to know you better and you need to know me as well so we can both make this entire situation work," he explained to her, hoping she'd understand where he was coming from.

"But you did it just fine the other in front of my parents and I believe you can easily do it again. I mean come on Scott, we don't have to know each other all that well to come up with simply lies. It shouldn't be that complicated," she retorted confidently.

"Can you be any sillier Olivia? It doesn't always work like that, you child! Just because it worked out once and that I was able to come up with a story to your parents doesn't mean it's always gonna work out that way all the time. If we can't even mention the basic things that we like in interviews or mention anything personal about each other, we won't be able to keep up with his facade for three months, much less a year and six months," he told her, getting tired of repeating himself.

Olivia let out a frustrated sigh as she unconsciously ran her hand through her long hair. She didn't really know whether or not to agree with him.