Dylan's eyes fluttered open to the sunrise on his cozy bed. He turned to his side with a smile, to meet Ava, who he had shared the night with, and was confused to find that she was not lying beside him.
He got up to check the bathroom. "Ava?" He called. There was no response, he did not find her there. Then down the stairs he went, getting more confused as he did not find her in the living room either. What he did find was a note, held in place by a coffee cup. He picked it up. And his smile immediately turned into a confused frown.
'Hi, Dylan,
You must be looking for me, well don't bother. If I predicted your sleeping time correctly, I'm probably already far away by the time you are reading this. And also, thanks for giving me access to your credit card information, I knew you'd be as easy to fool as Taylor was. Poor you. All you wanted was a child and now you're alone. I was on birth control, in case you haven't figured that out. Goodbye.'
The confusion on his face slowly faded into a grimace of horror as he read, his mouth agape at the sight before him.
Dylan immediately realized what was happening. In a fit of rage, he kicked the coffee cup off the table, smashing it against the TV. His fists tightened. He had just been played like a fool. He wanted nothing more than to make her pay.
He checked to confirm what the note said about his credit card. Ava had indeed made off with more than half of his wealth. 'How could I have been so thoughtless?' He berated himself. He paced around the large room, soliloquizing. What was the next step? How would he begin to find her? He pondered hard about the solutions to these questions.
He thought about Taylor and the horrible things he had done to her, only to be betrayed. Why did he think someone capable of betraying her best friend would be any different to him? His mind was flooded with thoughts of regret and revenge, but he did not know how or where to start.
He tried to figure out where she could be, but then realized he did not know much about her to start with. He picked up his phone from his room upstairs and made a call. The person picked up after the first ring.
"Hello," Dylan said. "... I might need your help with something... yeah... I need someone tracked down... I don't think they might have gotten that far... Great, I'll send the details now."
*
Taylor woke up to the squeaking sounds of the door of the room she found herself in. She looked up with swollen eyes at the person coming in. It was Mae, her friend from college who she so conveniently ran into the night before. She had been worried about where she would spend the night but was lucky to find Mae.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Mae said, coming in with a cup of coffee. She handed it to Taylor.
"Not really," Taylor said, taking the cup. "Thank you, Mae. You were a lifesaver last night."
"Don't mention it, I couldn't just leave you all by yourself. How are you feeling now?"
"I feel... Better. Thank you." Taylor lied. Her heart and mind were filled with as much despair as the day before.
"What... Happened?" Mae asked hesitantly, out of curiosity and concern, hoping she was not making her friend uncomfortable with her questions.
"It's a long story Mae," Taylor began with a sob. Then she proceeded to narrate the tragedy that had befallen her all in less than forty-eight hours.
Mae was furious on Taylor's behalf. She wanted to find Dylan and punch a hole through his heart if he had one. "What... the hell!" She exclaimed.
Taylor's eyes were already filled with tears at this point. Narrating her misfortune was too painful.
Mae gave her a tight hug. "I'm so sorry darl. You did not deserve this. And he does not deserve you. And Ava, she's just a horrible female dog. Please cheer up."
Taylor chuckled a bit at what Mae said. 'Female dog.' 'That's really what she is.' She thought.
"I'll be leaving soon, please take care, okay? You can stay here as long as you like." Mae said in the most friendly voice.
"Can I come with you?" Taylor pleaded.
"Would that make you feel better?" Mae asked.
"Yes." Taylor nodded.
"Then sure!" Mae said with a smile.
Taylor smiled too. Somehow, watching Mae smile put her at ease.
"There's someone I'd like you to meet," Mae said.
Taylor found herself in the most luxurious views she had ever seen. It was a fancy eatery several stories high with a large glass window that gave a breathtaking view of the city skyline.
Everything about the place screamed wealth and class. She had been used to things like this, being married to a man who was quite wealthy. But this was on a different level.
This was the place she was supposed to meet the person Mae talked about. She started to wonder how Mae could have gotten herself involved with someone who would be in a place like that.
Mae stopped at a table where a man in a black suit was seated. She knew he was the one. Looking at him, she felt something that only her ex-husband had made her feel.
His facial features were strikingly pleasant to look at. But he had that serious look that would have made him unapproachable on a regular day.
Mae introduced them, after which she learned that his name was Mark. His handshake was firm and brief. She wasn't sure why they were being introduced, she didn't bother to ask. It was something she would come to find out sooner than expected.
"Mark told me he needed a beautiful woman to act as his fiancée in an event. And I thought you'd be a perfect fit for the job." Mae revealed.
"Why?" Taylor asked, somewhat confused.
"That's not really important," Mark said. "You'll get paid."
Taylor was about to retort by saying she could not be bought. But then, she gave in to her thoughts for a bit. She was pregnant and she did not want to have anything to do with her ex-husband.
She could not think of anything else she could do to raise money to take care of herself and her baby. She hated to admit it but she needed the money. And also so, Mark seemed like a really rich guy.
"I'll do it," Taylor said.
Mae was a bit surprised by how fast she went from looking reluctant to agreeing, but she knew exactly why.
Mark gave her some money to get ready for the event, and the next day, they went shopping for the most beautiful dress that money could buy.
Mark was something of a media icon. And just like every other media icon, there were lots of people interested in what was going on in his life. He had promised to reveal his fiancee to the media, but she did not exist, which was why he needed Taylor.
A beautiful woman about his age range, off the radar of the prying eyes of the media, willing to act as his fiancee in front of the media for a handsome reward.
She played her part excellently. She didn't care about the publicity, or anyone recognizing her. To the media, she was the long-awaited reveal. Mark's mysterious fiancee.
Mark and Taylor had a drink together after the event, where he made her a very tempting offer.
"How would you like to be my fiancee for a year?" He asked.
Taylor was awestruck. She did not have any intention of letting this make-believe relationship go past the event. She was going to decline.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think...." She was not allowed to finish.
"I'll pay you a billion dollars," Mark said.
Taylor froze. 'Just how much money does he have?' She asked herself.
"You don't have to actually be my fiancee. All you have to do is show up whenever the media will be watching... Plus, you won't have to be worried about anything. I will protect you and take care of you."
He seemed like a man of his word, but it was all sounding too good to be true. "But... Why me?" She asked.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met." He managed to say it without sounding thirsty. "You're perfect for my needs."
"What needs?" She asked.
"You see, I have quite a reputation, and having a woman like you will certainly be good for the media." He did not hide a single detail of his true intentions. "So what do you say?" He asked.
"There's... Something you need to know first." She said hesitantly.
"Tell me."
"I'm pregnant." She said, fearing that it would somehow be a deal-breaker for him.
"That's not a problem," he said, to her surprise. "That would actually be perfect."
There was a long pause. "So..." He finally said. "Deal?" He stretched out his hand for a handshake.
Taylor pondered for a few seconds. "Deal." She said, taking his hand.