"Hahahah!" Augustine let out a booming laugh, his cool, composed demeanor cracking for a brief moment as he guffawed.
Charles on the other hand glare at Augustine with an arched brow while waiting for him to quit laughing.
Eventually, as the laughter of Augustine dies down, and he brought a closed fist to his mouth, masking the dry cough that followed.
Slowly, Augustine pulled his fist from the front of his mouth and his once calm face suddenly returned to its serious demeanour.
"I am not asking you to act gay or engage in any homosexual acts. All I require of you is to maintain the appearance of being my lover in the presence of my family." Augustine seriously uttered, his voice steady and resolute. "Furthermore, there will be no physical intimacy of any kind between us. You will live in my apartment, but you will have a separate bedroom." Augustine continued, and with each words, his voice grew cold and his gaze unwavering as he outlined the terms of their arrangement.
The details of Augustine don't seem like what would cost Charles any harm, but still, he shook his head sideways, refusing to betray his girlfriend.
A layer of firmness crept into Charles' voice as he spoke. "I'm sorry, but I cannot accept your offer. I'm in a committed relationship, and I don't believe it's right to pretend to be your lover. I hope you understand."
Augustine slightly nod his head, turning around as he made his way back to his office chair.
He sat down on his chair with a heavy, exaggerated sigh, propping his feet up on the desk in a display of nonchalance. "You should know that you just passed up a chance to earn ten million dollars," he said, his voice as cold and sharp as a steel blade. "And as a result, you're fired."
Following his statement, he stares at his wristwatch, gazing at the time.
"Sir… CEO Augustine. Are you firing me because I don't want to be your fake lover?"
Augustine scoffed, moisting his lips and with his tongue. "You already made mention of quitting, so get your belongings and leave my compa…"
"But I didn't mean my words." Charles quickly tried to defend his previous action by cutting Augustine off from completing his statement.
He lowers his gaze and stares at his feet while scuffing them on the ground.
Charles' mind raced as he struggled to absorb the enormity of Augustine's offer. 'Is he really going to pay me ten million dollars?' he thought, his imagination running wild with images of wealth and luxury but the thought of Anna, his loving girlfriend, quickly sobered him. 'I love Anna. I can't do this to her. And I'm not gay,' he told himself, attempting to quell the rising tide of temptation.
'Also, Augustine is always arrogant and cruel. I don't know if I could handle working for him,' he mused, the idea of tolerating the CEO's unpredictable behavior seeming more unappealing by the second.
As he weighed the pros and cons of the situation, the thought of how useful the money would be suddenly popped up in Charles's head.
'I can use the money to get Anna a big diamond ring,' he thought, picturing her reaction to such a grand gesture of his love and devotion. 'And I would finally be able to afford my medical treatments,' he added.
"Didn't you hear that you should get out!" Augustine seethed, and his harsh words made Charles snap out of his thoughts.
Charles gulped down his saliva before taking in a long deep breath and slowly, he strode towards Augustine.
"I… I think I will accept your offer." Charles mumbled, his words barely audible to the ears of Augustine.
'Pfft!'
Augustine scoffed, feigning ignorance as he leaned forward, a shark-like grin curling his lips. "What was that you said?" he prodded, his piercing gaze fixed on Charles.
The younger man's response had clearly caught the CEO off guard, but he masked it with a show of disinterest, seeking to regain control of the situation.
'Sigh!'
"I said that I don't mind accepting your fake marriage offer but I have some conditions."
Augustine rolled his eyes, slowly pulling his feet away from the office table. "Getting married to me is a privilege so you don't have the right to give me conditions." Augustine nonchalantly uttered with his cold voice.
"Well! If that's how you want it, then I can't accept the offer any more."
Boldly, Charles uttered his mind to Augustine before turning around as he hastened his steps, towards the office door.
A sly smirk slithered across Augustine's lips as he watched Charles make his way towards the office door.
With each step that Charles took, the gap between them widened, and yet the CEO's gaze remained fixed on the younger man.
Charles reached for the door handle and then he slammed the door shut.
Augustine stood still, diving his hands deep inside his trouser pocket. 'Charles is going to come back.' Augustine mused to himself, having a strong feeling that Charles wouldn't be able to back down from his offer.
'If he returns, I'll slash his pay in half,' he mused to himself, relishing the prospect of exerting his dominance over Charles.
As the minutes ticked by, the air in the room seemed to thicken with anticipation, each second stretching into an eternity as Augustine awaited Charles' return.
Seconds turned into minutes, but yet, the door of Augustine's office was still shut. "Is… Is he gone?" Augustine stuttered out in bewilderment.
'What the fuck!' He cursed within himself before proceeding to make his way towards the door.
With a swift motion, Augustine opened the door only to find…