Chapter 7 Girlfriend

• His words set tumultuous waves in her heart, making her reel in shock. Her eyes widened, and if not for the sudden interruption signaling the arrival of the meals they had ordered, she would have jumped from her chair and left.
• It was so outrageous that she thought she had heard it wrong. But after the waitress left, he repeated his question again, as if provoking her once wasn’t enough. “Are you willing to be my girlfriend?”
• Suppressing the fire in her heart, she shot him a glare. “Don’t joke like this. It isn’t funny.”
• Ezra’s eyes flickered and his lips curled up for a moment before he shook his head. “I am not joking, Elara.”
• She still looked at him as if her eyes could spit fire. If he would insist once again by saying those words, she would undoubtedly leave in anger.
• The man suddenly chuckled. His intense eyes gazed at her and he smiled. In a playful tone, he said, “Oh, let me explain further, so that you won’t be angry.”
• Ezra tilted his head. “I mean, I want to hire you for your skill. Aren’t you an actress and have decent skill in acting? I want you to act like my girlfriend.”
• Elara subconsciously let out the breath she was holding, making Ezra raise his eyebrow in amusement. “Is becoming my actual girlfriend that bad?”
• She scrunched her face. Her expression was complex, with slight annoyance and frustration. She snorted, “I don’t date strangers.”
• “Then, let’s get to know each other further, shall we?” His tone was pretty easygoing. He noticed that the formerly polite girl had now shown all her thorns to him, gradually revealing her tough heart.
• “Just get to the point.” Elara bit her lips. His offer was slightly ridiculous, but it managed to pique her curiosity.
• “Alright. Let’s get to know each other then. My full name is Ezra Miller.” He said and began to sip on his drink.
• Elara’s pupils contracted, and she stared at the man in front of him in shock. She was once a part of the entertainment industry and this name was still familiar to her. After all, the Wilson family, who had controlled half of the entertainment industry, was intricately linked to the Miller family through marriage.
• Of course, it wasn’t a political one. It was actually based on mutual feelings between the two heirs of the families. Even if the protagonists weren’t from the entertainment industry, they had garnered a lot of public attention.
• Unexpectedly, the famous son of this splendid couple was right in front of her. She hadn’t known his last name, hence she didn’t recognize him right away.
• Now that she had found out his true identity, she found it unbelievable. Based on his extraordinary temperament, it should indeed be him. Otherwise, his lies would be easily exposed.
• “Your popularity really precedes you.” She mumbled quietly. Her gaze then turned suspicious. “Why did you come looking for me instead of other actresses?”
• With his identity alone, he could easily find a girlfriend or even an arranged marriage. It puzzled her that instead of finding those famous actresses, he came looking for a girl he had just known for a day.
• She had a wild imagination. Her mind couldn’t help but conjure up a story, like him engaging in a human trafficking activity or some sort.
• “You are a small, unknown actress who hasn’t formally debuted yet. None knows you are one if not for you telling them. Currently also available, totally unemployed.” He blinked and laid out all the reasons.
• She gaped, not expecting that this man actually possessed such a sharp tongue. In just a few sentences, he managed to stab her heart repeatedly.
• Her mouth twitched. “You don’t even know my skill yet.”
• “Time will prove your skill.” Ezra tilted his head and said playfully, “It won’t be too much to change into another girlfriend when the time comes. Besides, don’t beat yourself too much. Even though you are currently unemployed, it’s not because you don’t have any skill. You are smart. People like me can see that. That’s why now I am giving you a chance to work for me.”
• The more she listened to his chatter, the more annoyed she became. Unexpectedly, beneath that gentleman-like appearance, he was such a sharp-tongued person.
• Her finger tapped the table. She had a thoughtful look on her face.
• Seeing that her face was full of hesitation, he pulled another stack of paper and handed it to her. “You can read it and treat it as the agreement between us. If you want to change anything, just tell me. We can discuss it.”
• She was rather speechless by this man’s quick style. In just one night, he had finished the draft of the agreement. Was he so cocky that he knew she would agree to this?
• Her eyes were quick as she read each sentence. But she made sure to confirm some ambiguous rules and flipped the paper back and forth until she couldn’t find any hidden clause that would be her disadvantage.
• “How is it, satisfied?” Ezra curled up his lips smugly.
• Elara bit her lips. There was no outrageous clause there that required her to sell her body or something. It can even be said that the entire agreement was to her advantage. In short, she just needed to act like his girlfriend to show people around him that he was no longer single.
• In case he needed her to act to reveal her identity as his girlfriend in public, he would discuss it with her first. There was nothing strange about the whole thing, but she still couldn’t shake the unease that something felt wrong.
• The emotion in his eyes was indescribable, but it was fleeting. It was gone before she could read into it further.
• The most surprising thing was the amount he would pay to her. For acting as his girlfriend for a year, he would pay her $1 million dollars. It was such an astronomical amount that she needed to confirm with him whether it was real.
• “What? You think that becoming my girlfriend is only worth a small amount of money?” He raised his eyebrows. His tone was boastful.
• She only rolled her eyes, slightly helpless. Most businessmen were unscrupulous foxes, wanting to get deals at the cheapest price while expecting high prices for sale in return, but this man squandered money like water.
• As she thought of something, her eyes lit up. Her gaze became meaningful as she looked at Ezra. “But don’t you know that I already have a fiance?”
• The man grew quiet, and she almost suspected that he had left her in anger the moment she said that. But he was still there, glaring at her.
• A frown marred his forehead, and his tone was slightly cold. “A fiance?”
• She was dumbfounded. What was wrong with this man?
• With a nod of her head, she continued further. “To have a boyfriend, a girl has to break up with her fiance first, right?”
• Her hands played with the straw in her juice. However, her senses were still concentrated on the man, scrutinizing his every response.
• In fact, she was quite interested in this shady business, but she didn’t want to deceive him. If he was alright that she had a fiance, they could proceed to sign the agreement. It would be best if she got the best of both worlds, too; the money and the riddance of her fiance.
• She just wasn’t sure that this man would be interested in such a play with her. He would be a scumbag who stole a girl from her fiance. When the news came out, someone with his status, he would surely be criticized.
• However, she was stunned when she saw excitement in his eyes. This man was crazy, and the words coming out of his mouth were crazier. “So, to get a girlfriend, I have to snatch her from her fiance first, right?”
• Now she wondered whether this man was really Ezra Miller or someone who had just come out from a mental hospital. When she secretly took out her phone and pretended to be busy, she searched his name and saw that the face matched.
• Oh, he was the real one.
• “Are you still willing?” She asked in a strange tone.
• “Of course.” He nodded earnestly. “So?”
• “If you help me, you can just pay me half the amount, or even a quarter of it.” Elara considered for a moment before saying this. The amount was enough to cover for her grandmother’s hospital bills for a while.
• “No need.” He shook his head and said arrogantly. “I am rich.”
• He quickly snatched the paper from her and signed it before he handed it back to her, grinning playfully. “Sign it, girlfriend.”
• Her heart thumped, and she slowly signed it under his watchful eyes.
• A feeling of satisfaction welled up in Ezra’s heart. He supported his chin with his hand and asked, “So, when do you want me to break up the two of you?”