"Sorry I'm late."

I froze.

Lissa stood in the doorway, all smiles.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

"What are you doing here? Tonight is my arrangement with Giles. This has nothing to do with you."

Lissa folded her arms, a knowing look in her eyes.

"I'm here to blow your cover."

My heart slammed against my ribs.

She watched me squirm, then covered her mouth with a laugh.

"That Mercedes you drove here tonight—that's at least a sixty-thousand-dollar car."

"You make, what, five grand a month? There's no way you can afford that. You've got some other income stream you've been hiding from Giles, don't you?"

Greed flickered behind her eyes.

I frowned slightly.

That Mercedes was already the most understated car I owned.

I had no choice but to offer an explanation.

"I bought it on a loan. I need it for work—"

"I don't care how you bought it."

She cut me off.

"Give me the car, and I keep your secret."

I stared at her for a few seconds.

This woman was even greedier than I'd imagined.

When I didn't respond, she let out a cheerful little laugh.

"Fine. Then I'll walk right in there and tell everyone that you dragged your ex-boyfriend to this party just to put on a show for a business deal. That you're nothing but a fraud—"

She turned to go inside.

I grabbed her arm.

"Don't—"

She looked at me, wearing the satisfied smile of someone who'd already won.

"So Mr. Gilbert is a major client of yours, right? Then just take the loss and keep me quiet. How do you expect to do business if you're this stingy?"

I rolled my eyes.

Let her think whatever she wanted.

But she was right. The only option was to pay the price and make this go away.

"Fine. The car is yours."

Right in front of her, I completed the vehicle transfer through the online system.

Ten minutes later, Lissa's phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen and smiled, satisfied.

"Thanks so much."

I looked her dead in the eye.

"Does Giles know this is who you really are?"

She shrugged, unbothered.

"The girl he loves is the eighteen-year-old Lissa, not the twenty-six-year-old me."

"Sooner or later, he'll figure out that the real thing can never live up to the memory."

"So I take what I can get while I can. I'm not like you—lovesick and stupid, renting apartments and burning money for a man who doesn't care."

She left.

Her retreating figure looked utterly unburdened.

I stood there for a long time without saying a word.

She was right. And she saw the world more clearly than I did.

I went back to the banquet hall. Dad had his phone out.

"Giles, let me add you on social media. We should keep in touch."

Panic shot through me and I sprinted over.

If Dad saw the relationship announcement on Giles's profile, everything would fall apart.

"Mr. Gilbert, Giles's phone died. Maybe next time."

I leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"You're a major executive. Adding a junior employee looks a little odd, don't you think? People will talk."

Dad paused for a moment.

"Fair point."

He put his phone away.

Giles looked confused, but he didn't call me out.

On the drive home, Giles sat in the passenger seat in total silence.

I knew he was angry, but I couldn't figure out what had set him off.

The second we walked through the door, he ripped off his suit jacket and hurled it onto the couch.

"So this is what you really are. Shameless."

I stared at him, stunned.

"You were way too cozy with Mr. Gilbert tonight. What, did you sell yourself to land the deal?"

I frowned.

So that was what this was about. He'd gotten the wrong idea.

But I didn't feel like explaining.

"Why? Jealous?"

Giles let out a cold laugh.

"Jealous? Please." He sneered. "You're just number twelve. I'd rather not taint what I had before you."

There it was again. Number twelve.

If it weren't for our one-year agreement, I would've slapped him across the face.

"Giles, what about you, then?"

He looked confused.

I stared at him, a cold smile on my lips.

"You've dated twelve women and that doesn't make you dirty?"

"You used every single one of us as a stand-in and that doesn't make you dirty?"

His face turned an even deeper shade of red, his voice climbing.

"That was loyalty to love! Loyalty to my heart! Lissa is the only woman I've ever loved. Everyone else was just passing through!"

Loyalty to love.

He made playing with people's feelings sound so poetic, I almost wanted to give him a standing ovation.

I'd dated my share of boyfriends. Giles was number fifty.

The reason I cycled through them every two or three months was simple: every single one of them, without exception, asked to borrow money.

My rule was clear.

Ask for money, and we're done.

I loved dating, but I wasn't anyone's fool.

I could look any of them in the eye with a clean conscience.

But Giles? He waved the banner of "loyalty to love" while doing the most despicable things imaginable.

He was clearly furious. He yanked out his phone, hands shaking with emotion.

"Lissa's the only one I love. I'm posting it right now. Announcing our engagement on social media!"

My heart clenched.

"No!"

The word flew out of me before I could stop it.

"Just give me four more days!"

Giles shot me a bewildered look.

I forced myself to calm down, keeping my voice as casual as I could manage.

"I'm in the middle of signing a contract with the Gilbert Group. Four days is all I need, and it'll be done. After that, I'll move out. We agreed on this. A clean break."

Giles stared at me, his eyes brimming with contempt.

"You'd use a relationship for profit? You're disgusting."

I didn't care what he thought of me.

I just needed to get what I wanted.

I lowered myself even further.

"Giles, I've been good to you this past year, haven't I? I paid the rent. I covered every meal. I even bought your guitar. I'm not asking you to do anything. Just four days. You don't have to lift a finger."

I brought up everything I'd done, thinking he might feel some shred of gratitude.

Instead, it only deepened his disgust.

"Number twelve! How long are you going to keep hounding me?"

That was when Lissa came out of the bedroom.

She'd obviously heard every word. She leaned against the doorframe, watching me with open amusement.

"What contract? How much is it worth?"

I made up a number on the spot.

"Twenty million for the contract. A million-dollar bonus on top."

Lissa's eyes lit up instantly.

"So if we play along, what's in it for us?"

It hit me then.

She wanted money. Again.

I gritted my teeth.

"I'll split the bonus with you. Half. Is that enough?"

I paused.

"You two are getting married. That's not going to be cheap."

Giles was about to refuse, but the word "married" gave him pause.

It was true.

He hadn't made it big yet. Where was the money for a wedding going to come from?

He was on the verge of nodding when Lissa suddenly cried out.

"No! I want the full million!"

Both Giles and I froze.

Lissa's eyes reddened as she turned to him.

"Giles, my mom has heart disease. The doctor said we need to have half a million ready. And after the surgery, there's recovery, home care nurses... I didn't know how to tell you..."

Her voice cracked, and the tears spilled over.

"I was going to sell a kidney on the black market if I couldn't come up with the money."

She wept, tears rolling down her cheeks like rain on pear blossoms.

Her acting was terrible.

But Giles bought every word.

He pulled her into his arms, his voice aching with tenderness.

"Lissa, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want you to worry..."

She leaned against his shoulder, crying even harder.

Giles looked at me and spoke slowly.

"Fine. One million."

A cold smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

He was just like all my exes before him, trying to squeeze money out of me.

I kept my expression neutral.

"Deal."

I took out a pen and paper and wrote an IOU.

Ivy Gilbert hereby owes Giles Weiss one million dollars, to be repaid within one month.

Lissa took the IOU, glanced at it, and tucked it away carefully.

She smiled at me. There was a hint of triumph in that smile.

I smiled back.

Four more days.

After four days, we'd see who had the last laugh.

On the final day, I'd already packed my bags.

Two hours left until the one-year pact expired.

Over those four days, I'd listened to Giles and Lissa in the master bedroom every night. I'd watched them cuddle on the couch. I'd endured Giles's constant jabs.

"Number Twelve, go take out the trash."

"Number Twelve, get out of the bathroom. Lissa needs to shower."

"Number Twelve, the food you made is too salty. Lissa can't eat this."

Number Twelve.

He didn't call me by my name. He called me "Number Twelve."

I endured it.

That morning, Giles got a phone call.

"Really? That's amazing!"

He was shaking with excitement.

"Gilbert Group wants to produce my album! And they're getting a famous songwriter to write the songs!"

Lissa was just as thrilled.

"Giles, you're going to be a star!"

I sat in the spare bedroom listening, a small smile curving my lips.

A Gilbert Group album?

A famous songwriter?

I'd arranged that a month ago.

Back then, I still thought Giles was someone worth investing in. I wanted to give him a hand up.

Looking back now, the irony was rich.

Giles's voice drifted in from outside the door.

"The second it hits midnight, I'm going public with our relationship."

I shook my head in my room.

Did he seriously not read his contract?

There was a clause in that signing agreement.

During the contract period, the artist shall not publicly disclose personal relationship status without authorization. Any violation will be treated as breach of contract...

And the consequences of a breach?

Ha.

Just thinking about it was entertaining.

One hour left. I called the family chauffeur.

"Come pick me up after midnight."

Giles was leaning against the doorframe. He raised an eyebrow.

"Found your next meal ticket already?"

I smiled.

"We've broken up. Why are you still so interested in my business?"

He scoffed.

"Number Twelve, don't flatter yourself."

"And remember, don't go dropping my name out there. I'm about to blow up. Don't try riding my coattails."

I smiled and said nothing.

Midnight arrived in the blink of an eye. I sent my father a message.

Dad, the one-year pact is up.

He sent back a thumbs-up emoji.

Good girl. Tomorrow I'll announce that you're the successor to the Gilbert Group.

I let out a long breath, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I truly smiled.

I checked the location the chauffeur had sent me. Ten minutes out.

I carried my luggage to the living room. Most of it was headed for the dumpster, honestly, but I wasn't about to leave anything behind for Giles and Lissa to ruin.

Then a notification popped up on my phone. An alert from someone I followed.

Giles had actually done it. Right on the dot, he'd gone public.

@Lissa Perry, here's to the rest of our lives together.

Lissa replied almost instantly.

@Giles Weiss, here's to the rest of our lives.

The comments section flooded with friends of theirs.

"Oh my God, it's official! Are you two getting married?"

"Giles is finally marrying his dream girl! Congrats, man!"

Giles and Lissa exchanged a blissful look, then leaned in and kissed each other right in front of me.

Three seconds later, his phone rang.

I glanced at the name flashing on the screen.

There it was.

The death knell. It had finally arrived.