Contracted by the Billionaire

“Where the hell could she be?” Gabriel asked furiously, directing the question to his personal assistant, Camila, who was standing right beside him.

Camila surveyed the whole party hall through the thick lens embedded in the bridge of her nose.

“Stay calm, Gabriel. I'll take the right corner to look for her, and you can take the left. I'm sure she's here somewhere,” she responded, not liking the uneasy look on her boss's face.

Gabriel looked from her face to his phone screen. He studied the picture one more time: a lean figure, gorgeous shades of auburn hair cascading down her back, long, slender legs, pouty lips, and green, alluring eyes. These were beautiful features that belonged to a lady called Tania—his fake girlfriend.

He had hired her to play a charade. She was meant to pretend to be his girlfriend for tonight to ward off the uprising rumors about his sexuality and the functionality of his manhood. Ever since Gabriel became so successful and stepped into the limelight, the media hasn't stopped being on his trail. They invaded his private life, published false news about him, and monitored who he met with, even down to what he ate.

Now, they were doing the same thing all over again, just because Gabriel had never been seen with any woman.

He had not once introduced any woman to the public eye, and as a result, they found another interesting topic to gossip about. And this time, there were two things going around, and one of them was the most embarrassing thing he'd ever heard. The first being that he was gay, which he would have overlooked if the article that claimed to have seen him visiting a doctor and speculation that he had erectile dysfunction didn't pop out of nowhere.

But Gabriel wasn't any of the above. He wasn't gay, and he perfectly functioned as a man. He just didn't deal with women at all because most of the women around him were models, actresses, reporters, and basically women in the entertainment industry. He despised the idea of being with any of them because he knew they were only interested in him because of who he was.

Very soon, the paparazzi would be on his trail, bombarding him with various questions as to where the mysterious lady he claimed to be his girlfriend was. Gabriel could not afford the embarrassing situation of not keeping his word.

He knew he had to find Tania soon before he became the topic of the day. Not that he wasn't already the topic of every day, but this time, it would be far worse. And the rumors surrounding him would only get worse, which would put his reputation and his business in a bind.

As a businessman, he knew he ought to keep a clear image. One without tainted stories that could destroy his business career or create any sort of dent.

“Sorry,” he said briefly to the person he bumped into without sparing her a glance.

Provided she wasn't Tania, he had no business with her. Camila and Gabriel met in the middle of the large party hall once more.

“Gabriel...” Camila trailed off.

The loud classical music booming through the halls made it hard for them to hear each other.

He leaned toward her right ear and yelled. “Did you find her?”

To his disappointment, Camila shook her head in response. “No, Boss. I have searched every corner of this party room, but there is no one with Tania's description,” Camila completed as she wiped the sweat that beaded her brows.

A wave of frustration swept through his guts. He knew damn well what would happen if he didn't present Tania to the paparazzi. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyelids vigorously, then he said into Camila's right ear again. “We have to search again. You take that way and keep calling her until she picks,” he gestured at the back entrance to the party hall.

Without further ado, Camila responded with a curt nod, then she darted off to carry out his order. If not for the fact that Gabriel paid her simply to do her job, perhaps she would have quit working for him, she thought to herself, but then she again remembered that aside from being his assistant, she was also his best friend. Babysitting him was her full-time job.

Gabriel clenched his fists and bit down on his lower lip. He swallowed hard, thinking of what he would do to Tania if she didn't show up for the party.

He had paid her a whopping sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars just to attend and play a charade, and then he would complete the payment for her service with another two hundred thousand dollars the moment she had exquisitely carried out her job.

Had she scammed him? Then he shook his head and continued his frantic search. Tania dared not scam him. She wouldn't be that bold.

***

Meanwhile, Antonia stared at her wardrobe and let out a loud groan. These past few days had been so hectic for her. Right from childhood, she had always wanted to be a model.

But after she worked so hard to achieve her dream, she discovered her dream job wasn't always full of roses; it had thorns too. Being a model could be hard for a twenty-eight-year-old lady who was considered old in the industry.

She already knew she didn't look like what other models around her looked like since her hips and butt were wider than the standard, so for this reason, she had to watch what she consumed, exercise more than usual, and not eat past a certain time, no matter how hungry she was.

All of these and many more were part of her daily routine because she had to keep her slim figure, which was her selling point.

She sighed for the umpteenth time as she rummaged through her closet. Today was a bad day for her. She lost a once-in-a-lifetime contract to a new hotshot in her agency. She was scolded by the photographer for being absent-minded during her photoshoot early in the morning, and as if that wasn't already terrible, the dress she wore on the runway about an hour ago tore while she was making her entry.

What else could be more embarrassing?

So, yes, today was not her day. All she wanted was to get home, take a quick shower, eat salad, and binge-watch any series she could find so she'd quickly fall asleep.

But as soon as she got home, her cell phone beeped. When she checked the message, she realized she had been invited to a party by a big shot that sponsored her modeling agency. And she dared not decline the offer because it could warrant plenty of nasty reactions, and she would become the topic of the agency again. Some people already felt she was too proud, and she didn't want to give them even more reason to believe that.

After ten minutes of frantic searching, Antonia finally settled on a pretty and simple blue dress that would accentuate her curves.

Reluctantly, Antonia trudged into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Within minutes, she was done, and she was quick to start getting dressed.

After several moments of making sure she looked at the part, she took a quick survey in the mirror. A small smile curled her lips as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. No doubt, she was a gorgeous lady who made heads snap in her direction anytime she walked into a room.

She picked up her car key and her cell phone, then she sauntered out of her house like the beauty queen she was. Antonia slipped into her blue convertible and ignited the engine. Soon, the car skidded off the driveway and into the busy highway.

After rounding up several corners, she finally got to the destination sent to her phone. She picked up her phone and her small bag, then she alighted the car and locked it.

By the time she walked into the building, heads snapped in her direction, and she managed a small smile. Rule one of being a model: always make sure to wear a smile. Even when she didn't have any reason to smile, she knew she had to fake it.

After walking in, she settled in front of a table, staring at the people as they walked into the building.

'You should have just come naked' she thought as she stared at the woman who wore a high-slit dress that showed her underwear with every little movement she made. As if that wasn't enough, the dress was strapless, so her breasts pumped at the bodice as though they were waiting for someone to grab and suckle them.

'Are you going to a funeral?' She stifled a laugh as she stared at the next lady who walked in, dressed in all black.

Antonia made sure to keep herself busy, watching and making fun of every little thing, just to ward off the sad gut feeling that plagued her mind throughout the day.

Just then, a waiter walked past her, and she ordered a drink. He dropped a glass filled with ice, sliced lime, and a clear liquid. She carefully picked up the tall glass and gulped down the whole contents at once.

“Aah!” she expelled a sharp air.

The drink seemed to have been helpful, and Antonia felt somewhat refreshed. The waiter picked up the empty glass and cast her a cursory glance before walking away.

Antonia stood there quietly, filling her head with thoughts of her schedule for tomorrow. Several people walked up to her to have a conversation, and she made sure to keep it brief, just so they wouldn't notice how uninterested she was at the moment.

“I have been looking for you everywhere. Tonia!”

Antonia's head snapped in the direction of the voice, only to find her assistant, Kyle, standing a few feet away from her.

Gabriel's head snapped in her direction. Did someone just address this lady as Tonia?

Oh, freaking finally! He thought to himself, not even caring to confirm if he had heard right.

The excitement that overwhelmed him, knowing he found her and seeing how she fit the description completely—red hair, tall, and slim—made him walk over to her without thinking, and the first thing he did was claim her lips as soon as his eyes met her beautiful face.

Antonia froze.

For a split second, she closed her eyes, hoping she was dreaming. But it wasn't a dream; a fucking stranger just kissed her on the lips like they had known each other for a long time or, perhaps, were even in a relationship, and she had no clue what was happening.

What the actual fuck?

To make matters worse, people were starting to take pictures of her and the unknown man. Almost at once, she broke out of the kiss, only to realize the person who kissed her was none other than Gabriel Wilson, the one and only Gabriel Wilson.

He was known as one of the most handsome and eligible bachelors, adding to the fact that he was wealthy—heavy on the word 'wealthy'. Antonia saw him as nothing but a boorish bloke who looked like he believed he had the world at his feet, and his audacity to kiss her made her outraged.

She was about to slap him across his perfectly chiseled face for messing around with her when she noticed someone familiar staring at the both of them amid the gathered crowd in the hall.

It was her ex-boyfriend, Ryan. Instantly, a desperate and terrible idea crept to the forefront of her brain, and before she could give it a second thought, her hand slipped around the back of Gabriel's neck, pulling him close, and she crashed her lips on his, immediately sealing her fate as the woman in Gabriel Wilson's life.

Gabriel broke the kiss and pulled Antonia away to a private space, so they could get away from the paparazzi and talk. He was so satisfied that she showed up for the party and didn't disappoint him.

On the other hand, Antonia had only just realized what she had done. She had foolishly kissed Gabriel Wilson back when she ought to have given him a tight slap.

With a small smile curled on Gabriel's face, he stared at Antonia's beautiful features. Indeed, she was a beautiful lady, even though she looked a little different from the picture he had seen. Regardless, he had no doubt the internet would go into a frenzy with this news, and the humiliating articles would disappear.

But Antonia wasn't smiling. “Why the fuck did you show up out of nowhere and kiss me like that?” she asked, folding her arms neatly beneath her chest in akimbo.

For a split second, Gabriel was taken aback by her sudden question. He was perplexed as to why she would ask him such a thing when she knew damn well what her job entailed.

He swallowed hard and tried not to get furious with her. First, she came late, and now she was acting as though she had forgotten what she was here to do.

He took a step back from her and stared at her, confused. “I hired you, Tania. You are here to act as my pretend girlfriend. So, what's with the crappy attitude?” he hissed.

Antonia stomped her right foot repeatedly on the floor as she glared at him. What audacity! How dare he speak to her that way? As if that weren't enough, he addressed her name wrong.

Could today get any worse?

She bit down on her lower lip, fighting the urge to give him a verbal lashing. He was so damn lucky that her job didn't permit her to be rude at her will, and to top it off, Gabriel was an important figure, and disrespecting him could affect her career.

Oh! She groaned inwardly. Curse you, management, curse you!

“First things first, who the hell is Tania?” Antonia asked him with an arched brow. “You grabbed me out of nowhere and put those lips of yours on me, and now you even dare to address my name wrongly? How audacious of you, sir!” she scoffed.

Gabriel took in a deep breath and exhaled afterward. There must be something wrong somewhere, he thought to himself. If not, why would this lady ask him who Tania was when she was Tania?

He let out an exasperated sigh. “I was the one that hired you, Tania. My assistant said she had a meeting with you and paid you the money so you could attend this party and pretend to be my girlfriend,” he trailed off, pausing to clear his throat.

Antonia stood there, silently watching and listening to what he had to say.

“So when I saw you, I was glad you made it. I needed to get things over with quickly, so that's why I kissed you,” he explained.

Antonia blinked severally, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. After a few seconds of deliberating, she cleared her throat to speak. “Now, I get what's happening here. You mistook me for your date for the party, right?”

Gabriel was confused, but he managed a small nod. “Yes,”

“Well, you got the wrong person because I am not Tania. My name is Antonia. T-O-N-I-A for short,” she spelled out.

“I'm a model, not a girlfriend for hire, which means that I have never met with your assistant for any sort of agreement,” she clarified.

Bile rose in Gabriel's throat. He became more perplexed by her explanation. If she wasn't Tania, as she claimed, then why did she kiss him back? Why didn't she push him away or make a scene right then and there?

He clenched his fist. “Are you playing with me?”

Antonia furrowed her brows. “Do I look like someone who's in the mood for jokes?” she fired back at him, her pulse quickening in seething anger.

Just then, the reporters came to their small corner and began to take incessant pictures of them together. The blinding lights and shutter sounds of clicking cameras were too much for Antonia to bear.

Today was certainly a bad day for her, she thought to herself, cussing under her breath. If only she wasn't bound by her useless contract, she would have never attended this party. And now that she did, it had created more drama for her.

“Is she the girlfriend you have been talking about, Mr. Wilson?” one of the reporters asked.

“It’s a surprise you're dating a model, Mr. Wilson. When did you two meet each other? Is she a model sponsored by you?” another followed.

“How long have you two been together? Why did you decide to go public? Are you only doing this to deny the rumors surrounding your sexuality?” another one questioned him even more intensely.

“Is your relationship real? How long have you been together, and why did you only choose to go public when the news of your condition came out? Is there a reason your kiss was awkward?” a female reporter questioned, and Gabriel almost let out a frustrated groan.

The color drained Antonia's cheeks as she thought of the little kiss she shared with Gabriel Wilson in the party hall; it was brief, warm, and strangely passionate.

Somehow, it managed to spark something from the depths of her gut. She felt quite alive after a long while. But the attention she was getting now was too much for her to bear. So she walked away without turning to respond to the incessant questions thrown at her by the reporters.

“Did you guys fight?” another reporter asked Gabriel.

Gabriel took a cursory glance at Antonia's retreating figure. Then he turned back to the reporters. “Please excuse me. I hope that with what you all have seen today, you'll stop spreading false stories about me, and you'll respect my privacy,” he said briefly before walking away.

Antonia heaved a sigh of relief when she managed to make it out of the building without being noticed. Just then, something grasps her wrist, or more like someone.

She slowly turned in the direction of the person and twitched her lips. Behold, her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, was hovering over her with a scowl on his face.

“What do you want, Ryan?” she spat angrily at him. She looked at his hands on her wrists with pure disgust on her face.

Ryan slowly released his grip and retracted his hand to his side. “Have you been cheating on me with Gabriel Wilson?” he asked.

That question took Antonia aback. The color drained from her cheeks as she stared at him with contempt. “Cheating?” she scoffed, scanning him from head to toe. “How dare you say I was cheating on you, Ryan?”

A rush of emotions emanated from the back of her throat, and it took every ounce of strength not to cave in. She shouldn't be crying in front of Ryan. He wasn't worth a single drop of her tears.

A few months ago, Ryan had been the only person she ever loved and thought of. There wasn't a single moment where she didn't share every detail going on in her life with him. She felt he was the man for her, and she was going to love him forever.

But what did he do?

Unbeknownst to her, Ryan had been cheating on her with a new model. Her name was Celia. Celia was a beautiful woman, blonde and slim, but she was very young. Seven years younger than Antonia, to be precise. She was also the new model she had lost her contract to earlier today.

Antonia found them having sex in the modeling agency, at the back of his trunk. Memories of that day flooded the forefront of her brain. She remembered calling him that morning to remind him of her birthday, but his numbers weren't going through.

Frustrated and tired, she sent him a couple of text messages. But Ryan didn't respond to any one of them. When he finally did at noon, he said he was busy. He said he had a lot going on in his life that needed urgent attention.

Antonia sighed. She tried to understand him. After all, they have been together for six years now, and she felt Ryan loved her very much. Maybe he was planning a surprise for her.

But a couple of moments later, she received a text from an unknown number, saying she should come to the agency to find out what had been going on behind her back.

Within minutes, she got there only to find her precious boyfriend, who claimed to be very busy, banging his dick into another chick. And the chick turned out to be Celia. It was then that Antonia discovered Celia was the one who sent her the text message out of spite. So, she could find out who her boyfriend was.

Antonia tried not to break down in tears as she shoved down those dreadful memories from the forefront of her brain.

Gabriel, who was trying to run after her, stopped when he noticed her standing with a strange man. He knew something felt oddly wrong between them, and barging over there to meet her could only make the situation worse. So he stood at the corner, staring intently at them.

Antonia's eyes shot up to Ryan's. She forced a sad smile. “Shouldn't you be ashamed to make mention of the word cheating?”

Ryan let out a chortle. “Why should I be? You broke up with me without any explanation or reason. What do you expect me to think?” he fired back. His deep voice reverberated through the dark atmosphere.

Antonia didn't flinch.

Yes, Ryan was right. She left that day after finding him fucking Celia without making a scene. Celia caught a glimpse of her and tossed a devilish smirk in her direction, but Ryan took no notice. He was too engrossed in the pleasure of the moment.

“We are done, Ryan!” Antonia yelled. “So I advise you to get over it!” she made to walk away, but Ryan grasped her wrist one more time.

Without thinking twice, Antonia slapped him right across his cheeks with her free hand and yanked her wrist away from his grip.

Stunned, Ryan stood there, clutching his aching cheeks, as he watched Antonia walk angrily into her car and drive away.