Juliet sat at the cafe, sipping her hot tea while writing in a little notebook. The man from the night before walked in and walked over to one of the ladies behind the counter and asked, "Hello, where might Juliet Maren be?" The woman smiled and pointed over at Juliet, who sat silently in her booth. She was too busy with her writing that she didn't notice the man sit down across from her, until he tapped his fingers on the table impatiently.
She looked up at him and froze. The man rolled his eyes and looked down at his watch. "Let's just hurry up with this, honey. I'm Asher Vale." He extended a hand.
She took his hand in hers and shook it. "Juliet Maren… The girl you threatened last night."
Asher's eyes darkened and he tightened his grip on her hand. Not enough to hurt, but enough to keep her from taking her hand back. "Honey, it wasn't a threat. It was a warning." His voice was sharper than a slicing knife. She tried to pull away from him, and the third time, he reluctantly let go of her.
She rubbed her arm and took a sip of her tea. "Let's get to business then."
"First of all, if I let you do this, you need to do something for me."
"I thought writing the biography for you was doing something for you."
"Yes, but I have something else I need you to do while you work. I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."
Juliet scrunched her nose as she took a drink again. Asher's lips pulled at the corners a bit. "Your girlfriend? Why can't you find someone else for that?"
"Because you need the money, don't you?"
"I don't need your filthy money."
"I'll double the price if you do this for me."
Juliet let out a deep breath. "Fine. But what are the rules?"
"No falling in love."
"How do I know you won't fall first?" She asked, teasing him.
"Because I never love." He said, as he took her notebook and started skimming the words. "What is this?"
"New ideas for a romance book I thought of."
Asher scoffed. "Romance… Romance is just another word for lust. And lust is a sin." He said as he stood up. He wrote his number in the margin of her note book. "Give me a call when you're ready."
"What makes you think I'll say yes?"
"Because you need the money." He said and walked out.
"Jerk." She sneered as she closed the notebook and slid it back into her bag.
…
Juliet reached the hospital and sat down beside Eli. "Still sleeping." She whispered to herself and took his hand. "Just… Please wake up soon." She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.
Police lights flash outside her door. Her neighbors stand on their lawns, straining to hear what the cops are saying. She already knew it had something to do with Eli. Her whole world tilted sideways when 'crash', 'hospital', and 'fatal injuries' came out of one of the officers mouths. She fell to her knees and sobbed.
Juliet sat up, squeezing Eli's hand harder. She wiped her tears with her sleeves and stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow. Hopefully then, you'll be awake." She said, knowing he can't hear her. She kissed his hand and walked out. She climbed into her car and pulled out the notebook and her phone. "You better answer." She dialled the number and held it up to her ear.
"Hello, honey. I knew you'd call." Asher said, his smile playing on his voice.
…
"Welcome to your new home." Asher said as he pulled up at a mansion. He turned to Juliet. "Out." He demanded in a calmed voice. Juliet smiled a bit. As she climbed out of the car, Asher grabbed her bag from the trunk. He handed her bag to one of the guards at the door. "Take it up to the blue room. She'll be there in an hour." The guard nodded and walked inside. Asher put his hand on her back and led her around the house, to a rose garden. Five black roses lay in the mix of red roses.
Asher took a seat at a table in the middle of the garden and gestured for her to sit as well. Juliet did as demanded and took a deep breath.
"Why are we out here, instead of inside?" She asked.
"Because, it's a lovely day, and I do believe that we need to talk."
"About what?"
"About the rules here."
"The 'no falling in love'?"
"No, there are rules for living in my home. Rule one, do not go into the library if I'm not in there. If you wish for books, then you must wait, or read from the shelf in your quarters. Rule two, you must never be late for meals, especially if there are guests. And rule three, if I have company, you must be seen but never heard. Understood?" He said, his voice rough.
Juliet sat there, in silence as she shifted the rules around in her mind. "Yes," she said quietly, as if she was just scolded.
"Good, you may come in when you like. I'll send a guard to fetch you for dinner. And change out of that cardigan. We'll be having company over." Asher stood up and headed towards the mansion. Juliet broke into laughter.
"Why did he sound so… He sounded like I was supposed to be a proper young lass." She told herself in an English accent.
She smiled as she walked into the building and asked a guard for directions to her room. As soon as she reached the room she headed for the closet, which was full of dresses, shirts, suits, and jackets. She pulled out a lavender dress and pulled it on. The straps were off the shoulder and the hem fell just below her knees. She looked in the mirror and pulled her hair out of the mess bun she had it in earlier.