Bought For The Weekend

Lena, browsing through her laptop, paused and stared at the window, watching the busy and noisy city while birds flew across.

Her cat meows, and Lena jolts.

."I never knew this would be so hard." She said worriedly while watching the cat eat right in front of her.

"Look at you enjoying yourself; you've got nothing to worry about, unlike me; my whole life is a mess." She said with a sad chuckle.

*Ding!* A WhatsApp notification pops up.

'Dear valued customer, we can't approve your loan at the moment; we are currently going through some regulatory compliances, and we won't be able to give you a loan until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.'

Another notification pops up

A notification from the music streaming service where she is trying to promote her songs.

'Sorry, we'll have to archive your songs till your payment is completed. Please try to complete it before the end of this week to avoid your songs being archived. Thank you.'

Lena throws her phone on the bed in frustration.

"C'MON, CAN TODAY GET ANY WORSE?!" She shouted.

She fell on the sofa next to her bed and grabbed her head in frustration.

"What will I do now? How can I get out of this mess?" She sobs.

***

Someone knocks at the door.

"Who's there?" Damien said in a deep tone without raising his head.

"It's me, sir." Jude (Damien's secretary) said while entering Damien's office.

"Ohe of our investors is hosting a party this weekend, and you have to be there, sir." He said.

Damien lifts his head with his eyebrow raised.

"Isn't it just a dinner party? Do I really have to be there?" He asked, *continues flipping through the papers in front of him.*

"But... but, sir. The new investors are going to be there, and some of them have not seen you in person. There are also some investors that are yet to sign the contract; they will be there as well, and it would be nice for you to be there. It would show that you regard them enough to honor their invitation." Jude said as he stared at his boss.

"I've also cleared your schedule for the weekend, so there's nothing stopping you from going, sir," he added

*Sigh*

"Alright, alright, I'll attend the party," he said reluctantly.

"Yes!" Jude said with excitement.

"Is there something in it for you? Is there a reason you're insisting I should go?" He asked with a look of confusion.

"No, no, no. There can't possibly be anything in it for me sir," Jude said, cleared his throat, and adjusted his shirt.

"I see." Damien bent his mouth mockingly.

Jude turned to leave, then suddenly turned back.

"Sir, you need a plus-one to the party, you know, right?" Jude asked curiously.

"Right, I need a plus-one, but I have none. I can't have those nosy investors ask me stupid questions. I must exude exclusivity," Damein said arrogantly.

"Wait... do you have or know anyone I can buy for the weekend?" He asked, facing Jude.

"Buy? Like a grocery or what?" Jude murmured.

"What did you say?" Damien frowned.

"N... nothing sir" Jude stuttered.

"I'm not sure, but I'll check around. Worry less, boss; we'll surely get someone." He said as he walked to the door.

"Alright, let me know when you do."

Lena stares at her ceiling with teary eyes, trying to think of a solution to get herself out of the mess she's in, and suddenly receives a call from her friend.

"Hey girl!!!" A female voice said loudly from the phone.

"Easy, Nina, you don't have to scream like that; I'm right here, you know," Lena responded with disgust.

"C'mon, I miss you so much, I couldn't help but scream when you picked, sorry," Nina giggles.

"Alright, I miss you too, dear. What's up?" Lena sighed.

"So,,, something just came up! I know you really need money right now for your projects. I wanted to let you in on this first before I tell it to someone," Nina said, now serious.

"What is it about?" Lena questioned

"A friend of mine told me about a tech company's CEO looking for a plus one for the weekend, and he's willing to pay. So are you interested?" Nina explained.

*Lena sprang up*

"Of course I'm interested, sign me up," she said excitedly.

"Okay, I'll send your number to the CEO's secretary, they'll contact you, alright? Bye love." Nina ends the call.

*Lena jumped, carried her cat, and twirled excitedly.*

"Finally, I'll pay this debt, and my songs will be released."

A few hours later...

*Lena's phone rings. A text message pops up*

"Hello, Miss Lena Anderson, You have been scheduled for a meeting with the CEO of the NovaTech group of companies. Kindly be there by 7pm today to sign the contract; the location is attached to this message."

Lena read the message carefully while smiling like she just won a jackpot.

She ran to her wardrobe, chose from the clothes there, and freshened up.

***

Lena got to the restaurant before 7pm and waited.

A few minutes later, Damien and Jude stepped in.

Jude stepped forward.

"Good evening, are you Lena Anderson?" Jude asked.

"Yes, I am. Good evening." Lena stretched out her hand for a handshake.

Jude shook her hand and introduced himself and his boss.

"I'm Jude Brown, and this is my boss, Damein Wolfe. He is the CEO of the NovaTech group of companies, and I'm his secretary."

Lena stretched her hand out to Demien, but Damien ignored her.

"Hi." He said with a deep voice and cold facial expression.

Damien didn't expect his secretary to bring a lowlife commoner to be his plus-one to the party.

*She's nothing close to the hot, classy ladies I turn down. Jude, I'll kill you for this, I swear to God.* He thought.

Lena felt embarrassed and disgusted at the same time; she put her hand down.

"What the hell is wrong with these rich people? How can someone be so arrogant? It's not his fault anyway, I'm the one looking for help, and I won't let his disgusting behavior ruin my plans." Lena thought to herself and put on a smile.

"So, Miss Lena Anderson, you are going to be his plus-one this weekend, and here is a contract for you to sign. This contract will be active for 2 months, this means any time you're needed, you must be there with him without any excuses. Kindly read through it and sign" Jude explained and handed her the paper.

Damien sat across her, glaring at her like she was a creature he had been waiting to destroy, thereby making her very uncomfortable.

Lena signed the contract and gave it back to Jude.

"The money has been wired to your bank account; all you'll be needing for the party will be provided. Please be available for the fitting and the necessary things that may be needed for you to do" Jude added.

"Alright, thanks" Lena nodded.

Still uncomfortable with the way Damien kept staring at her.

"Why the hell is he staring at me like that? Does he know me? Have we met?" Lena asked herself.

Damien kept staring at her and barely blinking.

"Hey, Miss Anderson, I'm only buying you for the weekend, not to have anything else to do with you. Do not try anything stupid" His cold, deep voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"What... Excuse me? Buying meme Lena asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, that's not what he meant." Jude apologized.

Damien's face darkened as he pursed his lip and stared at Jude with anger.

Jude cleared his throat and focused on the contract he signed. holding, trying to avoid his face.

Damien stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

"As you have seen in the contract, this is strictly confidential. If any of this gets out, you will be held responsible. Have a good night, Miss," Jude added before running after his boss.