Beyond the White Charade

t minute when magically everything falls into place. Here, I caught a breath beside the grand ballroom entry, as I watched the bustling staff set up the reception area while music would be heard in

ke a smirk. "Please call me Ryan."I nodded and stepped towards him. "Ryan, then. What brings you here today?"He kept looking at me for some moments, even gazing at me with intense and unreadable eyes. Finally, to my surprise, he took a deep breath and said, "I need help from you."I blinked. "My help?""Yes," he replied while looking straight at me. "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."At first I was shocked. "Excuse me?" I asked, somewhat unsure whether or not I had heard him.Ryan leaned back against the wall as if asking me to fetch a coffee instead of making the most ridiculous request. "I know this is going to sound very strange but hear me out. There's a situation I need to handle, and I could really use someone like you in my corner. I'm offering a rather substantial chunk of money to 'lease' your time and... services."He was staring at me as if hypnotized by what he had just said. "Wait," shaking my head, "are you asking me to fuel a false relationship with you?"His smile enlarged, though it was not real warm. "Exactly. Only for a few months. Nothing serious. I need to get these people off my back and this'll work in our favors."I took a step back, completely thrown off by the proposal. "And why me? What made you think I would agree to something like that?"Ryan's gaze never faltered as he straightened up. "You're a professional. I've seen the way you handle yourself. You're smart, confident, and you know how to keep a situation under control. You wouldn't be fazed by the kind of people I run with."Crossing my arms, I thought over his words. "And for what exactly am I being paid for? You can't think I'm pretending to be your girlfriend because you ask."He stepped closer, almost drawing me in." "I am offering you fifty thousand dollars." I had no time to show my surprise, but it was hard. Fifty thousand dollars was more than I usually earned in an entire year, a