“When she stepped inside the restaurant, my mother could hardly believe her eyes…”
“Are you completely insane?” she nearly shouted, stepping back as if caught red-handed. “Me? In this story? Pretending to be your fiancée? You must be joking! Just yesterday, I was scavenging for food in the dumpsters!”
He softly locked the door behind them and leaned wearily against the wall. “You don’t have the choice to refuse. I’ll pay you more than you expect. Just for one evening. Be my fiancée. For them. For my parents. It’s just a performance, a charade. Have you forgotten how to pretend?”
Her silence was telling; her fingers trembling inside worn gloves. Her heart pounded fiercely, as if determined to burst: “Is this the moment my new life begins? Or at least the end of my suffering?”
This was the start of a tale no one was prepared for.
Nathan Berg was wealthy beyond measure, young, stern, his icy gaze and impassive face well-known. His name adorned the covers of financial magazines, and his portrait appeared among the planet’s most sought-after bachelors. His life, shaped by education, fortune, and influence, followed strict protocols. Yet, his parents, residing in Europe, kept demanding, “When will we finally meet your girlfriend? Why do you keep her hidden?”
Without warning, they planned to arrive—tomorrow.
Fear was absent; panic filled Nathan. It wasn’t the criticism he dreaded, but the absence of a suitable woman to fill this role. He despised actresses and loathed fake smiles. What he longed for was someone genuine. Or at least distinctly unlike what they expected.
That very evening, as he moved through the chilly city, stuck in traffic under dusk’s fading light, he suddenly noticed her—standing near the subway entrance, guitar in hand, a cardboard sign reading, “I’m not begging. I’m asking for a chance.”
He halted. For the first time, he had no desire to go any further.
“What’s your name?”
Her voice was hoarse but proud as she looked up.