Chapter 15

Emma stared at the contract in shock. This was the last thing she expected. He would own her for six months. She truly had sold herself to him. A tornado of emotions swirled within her. The flew around her, each as strong and demanding as the next. As much as she hated this, and him, there wasn’t a choice. She’d be free of her debt to him, and he also promised to pay her father’s medical bills.

​ She picked up the fountain pen, and signed the document.

​ “Take this,” he said with a phone in his hand.

​ “A phone?” she asked as she took it from him.

​ “You need to be available on this phone to me at all times. If I call, you respond.” He dropped his towel, and Emma felt her face get red. Just moments ago she’d fantasized about that towel falling. Will walked over to the closet and selected a suit. Much to Emma’s dismay, he got dressed.

​ “But what if I—”

​ “If I call,” he repeated. “You respond. There will be consequences if you don’t. I’ll be by your school tonight to pick you up after class.” He finished buttoning up his shirt, and snatched up the contract and fountain pen.

​ “But what about—”

​ “See you tonight.” And he left. Emma stared off into the empty room. *What just happened?* She asked herself. It was official: she was William Stewart’s pet. There wasn’t time to dwell on that or let that sink in, though. She had class tonight, but wanted to stop in and check on her father before getting to school.

​ She selected some clothes from the hotel room’s closet. Much to her chagrin, they were all high-end designer labels.

​ “Ugh,” she rolled her eyes. She rifled through the clothing and selected the most casual outfit she could find. It was a simple dress, but it was still obviously out of Emma’s league.

​ “I’ll just have to deal with this.”

​ Emma donned the dress, and marveled at how soft the fabric was. She’d never worn something so luxurious and so comfortable. She brushed her hair, remembering how Will said he’d prefer her with longer hair, and without bangs.

​ Because the dress was so pretty, Emma felt compelled to do something different with her hair. Like actually brush it for once. Maybe if Will saw her with her hair styled nicely, he’d grow to like her hair as it was. She straightened her bangs, and lightly curled the ends. She touched up her face with light makeup, and felt prettier than she ever had.

​ “This is too much,” Emma said in disbelief. “What is my life?”

​ A knock at the door pulled her out of her reverie. Emma opened the door was greeted by the concierge. He regarded her with a more favorable demeanor than last night. Clearly she looked the part today.

​ “Good morning, Miss. A driver has arrived for you. May I escort you down?”

​ “Oh yes, thank you.” Emma grabbed her bag and let the concierge lead her to the driver. For the next six months, this would be her life. Concierges, drivers, designer clothes, ornate marble lobbies, and lavish suites. And William Stewart. She didn’t know how to process this. It was happening so fast.

​ Sabrina and Jess were in her father’s room when Emma arrived at the hospital.

​ “Wow,” Sabrina said as Emma walked in. “You look great.”

​ “Is that new?” Jess asked. *Shit!* Emma cursed at herself. She hadn’t thought what to tell Jess and Sabrina about everything. She was too ashamed to tell them about Will. They would hate her for lying to them, but she didn’t have a choice.

​ “Thanks,” she blushed. “It was Mom’s. I found it in her stuff a while back. It’s so pretty, so I couldn’t let me hair and makeup look bad.”

​ Sabrina and Jess looked at each other. Something was off, they could tell. But they’d let it go for now.

​ “How is he?” Emma asked, standing at her father’s bedside.

​ “Same,” Jess lamented.

​ “Did you hire an agency or something? Someone came to care for him last night. She was amazing. Said she was a Home Health Nurse,” Sabrina queried.

​ “I couldn’t afford something like that,” Emma said.

​ “Maybe someone you know?” Jess asked.

​ Emma shook her head. A name popped into her mind, but left just as quickly as it came. *That arrogant, self-centered jerk? He’d never do something so nice.*

​ “Maybe she works for the hospital, or maybe it’s some charity thing?” Emma postured.

​ Sabrina and Jess seemed satisfied with this answer. They hugged their friend, and left.

​ Emma sat at her father’s bedside and held his hand. She thought of her mom, and how she had been in such a similar position. She had promised her mother to be happy, to follow her dreams, and to always take care of father. Memories of her mother’s final days came unbidden, and fresh tears stung Emma’s eyes.

​ “I’m sorry, Daddy. I should have been a better daughter to you. I should have taken better care of you. I’m so sorry. But don’t worry. Things are going to get better soon. I promise. But you have to recover, okay? You have to wake up,” Emma sobbed.

​ “Excuse me, Miss?” A soft voice came from the doorway. Emma looked up and saw a pleasant looking woman. She was around her father’s age, wearing nurse scrubs. A sweet smile graced her face. Emma couldn’t help but smile.

​ “I’m sorry,” Emma said, wiping the tears from her face. “I’m Emma, the patient’s daughter. Are you with the hospital?”

​ “No, Miss Emma. I’m with a private agency. I was hired to care for your father. He’s in good hands, I promise you.”

​ “Oh, you’re the ones my friends told me about.”

​ “Yes, I met your friends last night. They are lovely.”

​ “You said you work with a private agency? How does that work? I can’t afford something like this.”

​ “Oh, please. There is nothing you need to worry about. I’ve already been paid to care for your father. Here,” the nurse handed her a card. “If you have any questions, you can call the agency directly. My only concern is to ensure your father receives the best care possible.”

​ “Thank you so much,” Emma said. She kissed her father on the forehead and left the hospital room. Emma called the number on the card.

​ “Good morning. Thank you for calling Healing Hands Carer Agency. How may I help you?”

​ “Good morning. I’m calling to inquire about who hired someone to care for my father.”

​ “May I have the patient’s full name please?”

​ “Emmett Michael Wells.”

​ “Please hold while I look that up for you.”

​ Emma waited on the phone with baited breath. Who could be so generous that they would hire a private nurse to care for her father? How could she ever repay such generosity?

​ “Thank you for holding. The only names I see on the account are the patient’s name, your name, and a ‘Mr. Stewart’.” Emma nearly dropped the phone.

​ “Will that be all?”

​ “Yes, thank you.” She hung up, and was speechless. Will had hired a private nurse. This wasn’t in the contract. He did this on his own. Overwhelming gratitude bloomed in her heart for him. But it was clear he didn’t want her to know about this. She’d have to thank him another time.

​ With this extra help, her father would be able to recover quickly and she would be able to go to her classes without feeling guilty. As she ran out of the hospital, the same driver that had brought her waited.

​ “Hello Miss Emma,” he greeted.

​ “Hello. Have you been waiting for me?”

​ “Yes, Miss. Shall we?” he opened the door for her and she climbed in.

​ For the first time in a long time, Emma was able to focus in class. For a blissful few hours, she didn’t think of any of the horrible things that had happened to her. She was positively blithe with the world. The lightness in her heart was eclipsed when she saw Vivian and Matt canoodling in the hallway.

​ “Oh Matt!” Vivian shouted when she noticed Emma. “I love it!” Vivian turned around, and held her up. Matt clasped a delicate gold necklace with a diamond pendant around her neck.

​ “Happy anniversary, baby,” Matt cooed and kissed Vivian.

​ *No.* Emma resolved. *They will not ruin my mood.* She stomped passed them, but Vivian grabbed her arm.

​ “Emma, look at what Matt got for me!” she gushed, gesturing at the necklace.

​ “That’s great, Vivian,” Emma deadpanned. She tried to pull away from Vivian’s grasp, but she only held on tighter. “I’ve got things to do. Let me go.”

​ “How did you get a designer dress?” Vivian seethed.

​ “That is none of your business. Get off of me!” Emma wrenched her arm away from Vivian.

​ “Emma Wells,” Vivian said, narrowing her eyes. “You got yourself a sugar daddy, didn’t you?”

​ “I really don’t have time to bother with you,” Emma spat back. Just then her *other* phone rang. She hurriedly answered it, remembering Will’s warning.

​ “Hello.”

​ “I’m waiting outside. Come out,” he commanded and then hung up.”

​ “Who was that?” Matt asked.

​ “Now that’s really none of your business,” Emma clapped back. She walked away from them, but Vivian and Matt followed. Vivian kept hurling insults and questions at her, but Emma paid them no attention.

​ There was a large crowd outside, peering at a shiny, black sports car. People whispered in awe, wondering how it belonged to. Emma knew it was Will, and she made a beeline for the car. Just as she reached the door, someone roughly grabbed her arm.

​ “You’re not getting in that car,” Matt demanded.

​ “Get off of me, Matt.” Emma said. He eyed up and down, taking in how great she looked.

​ “Why did you never dress like this for me?”

​ “I said, get off!”

​ “So, you really did find yourself a sugar daddy?” Matt was growing angrier, and his hold tightened around her arm.

​ “You’re hurting me! Let go!” Emma shouted.

​ “Answer me!” he shouted back, grabbing both of Emma’s arms.

“Get off of me!” Emma saw Will step out of the car with a deadly look on his face. He narrowed his eyes at Matt and took a long drag of his cigarette.

​ “Let go of my girlfriend. Now.”