Page 10 of Accept Me (Fate’s Choice #4)

My eyes shifted across his wide chest and went to his strong hands. A shiver ran down my spine, and for a split second my eyes flickered up, meeting his gaze. The guy was really handsome. A perfect match for my taste.

"Okay," I muttered through clenched teeth. "Maybe… just one question."

Fuck, why was it suddenly so important for me NOT to scare him away? Because of his good facial features? Crazy. I didn’t know shit about him, and I was… drawn to him already?

"I’m listening." Mr. Nolan’s voice was even, his tone polite but very formal.

Was this how he normally was? So guarded and sparse in his reactions?

"Do you want children?"

The answer was immediate. "Yes, I do."

I nodded and then hesitated. "I do, too. But what about genetic incompatibility? That’s important if you’re planning a family. And I don’t detect your Allure scent."

His reply seemed carefully measured, each word strategically chosen.

"That issue doesn’t apply to us. I take suppressants, but the kind that still lets me scent your Allure. Everything’s fine."

My curiosity was killing me. I wanted to ask what level of compatibility we had. Were we Low Mates? Half Mates? High? The question was right there on the tip of my tongue, but I forced myself to hold it in. Not wanting to come across like an impatient teenager, I just bowed my head.

"Then there’s nothing else I want to know."

He stayed silent.

Dylan, on the other hand, was clearly debating whether to encourage me to ask more. He was opening and closing his mouth, but eventually, he gave up too.

Of course, this whole interview must have felt very strange to any matchmaker.

Hunter had asked me so little, and now he was about to make a decision based on ten minutes of conversation? Interviews like this usually lasted an hour or more.

And what about my decision?

The funny thing was… even though every contractee could easily reject any contract buyer, the thought didn’t even occur to me for a second.

Something in me was set on Hunter from the moment I saw him, and I knew, for better or for worse, I was going to agree. Illogical, but it was like a quiet and powerful certainty, too difficult to explain.

"One last thing before I decide," he said slowly.

"I’m listening." I hated the tension that saturated my voice. It was just hitting me now, that this was real . This moment. Everything was suddenly on the line.

"A theoretical question. How do you imagine our day-to-day life? According to your longer contracts, everything you do is voluntary. I can’t expect anything from you. But I’d like to know what that might realistically look like. For example, would you expect us to have household help?"

"No. In juvie and during my first two years of college, I worked as a kitchen assistant. I think I cook pretty well, and I always clean. I don’t plan on lying around all day. Even though I work full time, I’d still do chores."

"Well, actually, help isn’t an issue here. I already have someone who comes in to clean, and I usually order from restaurants. But of course, homemade food is my favorite."

"That won’t be a problem. I can cook."

Mr. Nolan stood up, rather abruptly.

And there it came… After two horrible days in the fucking inferno!

"I would like to sign your contract," he said in a calm, almost clerk-like tone.

It was like my brain glitched.

As I remained frozen, unsure if what he said was even real, Dylan flinched and blurted out, "What version of Star’s marital contract are you interested in?"

"Eternal."

Well, that landed hard.

The silence that followed was deep and electric, the shock wave in the air almost tangible.

Dylan and I sat there stunned, but neither of us dared to ask him why. It was a huge decision. But I suppose that’s exactly why we stayed silent. It was simply too gigantic. He somehow had to be sure, so questioning his choice might’ve come off as disrespectful.

His eyes, green, with a strange amber ring around the iris, locked onto me, and he asked slowly,

"The only question is, do you accept it?"

Of course, I kept my face perfectly still, even though my nerves were buzzing under my skin, quivering like a plucked string, and my heart was practically galloping.

We were both about to face a massive shift in our lives.

To be fair, he hadn’t given me anything close to a sense of safety. I didn’t even know what he did for a living. As far as I was concerned, I knew exactly… zero about him, except for the fact that he wanted to have children.

And yet, it flew out of me.

"I do."

"Thank you," he said calmly, quietly.

Then, as if on cue, we both stood up, startling Dylan, whose eyes were the size of saucers.

Hunter was nine inches taller than me. I had to lift my chin to meet his eyes. For a split second, we just stood there, staring. Time seemed to pause. Then, he stepped back and looked away.

Dylan, completely stunned by my decision, coughed loudly, like he couldn’t even form words.

"Star… please, um… are you sure about this? It’s a tremendous decision, life-changing," he mumbled, his voice full of disorientation, even fear, as if he felt he’d failed me, failed in his job.

Why did I say yes?

Was I out of my mind?

Probably. But I couldn’t give Hunter any other answer.

I stared at his captivating, yet unreadable face, trying to figure him out. I wanted to feel something, some warning, anything that might signal danger. But no red flags came up. His energy didn’t feel threatening. I didn’t sense any depravity, nothing twisted or hidden with malice.

What I felt coming from him, in this inexplicable way, was complicated.

There was sadness there, for sure. Like it ran deep through him, this quiet kind of sorrow buried in his soul. But that wasn’t all. There was also something like… excitement? Maybe a hint of anxiety?

I was probably overreading him, but one thing I was sure of: his calm, detached demeanor was exactly like mine. Just a front. A mask he wore to keep the world out.

Don’t ask me how I knew it.

"I'm sure, Dylan. Let’s go," I said, brushing past him and finally stepping out of that cursed booth.

I caught a few surprised glances from the omegas who were still hanging around Section A.

From reading their boards earlier, I knew they were the ones with the highest contract prices, higher than mine, and they had no intention of lowering them.

Most of them had already gone through at least two year-long contracts.

I guessed people had caught on to their game.

One year together, collect five million, then move on to the next person.

Apparently, no one was falling for this anymore.

Their gloomy stares followed me as I walked toward Storm’s office, head high.

Hunter followed, and just behind him was Dylan, tagging along with a deeply worried look, seemingly wanting to disappear, possibly afraid he'd be fired for not warning me that I probably shouldn't have sold my Eternal marriage contract to the first guy who asked for it…!

Yep, madhouse.

We stopped in front of Storm’s office door. Right away, we heard muffled sounds from inside. It was obvious what was happening.

The people inside were having sex…

My face went red. Great.

Just what we needed!

The situation was already awkward as hell, and now this? But I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

I stepped up and knocked, firm and loud. A few seconds of silence followed, then some rushed, whispered voices.

I gave Hunter a quick look, just to see his reaction, but his face was completely blank. Storm Nolan’s total lack of professionalism didn’t seem to faze him at all.

The noises inside grew more frantic and panicked. I sighed, impatience building in my chest.

Dylan caught my expression, bit his lip, and said quietly,

"I know how this looks, but… Mr. Nolan’s a shareholder now, so he gets a little more freedom than regular employees."

I didn’t say anything. No way was I going to comment on this circus.

Dylan seemed to take that as his cue to leave. Maybe he didn’t want to see how much worse this was going to get.

"Alright, I’m out," he mumbled, backing away awkwardly. "Good luck, Star!" It sounded like he wanted to follow it up with ‘You may need it’ , but then he turned and basically ran off.

I cursed under my breath.

After a solid minute, Storm finally opened the door. His hair was still a mess, and the whole room reeked of sex. Should I have said something? Maybe. Probably. But I didn’t care enough. I just wanted to get the contract signed and leave. Pretend like this dreaded place had never existed.

I spotted a short omega with reddish-pink hair sitting on the couch. I’d seen him earlier from a distance, walking around the hall with Storm. He looked completely innocent, even though they clearly hadn’t been doing ‘innocent’ activities.

"Ah, there you are. So? Did you make a decision?" Storm grinned, looking unbothered.

"Yes," came Hunter’s calm voice from behind me.

We both stepped into the office.

Storm immediately opened a window to let in fresh air, which was badly needed. The smell of their bodily fluids was the last thing I wanted to inhale while signing my own marriage contract.

Shareholder or not, I still couldn’t wrap my head around someone doing this during work hours. But it was the agency owner’s problem.

"We’re here to sign the Eternal contract," Hunter explained, composed as ever, like none of this had bothered him.

"Perfect!" Storm said brightly. He wiped sweat from his forehead and pulled out a stack of papers along with a tablet from his drawer.

The air still smelled like his omega’s slick and cum. Ugh, the small window was not enough to air the room quickly. I seriously just wanted to run out of there.

Hunter stepped up to the desk to sign the contract. Storm pointed out where to write. I really hoped he’d washed his hands, though he probably hadn’t had time.