The folder is still in my hand when the elevator opens on thirty-eight.
I have read the contract four times. I know every word, and none of them make this easier.
My sister's name is on the first page. That is the only reason I am still walking.
Lucien does not stand when I come in. He just watches me cross the room.
Lucien: You read it.
Caleb: Four times.
Caleb: You moved her deposit date. You admit that.
Lucien: I did.
Caleb: You could have stopped it. You chose not to.
Lucien: I chose to bring you here instead.
Lucien: I have spent my whole life signing contracts. This is the first one I actually want.
Caleb: Want. That's a funny word for blackmail.
Lucien: It's not blackmail. It's an offer. You can walk out that door right now.
He says it like it's simple. Like my sister isn't lying in a hospital bed with her whole life in his hands.
Caleb: If I walk out, she loses her place on the list.
Lucien: Yes.
Lucien: I don't want to trap you. I want you to choose this.
Caleb: You made sure I had no other choice.
Lucien: No. I made sure you could see the one you already had.
I think about Elsie. The gray hoodie pulled over her hands. The bracelets on her wrist.
She told me not to do anything stupid.
She didn't say what to do when stupid is the only door left.
Lucien: You think I don't know what this costs you.
Caleb: I think you don't care.
Lucien: I care more than I should.
For a second his face does something I haven't seen before. It cracks.
Lucien: My mother wants me settled before the merger vote. She wants someone quiet in this house.
Lucien: Someone who knows when to be seen and when to disappear.
Caleb: And I'm supposed to be that someone.
Lucien: I'm not going to lie to you. I want you here. In my bed. In this house.
Lucien: But I won't touch you unless you want it. That's in the contract too.
Caleb: And if I never want it?
Lucien: Then I have a very expensive roommate.
The pen is cold in my hand. The line for my signature is blank and waiting.
Forty thousand dollars. Elsie's name on the first page. Her whole life in my fist.
Lucien: Take your time.
Caleb: I've had enough time. That's the problem.
My name goes down on the line. Caleb. Just Caleb. No middle name, no title.
It takes four seconds. It takes my whole life.
He steps into me before I can move. His hand finds my jaw, warm and careful.
Lucien: One kiss. To seal it.
I should say no. I should push him back and tell him the contract doesn't start until tomorrow.
I don't.
His mouth is warm. Careful. He kisses like he's asking a question.
And for three seconds, I answer.
I pull back. My hand is on his chest, and I can feel his heart going as fast as mine.
Caleb: The contract starts tomorrow.
Lucien: I know.
Caleb: Then don't kiss me again until it does.
I walk to the elevator with the signed contract against my chest.
The money will be in Elsie's account by morning. That's what matters.
The rest of it, his bed, his hands, his mouth, that's the price.
My phone buzzes before I reach the lobby.
Lucien: Your sister's deposit clears at 8 a.m. The movers will be at your apartment at noon.
Lucien: Don't be late.
I put the phone in my pocket and keep walking. My hands are shaking.
Up on thirty-eight, the light stays on.
He's watching the elevator go down, and I don't know what he sees.
I know what he wants. I just don't know if I can give it without losing myself.
The contract is signed. The money is moving. And tomorrow, I move into his bed.