C5 Let's Make A Deal

By the time Ciara woke up, she was blinded by the lights and had an instant splitting headache.

"Urgh …" she groaned as she reached out to place her hand on her head. She figured out she had a bandage wrapped around her head and a needle in her hand, the same hand she raised recklessly! Slowly, she recalled her reckless attitude of saving the kitten and freezing up, then her passing out...

"Ahh! Why am I so dumb! How could I pass out from a little car accident! Why didn't I just run! Argh! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...Alex! Why aren't you speaking!" Ciara said.

[…There's someone else in your ward and you're speaking carelessly. I fear I might not be able to last a lifetime with an idiot like you] Alexandra sighed.

"What idiot? Now you say I'm an idiot? Crazy! You think I want to spend ten thousand lifetimes with you too? Stupid. And...". That was when it dawned on her tat Alexandra said there was someone else in the ward.

Shocked she might have spilled her secret before 24 hours, Ciara opened her eyes wide and sat up in one quick motion before scanning the room. The moment she saw the man seated right beside her, his back to the door, she was stunned silly.

[It's Maximus Miller! The Maximus Miller! He's in my ward! Was he the one that hit me?] Ciara asked.

[Not exactly. His driver was actually the one driving. But he's been seated there, staring at you lovingly...] Alexandra cooed. [Either way, since you've finally met your money bag, think of a way to strike gold. Go straight for gold, no silver or copper allowed!].

[Not gonna need you to say that twice].

"Who are you? Where's the cat?" She asked, trying to make him not ask about her little conversation.

But Maximus, being a bad ass business man, could clearly see there was something off about the girl in front of him, but didn't want to blow her cover, yet.

"My apologies Ma'am. My driver was the one who hit you and I was in the car at that time. You only have a little injury on your head that shouldn't be in contact with water till it's healed. You passed out due to fear and your cat...it seemed to have fallen asleep upon reaching the hospital, it's on the couch over there. Um...my driver is already settling the hospital bills" Maximus stated, not only answering her questions, but also giving her the info she needed.

"Hmm, that's okay then" Ciara said, trying to feign calmness, knowing fully well her heart was beating loudly. Slowly, she walked barefooted towards the couch and picked up the sleeping kitty before stroking it calmly, trying to calm her beating heart.

Settling down on the bed in her private ward, she looked towards Maximus and asked, "Aren't you going to settle me for the emotional trauma I passed through? Don't you know that you would have taken three lives?".

With a frown, Maximus asked, "You're pregnant? Shouldn't you be in school?".

Looking at his cute face frowning, Ciara couldn't help but laugh. But her laughing simply made Max's face turn red in embarrassment, making her laugh more.

[Your money bag is such a fool if you ask me] Alex snorted in the dark void.

[Sometimes, yeah. But cross his path in the financial world, then you'll be the foolish one].

"That's not what I meant Mr. Miller. By three lives, I meant myself, the kitten and my mum. She's sick and I promised to help her, even though I know I don't have the strength to. Without me, she's going to die faster than expected" Ciara expected.

[Idiot! You just called him by his real name!] Alex yelled. [You're going to be the death of me].

[Relax, I know what I'm doing].

"You...how do you know my name? I clearly haven't introduced myself to you, so how did you know I was Maximus Miller?" Max asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously at Ciara. "Were you sent by my rivals? Do you have a goal?".

"Ah... You have such a great imaginative sense. If you read all them pop-up news, you would know I'm the rejected illegitimate child of the Williams family, Ciara Smith. Come on, don't tell me you haven't seen my pictures that are viral on social media? Everyone calls me the unfortunate beauty born by a mistress...even though my mum never knew Elvis Williams was a married man. She didn't even know his real name!". Seeing she had strayed from her previous topic, Ciara sighed before shaking her head in disappointment.

"I really don't care about your company or your rivals. I actually just want to make a deal with you. It should be viral on the internet that I rejected the William's family and do not wish to join them any more due to their previous resistance, so, things will surely be hard for me in the future. But I want to live well, and I want my mother to undergo treatment, which is where you come in".

"So, you want me to take care of you and treat your mother of her illness?" Max asked, still suspicious of Ciara. "Even if I did that, what do I have to gain? Why would I want to take you in, just because of this little accident. You aren't disabled or anything..."

"Can you let me lay my proposal? Hmm?" She interrupted, "As a matter of fact, I have a proposal for you that no man can resist. Are you up for it?".

"You have to tell me first" Max said, relaxing on his plastic chair to get himself ready for what the daring girl in front of him had to say.

"Fine then. I want you to help treat and take care of my mother, also transfer me to a better school and help me skip a grade to the final year. Even if it would mean me writing an examination to get in. All the while, you must take care of my mum and I. In return, I'll be yours till death. But you're not allowed to have any other woman apart from me". Although she wasn't sure her plan was going to work at first, but seeing Max's stunned face, even though it only lasted a second, made her feel better.

[You...You daring vixen! What are you doing? Is this what you meant by selling yourself? You...you really amaze me. How daring! For a girl! Here I thought girls were meant to be conservative...] Alex kept ranting but Ciara wasn't in the mood to listen to him.

[It seemed you're actually more informal in the void that you were when we first met. And there I thought you were one of those cold men in frictional books]

[You just said frictional books. Besides, I had to convince you, else, my Master would punish me. Besides, such mission landed on my Master, would you think he would let me off if you said no and the mission was given to another Master?]

[Crazy. You're a Soul Reaper, now, you're a spirit stuck in my mind. What's the difference between you and a fictional character?]. That statement seemed to silence Alex, giving Ciara the chance to face all her attention on Max.

After a minute or two of silence, Max suddenly asked, "Why are you willing to give yourself over to a total stranger? And how did you know of my identity?".