Arkady paced around the spacious office like a wild animal in a cage, unable to find peace. Everything happened at once, as if some higher power had decided to test his limits. It was as though fate itself was mocking him—Murphy’s Law showed its cruel face again: everything that could go wrong did go wrong. And at the worst possible moment.
Just a week ago, he had broken up with Alisa, the woman he’d lived with for three years. Yes, they hadn’t just dated—they had lived together, shared a roof, meals, daily life… On the surface, it seemed like true love, or at least a stable partnership. She was young, beautiful, with flawless looks—like a model from a magazine cover. For a businessman of his status, such a partner looked ideal. At least, that’s what he used to think. But now he realized he’d been wrong.
Her beauty turned out to be an empty shell. Inside—no intellect, no interest in books or self-development. Perhaps that wasn’t surprising—half of his entrepreneur acquaintances surrounded themselves with the same type of woman: attractive but shallow. Only a few could boast wives who could think strategically and contribute to the business. Arkady was not among the lucky ones.
But even that wasn’t the worst part. Alisa wasn’t just unintelligent—she was also treacherous. While he worked himself to exhaustion to provide for their life together, she found comfort in the arms of the driver. It was unbelievable—how could someone be so selfish and lacking in principle? He considered punishing them both, but quickly realized that times had changed. Instead, he simply kicked them out of the city, warning, “If I see you again—you’ll regret it.” But the pain still burned inside him.
And now, before he even had a chance to recover from his personal tragedy, his business was under real threat. The bank he had spent years building was being attacked by competitors who clearly wanted to swallow it whole. Though the bank’s structure was stable, without new investments, things could quickly take a disastrous turn. Losses were inevitable, and the potential scale of them was terrifying.
And today—today of all days!—a meeting was scheduled with potential investors. It was a crucial moment that could determine the fate of the entire company. But then he found out that the key investor, some Miguel, was obsessed with family values. If Arkady showed up alone, the deal would fall through. Miguel’s condition: he had to come with a partner, preferably someone he was romantically involved with—or at least someone who could convincingly pretend to be. Without that, there would be no trust, no cooperation.
The news hit Arkady like a punch to the gut. Who could he bring? He mentally ran through all the women he knew, but none of them were suitable. Even if they agreed, it would be hard to get rid of them afterward—money made a man far too attractive in their eyes. He needed a temporary solution, a bit of acting for a few hours. No commitments, no consequences.
He looked at the clock—it was nearly 5 p.m. Time to act. The office was almost empty. He stepped out into the main hall—two female operators remained, both over forty, with tired faces weighed down by family problems and daily struggles. In accounting—Anna Fyodorovna, experienced but already elderly. Who else?… Ah yes, the cleaning lady!
The idea struck him as absurd. Would he really have to ask the woman who cleaned the office for help? But there were no other options. Returning to his office, he was starting to lose hope when his phone vibrated. It was Kirill—an old friend and the head of security.
— “Hey! Did you find someone?”
— “No, damn it. There’s absolutely no one.”
— “That’s a shame. Turns out Miguel has a son who… well, you know… went the other way.”
— “So?”
— “So now the father is strictly against non-traditional relationships. He wants to see a man and a woman at the meeting. At least acting like a couple.”
— “Great! What a situation…”
— “Arkasha, you’re making a mistake betting everything on this. This man could seriously elevate you. You’d forget all your problems.”
— “I get it! But what do I do?!”
— “You’ve got three hours. Find someone, pay them. Solve the problem!”
Arkady slammed the phone on the table, overwhelmed. What now? Where could he find a woman in such a short time?
He burst out of the office and nearly bumped into the cleaning lady, who was just finishing up.
— “What’s your name?”
— “Lilia…”
— “Come with me. Quickly!”
He rushed back into the office, the girl followed.
— “Take off your scarf.”
Lilia obeyed. Her heavy braid slipped from her shoulders, and Arkady was slightly surprised—she was actually very beautiful.
— “Turn around.”
The girl looked at him, startled. She had a nice figure and an intelligent, thoughtful expression.
— “Do you want to earn a month’s salary in one evening?”
Lilia flushed.
“Who do you think I am?!”
Arkady laughed.
“Don’t worry! I mean something completely different. I need a woman to play the role of my girlfriend at an important business meeting. The better you play the part, the more you’ll get paid. After it’s over, you can leave.”
The girl thought for just a second.
“That’s all?”
“That’s all. Then you’re free.”
“What about how I look?” — she gestured at her tracksuit.
“We’ll take care of everything. Get dressed, cleaned up — we’ll handle it. Agreed?”
She nodded. Arkady called Kirill.
“Kirill, where are you? Come get Lilia from me. You have two hours to turn her into a real lady — hair, clothes, makeup. Everything she needs.”
“We’ll do it, don’t worry! My sister owns a beauty salon, so we’ll go there right away.”
Ten minutes later, the office emptied. Arkady immersed himself in documents, rereading every point carefully, preparing for the meeting. He was so absorbed that he didn’t notice time passing.
He only snapped back when the door creaked and Kirill’s voice called out:
“Where did you find this gem?”
Arkady turned and froze. Standing before him was a completely different Lilia. Her hair, styled in large curls, fell down to her waist. A dark blue dress revealed one shoulder and accentuated her figure beautifully. Her eyes shone with a special depth.
“That’s… who?”
“What do you mean ‘who’? Lilia!”
“Impossible… Okay, let’s go. On the way, I’ll tell you everything you need to know. Just try to speak little and keep a low profile.”
The girl nodded. They headed toward the exit. On the way, Arkady explained the situation in detail:
“Introduce yourself as my fiancée. We’re planning the wedding but haven’t set a date yet because we’re waiting for my grandmother to come.”
“Your grandmother?”
“No, let’s say she’s yours. Fine. The main thing is, don’t start conversations, don’t attract attention.”
Kirill, who was driving, suddenly asked:
“Lilia, are you married?”
“No. I’m studying.”
“And working?”
“Of course.”
“What do you… do? I mean… never mind! Maybe you have a free evening? We could go to the movies or a café?”
Lilia smiled.
“I’m in exams now. I don’t know yet.”
Arkady felt a strange irritation inside. Why was Kirill flirting with her? He said sharply:
“Kirill, watch the road!”
“Got it, boss!”
Arkady frowned — he hated being called that.
When they entered the restaurant, Arkady suddenly thought: does Lilia know etiquette? If she doesn’t know how to eat properly, it will all fall apart! But it was too late to worry now.
The Italians were already waiting for them. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone sat down. Miguel, the main investor, looked at Lilia with interest and said through an interpreter:
“You are incredibly beautiful! It’s so unusual to see natural beauty among the artificial.”
Lilia smiled.
“Thank you, you are very kind.”
“I should be the one thanking you. Arkady, you are truly lucky!”
Arkady tensed inside. He watched the girl’s every move, but she behaved naturally, gracefully, and confidently.
Then the business part began. Miguel spoke in Italian without allowing translation. Arkady understood nothing, but noticed the Italians starting to frown. They clearly doubted his sincerity.
Lilia understood what was going on and quietly replied to Miguel:
“Please excuse us… especially my fiancé. I was raised very strictly and ask him not to show affection in public. I feel uncomfortable…”
Miguel was surprised.
“You speak Italian?”
“Yes, but I never told Arkady. Men don’t like it when women know more.”
“You are a wonderful girl! And you just helped your boyfriend close the deal. This is for your shared future!”
The Italian businessman extended his hand, and the deal was signed. Arkady saw Miguel’s mood change. He realized everything succeeded thanks to Lilia but did not know the details.
On the way home, Arkady asked:
“What did you tell them?”
“I explained that you don’t show feelings in public because I asked you to. Because of my strict family.”
“So you saved me?”
“Maybe.”
At Lilia’s home, Arkady gave her much more money than promised. She was stunned.
“This is too much!”
“It’s okay. If not for you… Well, can I hug you now?”
He hugged her but too freely. Lilia broke away and slapped him.
“That wasn’t in our deal!”
She left, leaving Arkady confused.
The next day, Arkady came to her home — with a doctor. He paid for her mother’s treatment at the city’s best center.
“Thank you so much! We could never have raised this ourselves!”
“Lilia, let’s rest together. A ski resort, for example. I promise — separate rooms. Just to relax. I haven’t rested with an intelligent woman in a long time.”
She smiled.
“I’ve always dreamed of skiing in the summer…”
A year later, they were married.
