Leon Kane has a little gambling problem. Okay, maybe it’s a big problem. He owes a large amount of money to the mafia and with no other assets than his pretty face, Leon is not in any position to pay off his debts any time soon. His luck changes when he meets Creed Sinclair, a wealthy man who is pressured by his family to get married. Creed, suffering from an unrequited love, will only marry that one person. Unfortunately, that special person does not feel the same about him. After meeting Leon Kane, Creed is willing to hire the young man to be his pretend boyfriend, to ward off his family’s insistence to get married. Two different people, when living under the same roof, will feelings blossom between them? Note: I posted this story under the wrong account last time. Please delete the other thread Table of Contents - Chapter One (sorry I don’t know how to link posts on mobile).
Spoiler: Chapter One Chapter One ”This is all of the money you have?” Dante asked as he counted the money that Leon handed him. There was a total of $504, which was barely enough to cover the monthly interest that was owed on his debt. Leon Kane had a little gambling problem. Well, perhaps you could say that it was a big problem. He couldn’t resist those illegal gambling dens that the local mafia ran. Every week, he’d spend half his paycheck in a game of poker. His luck was never good. It wasn’t soon before he’d lose it all at a table. Dante Alessi was a loan shark who had lent money to Leon. It had started out with a small loan of a couple thousand dollars. But it wasn’t long before the amount multiplied by over tenfolds. The principal amount Leon owed wasn’t even the scariest part, which was nothing compared to the astronomically high interest rate that was charged. Leon didn’t know what would happen if he had defaulted on a payment, and he was not eager to find out. Dante had ties to the Italian mafia, as rumored by the people who Leon played poker with. Leon had seen the henchmen who guarded Dante’s office, and he did not doubt the rumors. The men were well over 200 pounds of pure muscle, with a face that was permanently graced with a scowl. At least two of them would always follow Dante around as he conducted his business. Today, Dante was wearing a blue Armani suit. A Rolex watch was rested on his tanned wrist. He had his hair neatly combed back. The faint scent of his cologne wafted towards Leon, who was standing only 2 feet away. He was the very picture of an upstanding businessman, if you did not know what he really did for a living. ”That’s all the money I have to spare,” Leon said as Dante counted the money. “Living in the city is expensive, and being a bar server does not pay much.” ”Then I’d suggest you find another line of work. I don’t care if you have to sell your body— just pay me back. And soon.” ”And if I were to sell my body, would you be my first customer?” Leon answered sardonically with a mocking smile. A rare flash of shock appeared on Dante’s face before his expression changed to anger. He stepped forward and punched Leon in the gut. Hard. Dante leaned over to speak in the young man’s ear: “Must I remind you that you still have two healthy kidneys which will fetch a nice price? I know people who will carve up your organs and sell them on the black market.” A sudden chill passed down Leon’s spine. He had a feeling that it was no empty threat. All of his former playful mood went away. His pained face from Dante’s punch changed to a serious expression. “I’ll get you your money.” ”Good,” Dante said as he leaned back with a cold smile that was lacking any warmth. “Then you are dismissed.” Leon soon left Dante’s office, which was located on the second floor of a nightclub called ‘Aquarius’. The pounding music assaulted his ears as he made his way towards the exit. Leon assumed that the nightclub was one of the properties owned by Dante, and was used to launder his money. Taking the subway, Leon quickly made his way back to his apartment and got changed for work. In the evenings from 5pm to 12am, he would work at a rooftop bar called Cloud 9. The luxe bar was situated atop the Crowne Plaza Hotel and had some of the best views in Bridgeport city. It had been about three months since he began working there. But because of the current COVID epidemic, few people would go out for drinks, and he did not make much money in tips per night. ”Hey,” Chris, the bartender, greeted Leon as he passed through the entrance. Chris was a friendly man in his early thirties with golden hair and deep blue eyes. He had been working at Cloud 9 for over five years from what Leon heard. ”Sorry I’m late,” Leon said. “I had some personal business to take care out.” ”No problem, man. There aren’t any customers here yet anyway.” Leon relaxed a bit. He looked around the bar. It was indeed empty aside from him and Chris. ‘I need to look for a new job,’ Leon thought. He earned barely above minimum wage, and with how empty the bar has been lately, he was barely scraping by after making monthly payments on his debt to Dante. About half an hour after opening, the first customer of the day stepped in. ”Welcome to Cloud 9,” Leon greeted the man. As the night progressed, more people came, populating the bar and making it less bleak. When working, Leon would put on an artificial smile to serve guests. Women tipped him especially well, as they were smitten by his good looks and boyish charms. It could be said that his good looks were his only asset. The clock soon struck 10pm and the traffic began to die down as people made their way back home. It was precisely 11pm when the last customer of the day entered. He was a tall, handsome man who appeared to be in his late twenties, with wavy black hair and startling blue eyes that were full of sorrow. He took a seat at the corner of the bar. ”I’ll have a Whiskey,” he said to Leon. ”Coming right up!” Leon replied in that fake, cheery voice which he’d always use when working. As customers left the bar, Leon started clearing the tables and wiped them down. The man from earlier was still seated in the corner by himself, seemingly drowning his sorrows with alcohol. He had ordered six more drinks into the night and was now brooding by his lonesome self. ”We’ll be closing soon,” Leon said to the man as he passed by his table. “Should I call a cab for you?” ”No need,” he replied gruffly while staring at the drink in his hand. ”Okay then,” Leon said before leaving to go to the restroom. When he came back out, he saw the man standing behind the rails on the rooftop, looking out into the night view of the city as the wind tussled his wavy black hair. The drunken man started to climb on top of his chair and was trying to go over the railing. ”Stop!” Leon screamed as he ran over to the customer. “Don’t jump!” He hugged onto the man’s legs, pulling him back. They both tumbled backwards onto the floor. “What’s going on here?” Chris asked as he sprinted over. ”This man was trying to jump off the building, I think,” Leon answered with genuine concern evident in his voice. ”Sir, is that true?” Chris asked. ”Eva,” the man drunkenly slurred out a women’s name in answer. ”Eva?” Leon repeated. ”Must be his ex-lover’s name,” Chris said. “Sounds like a classic case of heartbreak.” ”Sir, I’m going to call a cab for you. Can you make it home by yourself?” Leon asked. ”Eva,” he said once more. “Just let me jump.” ”I don’t think we should leave him by himself. What if he tries something again?” Leon asked. ”What do you suppose we do with him?” Chris replied. “Watch him until he sobers up?” ”I guess. My home is nearby. I’ll bring him back with me.” ”Are you insane? He’s a stranger. And he could be dangerous.” ”Well we can’t just leave him here. The drunken man is suicidal.” ”Alright then,” Chris answered hesitantly. “There are no more customers today— I suppose we can close up early. Do you need my help bringing him back with you?” ”Yeah, that’d be great,” Leon answered. Together, the two of them brought the drunken man back to Leon’s apartment, which was only a few blocks away. By the time they made it to his place, the man had completely passed out. Leon, with Chris’s help, left the man lying on his sofa. ”I gotta get going now. Call me if you need anything.” Chris said. ”Alright. Thanks for the help.” ”No problem,” Chris waved before leaving. “And be careful.” Leon closed the front door of his apartment after Chris had left. He stared at the intoxicated stranger lying on his sofa, who appeared to be fast asleep. ‘What am I to do with you?’ Without an answer, Leon headed into the bathroom to take a hot shower, letting the water wash away his worries.
I very much have a dislike for the rental girlfriend series which is just basically a more expensive hooker but without the sex. I hope this story has some nuance and common sense, unlike that garbage heap. Good luck, will read more.
Ooh a comment!~ thanks for reading! Did you mean the Rent-a-Girlfriend manga series? I've never read it before but maybe I should check it out as an example of what NOT to do, haha~ Anyway, I'm a lazy writer who updates once every few months or so. (Right now, I'm focusing on my other series). I hope you aren't expecting much, because I don't want to let you down.
No rush. I just decided to give it a spite-read cause of my hate for the RaG manga. There's only one chapter so I don't have any real comments.