My heart was hammering in my chest.
I watched him lean in.
Every part of me wanted to bail.
To move.
To breathe.
But my legs were, like, glued to the floor.
His hand gently cupped my chin—steady, commanding, but not mean—while his other hand settled light on my waist, keeping me there without pushing.
"Then," he murmured, "let's do this right."
My brain just… shut down.
Right when I thought his lips were actually going to touch mine—
He brushed his thumb softly over my lips.
And then, instead of kissing me, he pressed his lips against his thumb, angled perfectly so no one could tell.
From a distance, it seemed… real. Intimate, even.
But it was all a show. A perfect, polished lie.
My jaw dropped.
"The lighting's perfect," Alex murmured, so calm it was unsettling.
"Looks like a real kiss from here."
My cheeks flushed hot.
Across the room, a woman lowered her binoculars slowly, her eyes fixed on us.
Olivia.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Alex..." she breathed, almost to herself.
"All that power, all that danger. And Lily has no clue what she's stepped into."
She reached for her phone, dialing without a second thought.
"It's Olivia," she said softly.
"George... I have something you'll want to hear.
About your brother and his new wife. Lily."
The reception was in full swing.
Alex and I moved through the crowd, offering smiles and polite thank-yous.
"Thank you for coming."
"We're so glad you could make it."
Even as I plastered on a smile, I could feel it.
Their eyes.
Some curious.
Some envious.
And others...
Suspicious.
I caught snippets of their conversations as we passed.
"I thought Alex would marry into money."
"Or at least someone important..."
"Who is she?"
"I've never seen her at any of these things."
I kept my face neutral, but my stomach did a little flip.
I didn't even realize I was gripping Alex's arm until he looked down.
Of course, he noticed.
"Ignore them," he murmured, his voice low and steady.
I looked up at him.
"They're just surprised," he added, like it was nothing.
"Doesn't matter."
Another guest came over, all smiles. Too many smiles.
"Mr. Alex, congratulations. Your bride is... a surprise."
Alex didn't even blink.
"Yes," he said, cool as ice.
"And she's my wife."
The guy's smile vanished in an instant.
And then, for the first time since we'd arrived, I felt something else.
Not just the stares.
Not just the whispers.
But a quiet understanding settling over the room—
Whatever I was before,
I was now standing next to Alex as his wife.
And whether they liked it or not,
That changed everything.
The party finally died down, and just like that, I was heading to his place.
The drive wasn't long, but I was wiped.
That wedding dress was gorgeous, but it was a beast to wear. My shoulders were screaming, and all I wanted was to find a quiet corner and just...breathe.
The car slowed, and then stopped.
I looked up, and my breath hitched.
This building...it was insane.
All glass and steel, sparkling under the city lights.
It was like something out of a movie. The kind of place people like me just...didn't go into.
And yet...here I was.
About to live here.
The driver got out and opened the door.
I gathered the dress and stepped out, my heels clicking on the ground.
Alex was beside me, cool as ever.
When we got to the entrance, the guards snapped to attention and bowed.
I blinked. Seriously? Is this my life now?
We went inside.
And the inside? Even more overwhelming.
The living room – wait, was this a parlor? – was huge.
Crazy high ceilings. Crystal lights. Marble floors.
Everything looked perfect, expensive, like it had been planned to the last detail.
I felt tiny.
Alex didn't seem to notice I was having a meltdown.
He just said, "I'll show you around."
And he did.
Room after room. A study. A guest wing. A private lounge. A dining room bigger than my old apartment.
Finally, he stopped in front of a door.
"This is your room."
Your room?
Not ours.
He opened the door.
And it was...wow. Soft lights. Windows that went all the way up to the ceiling.
A bed that looked like it was from a fancy hotel.
"Just put your bags in here," he said, cool as a cucumber.
Before I could even really process it, his voice cut through my thoughts.
"Leave the luggage here.
The house helper will come in the morning and help you unpack."
I nodded, still kind of stunned — then he added,
"We'll be sharing the master bedroom.
This room is for your stuff."
I blinked.
Sharing?
My brain just...blurted it out. "Share a room? You don't have to do that..."
Alex chuckled – not a big laugh, just a little amused sound.
"We need to make this look real if we don't want to get caught," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, watching me.
"The butcher is my mother's eyes and ears.
He tells her everything."
The butcher?
Oh.
"So, you see why we need to share a room," he finished, calm as ever.
"O-oh… right," I mumbled.
Of course. Watching. Reporting back.
This wasn't about love.
This was a game.
He looked at me, and his voice softened a little.
"You should go freshen up.
You must be dead tired."
Tired didn't even cover it.
"If you need anything, let me know," he went on.
"I don't have a lot of staff. I like my space. Besides the cleaner and the butcher, no one comes here.
They're gone for the day."
So, it was just us.
In this enormous house.
Alone.
"That's fine," I blurted out, a little too fast.
"I can handle it."
He paused, studying me like he was trying to figure out what I wasn't saying.
"Good," he said, and that was that.
And just like that, it hit me, the whole thing.
I went into the master bedroom, shut the door, and just leaned there for a moment.
Share a room.
Of course, we were sharing a room.
Why did that feel worse than the actual wedding?
I walked toward the giant bed, then turned to the mirror. The dress felt ten times heavier all of a sudden.
I reached behind me, my fingers fumbling for the zipper.
Nothing.
I twisted, trying again.
Still stuck.
"Come on..." I muttered, stretching my arm as high as it would go.
It wouldn't budge.
I tried pulling it down blindly, but it was no use.
My shoulders were already aching from the weight of the dress. After a few more frustrating tugs, I just stopped.
There was only one thing to do.
I stared at the door.
This is ridiculous. I'm a grown woman. It's just a zipper.
But... my heart was already starting to pound.
I walked to the door, hesitated, then opened it a crack.
"Alex?" My voice came out all small.
He was in the sitting area, loosening his tie. He looked up right away.
"Yeah?"
I swallowed.
"Can you... um..." I gestured awkwardly behind me.
"The zipper's stuck."
For a split second, he just looked at me. Not smiling.
Not anything. Just… taking it in.
Then he nodded once and walked toward me.
"Turn around," he said, calm as anything.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
I turned, and he was right there, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him. Steady. Controlled.
God, why does he smell so good? Like... something expensive.
His fingers brushed the fabric near my back, searching for the zipper.
My brain did a total systems failure.
It's just a zipper. Get a grip.
But when his knuckles grazed my skin — barely — a shock went straight through me.
I sucked in a breath, trying to play it cool.
He paused.
"Did I hurt you?"
"N-no," I blurted out, way too fast.
"It's fine."
His hand steadied the top of the dress.
And then, slowly... he pulled the zipper down.
The sound echoed in the quiet room, way louder than it should have.
My thoughts were a mess.
This is fake.
This is all for show.
So why does this feel... like this?
The zipper reached the base of my back.
His fingers lingered for a half-second — not inappropriate, not intentional, just... there.
My skin felt like it was on fire.
"It's done," he said quietly.
But he didn't move away.
And neither did I.
For one terrifying second, the air between us felt thick. Heavy.
Then he cleared his throat and stepped back.
"You should rest," he said, his voice back to that calm, controlled tone.
"It's been a long day."
Right.
Long day.
Marriage. Mansion. Shared bedroom.
Totally normal.
I turned slightly, clutching the front of the gown before it could slip.
"Thank you," I managed, trying to sound normal.
He gave a small nod.
"If you need anything," he added, "I'm right here."
The door clicked shut behind him.
And then, finally, I let out the breath I'd been holding.
This one-year contract was going to be way harder than I thought.
I finally wrestled the dress off, which took forever. My shoulders ached, and my back felt lighter without the weight of it.
I changed into something simple, something that felt like me, and took a slow, shaky breath.
I opened the bathroom door, and there was Alex. Already.
He wasn't looking at me.
He was by the window, fiddling with his tie, like the whole day had just been another meeting. Not a wedding. Not something that had changed everything.
For a second, I just stood there.
Then I looked at the bed.
My heart did a weird flip.
It was huge. Bigger than any bed I'd ever seen.
All soft and perfect, and definitely meant for two.
Surely… he wouldn't—
"I'll sleep on the couch," I blurted out, quick, before he could say anything.
The words just tumbled out.
He stopped.
Then he turned, and his face was all calm, like always.
"There isn't a couch in this room," he said, plain.
I blinked.
Right.
Of course, there wasn't.
This was the master bedroom.
Silence. Thick and weird.
I pulled at the edge of my sleeve. "So… I'll just, um, sleep in the other room then."
He chuckled, low.
Not mocking. Not amused. Just… soft.
"That would kind of defeat the point of all this."
I frowned a little. "What do you mean?"
He walked closer, not right up to me, but close enough that I could feel him there.
"We're married now," he said, his voice steady.
"At least, that's what everyone thinks."