It was early in the morning, Zara arrived early to the office , she noticed something was wrong immediately she walked into the office,people were quieter than usual, conversations stopped too quickly, a few glances lingered a second too long before looking away, she didn't like that, "What happened?" she asked sharply, dropping her bag on her desk,no one answered immediately. That was worse ,her phone buzzed.
One notification. Then another. Then several more, she frowned, unlocking it and then she saw it, a mind-blowing headline "Power Pair or Real Deal? Insider Sources Suggest More Than Business Between Zara and Ethan." Zara was rooted to that spot, her expression went completely still.
With her shaky hands she opened the article , photos from the investor lunch, the way they stood close,the moment Ethan adjusted her chair, the brief brush of hands. All of it was captured , interpreted wrongly and twisted "Their chemistry appears natural… sources hint the relationship may not be entirely staged…" Zara was stunned , confused and angry, this is ridiculous! she lamented .
Is it?she turned. Ethan stood at the doorway, calm as ever, though his eyes were sharper than usual. They're speculating, she said, that's all, speculation spreads, he replied,especially when it looks believable, Zara furrowed her brows and crossed her arms , she didn't want to accept that idea , so she replied,then we corrected it,not immediately, her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. The click sounded louder than it should have, if we shut it down too fast, it draws more attention," he said , and the board won't like that, so we just let them run with it?" she snapped.
For now… we control it, Ethan replied.
Zara let out a sharp breath, turning away. This was exactly what she hated,losing control of the narrative.
Another knock sounded on the door. She looked at the entrance, it's her manager, she wanted to say something but the manager interrupted her and said, don't worry, we've seen the article and the board has decided to….she hesitated , to use this to our advantage.
The public response is positive,the manager continued her explanation, engagement is up, the public is interested, investors are interested, they want the both of you to… lean into it. Am I communicating?She asked
….. Silence
After few seconds, Zara raised her head and said flatly, you can't be serious , it's temporary , don't worry the benefits are still there, the manager quickly added , she doesn't know what to say, she just breathed out, she glanced at Ethan, he didn't look surprised, that annoyed her more than anything.
"Fine," she said finally, her voice controlled. Then we handle it properly.
Later that day, they were scheduled for an impromptu media appearance. Zara stood backstage, adjusting her blazer again, though it didn't need adjusting. Her thoughts were sharper now, more focused, Ethan stood beside her, hands in his pockets, completely at ease.
Ethan tilted his head and looked at her, he noticed that she's feeling quite uncomfortable,you're overthinking, he said quietly, I'm calculating, she corrected. He gave a faint smirk, same difference.
She ignored him.
Just remember, he added, that we are not denying, we are not confirming, we let them believe what they want and make wild guesses , Zara exhaled slowly, I know how to handle pressure. I know, he said but that's not what I'm concerned about, she turned to him slightly,then what are you concerned about?
A brief pause.
Her brows furrowed , Ethan looked at her , smiled and replied,no worries.
They stepped onto the stage together with lights ,cameras, and attention,It was heavier this time,more focused, more curious, a reporter wasted no time. She went close to them and started asking questions. There's been a lot of speculation about your relationship, she said,care to clarify? Zara felt the weight of the moment settle. Ethan moved slightly closer beside her, grounding and steady ,Zara tilted her head slightly, a controlled smile forming and replied to the reporter ,"people see what they want to see," she said smoothly, and sometimes,Ethan added, they're not entirely wrong.
Her eyes flicked to him.
That wasn't part of the plan at all, but the cameras loved it, a ripple moved through the room, without pause another question came quickly. so… is there something more between you?
Zara didn't reply at first, contemplating on what to say, then she said, What matters is what we represent, not about what's between us. She gave a swift reply, Ethan glanced at her and gave a slight nod.
The event went on for few more hours before it came to an end and everyone started leaving but after the event, the tension didn't disappear, it followed them all along, into the hallways, into the car and into the silence between them , Zara while sitting in the car was lost in her own thought, leaning on the car seat and looking outside the window , she decided to break the silence , then she said, that wasn't what we agreed on Ethan didn't look at her and he replied, yeah I know but plans changed according to the situation you implied something, I allowed them to believe something, that's not the same thing.
He turned to her then, his expression calm but firmer now.
She held his gaze. And what happens when it stops being just strategy?she asked quietly. Ethan looked at her and said don't worry, it won't , alright Zara said.
That night, the article numbers climbed, views, shares,likes and comments , the story was growing and so was the pressure, Zara stood by the window with phone in her hand rereading the head lines , "Unexpected chemistry" , "More than just business", normally, she should have been satisfied because this was working, even the deal was stronger than ever, everything was moving In their favor, she closed her phone and said silently, it's just a strategy.