Chapter3
1026 Words
KEEPING THE CHARADE
~NATHANIEL’S POV~
I wasn't in the habit of making hasty decisions.
Every move I made was calculated, and precise. I didn't entertain chaos. I damn well didn't welcome distractions.
Yet here I was, standing in the middle of a God damn street, engagement ring on my finger, with a woman whose name I had only just learned.
Tessa.
I glance down at her as i led her away from the growing crowd. She was tense, her small hand stiff in mine, but she wasn't pulling away.
Not yet.
Smart girl. She knew she was in too deep to run.
I wasn't sure why i hadn't corrected her mistake immediately. I could have. No, I should have.
But when she looked up at me with those wide, furious eyes….eyes that were daring me to walk away, to laugh in her face….i found that I didn't want to.
And Ethan’s reaction? That was a damn bonus.
“Where are we going?” Tessa demanded as I pulled open the door to my waiting car.
I shot her a look. “In.”
She hesitated. “Nathaniel, I—”
I leaned in slightly. “Would you rather have this conversation in the middle of a crowd with cameras flashing in your face?”
Her jaw clenched, and after a beat, she slid inside.
Good girl.
I followed, shutting the door behind me. My driver pulled away from the curb, the city lights blurring past us.
Tessa sat stiffly beside me, her hands clasped in her lap. I could feel the energy radiating off her—anger, confusion, panic.
I let the silence stretch just long enough to frighten her before I finally spoke.
“You should start explaining.”
She whipped her head toward me. “Me?”
I raised a brow. She let out a short, humorless laugh. “You’re the one who said ‘I do’!”
“You put the ring on my finger.”
“I didn’t know who you were!”
“And yet, here we are.”
Her hands curled into fists. “Nathaniel, I—” She breathed out sharply, as if trying to steady herself. “It was a mistake. I wasn’t thinking. I was—” She stopped, pressing her lips together.
“Angry,” I finished for her. Her head snapped up.
“You were angry,” I repeated. “Blinded by it. You saw Ethan with another woman, and instead of walking away, you wanted to make him suffer.”
Her face twisted. “That’s not—” She stopped herself again, then exhaled. “Okay. Fine. Maybe that’s true. But I wasn’t thinking clearly, and I definitely didn’t expect to rope in his boss.”
I studied her. She was damn right beautiful—frustrated, fiery, with eyes that burned with stubbornness even through her embarrassment.
“Are you regretting it?” I asked smoothly.
Her lips parted slightly, like she hadn’t expected the question. “I—” She hesitated.
Interesting.
She should be regretting it. She should be begging me to call it off, to fix this mess. Instead, she was hesitating. I leaned back, watching her. “You hate him, don’t you?”
Her eyes flashed. “What?”
“Ethan,” I said simply. “You hate him.”
She scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
I tilted my head. “Is it?”
She shifted uncomfortably, turning toward the window. “I don’t hate him,” she muttered.
But there was something there—something steaming beneath the surface. Not just heartbreak. Not just betrayal.
Something deeper.
I filed that away for later. For now, there were more pressing matters.
“You do realize this engagement is now public,” I told her.
She turned back to me, her expression wary. “We can just… fix it, right? Tell them it was a misunderstanding?”
I smirked. “And let them paint you as the scorned woman who proposed to a stranger out of spite?”
She paled slightly.
I chuckled. “Didn’t think that far ahead, did you?”
She shot me a glare, but the fight in her was dimming. The consequence of reality was setting in.
I shifted slightly, adjusting my cufflinks. “I have an alternative.”
She eyed me warily. “What kind of alternative?”
“We keep the engagement.”
Silence.
Her breath hitched, and she looked at me like I had just suggested we rob a bank together. “Are you insane?”
I ignored the question. “You need damage control. I need to avoid the tabloids tearing this into something messy. A temporary engagement benefits us both.”
She blinked. “Temporary?”
I nodded. “A six month arrangement. We control the narrative. Then, we call it off cleanly—mutual, peaceful. No scandal. No mess.”
Her jaw tightened. “That… that’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” I leaned in slightly, dropping my voice. “Or is it the only way to ensure you don’t become the punchline of every gossip column for the next year?”
She swallowed, her throat bobbing. I could see her mind working, see her battling the logic of it all.
“Why would you do this?” she asked, voice quieter now.
I smirked. “Let’s just say… I have my reasons.”
I wasn’t about to tell her that Ethan was already on thin ice. That this little stunt had just made things far more interesting for me.
And that i am suddenly in need of a temporary wife. The girl Kevin had hired, took off with my money. The audacity of her. And she just happened to fall right into my arms.
She stared at me, still considering her options.
Then, finally— “This is insane,” she muttered.
“And yet?” I prompted. She exhaled sharply, then squeezed her eyes shut. “Fine.”
I smiled, slow and satisfied.
“Good girl.” She opened her eyes and glared at me.
“Don’t say that.”
I only chuckled. This was going to be fun.
- Writer
