Chapter5
1202 Words
MEDIA FRENZY
~NATHANIEL’S POV~
The second the elevator doors closed, I allowed myself a smirk.
Tessa Hart was going to be interesting.
I had expected her to panic, maybe backtrack on her hasty decision. Most people would have, especially after seeing the media frenzy outside her building.
But instead, she had fought—for control, for boundaries, for whatever pretense of normalcy she was clinging to.
I liked that.
I slid into the backseat of my waiting car, adjusting the cuff of my suit as my driver pulled into traffic.
“Where to, sir?”
“The office.”
I needed to handle the fallout before it spiraled beyond my control.
Because if there was one thing I had learned in my years of being Nathaniel Pierce, CEO of one of the most powerful tech companies in the country, it was that perception was everything.
And right now? I was at the center of a scandal.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the flood of notifications. Every business news outlet had already picked up the story.
“Billionaire CEO Nathaniel Pierce Engaged?”
“Spotted: The City’s Most Eligible Bachelor Taken Off the Market—But Who Is She?”
“Did Nathaniel Pierce Just Say ‘I Do’ to a Stranger?”
I let out a slow breath, locking my phone. This wasn’t a crisis. Not yet. But it had the potential to become one if I didn’t control the narrative.
The moment I stepped into my office, my assistant, Emma, was already waiting.
“You’re trending,” she said, handing me a folder. “And not in the way we usually like.”
I flipped through the pages—screenshots of articles, social media reactions, and a list of potential damage-control strategies.
“Cancel all my meetings for today,” I said, scanning the list. “I need time to deal with this.”
Emma nodded. “Do you want me to set up an interview?”
“No.” I tossed the folder onto my desk and sat down, rubbing my temple. “A press statement should be enough for now. Something neutral—confirming the engagement, no details.”
“And if they push for more?”
“They will,” I admitted. “But let them assume for now. It keeps the public distracted.”
Emma studied me for a moment, then crossed her arms. “And what about your fiancée? Are we bringing her in on this?”
I smirked. “She’ll come to me when she realizes how deep she’s in.”
Tessa Hart wasn’t the type to sit quietly while the world picked apart her life. She’d fight for control, just like she had in the elevator.
And when she did, I’d be waiting.
~TESSA’S POV~
I woke up to chaos. The second I unlocked my phone, I was met with hundreds—hundreds—of messages.
My best friend, Natalie, had left exactly seventeen missed calls. I barely had time to take a deep breath before my phone rang again.
“Natalie—”
“Are you insane?!”
I winced, pulling the phone away from my ear. “Good morning to you too.”
“Don’t you dare play innocent with me,” she snapped. “I wake up to find my best friend all over the news, engaged to a billionaire. And not just any billionaire—Ethan’s freaking boss! What the hell, Tessa?!”
I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. “It’s complicated.”
“No kidding! Do you have any idea what’s happening online? People are saying you trapped him into it.”
My stomach twisted. “Trapped—?”
What non-sense are people sprouting again?
“Yeah! They’re calling you a gold digger and a desperate nobody who forced the city’s most eligible bachelor into marriage.”
I closed my eyes, gripping the phone tighter. I wasn't surprised. Of course, they were. I should have seen this coming.
“Are you okay?” Natalie’s voice softened.
I let out a slow breath. “Honestly? I have no idea.”
A long pause. Then— “What are you going to do?”
I hesitated. I had options. I could tell the truth, come clean to the press, and clear my name. But that would mean humiliating myself all over again.
And worse—it would mean letting Ethan win. I wasn’t ready for that. So I straightened my spine and said, “I’m going to fix this.”
Silence. Then—Natalie sighed. “Of course you are.”
“I’ll call you later,” I promised. After ending the call, I took a deep breath and pulled up Nathaniel's number I had collected.
He picked up on the first ring. “I was expecting your call.”
Cocky bastard. I ignored the way my pulse quickened at the sound of his voice. “We need to talk.”
“Come to my office.”
I frowned. “I’d rather meet somewhere less… public.”
Nathaniel chuckled. “Tessa, everywhere is public now. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
I gritted my teeth. “Fine. I’ll be there in an hour.”
~NATHANIEL’S POV~
She walked into my office like she was preparing for battle. Tessa Hart—shoulders squared, chin high, gaze sharp.
She was trying to act unaffected, but I could see the tension in her hands, the wariness in her eyes.
She dropped her bag onto the chair across from me. “We need to end this.”
I leaned back, tilting my head. “You want to back out?”
“Obviously.” She crossed her arms. “This was a mistake. I need to make a statement, clear everything up.”
I folded my hands on the desk. “And what exactly would you say? That you got caught up in the moment and proposed to a random manin a fit of rage?”
She hesitated.
I smirked. “You really think the media will let that go?”
She exhaled sharply, pacing the room. “So what? I just let them turn me into some gold-digging joke?”
I watched her for a moment, then stood. She stilled as I stepped closer.
“You want to fix this?” I murmured. “Then play your part.”
Her gaze snapped to mine. “Excuse me?”
“We keep up the engagement—for now.” I tucked my hands in my pockets. “Let the media eat it up. We control the story, not them.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “So what? I just pretend to be your loving fiancée until you decide you’re done with me?”
I smirked. “Exactly.”
She stared at me, disagreed, her lips pressed into a thin line. I could practically see the gears turning in her head.
Finally—she exhaled, shaking her head.
“You’re impossible.”
I grinned. “You’ll get used to it.”
She narrowed her eyes but didn’t argue. Which meant she had made her decision. Tessa Hart was all in.
And this game was just getting started.
- Writer
