The Billionaire's Sixty-Day Wife

Chapter 7

Camila's POV

I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw the dress.

"No."

The woman standing in front of me doesn't even blink. "Mr. Vega selected this one personally."

I stare at the garment hanging from the closet door as if it has personally offended me.

It's beautiful, that's the problem.

The dark emerald fabric looks elegant, expensive, and completely inappropriate for someone who usually spends her days wearing scrubs and comfortable shoes.

"I'm not wearing that."

The stylist smiles patiently, which makes the situation worse. "You are."

I sigh.

Twenty minutes later, I'm standing in front of a mirror wondering when exactly my life stopped making sense.

Two weeks ago, I was arguing with hospital administrators about patient staffing. Now I'm preparing to attend a billionaire charity gala as Mrs. Vega.

Nothing about that feels normal.

The bedroom door opens behind me, and when I turn around, I immediately regret it.

Alejandro freezes for a second.

His gaze travels over the dress before meeting mine again, and something unreadable flashes across his face so quickly that I almost convince myself I imagined it.

"You clean up nicely," I say because the silence suddenly feels dangerous.

The black tuxedo makes him look even more unfairly attractive than usual.

His mouth twitches slightly. "You look beautiful."

The compliment catches me off guard.

For a second, I don't know what to do with it.

"Thanks."

Brilliant response, Camila.

Alejandro clears his throat. "We should leave."

I nod quickly because staying in this room feels like a terrible idea.

The drive to the gala is surprisingly quiet.

Partly because I'm nervous mostly because every time I look at Alejandro, I remember the way he looked at me a few minutes ago.

However, my brain has decided to make that everyone else's problem.

The hotel comes into view twenty minutes later, and my stomach immediately drops.

The place is enormous, with luxury cars lining the entrance while photographers crowd behind barricades and reporters gather along the red carpet as camera flashes explode constantly in every direction.

"Oh, absolutely not."

Alejandro glances toward me. "What?"

I point toward the crowd. "That."

His expression doesn't change. "It's just a gala."

I stare at him. "There's enough media coverage out there to document a small war."

"It's not that bad."

A camera flash goes off outside. Then another, then twenty more.

I look back at him. "You're a liar."

To my annoyance, he laughs.

The car stops and my pulse immediately speeds up.

Alejandro notices. "Relax."

I narrow my eyes. "That's easy for you to say."

"It gets easier."

"Based on what evidence?"

He studies me for a moment before offering his hand. The gesture surprises me. So does the strange comfort I feel when I take it.

"Stay close to me," he says quietly. "If reporters ask questions, smile first and think second."

I blink. "That's terrible advice."

"It's worked for half the people in this building."

I hate how funny that is, but the amusement disappears the moment we step onto the red carpet because chaos erupts instantly, with cameras flashing from every direction, reporters shouting questions over one another, and people pushing forward as the overwhelming noise crashes over me so fast that I almost stumble.

Then Alejandro's hand settles lightly against my back, and the simple contact steadies me more than it should.

"Mrs. Vega!"

"How did you meet?"

"When did you start dating?"

"Are children in your future?"

My eyes widen. "What?"

Alejandro leans slightly closer. "Never answer the children question."

"Why?"

"Because then they ask follow-up questions."

That sounds horrifying, and somehow we survive the red carpet and make it inside, although barely, because the ballroom is even more overwhelming with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, hundreds of guests filling the room, and a mix of celebrities, politicians, executives, investors, and people whose watches probably cost more than my yearly salary.

I suddenly find myself missing the emergency room because at least hospitals make sense.

"You're doing that thing again."

I glance toward Alejandro. "What thing?"

"The one where you look like you're planning an escape route."

I cross my arms. "I am planning an escape route."

His mouth twitches. "Try not to use it."

The evening quickly becomes a blur of introductions, names, titles, conversations, and even more names until I eventually stop trying to remember everyone and simply focus on surviving the night, which is when something unexpected happens.

A healthcare foundation representative asks for my opinion about emergency room staffing shortages.

Finally...... A subject I actually understand.

For the next several minutes, I talk about overcrowded hospitals, patient advocacy, treatment accessibility, and the challenges healthcare workers face every day.

The words come naturally.

Passion replaces nervousness.

By the time I finish, several people are listening.

Actually listening, not because I'm Alejandro's wife but because I know what I'm talking about.

The realization feels strangely empowering.

When the conversation finally ends, I notice Alejandro watching me.

"What?"

He looks away first. "Nothing."

"That's not true."

A faint smile appears. "I forgot how passionate you get when someone mentions healthcare."

Something warm settles unexpectedly in my chest.

Before I can respond, photographers appear.

Of course they do, one waves us over.

"Mr. and Mrs. Vega!" I already hate where this is going. "We need a few couple photos."

Alejandro sighs.

The photographer continues.

"Closer." We move slightly. "Closer." Again. "Much closer."

I glare.

The photographer ignores me.

Alejandro steps beside me, and before I can prepare myself, his arm slides around my waist.

Every thought immediately disappears.

The contact shouldn't affect me but it absolutely does. Heat rushes through me so quickly that it's embarrassing.

Worse, Alejandro seems equally aware of it.

His hand remains steady, his expression remains calm but something changes in his eyes.

For several seconds, neither of us speaks.

Neither of us moves.

The photographer practically vibrates with excitement.

"Perfect."

This is not perfect, this is a problem. Because for the first time since signing that contract, being close to Alejandro doesn't feel fake.

Across the ballroom, Victor watches the entire thing.

The look on his face is brief but I catch it.

Concern, suspicion, almost annoyance. As though something isn't happening the way he expected.

The photographer finally releases us, and I immediately put a safe amount of distance between myself and Alejandro.

At least I try to.

However, the memory of his arm around my waist refuses to cooperate.

The rest of the evening passes without any major disasters, embarrassing mistakes, or family interrogations, and for the first time all night I actually begin to relax, convincing myself that we've survived another Vega family event.

The thought barely has time to settle before the ballroom doors open and movement near the entrance catches my attention.

A woman steps inside, tall, elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful in the kind of effortless way that makes conversations falter and heads turn.

For a moment she simply stands there scanning the room, but the instant her eyes land on Alejandro, everything about her changes as genuine shock flashes across her face.

My stomach tightens immediately because the reaction is too real to fake, and when I glance beside me, I find Alejandro standing completely still.

Suddenly, I know exactly who this woman is......not because we've met, but because I've seen that look before.

It's the look someone gets when they discover the person they never stopped thinking about has moved on.

The woman stares directly at Alejandro, then her gaze slowly shifts toward me.

The smile that appears doesn't reach her eyes and for some reason, that scares me far more than if she had looked angry.

Whoever she is, one thing becomes painfully clear. She wasn't expecting to find Alejandro Vega with another woman.