Pretending To Love Mr Hill

Chapter 4

My heart was beating so loud I was sure the whole room could hear it, the older board member with the gray hair kept staring at me, his eyes cold and empty, waiting for an answer.

My mouth felt like sandpaper. Words would not come out, I opened my lips but nothing happened. Everyone was looking at me. I wanted the ground to open and swallow me whole.

I was on the verge of tears when I felt a hand under the table, Travis’s warm hand slowly covered mine, he gave it a gentle squeeze. My body went stiff with shock. I turned my head a little to look at him, but he was already facing the board, his face calm like nothing was happening.

The hairs on my arm instantly stood his touch sent electricity up my arm.

“I’m… I’m currently overwhelmed,” I said, my voice shaking at first. I swallowed hard and tried again. “But I’m happy. Really happy. I get to be with the love of my life. No matter what happens, I have him and I know he has my back. We didn’t plan for everything to move this fast, but… I trust him completely. And I’m ready to stand by his side through it all.”

The words surprised even me. They sounded real. My cheeks felt hot. I kept my eyes on the table, too scared to look at anyone. My hands were sweating badly under the table, but Travis’s hand stayed there for a few more seconds, It was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.

A few board members nodded slowly. The gray-haired man leaned back in his chair, still watching me carefully, but he didn’t ask anything else. Travis’s hand slowly left mine. I missed the warmth immediately.

Travis cleared his throat. “As you can see, Amelia is still adjusting to all the attention. We appreciate your understanding and support as we move forward together.”

The meeting ended shortly after that. People started gathering their papers and talking in low voices. Some of them even smiled at me, but I couldn’t smile back my stomach was still turning like I might actually throw up. Travis stood up first and pulled out my chair like a perfect gentleman, his hand returned to the small of my back as we walked out and that strange warmth spread through me again, making my skin tingle even though I didn’t want it to.

As soon as we stepped out of the boardroom, one of the senior board members called after us. “Travis, we need the official statement out as soon as possible. Clients and shareholders are already asking questions after the rumors. Send messages to the major partners today. Reassure them that everything is stable and that this engagement is good for the company’s future.”

Another member added quickly, “No more delays. We can’t afford any doubt."

Travis nodded smoothly, his face still calm and professional.

“Of course. We’ll handle it right away.”

I walked beside him, my legs feeling like jelly, my mind was screaming. Messages to clients? My face and name would be everywhere soon, this was moving too fast, way too fast. My chest felt tight again, and I had to focus on breathing so I wouldn’t panic in front of everyone.

Andre was waiting for us near the elevator. He looked as calm and professional as always. As we got closer, he stepped forward.

“Sir, I already scheduled a press conference for tomorrow morning,” Andre said quietly. “Ten o’clock. The team is preparing the release statement for tonight. Everything should be ready for your approval this evening.”

Travis stopped walking for a second. I saw something flicker across his face, his jaw tightened and his shoulders looked a bit stiff. he looked almost… tired. He rubbed the back of his neck quickly, then nodded.

“Good work, Andre,” he said, he glanced at me, and for a moment then turned fully to me.

“Amelia, is tomorrow fine with you?”

I couldn’t speak. My throat felt too tight. I just nodded, what else could I do? The contract was already signed. Travis studied my face for a moment longer.

“You can go home if you want. Take the rest of the day. You’ve done enough today.”

I didn’t answer. I just gave another small nod and excused myself.

“I’ll go back to my office,” I whispered.

I turned and walked away before he could say anything else, my legs carried me to the elevator on autopilot. Andre must have called it up already because the doors opened immediately, I stepped inside and pressed the button for my floor as the elevator went down, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes, my hands were still shaking.

The elevator dinged on my floor. I walked mindlessly to my office, ignoring the curious looks from a few colleagues. Once inside, I closed the door and sank into my chair. My head was spinning, and I felt like I was going to throw up, I needed to rest, I got up, gathered my things, picked my hand bag and prepared to go home.