The Billionaire's Fake Wife

Chapter 5: The Phone Call

Ada woke up with a crick in her neck and Kene’s suit jacket draped over her shoulders.

The hospital room smelled like antiseptic and coffee. Morning light streamed through the blinds, and for the first time in weeks, Ada felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Peace.

Her mother was sleeping peacefully, the heart monitor beeping steadily with a normal rhythm. The tubes were still there, but Mrs. Okeke’s color had returned to her face. She was going to be okay.

Ada sat up slowly, careful not to wake Kene who was slumped in the chair beside her, still holding her hand.

He looked different when he slept.

The cold, hard billionaire mask was gone. In its place was just a tired man in his early 30s with dark circles under his eyes and a furrow between his brows.

Ada studied him for a moment longer than she should have.

*Rule 3.*

She pulled her hand away gently and stood up. Her legs felt numb from sitting in the same position for 6 hours.

Kene’s eyes snapped open immediately.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice rough from sleep.

“How long was I asleep?” Ada asked, stretching.

“Two hours.” Kene stood up too, rolling his shoulders. “You should go home and take a proper shower. You smell like hospital.”

Ada laughed despite herself. “And you don’t?”

Kene almost smiled. Almost. “I’m used to it.”

The door opened and a nurse walked in with a tray. “Mrs. Okeke is stable. You can speak to her when she wakes up in about an hour.”

“Thank you,” Ada said.

As the nurse left, Kene’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen and his entire body tensed.

Ada noticed immediately. “What is it?”

Kene didn’t answer. He just walked out of the room, phone to his ear. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes. Don’t do anything until I arrive.”

Ada followed him into the hallway. “Kene, what’s going on?”

He ended the call and turned to her, his face set in that cold expression she was starting to hate.

“My uncle.”

Ada’s stomach dropped. “What about him?”

“He’s at the company right now. He’s calling an emergency board meeting. Without me.” Kene ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “He’s trying to stage a takeover while I’m here with you.”

Ada blinked. “So go. I’ll be fine here. My mother is stable.”

Kene shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Kene, your company—”

“Can wait.” Kene stepped closer, his voice low. “Your mother’s life can’t.”

The words hit Ada harder than they should have.

For the first time since she met him, she saw it clearly - Kene wasn’t just doing this for the contract anymore.

But before she could respond, Kene’s phone buzzed again.

He looked at the screen and his face went pale.

“What is it now?” Ada asked, her voice trembling.

Kene didn’t answer. He just showed her the phone.

On the screen was a photo.

It was a photo of Ada and Kene walking out of the restaurant last night.

The headline read: *BILLIONAIRE KENE UDOKA SECRETLY MARRIES UNKNOWN WOMAN*

Ada’s blood ran cold. “How did they—”

“My uncle leaked it to the press.” Kene’s jaw clenched. “He wants to destroy my reputation. And yours.”

Ada stared at the photo. In it, Kene’s hand was on the small of her back as they walked to the car. They looked... intimate. Like a real couple.

Like they were in love.

“Who took this?” Ada whispered.

“I don’t know yet.” Kene pocketed the phone. “But it’s going to be everywhere in the next hour. The papers. Social media. Everywhere.”

Ada felt dizzy. “What do we do?”

Kene looked at her for a long moment. Then he said something that made Ada’s heart stop.

“We deny it.”

Ada stared at him. “What?”

“We tell the press it’s fake. That it’s a misunderstanding. That we’re just business partners.” Kene’s voice was urgent now. “If they find out this is a real marriage, even if it’s fake, my uncle will use it against me in the board meeting.”

Ada felt like she’d been slapped. “You want me to lie?”

“I want you to protect yourself.” Kene grabbed her shoulders. “Ada, if this gets out, the media will tear you apart. They’ll call you a gold-digger. They’ll say you trapped me. They’ll dig into your past, your mother, everything.”

Ada pulled away from him. “And what about us? What about what happened last night? What about the way you held my hand?”

Kene’s eyes flashed with something raw. Something real.

“That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is keeping you safe.”

Ada shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. “So that’s it? We pretend nothing happened? We pretend we’re not married?”

Kene looked like he’d been punched in the gut.

“Ada, please—”

But Ada was already walking back into her mother’s room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Kene stood in the hallway alone, his fist clenched at his side.

For the first time in years, he didn’t know what to do.