More Than Just A Deal
982 Words
The room was silent.
Khan’s heart pounded in her ears as she tried to process what Liam had just said.
"Marry me again," he had said. "Publicly. A real ceremony."
No contracts. No business deals. Just them.
This wasn’t part of the plan. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
"Liam…" Her voice wavered, unsure.
He took a step closer, his expression unreadable but his gaze locked onto hers. "Harold thinks he has control over us. He’s trying to destroy my credibility and make you look like nothing more than a hired actress in my life. If we don’t get ahead of this, he wins."
Khan inhaled sharply. She knew he was right. The prenup leak had put them in the worst possible position. If they did nothing, their entire relationship would be seen as a fraud.
But this?
This was dangerous.
"Liam," she said carefully, "if we do this, it changes everything."
A shadow passed through his expression. "I know."
Silence hung between them for a long moment.
Then Liam reached for her hand, his grip steady. "Khan, I need you to trust me."
Trust.
It was such a simple word. Yet, it carried so much weight.
Her mind raced with every possible consequence of what he was asking. Could she really do this? Could she put everything on the line for a marriage that had started as a lie—a business transaction?
And then, she realized something.
The lines between fake and real had already begun to blur.
The small, unspoken moments. The way Liam had defended her. The way his touch had started feeling different.
The way he looked at her now.
Khan took a deep breath and made her decision.
"Okay," she said.
Liam’s grip tightened around her hand. "Okay?"
She nodded, determination settling in. "We do this. We make them believe it. And we outplay Harold at his own game."
For the first time in what felt like forever, a slow, genuine smile curved Liam’s lips.
"Then let’s give them a wedding they’ll never forget."
The world went insane.
The moment the announcement was made—Liam Carter and Khan Coco to Renew Their Vows in a Grand Ceremony—social media exploded.
People dissected every detail. Was it damage control? A desperate move? Or was it real?
Harold had expected them to crumble. Instead, they had turned the narrative on its head.
And he wasn’t happy.
Khan heard from Vivian a few days later.
"He’s furious," Vivian told her over the phone. "He thought he had backed you both into a corner, but you flipped the board on him. He’s scrambling now, trying to find a way to regain control."
Khan exhaled. "Then we have to make sure we don’t give him an opening."
Vivian hesitated. "Khan… I know this started as just a deal between you and Liam. But are you sure this is still just a deal?"
Khan froze.
She knew what Vivian was asking.
And she didn’t have an answer.
Instead of replying, she simply said, "I have to go."
Because the truth was terrifying.
And she wasn’t ready to face it.
The wedding planning happened at lightning speed. Liam’s PR team worked tirelessly, ensuring every detail was perfect.
A lavish ceremony. A guest list full of power players. A dress that would steal headlines.
Everything was designed to make it look real.
But the problem was—it was starting to feel real.
Liam and Khan spent more time together than ever before. Public outings, interviews, event planning. And in between all of it… there were moments.
Little moments that shouldn’t have meant anything.
But they did.
Like when Khan caught Liam watching her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
Or when his hand lingered on her waist just a little too long.
Or when they forgot there was an audience and just… existed in each other’s space.
She kept telling herself it was part of the act.
But the way Liam looked at her sometimes…
It was not an act.
The night before the wedding, Khan found herself alone in the penthouse balcony, staring at the city lights.
So much had changed since the day she signed that contract.
She had gone from being an outsider in Liam’s world to being the center of it.
And now, in less than twenty-four hours, she would stand before the world and vow to love him—again.
She wasn’t sure what scared her more.
The fact that the world believed this marriage was real.
Or the fact that she was starting to believe it, too.
"Khan."
She turned at the sound of Liam’s voice. He was leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets.
"Hey," she said softly.
He stepped onto the balcony, joining her. "You okay?"
She hesitated. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
"About tomorrow?"
She nodded.
Liam exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Khan… I know this started as something neither of us planned. But I want you to know something."
She looked up at him. "What?"
He met her gaze, and for the first time, his walls were completely down.
"You’re not just a contract to me." His voice was low, rough. "Not anymore."
Khan’s breath caught in her throat.
This wasn’t the Liam who was a billionaire CEO.
This wasn’t the Liam who played the part of the perfect husband in front of the cameras.
This was just… Liam.
The man who had slowly, quietly, become something more to her than she had ever expected.
She swallowed hard. "Liam, if you say things like that, I might start believing it."
His lips curved slightly. "And would that be so bad?"
She didn’t have an answer.
Because deep down, she already knew the truth.
It was too late.
She had already fallen.
And tomorrow, she would have to stand in front of the world and pretend that it was just for show.
- Writer
