Public Relations Neccessity
1348 Words
EDEN
I don't even realize I've stopped breathing until Hayden moves.
Without a word, he walks to his desk, opens a small black box, and turns back towards me.
The moment I see what's inside, my stomach drops.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
He doesn't say anything, he just takes my hand and casually slides a ring onto my finger.
It fits perfectly.
Of course it does.
The flawless oval diamond catches the office light like it's mocking me, throwing little rainbows on the walls while my sanity crumbles.
I stare at it in disbelief. "You—you had this ready?"
He glances up, a ghost of a smirk tugging at his mouth. "You think I'd announce an engagement without a ring, squirrel?"
I gape at him. "You could've half-assed it, at least! I don't know, maybe grabbed something plastic from a vending machine?"
His eyes dart down to my hand. "I don't half-ass things."
I hate that my pulse betrays me right then with a small, traitorous flutter.
He releases my hand slowly, and the weight of the ring feels like a chain.
Before I can think of a suitable way to stab him with a pen, there's a knock on the door.
Hayden's PA pokes her head in again, looking slightly breathless. "Sir, the reporters are ready downstairs. They've set up by the front entrance."
"Perfect timing," Hayden says, because of course he thinks this is perfect. "We'll be right down."
The PA's gaze shifts between us before she wisely shuts the door again.
Hayden turns back to me with a gentle smile. "You can't go down there wearing that."
I look down at myself, frowning at my rumpled jeans and crumpled top. "What's wrong with my outfit? It screams 'hostage chic.'"
He nods towards a garment bag draped over the couch. "That's for you."
I cross my arms. "You bought me clothes?"
"Think of it as a public relations necessity."
"Think of it as creepy," I shoot back.
He smirks faintly. "You'll change anyway."
"I absolutely will not—"
"Eden." His tone softens just a little. "The sooner we do this, the sooner it's over."
That does it. My anger collapses into exhaustion.
"Fine," I mutter, snatching the garment bag. "Turn around."
He moves to sit on the couch, then he leans back and closes his eyes. "Relax, squirrel. I'm not looking."
I grumble under my breath, dragging the zipper down. The dress inside makes me pause.
It's... stunning.
A soft champagne color that probably costs more than my car. Subtle shimmer. Elegant, tailored lines.
I hate it. I hate how beautiful it is. I hate that he somehow picked something that makes me want to cry and scream at the same time.
I undress as quickly as I can, hating that my mind flashes back to the night when Hayden saw me naked back in high school. And the kiss that followed it... And...
My eyes sting with tears as a lump forms in my throat. I can't believe I'm doing this.
I wriggle into the dress, muttering curses under my breath, until I feel the zipper snag halfway up my back.
Of course.
I twist, tug, and nearly dislocate a shoulder, but it won't budge.
"Great," I hiss. "Just great."
"Problem, squirrel?" Hayden asks, and my stomach tightens.
"Shut up."
"Need help?"
I squeeze my eyes shut. "No."
He goes silent for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
I hate him.
I hate that I actually need his help.
"Fine," I grit out. "But no funny business."
He rises to his feet and steps around the couch. When he stops behind me, the air grows ten times hotter.
I feel his warmth before he even touches me, and I have to force myself to close my eyes.
My heart pounds harder at the memory of the way he had slid a cube of ice down my spine that night, his long fingers ending in my...
Fuck.
His fingers brush the base of my spine, steadying the zipper. I go perfectly still.
The sound of it slowly sliding up fills the quiet room. I can barely breathe.
"There," he murmurs, his voice low. "All set."
I turn around, half expecting him to be smirking, but he isn't.
He's just watching me quietly with an unreadable look on his face.
For a single, dizzy second, I forget to hate him.
Then I remember. And hate him twice as much.
"Don't look at me like that," I mutter.
He arches a brow. "Like what?"
"Like this is normal. It's not."
He exhales, glancing towards the door where the noise of reporters is already faintly audible. "Nothing about us is normal, squirrel."
Of course, that's the most genuine thing he's ever said.
How the hell am I supposed to live as his wife after everything that has happened between us?
....
If hell had a waiting room, it would look exactly like this.
Dozens of reporters. Cameras flashing like lightning. People shouting my name like I'm an A-list celebrity.
My chest feels too tight for comfort.
And it reminds me of the way the other students had taken pictures of me wearing nothing but a blanket...and the emptiness in Hayden's eyes while he'd watched from a distance.
A plaything, that's all I'd ever been to him.
Hayden's hand rests lightly at the small of my back as we step onto the platform, his touch both steadying and annoying. The murmur in the room swells the second we appear.
"Smile, squirrel," he murmurs, his lips grazing my ear. "You're glowing."
"Shut up," I hiss.
He chuckles, and for a second I want to elbow him. But then, we're facing the crowd.
Microphones are shoved forward, voices overlapping.
"Mr. Wolfe, how long have you and Miss Clarke been together?"
"Eden, is it true you dated someone else just last week?"
"Mr. Wolfe, did your grandmother arrange this engagement?"
I just stand there, my brain glitching.
Hayden, on the other hand, is unbothered. Effortlessly charming. "We've known each other for years," he says, his deep voice carrying over the noise. "This wasn't arranged. It was... long overdue."
My jaw almost drops. Long overdue?
Someone shouts, "Is this a merger or a marriage, Mr. Wolfe?"
He laughs softly.
"Both require commitment," he says, "and I'm fully invested in this one."
The crowd eats it up. Flashbulbs go off. I feel like I'm watching a performance from outside my own body.
A voice from the back suddenly speaks.
"Mr. Wolfe! There's a rumor this engagement is fake. Apparently, it's a publicity stunt to save both companies!"
The room stills, silence hanging heavy in the air.
Then every microphone in the place swings towards us.
I can literally hear my heart beating.
I look at Hayden, panic clogging my throat. He meets my gaze, his green eyes darkening. And then, he moves even closer.
"Fake, huh?" he says softly, not breaking eye contact.
Before I can ask what he's doing, his hand slides to the back of my neck.
My breathing catches in my throat.
"Hayden—"
He dips his head, and my world explodes into flames as his lips crash against mine.
The crowd gasps, cameras erupt, someone yells something about front-page exclusives...but all I can register is him.
My fingers, traitorous as ever, curl into his lapel before I realize what I'm doing. He deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine before I can prepare myself.
When he finally pulls back, my mind is blank, my pulse going wild.
He turns back to the cameras, and when he speaks, his eyes practically sparkle.
"Does that answer your question?"
My blood boils in my veins.
This is the same person who placed a bet on my innocence, got me pregnant, and made me lose it.
He wants to play a game?
Fine by me.
Smiling for the camera, I lean in to kiss him on the cheek and whisper in his ear.
“You’ll regret this, Wolfie,” I say. “I’ll make sure of it.”
- Writer
