Chapter Nine: The First Public Appearance
1133 Words
****Andrew’s POV****
The camera flashes were blinding. Every click, every glance, every whisper—it all felt like a thousand eyes pressing in on me. The weight of it was familiar.
Expected.
But none of it compared to the sensation of Maria standing beside me.
She played her part flawlessly. She had to. Just like me, she was a performer in this illusion we were selling. But still… there was something about the way she stood that got under my skin.
She didn’t belong to me. She wasn’t a prop I could parade around.
And yet, the way she leaned slightly into me for the photo, her lips just a bit too close to my ear—it felt too intimate. Too convincing.
I kept my gaze fixed ahead, refusing to look at her. But every time the lights hit her hair just right, every time I caught the admiration in someone else’s eyes, I found myself staring again.
The night dragged on. Every handshake, every fake smile—it all blurred. But Maria remained sharp in my mind, cutting through the noise.
When the cameras finally stopped and the crowd began to shift, she turned to me. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes—God, her eyes—held something dangerous.
“You’re doing great,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.
She didn’t flinch. “Don’t patronize me, Andrew.” Her voice was low, steady, and sharp as glass. “I’m not your arm candy. I’m here for the money. That’s it.”
The words hit harder than I expected. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Was it anger? Bitterness? I couldn’t tell. But whatever it was, she meant every word.
We moved through the gala, steps silent but heavy. Each one felt like it brought us closer to something I couldn’t define. Something inevitable.
And then I saw him.
Bryan.
His face—smug and too familiar—set my nerves on edge. My body stiffened as he approached.
Denmark’s personal assistant and personal driver, my worst nightmare from another life. He always hovered—lurking like a bad habit I couldn’t shake.
This time, though, he didn’t keep his distance.
He came straight toward me, his stride full of confidence, his smirk plastered on like a mask.
“Maria Smith?” he called out, his voice dripping with smugness. “Didn’t expect to see you here. All dolled up… and married, no less.”
Before I could react, Andrew’s arm tightened around my waist. He pulled me closer, and the tension in his body was unmistakable.
“Is there a problem?”
His voice was calm but razor-sharp.
Cold.
Bryan chuckled, slow and condescending. “None at all, sir. Just shocked, is all. Your wife used to be the girl everyone laughed at.”
His gaze raked over me, not with curiosity but with contempt. He wanted to drag me down. Just like always.
Andrew’s grip tightened further. The gesture was subtle, but it felt… possessive.
“She’s not that girl anymore,” he said quietly.
I felt heat rise in my chest—not from embarrassment, but from fury. Bryan had always known how to shrink me, but not this time. Not anymore.
“I’m not the person I used to be either,” I said, meeting Bryan’s eyes with steel.
For a split second, surprise flickered across his face. Then the mask returned. “Sure thing, Maria. Enjoy the spotlight while it lasts.”
I said nothing. I didn’t need to.
Instead, I focused on Andrew. His arm still held me, but it didn’t feel protective now. It felt like a claim.
Andrew’s POV—The Next Morning
The night was a blur.
Bryan’s words replayed over and over in my head. Maria’s past… it wasn’t just a detail anymore. It had walked straight into our performance and made itself known.
And the way she stood her ground?
I hadn’t expected it. I should have. But I didn’t.
She wasn’t the same girl Bryan remembered.
And she wasn’t just the woman I made a deal with, either. Something about that realization gnawed at me.
When I woke the next morning, she was gone.
Not a word. Not a note. Not surprising.
Maria had always made it clear: she wasn’t here to play the obedient wife. Not for me. Not for anyone.
Still, the penthouse felt… quieter. Emptier.
I tried to shake the feeling, to focus on the meeting with Denmark’s legal team. Business first. Always.
But when I looked out the window and saw the rain falling gently across the city, my thoughts drifted again—to her.
She wasn’t just a pawn in this deal. She never had been. And that realization made me feel something I hadn’t planned for.
It unsettled me.
****Maria’s POV****
The penthouse was still.
No footsteps. No arguments. Just silence.
I didn’t know where Andrew had gone, and I didn’t care. At least, that’s what I told myself.
The past few days had been too much. Too fast. And I felt like I was on the edge of breaking.
Bryan’s words had dug deep—but not as deep as the way Andrew had looked at me last night. Like I was more than just a name on a contract.
And that scared me.
I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the platinum band on my finger. It shimmered under the light, cold and beautiful. A symbol of a lie… but maybe something else, too.
I wasn’t sure anymore.
When I turned around, I froze.
Andrew was in the doorway, his expression unreadable. His presence was always overpowering, but this morning, it felt different.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his tone light. Too light.
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
He stepped closer, just a little. Enough to make my breath hitch.
“You don’t have to pretend, Maria.”
His voice was quiet. Honest.
I held his gaze. “Pretend? Who’s pretending?
You’re the one who dragged me into this mess.”
He didn’t respond right away. Then, slowly, he reached for my hand. His fingers brushed the ring.
“I never meant for this to be easy for you,” he said. “But I don’t want you to think it’s just about the money. Not anymore.”
My heart pounded in my chest. What was he trying to say?
Before I could ask, his phone buzzed. He glanced down and sighed.
“Denmark’s team confirmed. The meeting’s in an hour. You should get ready.”
I nodded, the moment slipping through my fingers like smoke.
It was just a show. Nothing more.
But as he walked away, I stood still… wondering if we were both lying to ourselves.
- Writer
