Chapter Seven: Rumors
856 Words
By the next morning, the photograph was everywhere.
On entertainment websites.
Business magazines.
Social media.
Even the front page of New York Today.
Billionaire CEO Ethan Blake Finally Engaged?
Who Is the Mystery Woman Who Stole the City’s Most Eligible Bachelor?
Ava stared at her phone in disbelief.
There were hundreds of comments.
Thousands of shares.
Millions of views.
Her phone rang.
Then rang again.
Then again.
She silenced it.
Too late.
Another call came through.
Her best friend, Chloe.
The moment Ava answered, Chloe screamed.
“You kissed Ethan Blake!”
“It wasn’t—”
“I SAW THE PHOTOS!”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“You looked like you were in a movie!”
Ava buried her face in a cushion.
“It was for the cameras.”
“Mhm.”
“It was.”
“Mhm.”
“It meant nothing.”
“Keep lying to yourself.”
The line went dead before Ava could defend herself.
⸻
Across Manhattan…
Ethan was having a much quieter morning.
He sat at the head of a conference table while executives discussed a billion-dollar acquisition.
“…our European investors have agreed—”
His phone vibrated.
Noah glanced down at it before placing it beside Ethan.
“You should probably see this.”
Ethan looked.
The headline filled the screen.
ETHAN BLAKE KISSES HIS FIANCÉE.
Below it…
Thousands of comments.
One caught his attention.
“I’ve never seen Ethan Blake smile before.”
He paused.
Smile?
He opened the photograph again.
The picture had captured the exact moment after the kiss.
He wasn’t looking at the cameras.
He was looking at Ava.
And…
He was smiling.
Barely.
But enough for everyone to notice.
He locked his phone.
“Continue.”
The meeting resumed.
But for the first time in years…
Ethan wasn’t listening.
⸻
Later that afternoon…
Ava arrived at Blake Capital looking less than pleased.
She marched straight into Ethan’s office without knocking.
He looked up from his laptop.
“You seem upset.”
“Upset?”
She tossed a magazine onto his desk.
“Our kiss is on the cover.”
“I noticed.”
“My grandmother called.”
“I imagine she was surprised.”
“My old high school classmates have suddenly remembered I exist.”
“I see.”
She pointed at him.
“Stop being calm!”
“I fail to see how panic would improve the situation.”
“It wouldn’t.”
“Exactly.”
She sighed dramatically before dropping into the chair opposite him.
“I hate the media.”
“It’ll settle down.”
“When?”
“In a week.”
“A week?”
“Perhaps two.”
She groaned.
“I’m never agreeing to kiss you again.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“You say that as though it happens regularly.”
She blinked.
Then laughed despite herself.
“I walked into that one.”
“You did.”
⸻
Noah knocked gently before entering.
“Mr. Blake.”
“What is it?”
“There’s… another issue.”
He handed Ethan a tablet.
Ethan read the message.
His expression hardened instantly.
Ava noticed.
“What happened?”
He turned the screen toward her.
A post from an anonymous account filled the display.
The engagement is fake.
Watch closely. They won’t last a month.
Beneath it…
Dozens of comments agreed.
Somebody was watching them.
Somebody wanted people to doubt them.
Ava looked up.
“Lucas?”
“I don’t know.”
“But whoever it is…”
Ethan stood.
“…won’t stop here.”
⸻
That evening…
Arthur Blake hosted a private family dinner.
Everyone important was there.
Including Lucas.
As dessert was served, Arthur smiled warmly.
“I’ve been thinking.”
Ethan looked up.
“Dangerous.”
Arthur ignored the comment.
“I think it’s time we announce your engagement properly.”
Ava’s fork froze halfway to her mouth.
Arthur continued cheerfully.
“A grand engagement party.”
“In two weeks.”
The room erupted into excited conversation.
Only Ethan and Ava remained silent.
Across the table…
Lucas slowly smiled.
Exactly as if he’d been hoping Arthur would say those words.
Because an engagement party meant one thing.
More opportunities…
To expose the lie.
⸻
Later, as Ethan walked Ava to her apartment, neither of them spoke for several moments.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“We’re in trouble.”
“We are.”
She looked at him.
“Tell me honestly.”
“If this falls apart…”
“What happens?”
Ethan’s gaze remained fixed on the city skyline.
“I lose my company.”
She nodded slowly.
“And me?”
For the first time…
He turned to face her.
His expression was unreadable.
“If this falls apart…”
His voice was quieter than she’d ever heard it.
“…I’ll make sure you’re protected.”
Ava searched his eyes.
She believed him.
Not because it was written in a contract.
But because, somewhere between the arguments, the fake smiles, and one unexpected kiss…
She had begun to trust him.
She just hadn’t realized it yet.
- Writer
