Chapter Nine: One Week
816 Words
One week.
That was all they had left before the engagement party.
One week to convince New York that their love story was real.
One week to fool Ethan’s family.
One week to keep Lucas Blake from exposing them.
And somehow…
One week had never felt so short.
⸻
Ava had barely settled into her office when Noah called.
“Mr. Blake has arranged media training.”
She frowned.
“Media training?”
“The engagement party will attract reporters.”
“I know how to answer questions.”
“You also told one reporter yesterday that Mr. Blake was ‘annoyingly organized.’”
“I wasn’t wrong.”
Noah sighed.
“Exactly.”
⸻
An hour later, Ava walked into Blake Capital’s private media studio.
A professional camera crew waited.
A makeup artist.
A communications consultant.
And Ethan.
Already seated.
Already perfectly composed.
She glanced around.
“This is excessive.”
“It’s necessary.”
“You actually rehearse interviews?”
“I rehearse everything.”
“You must’ve been a nightmare in school.”
“I was top of my class.”
“I’m not surprised.”
⸻
The consultant smiled brightly.
“Let’s begin.”
She handed them cue cards.
“I’ll ask common questions. Just answer naturally.”
Ava nodded.
Ethan folded his hands.
The camera started rolling.
“When did you first realize you were in love?”
Silence.
Ava looked at Ethan.
Ethan looked at Ava.
Neither spoke.
The consultant sighed.
“Remember…”
“You’re engaged.”
Ava cleared her throat.
“I suppose…”
She smiled awkwardly.
“…it happened gradually.”
The consultant nodded.
“And you, Mr. Blake?”
Ethan answered without hesitation.
“The first time she challenged me.”
Ava turned sharply.
“What?”
The consultant laughed.
“That sounded genuine.”
Because it was.
At least…
Part of it was.
⸻
Next question.
“Who said ‘I love you’ first?”
Ava nearly choked on her water.
“No one.”
Ethan remained calm.
“We’re private.”
The consultant smiled.
“Excellent recovery.”
Ava wasn’t so sure.
⸻
An hour later, the session finally ended.
As everyone packed up, Ava walked toward the window.
“You lied very easily.”
Ethan joined her.
“I’ve negotiated billion-dollar deals.”
“I wasn’t talking about business.”
He looked at her.
“You said it happened gradually.”
She folded her arms.
“It did.”
“What?”
“Our friendship.”
The word lingered between them.
Friendship.
Neither had expected that.
After a moment, Ethan nodded.
“I suppose it has.”
⸻
Just then, Noah entered.
“Mr. Blake?”
“What is it?”
“The engagement party guest list.”
He handed Ethan a folder.
Ethan scanned the names before stopping.
His jaw tightened.
Ava noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
He handed her the list.
One name had been highlighted.
Nathan Sinclair.
“Nathan?”
“Victoria’s father.”
Ava looked up.
“So?”
“He owns Sinclair Industries.”
“And?”
“He also wants Blake Capital.”
Realization dawned.
“This isn’t just family politics.”
“No.”
“It’s business.”
“And if our engagement looks fake…”
He closed the folder.
“…my competitors won’t be the only ones celebrating.”
⸻
That evening…
Ethan insisted on taking Ava to dinner.
“Business?”
She asked as the waiter poured wine.
“Practice.”
“For eating?”
“For being seen together.”
She laughed.
“You really think of everything.”
“I try.”
Dinner was… surprisingly easy.
They talked about work.
Books.
Childhood memories.
Travel.
Ava learned Ethan hated seafood.
Ethan discovered Ava couldn’t ride a bicycle.
“You never learned?”
She shook her head.
“My father tried.”
“What happened?”
“I crashed into our neighbor’s vegetable garden.”
He actually laughed.
Not a polite smile.
Not a brief chuckle.
A real laugh.
Deep.
Warm.
It caught both of them off guard.
“There it is,” Ava said softly.
“What?”
“The famous smile.”
“It isn’t famous.”
“It should be.”
For a moment, Ethan forgot they were pretending.
⸻
Across the restaurant…
Lucas Blake lowered the newspaper he hadn’t been reading.
He had been watching them the entire evening.
Watching Ethan laugh.
Watching Ava smile.
Watching them forget the world around them.
He took out his phone and made a call.
“They’re getting closer.”
A pause.
“No.”
His expression darkened.
“I don’t think they’re pretending anymore.”
Another pause.
“Move to the next phase.”
He ended the call.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“If I can’t expose the engagement…”
He murmured to himself.
“…I’ll destroy it.”
- Writer
