The Billionaire's Surprise Bride

002

Chapter Two

~ Liam’s POV ~

It was a regular afternoon… until it wasn’t.

As I walked through the lobby the last thing I expected was a woman slipping a ring onto my finger. But there she was, staring up at me with wide and desperate eyes.

“Will you marry me?” she asked.

There was a spark of defiance in her eyes it was as if she was daring me to go along with her mad plan.

She looked vaguely familiar, though she didn’t seem to recognize me. For a moment, I just looked down at her, as if she’d spoken a foreign language, but she wasn’t backing down. Her hand was trembling, her fingers ice-cold against mine.

And for reasons I couldn’t explain… maybe boredom or maybe curiosity or maybe just an impulse I hadn’t felt in years… I replied, “I do.”

Her eyes widened was it shock or was it panic, i couldn’t tell, but that reaction wasn’t nearly as interesting as the look on her ex’s face when he stumbled into the lobby a few seconds later, clearly flustered and utterly dumbfounded.

“Emma?”

So she had a name. Emma. And from the look on her face, it seemed this was more than a passing fling or a quick rebound, this was a woman scorned and eager to make a statement. I raised an eyebrow at her ex… Mark Turner, as I now recalled. He was a low-level manager who had been in the background of one or two project pitches I had attended.

When Mark finally seemed to notice me, his face lost all color. “Mr. Chen?” he stammered.

And that’s when the lightbulb went off in Emma’s head. I saw it dawn on her… she had no idea who I was when she made her proposal.

Watching her face shift from panic to realization and back to panic was… interesting.

I let her hand slip from mine and gave a polite nod, leading her outside to avoid more public gawking from Mark and his doe-eyed assistant who had joined the party.

Once we were out on the street, Emma stopped abruptly, looking mortified and furious. “What was that?” she demanded, as if it had been my idea.

“You tell me,” I replied coolly. “I was just minding my business.”

Her mouth opened and shut, a fierce blush coloring her cheeks. “Look, I just… I don’t know what came over me. I needed to get out of there. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

I resisted the urge to smile. “Clearly.”

She looked away, her eyes darting up and down the street as if she were considering making a run for it. “Well, thank you,” she muttered. “For going along with it, I mean. You didn’t have to do that.”

“It was my pleasure.” I crossed my arms, studying her. “But maybe you should think about what you want next, because from what I saw, you were trying to make a point.”

Emma blinked, clearly thrown off guard. “What do you mean?”

“You wanted to make your ex jealous,” I said simply. “And avoid humiliation, I imagine.”

Her face turned a deeper shade of red. “That’s none of your business,” she replied. “But yes, that was… pretty much the gist of it.”

“Then let me make you an offer,” I said. This wasn’t my usual kind of business arrangement, but something about this woman intrigued me. There was a fierceness in her that felt… refreshing. “What if we kept up the act?”

“What?” Emma tilted her head, frowning in confusion.

“A temporary engagement,” I explained. “We play the part until I tell my family I’m seeing someone, and you get to move on from your ex. We both get something we want.”

“Are you serious?” She stared at me like I’d grown a second head.

“Completely.” i replied.

“You’re suggesting that we fake an engagement?”

“Why not? We both get what we want.” I shrugged, feeling the corners of my mouth lift in amusement. “We could draw up a contract to keep it professional, if that makes you feel better. Appearances at work, family functions… nothing more.”

“This is insane.” She laughed.

“Perhaps,” I admitted. “But practical. I’ve been avoiding my family’s attempts to set me up with every heiress and socialite. And you seem to need a fresh start.” I watched her, waiting for her reaction, and saw the glimmer of intrigue flash across her eyes.

Emma took a deep breath, considering my offer. “No one can know this is fake. Especially not anyone at work.”

“Naturally,” I agreed, nodding. “It’s strictly between us. All anyone else has to see is that we’re together.”

She hesitated, her gaze fixed somewhere over my shoulder. “Alright,” she said slowly. “But if you try to pull anything…”

I raised a hand to interrupt. “You have my word. Partners?”

She stared at my extended hand, suspicious but curious. Finally, she shook it, her grip surprisingly firm. “Partners.”

Just as I let go, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced at the screen… a message from Olivia, my younger sister.

Dinner tonight. Seven sharp. And bring whoever you’re seeing.

Interesting timing.

“Well,” I said, slipping my phone back in my pocket, “seems like you’ll have your first official duty as my fiancée tonight.”

Her eyes widened in panic. “Tonight?”

“Yes. Family dinner.” I glanced at my watch. “I’ll have a car pick you up at six. Dress… appropriately.”

Emma narrowed her eyes, looking like she was seconds away from backing out. “Appropriately? I think I know how to dress for dinner.”

“We’ll see,” I replied with a smile, knowing it would annoy her.

As I walked away, I sensed her staring after me, probably questioning every decision she’d made in the last fifteen minutes. But I didn’t look back. The deal was struck, and I had a feeling things were about to get very interesting.

Later That Evening

The car rolled up to Emma’s address right on time, and I checked my watch. Dinner with my family was always a trial, a polite battle where expectations were hurled at me, all under the guise of friendly conversation. This arrangement would buy me some breathing room… if Emma could hold her own.

When she stepped out of her building, I was pleasantly surprised. She’d chosen an elegant dress in a deep emerald green, one that was elegant yet simple, and the color suited her.

She slid into the seat beside me “Ready?” I asked.

“Do I have a choice?” she replied with a small smile.

I couldn’t help but admire her composure. “Just follow my lead.”

Emma didn’t respond, her gaze fixed firmly on the road as we approached my family’s estate. The silence between us was tense but oddly comfortable, and I found myself wondering what was going through her mind.

When we finally arrived, she took a deep breath, clearly steeling herself. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

I offered her my arm, and she took it, her grip surprisingly steady. As we walked through the doors, I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, and sure enough, Olivia’s voice rang out before we’d even made it past the foyer.

“Liam! And… oh, this must be?” My sister gave a friendly but scrutinizing smile, her gaze taking in every detail of Emma’s appearance.

I felt Emma stiffen beside me, but she met Olivia’s gaze with a polite nod. “Emma… It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you as well,” Olivia replied . “We’re all so curious about the woman who’s finally captured my brother’s attention.”

Emma smiled, but I could see the tension in her posture. “Well, I’m just as curious about all of you.”

The evening dragged on, filled with Olivia’s probing questions and my father’s skeptical glances. But to my surprise, Emma held her own, answering every question with a poise that even Olivia couldn’t quite break. She was calm, measured, and, most importantly, convincing.

After dinner, as we stepped outside, Emma let out a breath she must have been holding in all night. “Your family really doesn’t hold back, do they?”

“Consider it a compliment,” I replied. “They rarely approve of anyone.”

She shot me a look that was half amused, half exasperated. “If this is what they’re like for a dinner, I’d hate to see them in a crisis.”

“Welcome to my life,” I said dryly.

Emma laughed softly, and for a moment, she looked almost… comfortable. She glanced down at her hand, at the ring she’d given me that afternoon, and shook her head.

“I still can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“Neither can I,” I admitted.

My mom approached us with a perfectly polite smile, but there was a gleam of something in her eyes that I couldn’t quite read.

“Well, it was wonderful to finally meet you, Emma,” she said, giving Emma’s hand a quick squeeze. “So, tell me… when’s the wedding?”