THE FIRST TEST
818 Words
By Monday morning, the entire company knew.
Adrian Vale was engaged.
To Maya Carter.
The announcement had been simple.
No dramatic press release. No elaborate photographs.
Just a statement from Vale International confirming that the CEO had been privately dating Maya for several months and that they intended to marry soon.
It was exactly the story they'd agreed on.
It was also the strangest lie Maya had ever told.
She sat at her desk, trying to concentrate on the Manhattan project, when Sophie appeared beside her.
“You're engaged?”
Maya nearly dropped her pen.
“Apparently.”
Sophie stared at her.
“To Adrian Vale?”
Maya nodded.
“How?”
Maya lowered her voice.
“It's complicated.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes.
“You've been hiding a billionaire boyfriend?”
“Please don't say it like that.”
“How else am I supposed to say it?”
Maya laughed nervously.
“We wanted privacy.”
Sophie looked unconvinced but eventually smiled.
“I'm happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
After Sophie left, Maya released a breath.
The lie was already exhausting.
Her phone buzzed.
Adrian: Lunch. My office.
She frowned.
Maya: Why?
Adrian: We need to discuss the wedding.
Maya stared at the message.
Wedding.
Right.
They weren't just pretending to date anymore.
They were supposed to be getting married.
---
Adrian was standing beside the window when Maya entered.
“You're late.”
“I'm working.”
“So am I.”
She sat down.
“What needs discussing?”
“The wedding date.”
Maya blinked.
“Already?”
“The board wants it soon.”
“How soon?”
“Three weeks.”
She stared at him.
“Three weeks?”
“The sooner we're legally married, the sooner the succession issue disappears.”
Maya leaned back.
“This is moving very fast.”
“I know.”
“And you're okay with that?”
“No.”
The honesty surprised her.
Adrian sat across from her.
“But I don't have much choice.”
Maya looked at him.
For a moment, she saw the pressure he was under.
The CEO everyone thought was untouchable was being forced into a decision he didn't want.
She softened.
“Okay.”
Adrian looked up.
“Okay?”
“We'll do it.”
His expression changed slightly.
“Thank you.”
Maya smiled.
“Don't thank me yet. You still have to survive pretending to be my fiancé.”
He almost smiled.
“I think I'll manage.”
---
That evening, they attended their first dinner together as an engaged couple.
Maya had expected awkward questions.
She hadn't expected Adrian's aunt to interrogate her before dessert.
“So, Maya,” she said, smiling politely, “how long have you known Adrian?”
“About a year.”
“And you've been dating for eight months?”
“Yes.”
“And you decided to marry after only eight months?”
Maya smiled.
“We knew what we wanted.”
Adrian glanced at her.
That wasn't part of their rehearsed story.
His aunt noticed.
“Adrian, is that true?”
He looked at Maya.
Then back at his aunt.
“Yes.”
Under the table, Maya felt his hand brush hers.
She looked at him.
His expression was calm.
But his thumb briefly touched the back of her hand.
A tiny gesture.
Probably meant to reassure her.
Still, her heart reacted before her mind could stop it.
She pulled her hand away.
Adrian noticed.
Neither said anything.
---
Later that night, Adrian drove Maya home.
“You handled my family well.”
“They weren't as terrible as you made them sound.”
“They were being polite.”
Maya laughed.
“That was polite?”
“Yes.”
She looked out the window.
“You know, you're not very good at pretending.”
Adrian glanced at her.
“Neither are you.”
“I am excellent at pretending.”
“You pulled your hand away tonight.”
Maya turned toward him.
“You noticed?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
He was silent for a moment.
“Because people are watching us.”
She nodded.
Of course.
That was the reason.
It had to be.
The car stopped outside her apartment.
Maya opened the door.
“Goodnight, Adrian.”
“Goodnight.”
She stepped out.
Then he called her name.
“Maya.”
She turned.
“Thank you.”
She smiled.
“Don't make me regret saying yes.”
“I won't.”
The car drove away.
Maya stood there for a moment, watching the taillights disappear.
She reminded herself of the rules.
One year.
No feelings.
No complications.
A business arrangement.
Nothing more.
But somewhere between the first lie and the first almost-real touch, Maya was beginning to suspect that keeping those rules might not be as easy as she'd thought.
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