Chapter Five
1485 Words
The conference room at The Royale Films was too quiet.
Not the comfortable kind of silence—but the heavy, suffocating kind. The kind that made every small movement feel louder than it should be.
And at the center of it sat Kenny.
Relaxed. Reclined. Unbothered.
Like he wasn’t the problem.
He leaned back in his chair like he owned the room, a lazy smirk stretched across his face. It wasn’t confidence—it was arrogance. The kind that made people uncomfortable without him saying a word.
His gaze drifted around the room. He noticed the looks—of course he did. Every eye in the room was on him. Not with admiration, but with quiet disgust.
It only amused him.
Peter adjusted his glasses, exhaling slowly before speaking. He was trying—really trying—to remain professional.
“Mr. Kenny,” he began,voice measured, “we’ve reviewed your terms and agreed to the forty percent share.”
Kenny didn’t respond. Didn’t even look at him.
Peter’s jaw tightened slightly, but he continued.
“However… this additional condition—this public relationship narrative…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Why is it necessary for Miss Erica to announce to the media that you’re her boyfriend?”
That got Kenny’s attention.
He turned his head slowly, eyes settling on Peter with a look that was almost mocking.
“Necessary?” he repeated, as if tasting the word.
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
“My demands,” he said smoothly, “are not up for discussion.”
A subtle shift rippled across the room.
But he wasn’t done.
His gaze slid—deliberately—to Erica.
“And since we’re clarifying things,” he continued his tone sharpening just slightly, “I’ll be present at all your endorsement deals.”
“What?!”
The reaction was instant—voices overlapping, disbelief echoing across the room.
Kenny didn’t bother responding. He simply stood, straightened his jacket, and headed for the door like he had just closed a deal instead of igniting chaos.
“We begin the media announcement next week,” he tossed over his shoulder before walking out.
The door shut behind him with a quiet click that somehow sounded louder than it should have.
Peter slammed his hand lightly on the table.
“That guy—he’s got some nerve!”
No one disagreed.
But Erica…
Erica hadn’t moved.
She sat there, frozen, her fingers clenched tightly in her lap as tears slipped silently down her cheeks. Lydia was beside her almost immediately, rubbing her back gently.
“It’s okay,” Lydia whispered. “We’ll figure this out.”
But Erica knew better.
This wasn’t something you “figured out.”
This was something you endured.
—
A week later, the lie went public.
Lights. Cameras. Smiles.
“Hi everyone!” Erica’s voice rang out brightly during the live session, her hand resting lightly on Kenny’s arm.
Kenny leaned closer, his grin effortless. “We’ve been meaning to share this for a while…”
The comments flooded in instantly.
“OMG THEY’RE TOGETHER???”
“I KNEW IT!”
“Power couple!”
To the world, it looked perfect.
Behind the screen, it was suffocating.
Kenny played his role too well—touching her waist, brushing invisible lint off her shoulder, leaning in just close enough to blur the line between acting and reality.
And the more convincing they were, the more he enjoyed it.
Followers increased. Attention grew. His name started carrying weight.
Exactly what he wanted.
But for Erica, every moment felt like a performance she couldn’t escape.
He followed her everywhere—sets, meetings, endorsement deals. Always watching. Always hovering.
Always there.
—
The day of her next endorsement deal started badly.
Kenny was late.
Again.
Erica checked the time for what felt like the hundredth time, her irritation building with every passing minute.
“Kenny, we’re going to be late,” she snapped into the phone.
“Relax,” his voice came, annoyingly calm. “I’m on my way.”
“You said that twenty minutes ago!”
The line went dead.
By the time he arrived, she was already furious.
But there was no time to argue.
They were late.
By the time they arrived, the atmosphere inside the company was already tense.
They felt it.
“You’re late,” one of the executives said sharply, barely masking their irritation.
“We’re really sorry,” Erica said quickly, her voice calm but apologetic. “There was a delay—”
“This better not happen again.”
They were eventually ushered into the conference room, but the damage had been done.
They sat, waiting.
And then—
The door opened.
He walked in.
Martins.
Everything about him commanded attention—not loudly, not forcefully—but effortlessly. The kind of presence that made a room adjust itself around him.
Erica felt it instantly.
Her breath hitched, her eyes following him without permission. Each step he took felt deliberate, controlled… powerful.
When he finally sat down, she realized she had been staring.
Kenny noticed.
And he didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
A flicker of something dark crossed his expression—jealousy, sharp and immediate.
The meeting began, but Kenny turned it into a spectacle.
Questions directed at Erica were intercepted, twisted, answered before she could even open her mouth.
“Yes, we’ve reviewed that—”
“That won’t be an issue—”
“We’re already working on—”
Erica clenched her fingers under the table.
Then a voice cut through the noise.
“Excuse me,” one of the board members said, adjusting his glasses as he looked directly at Kenny. “Who exactly are you? Her lawyer?”
A brief silence followed.
Kenny smiled.
“I’m her boyfriend,” he said casually. “And her associate.”
His eyes shifted to Erica—expectant, demanding.
Back me up.
Erica hesitated.
For a second—just one—her eyes flickered toward Martins.
He looked completely uninterested.
Detached.
Unreadable.
Her throat tightened.
“It’s… fine,” she said softly, forcing the words out. “He’s my associate. It’s important he’s here. Please… let’s continue.”
Kenny leaned back, satisfied.
—
After the meeting, Erica didn’t think—she just moved.
Straight to Martins’ office.
She knocked lightly and stepped in.
“Hi…” she said softly. “can I sit?”
He looked up briefly, then nodded.
That was all.
She sat, suddenly aware of how loud her own heart beat sounded.
“I… I actually wanted to say goodbye that day,” she began, her voice uncertain. “At the hotel. But I didn’t see you before I left.”
No response.
She shifted slightly. “I don’t even know your name…”
Her eyes drifted to the name tag on his desk.
“Oh…” she whispered softly. “Martins Bruce.”
Still nothing.
The silence stretched, making her chest feel tight.
“Anyway,” she said quickly, standing up, “it was nice meeting you—”
“I like you, Erica.”
She froze.
Completely.
Slowly, she turned back. “What?”
He was already on his feet.
Closing the distance.
One step. Then another.
Until there was barely any space between them.
Her heart began to race—fast, uneven.
“I don’t like sharing,” he said quietly, his voice low and steady.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
His hand lifted, fingers brushing lightly under her chin titling her face upwards firm enough to hold her gaze.
And then—
He kissed her.
Not hesitant.
His lips pressed against hers slowly at first, like he was testing something… confirming it.
And when she didn’t pull away—
The kiss deepened.
Heat spread through her, unfamiliar and overwhelming.
Her fingers curled into his shirt before she even realized what she was doing. She felt it instantly—something unfamiliar, something intense… something she had never felt before.
Not even with Kenny.
Her hand continued to move on its own, gripping his shirt slightly as she kissed him back, drawn in deeper than she should have been.
Time blurred.
Everything blurred.
Until—
A knock.
Reality crashing back in.
They pulled apart abruptly, both slightly breathless.
“Come in,” Martins said, his voice composed again.
The door opened.
Kenny stepped in.
His eyes moved between them—sharp, suspicious.
The air told him everything he needed to know.
His jaw tightened.
Without a word, he strode forward and grabbed Erica’s hand.
“Time to leave.”
His grip was firm—too firm.
“Kenny, you’re hurting me—” she whispered, trying to pull away.
But he didn’t let go.
Instead, he looked at Martins—his smirk returning, colder this time.
Possessive.
Claiming.
And then he dragged her out.
Like she belonged to him.
- Writer
