Chapter 5: Not Part of the Act
1015 Words
The gala was supposed to be simple.
Smile for the cameras.
Hold hands.
Look united.
Convince the world.
But Kisses quickly realized something—
The world wasn’t the real problem.
It was the woman walking toward them in a silver gown.
Tall. Elegant. Confident.
Too confident.
“Darven,” the woman greeted smoothly, air-kissing near his cheek. “It’s been a while.”
Kisses felt his hand tighten slightly at the small of her back.
“Vanessa,” he replied calmly.
Vanessa’s eyes shifted to Kisses—slow, assessing.
“And you must be the famous Kisses Valderrama,” she said with a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Kisses replied professionally.
Vanessa tilted her head slightly. “Finally? Oh… Darven didn’t mention me?”
The question was deliberate.
Calculated.
Kisses didn’t flinch. “Should he have?”
Vanessa’s lips curved faintly. “We worked closely together in Singapore. Very closely.”
The pause between those words was intentional.
Heat crept up Kisses’ spine—but she kept her composure.
Darven’s voice cut in smoothly. “Vanessa is one of our former investors.”
Former.
The word was firm.
Vanessa laughed lightly. “Former. That sounds so distant.”
Kisses felt the cameras still flashing nearby. The media lingering.
This was not the place for cracks.
So she smiled.
And stepped closer to Darven.
Close enough that her arm slid naturally around his.
“If you’ll excuse us,” she said sweetly, “Darven promised me the next dance.”
She didn’t look at him.
But she felt the slight surprise in his body.
Vanessa’s expression flickered for a split second.
Ah.
Jealousy.
Good.
The music shifted into something slower.
Romantic.
Dangerous.
Darven guided Kisses onto the dance floor, his hand resting at her waist again—firmer this time.
“That wasn’t in the plan,” he murmured.
“Neither was she,” Kisses replied quietly.
His hand tightened slightly.
“Vanessa is irrelevant.”
“Is she?” Kisses asked calmly, though her heart was beating too fast.
“She invested in my company years ago. That’s all.”
“She didn’t look at you like ‘that’s all.’”
He leaned slightly closer. “And how did she look at me?”
“Like she still thinks she has a chance.”
The music slowed further.
His hand moved subtly higher on her waist.
“And do you care?” he asked.
Her breath caught.
“This is fake,” she reminded him.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled her just a little closer.
Close enough that her body aligned with his.
Close enough that she could feel the warmth through the thin fabric of her gown.
“Then why are you jealous?” he asked softly.
Her eyes flashed. “I am not jealous.”
“Your grip tightened when she touched me.”
She hated that he noticed.
“This is part of the act,” she insisted.
“For the cameras?” he asked.
“There are no cameras here.”
She froze.
He was right.
They were at the center of the dance floor—but the photographers had shifted elsewhere.
No one was watching closely now.
This wasn’t for show anymore.
“Darven,” she warned quietly.
“What?” he murmured, his voice deeper now.
“You’re crossing the line.”
“Which line?”
“The one between fake and real.”
He looked down at her in a way that made her stomach flip.
“What if I don’t want it to be fake?”
The words hit her harder than she expected.
Her pulse stumbled.
“This arrangement has rules,” she said, though her voice had softened.
“And you’re the only one pretending you don’t feel anything,” he replied.
Her chest tightened.
Because that wasn’t true.
She felt everything.
The hurt.
The fear.
The desire.
Especially the desire.
“You don’t get to question my feelings,” she whispered.
“I’m not questioning them,” he said. “I’m challenging them.”
The music swelled.
His hand slid slightly up her back.
Not inappropriate.
Not public-scandal worthy.
But intimate.
Too intimate.
“Tell me something honestly,” he said quietly.
“What?”
“If this was real… would you still push me away?”
Her breath trembled.
She didn’t answer.
Because she didn’t know.
And that terrified her more than Vanessa ever could.
Across the room, Vanessa watched.
Her expression no longer polite.
No longer amused.
It was calculating.
Possessive.
Dangerous.
And Kisses suddenly realized—
Vanessa wasn’t just jealous.
She was planning something.
The song ended.
Darven’s hand lingered a second too long before releasing her.
“Careful,” she whispered as applause filled the room.
“About what?” he asked.
“About thinking this is easy.”
His eyes softened.
“I never thought loving you was easy.”
Her heart skipped violently.
He said loving.
Not pretending.
Not acting.
Loving.
Before she could respond, a waiter approached.
“Mr. Cortez,” he said politely. “A call for you. Urgent.”
Darven frowned slightly.
“At this hour?”
“Yes, sir. Private line.”
He glanced at Kisses briefly.
“I’ll be right back.”
She nodded.
But as he walked away—
Vanessa stepped forward.
And this time—
There was no smile.
“You think you won,” Vanessa said quietly.
Kisses lifted her chin. “There was never a competition.”
Vanessa’s eyes glinted.
“You don’t know the whole story.”
A chill ran down Kisses’ spine.
“What story?”
Vanessa leaned closer.
“The debt Darven paid? It didn’t disappear.”
Kisses’ heart dropped.
“And some people,” Vanessa continued softly, “don’t like unfinished business.”
Then she walked away.
Leaving Kisses standing there—
Heart racing.
Because if Vanessa was telling the truth…
Then the danger Darven claimed was gone—
Wasn’t gone at all.
And this time—
She might already be part of it.
- Writer
