CHAPTER 3 – THE ENGAGEMENT SCANDAL.
1007 Words
Celeste's POV
I wake up to chaos.
My phone vibrates violently against the nightstand, a relentless symphony of dings, rings, and buzzes. It’s so f*****g loud that it yanks me out of sleep like an air raid siren. My pulse kicks up before my brain even catches up.
I squint at the screen, and my stomach drops.
187 missed notifications.
Texts. Calls. Emails. Mentions.
My name is everywhere.
I fumble to unlock my phone, my fingers clumsy with sleep. The first thing I see is the headline from Forbes.
Billionaire Heirs Jaxon Wolfe & Celeste Laurent Announce Engagement—A Merger of Power and Scandal!
The f**k?!
I bolt upright, my heart hammering against my ribs. My silk sheets pool around my waist as I scroll in a frenzy. The articles are multiplying like a goddamn virus. The Wall Street Journal. Vogue. People Magazine. f*****g TMZ.
I don’t even have time to process the full-blown media meltdown before my phone rings. Lila, my assistant.
I swipe to answer, my voice sharp. “Tell me you’re joking.”
Her breathless voice crackles through the speaker. “I wish I was.”
I swing my legs off the bed, gripping the phone tighter. “Who the hell leaked it?”
“No idea,” she says, voice laced with panic. “But Celeste, the stock values for both Laurent Enterprises and Wolfe Industries have skyrocketed. The investors are eating this s**t up. They think it’s a power move.”
I drag a hand through my hair, my jaw clenching. “There is no us.”
“Well, you might want to tell the world that before they start printing wedding invitations.”
Another notification flashes across my screen.
Incoming call: Jaxon Wolfe.
I let it ring.
Then, because the universe is a spiteful b***h, a text pops up.
Jaxon: Rise and shine, princess. Looks like we’re the hottest news on the planet.
I swear under my breath.
That arrogant prick is enjoying this.
My fingers hover over the keyboard, itching to send something that will wipe that smug grin off his stupidly perfect face. But before I can type out a response laced with all the venom he deserves, another text appears.
Jaxon: Ignore me all you want, baby. You’ll still have to deal with me.
I swear under my breath.
Oh, he wants to play games?
Fine.
He’ll regret it.
A few hours later, I stride into Laurent Enterprises with the force of a goddamn storm, my heels clicking against the marble floor, my red power suit a warning sign that I am not in the f*****g mood.
The moment I step inside, the entire office freezes.
Whispers follow me like a shadow.
The engagement bomb has detonated, and the fallout is all over their faces. Wide eyes. Stifled gasps. And the worst part? Some of them actually look impressed—as if I planned this mess instead of waking up to it like the rest of the f*****g world.
But then, just as I’m about to make it to my office, him.
Daniel f*****g Sinclair.
My ex-boyfriend, or more accurately, the man I tolerated in bed for months before he got too clingy.
He stands near the reception desk, his tailored navy suit crisp, his caramel hair styled to perfection. He looks like the picture of control. But the moment his sharp green eyes lock onto mine, I see it—the flicker of something dark.
Jealousy.
Possessiveness.
The same entitled bullshit that made me leave him in the first place.
“Celeste,” he greets, stepping into my space like he still belongs there. His voice is smooth, calm, but his jaw ticks—just a fraction.
I arch a brow. “Daniel.”
“We need to talk.”
I smirk. “We really don’t.”
His lips press into a thin line. “So it’s true? You’re engaged to Jaxon Wolfe?”
“News travels fast.” I move past him, but he grabs my wrist.
His grip is firm, just tight enough to piss me off.
The air between us crackles.
“Come on, Celeste,” he says, voice low, coaxing. “Him? You know he’s only using you for power.”
I yank my hand free, stepping close enough that my words cut. “And what the f**k were you using me for, Daniel?”
His nostrils flare. “That’s different.”
I laugh, a slow, wicked sound. “Of course it is.”
A muscle in his jaw twitches. “You’re making a mistake.”
I smirk. “Wouldn’t be my first.”
Before he can answer, I turn and walk away, hips swaying just enough to remind him exactly what he lost.
Jaxon's POV
I should’ve seen this s**t coming.
I’m in the middle of a meeting, listening to some finance guy drone on about quarterly projections, when my phone buzzes.
I glance at the screen.
Katerina.
Fuck.
My supermodel ex. The woman who loved the spotlight almost as much as she loved calling me daddy in bed.
I sigh, ignoring the looks I’m getting from across the conference table. I already know how this is gonna go.
I answer. “What do you want, Kat?”
“Oh, baby,” she purrs, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You didn’t think you could get engaged without telling me, did you?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It’s none of your business.”
She laughs, light and amused. “That’s cute. But let’s be real—you don’t do marriage. And Celeste Laurent? Please. She’s too f*****g cold to make you break that rule.”
I smirk. “Jealous?”
She clicks her tongue. “Not even close. I just pity you.”
Then she hangs up before I can respond.
I chuckle, shaking my head.
This engagement might be fake, but the drama?
Very f*****g real.
And I have a feeling Celeste and I are about to become everyone’s favorite obsession.
END OF CHAPTER 3
- Writer
