Chapter3
978 Words
The elevator chimed softly as it reached the 47th floor, and Olivia’s nerves twisted like a storm inside her. She clutched the strap of her bag tighter as the doors opened to reveal a sprawling penthouse hallway—polished, quiet, sterile.
“Are you sure this is where I’m supposed to stay?” she whispered to herself, stepping into the place that looked more like an art museum than a home.
A familiar voice echoed from the living room.
“Make yourself comfortable—your room is on the right.”
Elijah stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, phone pressed to his ear, suit jacket discarded over a chair. The skyline framed him like a painting—rich, untouchable, remote.
She walked further in, her heels clicking on the marble floor. “You didn’t mention I’d be moving in tonight.”
He glanced over his shoulder, then spoke into the phone. “I’ll call you back.”
Click.
“That’s what the contract says,” he said flatly. “You want to keep this deal airtight, don’t you? My parents might pop by unannounced.”
She folded her arms. “They don’t even know about this marriage.”
“They don’t,” he said without missing a beat. “And they won’t. That’s why you’re here.”
“So I’m… playing house?” she asked.
“You’re protecting an investment. Yours and mine.”
She wanted to hurl something at him—his watch, preferably. “This is crazy.”
“No, this is rich-people damage control,” he replied, walking toward the bar. “Drink?”
“I’m good.”
His eyes flicked over her, unreadable. “Suit yourself.”
Just then, the front door flung open.
“Elijah!” a bright voice chirped.
A petite woman with a cascade of black curls and wide eyes dashed inside, holding a shopping bag like a trophy.
“Naomi,” Elijah muttered under his breath, looking mildly panicked. “What are you doing here?”
“I had class canceled, so I figured I’d crash for the weekend,” Naomi grinned. “Wait—who’s this?”
Olivia turned quickly, smoothing her dress. Naomi looked young—definitely younger than Elijah—with an easy warmth that made Olivia’s chest ache.
“Elijah?” Naomi pressed.
He hesitated.
“She’s my—” His voice caught for half a second. “My wife.”
Naomi blinked once. Then twice.
Then squealed. “No freaking way!”
Olivia’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what?”
Naomi dropped the bag on the floor and raced over, hugging Olivia like they were long-lost friends. “Oh my god, I thought you were going to marry one of those robots from your board meetings. You married someone normal!”
Elijah looked like he was swallowing glass.
Naomi stepped back, eyes sparkling. “This is amazing. You have to tell me everything.”
“There’s… not much to tell,” Olivia said weakly.
Elijah cut in smoothly. “It was a quiet ceremony. We didn’t want media attention.”
“Ugh, classic Elijah,” Naomi rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m staying here for a few days. You guys can cuddle in the master suite. I’ll take the guest room.”
Olivia stiffened. “Wait. The master suite?”
Elijah gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Forced proximity, remember?”
She cursed under her breath.
Naomi raised a brow. “You guys haven’t moved in together yet? You’re newlyweds!”
“It’s been… a whirlwind,” Olivia said quickly.
Naomi giggled. “Okay, but I ship this so hard.”
“Ship?” Elijah muttered, pouring himself a drink.
“It means I approve,” Naomi said proudly. “You’re not as icy with her as you are with everyone else. She must be melting you.”
Olivia could’ve sworn Elijah choked on his whiskey.
“Ice melts slow,” Olivia said smoothly, catching his eye. “But it still melts.”
Naomi gasped dramatically. “Oh, I like her.”
That night, Olivia stared at the massive bed in the master suite like it was a battlefield.
Elijah stepped in, shirtless, toweling his damp hair. “Relax. I’ll take the couch.”
“It’s your bed.”
“You’re the guest. And Naomi’s suspicious enough.”
She nodded slowly, setting her toiletries on the marble bathroom counter. “She’s sweet.”
“She’s twenty-two and too nosy for her own good,” he muttered.
Olivia glanced at him. “She seems to adore you.”
He didn’t answer.
She leaned against the doorframe. “You didn’t tell her this wasn’t real.”
“She wouldn’t understand.”
“She might,” Olivia said softly. “She seems more open than you think.”
He turned away, muscles tensing. “Let’s not pretend this is more than it is.”
Olivia stared at his back, frustration simmering in her chest. “Fine.”
He disappeared into the living room, and she crawled into bed alone, the silk sheets cold and unfamiliar.
But she didn’t sleep.
Not with Elijah in the next room.
Not with the lies between them stacking like bricks.
And definitely not with the secret flutter she’d felt in her chest earlier when Naomi had called her family.
NAOMI’S POV
Naomi peeked into the living room an hour later. Elijah was asleep on the couch, one arm over his eyes, a tension in his jaw that never left.
She padded quietly to the kitchen, then paused at the master suite door. Something about the whole marriage story felt off—but the way Elijah had looked at Olivia…
It wasn’t fake.
And Naomi wasn’t stupid. Elijah didn’t do feelings. Or spontaneous marriages.
She smiled.
Whatever this was… she was rooting for it.
Even if her brother was too stubborn to see it yet.
- Writer
