The Hockey Star's Fake Bride

Chapter One Keiran’s POV Six Years Ago…… The moment I stepped into the restaurant, I knew something was wrong and it's not even because of Elias but the woman sitting beside him. She's blonde, elegant and beautiful in the polished, expensive way women from old-money families always seemed to be. Her manicured hand rested lightly on Elias’s arm while she laughed at something his mother was saying. My stomach tightened. Elias looked up first. The second our eyes met, his expression changed into annoyance instead of guilt. Like I was an inconvenience he hadn’t planned for tonight. “Keiran,” he said slowly, setting his wine glass down. “What are you doing here?” The question hurt more than it should have. I stared at him, confused. “You told me to meet you here.” His jaw tightened and he looked away. Across the table, his mother sighed dramatically. “Honestly, Elias, you should have handled this before tonight.” Handled what exactly, am I the ‘this’? Heat crept up my neck as every person at the table turned to look at me. The blonde woman smiled politely at Elias. “Should I leave?” “No, it's not worth it.” Elias answered immediately. The word landed like a slap and I swallowed my saliva like pieces glass. I looked at him properly then, taking in the crisp black suit, the expensive watch on his wrist, the cold distance in his eyes. Something inside me started sinking slowly and terribly. “What’s going on?” I asked quietly. Elias leaned back in his chair, looking calm and undetached. Like this conversation bored him already. “It’s my engagement dinner night,” he said casually and the world stopped. I actually laughed because my brain refused to process what I’d just heard. “Your what?” “My engagement Keiran .” My fingers went numb. The blonde finally extended her hand toward me with a soft smile. “Hi, I'm Camille Ing. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Finally meet me? She's even bearing his name already? I stared at her hand without touching it. Then I looked back at Elias. “You’re engaged?” “It’s strategic for now.” My chest tightened painfully. “We’ve been together for three years, Elias.” “And?” The single word sliced straight through me. I blinked at him, stunned. “You told me you loved me, we had a thing going on.” I raised my voice in irritation but it's already late. People were looking at me like I'm begging for love. “I do,” he said flatly. “But love doesn’t build empires.” His mother nodded approvingly beside him. I couldn’t breathe. The restaurant suddenly felt too hot, too loud, too small. “You’re marrying her for money?” “For influence,” Elias corrected. “Her family has connections we need.” He said it like this was some business meeting instead of my life collapsing in front of me. Camille looked uncomfortable now, though not uncomfortable enough to leave. I swallowed hard. “So what? That’s it? You just replace me overnight?” Elias exhaled impatiently. “Stop being dramatic.” The humiliation burned hotter. People were staring now and chuckling. Pretending not to listen while absolutely listening. I could feel every whisper and glances. My voice shook despite my efforts to steady it. “You should’ve told me.” “I’m telling you now.” “NO!” I snapped with a scream. “You’re humiliating me now.” His eyes darkened slightly, irritation flashing across his face. “Keiran—” “No.” I stepped back before he could touch me. “No, don’t.” For the first time that night, silence settled over the table. Elias studied me carefully, like he was calculating the easiest way to end this conversation. Then he sighed. “This arrangement doesn’t have to change anything.” I frowned. “What?” “The engagement is temporary. Public and Strategic.” He spoke like he was explaining something painfully obvious to a child. “You can stay with me.” The meaning hit me a second later and my stomach twisted violently. “You want me to be your mistress?” Camille stiffened beside him, but Elias barely reacted. “I want you to stop acting emotional.” I laughed in disbelief. “Oh my God.” “You’ll still have access to me. My apartment. My accounts.” His gaze swept over me coolly. “Nothing changes unless you make it difficult.” I stared at the man I’d loved for three years and realized I had never truly known him. Maybe I’d only loved the version of him he allowed me to see. Because this man? This cold, arrogant stranger? I hated him, this was absolutely abrupt, today was supposed to be our anniversary. “You think I’d stay after this?” I whispered. Elias leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “I think you’re smarter than throwing your life away because your feelings are hurt.” “My feelings are hurt?” My voice rose. “You’re engaged to another woman!” “And you’re overreacting.” Something inside me cracked, I nodded slowly. Then I reached for the necklace around my neck. The one Elias bought me on our first anniversary. My hands trembled as I unclasped it and dropped it onto the table. “I’m done with this bullshit and disrespect.” His expression hardened instantly. “Don’t do this, I'm giving you a chance for crying out loud, what else do you want?” “No,” I said shakily. “You already did.” I turned before he could see the tears gathering in my eyes. “Keiran.” I stopped walking because a part of me still loved hearing him say my name. When I looked back, Elias’s face was unreadable again. “You’ll come back,” he said confidently. “You always do.” I wiped angrily at my tears. "Good luck with that this time.” A mocking smile tugged at his lips. “We’ll see.” Then his eyes flicked over my shoulder dismissively. “You’ll be begging for my help soon enough.” I should’ve ignored him. I should’ve walked away and never looked back. Instead, those words followed me all the way out of the restaurant. --- By the time my phone rang, I was halfway down the block and struggling to breathe. I almost ignored it. But when I saw my father’s name flash across the screen, dread crawled up my spine. “Dad?” Heavy breathing answered me. “Keiran...” His voice cracked horribly. “I messed up.” Fear flooded my chest instantly and my entire body shook. “What happened?” There's silence then his shattered sobbing followed. Jesus Christ! My father never cried. My grip tightened around the phone. “Dad, you’re scaring me.” “I lost everything.” The words hit like ice water. “What do you mean?” “The company... the loans...” His breathing turned uneven. “They’re taking the house.” I stopped walking. Cars blurred past me while my brain struggled to catch up. “What loans?” “I thought I could fix it before you found out.” Found out what exactly? “Dad—” I yelled and he began to spill my worst nightmare. “I mortgaged the house.” My knees nearly buckled. “You WHAT?” “I had no choice!” His voice cracked so violently people turned to stare at me on the sidewalk. “The investors pulled out, and I thought if I borrowed enough money—” “How much?” “Everything.” His voice choked. “Millions of dollars.” My vision blurred even harder. No, no, no. “We can figure this out,” I whispered desperately, though I had no idea how. “Where’s Mom?” He gave another horrible silence. Then— “She left after she found out.” My chest hollowed out instantly. “What?” “We fought Keiran.” His voice broke again. “She packed a bag and left.” The world tilted beneath my feet, Elias, the house. The debt. My mother is gone. Everything was happening too fast. I couldn’t breathe. “Keiran?” my father said weakly. “Say something.” But I couldn’t because my mind had gone frighteningly blank. I stepped off the curb without realizing it and a horn blared violently. Someone screamed with bright headlights rushed toward me— Then suddenly, Strong arms slammed around my waist. My body flew backward hard against a solid chest just as a car sped past close enough for the wind to whip through my hair. My phone crashed onto the pavement. For one terrifying second, all I could hear was my own heartbeat. Then a deep male voice exploded above me.