FORBIDDEN INTIMACY WITH MY COLD ARRANGED FIANCE

Chapter 8: The Executive Club

Theo's peaceful weekend ended far sooner than he expected. Monday morning had barely begun when his phone vibrated repeatedly.

Still half asleep, he reached for it lazily . The caller ID displayed a familiar name. Obunga. Theo immediately knew trouble was coming. Only two kinds of calls arrived this early ,,, either Emergencies Or Obunga's plans.

Considering the chairman rarely panicked, Theo already knew which one it was.He pressed the answer button. "Good morning sir, please Get dressed."

Theo frowned. "That doesn't sound like a normal greeting." Obunga ignored the comment." Sir You're attending an event tonight." Theo rubbed his forehead. "What kind of event?"

"The Executive Club."

Silence followed. Then another sigh. "That sounds expensive."

"It is." "I don't want to go." ,,"it's mandatory you go sir." Theo sat upright. "Why?" "Because hiding forever isn't an option." Theo walked toward the kitchen. "I thought we agreed my identity would remain secret."

"It will."

"Then why am I going?"

Obunga's voice carried amusement. "Because the future chairman of Apex Heights Holdings cannot spend every evening eating instant noodles and hiding like a child."

Theo nearly dropped his coffee. "How do you know about that?" "I know everything.",,"have you been".......,,,The call ended before Theo could argue.

He stared at the phone. Then groaned. The day had officially become complicated.

*********

Several hours later, Theo found himself standing inside one of the most exclusive clothing stores in the city. Luxury suits lined every wall. Crystal lights illuminated the showroom. The atmosphere screamed wealth. Theo looked uncomfortable,,, Very uncomfortable.

A professional stylist circled him carefully. "This one." Another employee nodded. "No. The black Italian design." A third disagreed. "The charcoal gray." Theo felt like a mannequin. Meanwhile, Obunga sat comfortably nearby. Clearly enjoying himself.

"This is unnecessary." The older man smiled. "No.",,, "It's definitely unnecessary." ,,"No." Theo sighed,, Arguing was pointless.

An hour later, he stood before a large mirror. For a moment, he didn't recognize the reflection staring back. The tailored charcoal suit fit perfectly. The white dress shirt highlighted his broad shoulders. The polished black shoes completed the appearance, while His dark hair had been professionally styled. The result was striking. Even Theo looked surprised.

The stylist smiled proudly. "Perfect." Theo stared at his reflection again. For years, people had looked at him and seen poverty, Now... He looked like someone powerful,,, indeed good clothing makes a man,, The realization felt strange.

Obunga stood. "Ready sir ?" Theo adjusted his sleeves."As I'll ever be."

The Executive Club stood on a private hill overlooking the city. The building resembled a luxury palace more than a social club, Elegant architecture, Golden lighting, Private security, Expensive vehicles lined the entrance, Every person arriving belonged to society's upper class like Billionaires, Corporate leaders, Political figures, Influential families.

Theo stepped from the vehicle and immediately felt out of place. The suit helped. But internally, he remained the same delivery rider he had never attended such events.

Obunga noticed the nervousness and gently asked. "Nervous chairman?",, "A little." ,, "Good."

Theo laughed. "You really enjoy saying that." The older man smiled. "It keeps people humble." As they entered, dozens of conversations filled the grand hall. Crystal chandeliers hung from soaring ceilings. Live music drifted through the room. Servers carried silver trays filled with expensive drinks. Everything radiated luxury.

Theo quietly observed. Most guests carried themselves with confidence. Some carried themselves with arrogance. The difference was noticeable. Several young men stood near a bar area wearing Designer suits, Luxury watches, Perfect smiles.The so called children of powerful families.

One of them noticed Theo immediately. His expression became dismissive. "Who's that?" Another shrugged. "No idea."A third one laughed. "Probably somebody's assistant." Several chuckles followed.

Theo heard every word but ignored them. Unfortunately, that only encouraged them,, One heir approached,, His blond hair was perfectly styled,, His expensive watch alone could probably buy a small villa. "First time here?"

Theo nodded. "Is it that obvious?" The young man smirked. "A little." His friends laughed,,, Theo remained calm,,, because Years of dealing with people like Lucas had prepared him well.

The heir continued. "The Executive Club isn't exactly open to everyone." Theo sipped his drink. "I noticed so ." Another stepped forward. "So which executive brought you or are you a maid hired to clean the floor?"

The question wasn't innocent, It was meant to establish status,Hierarchy and importance

Theo considered answering, Then decided against it. "Just here to enjoy the evening." The heirs exchanged amused glances. One whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Translation: nobody important." Laughter followed.

Theo found himself strangely relaxed,,, The situation felt familiar,, People judging him without knowing anything ,,The difference was that now... Their opinions carried no weight.

Several minutes passed, The mockery continued subtly, Small comments, Dismissive smiles, Condensing remarks disguised as jokes.

Theo tolerated everything patiently,,Then one heir noticed something,, A black card partially visible inside Theo's jacket pocket,, His expression changed,, "What's that?"

Theo glanced down,, The Executive Supreme Card,,Obunga had insisted he carry it,, Mostly for identification,,The heir reached toward it." can I see it " Theo reluctantly handed it over.

The young man examined the card casually,,,Then started sweating in shock, The color drained from his face, His hands started trembling.

"What happened,,what's wrong with the card I definitely knew the guy is a scam?" One of his friends grabbed the card.Seconds later, he froze too his father hard shown him how the supreme card looked like and this was definitely real .

The laughter disappeared instantly. Silence spread through the group.Theo noticed the change immediately and just smile

A third heir looked, His eyes widened dramatically. "No way." The card circulated through the group. Each reaction became worse than the other full of fear, Schock and disbelief.

Theo finally grew curious."Something wrong?" Nobody answered,, The heirs stared at him like they had encountered a living ghost,, Suddenly one stepped backward,, Another swallowed hard. The arrogant confidence from earlier vanished completely. Theo almost felt bad for them.

Then a commotion erupted nearby. Several senior club executives hurried across the hall. People stepped aside automatically. The executives rarely appeared personally for ordinary guests.Their destination quickly became obvious,, They were heading towards Theo's direction.

The lead executive arrived, Then bowed, Not a slight nod but A genuine respectful bow. "Welcome, sir."

The surrounding crowd fell silent , Every conversation stopped eyee turned swiftly. The heirs looked ready to collapse,,yes they knew he hold the card but they didn't expect The lead executive to bow to him.

Theo blinked awkwardly because This was exactly the attention he wanted to avoid. The executive continued respectfully. "Please forgive us for not greeting you sooner sir."

Theo smiled awkwardly. "It's alright." The man gestured toward a private section. "Your suite is prepared." Gasps spread through the hall. People understood exactly what that meant. Only the most influential members received private suites,,the Powerful politicians,Corporate giants and Old-money families deserve it,, Not unknown young men.

Questions immediately began spreading. Who was he? Why was management treating him this way? What kind of background did he possess? Theo suddenly felt dozens of eyes studying him. The heirs who had mocked him moments earlier looked horrified, they felt like fainting,some even started regretting why they attended the event.

One finally managed to speak. "We... didn't know." Theo almost laughed. Of course they didn't ,, That was the entire point,,Theo didn't hold grudges.

Before he could respond, another voice entered the conversation,,cold, elegant, "I see the rumors were true."

Everyone turned towards the woman's direction,, She was completely stunning, Long dark hair flowed over her shoulders, Sharp eyes radiated intelligence, Her elegant black evening dress complemented her flawless figure perfectly, Every movement carried confidence, authority and grace

The atmosphere seemed to change around her, Several men openly stared lustful, some even imagining making her surrender in there king-size bed, Several women looked envious.

Theo simply observed . The woman approached calmly, People moved aside automatically, Clearly she was important. The lead executive upon seeing her straightened immediately,, "Miss Cooper."

Layla Cooper, One of the most influential young women in the country,, wealthy Heiress, business prodigy and social elite

And was completely unaware she was staring at her future fiancé,, Layla studied Theo carefully. Her expression revealed little. Yet her eyes carried unmistakable skepticism. This was the mysterious guest everyone had been discussing? Interesting, He looked ordinary. Too ordinary to be important.

Theo noticed her gaze. "And you are?" A faint smile appeared.Not a friendly smile but challenging one. "Layla Cooper."

Theo nodded ,,"okay I'm Theo" Layla waited for Theo to say something but,,Nothing else followed. No recognition, excitement or attempt to impress her. For perhaps the first time in years, someone introduced himself without reacting to her status.

The experience was surprisingly irritating."Theo," she repeated. "Just Theo." Her eyebrow lifted slightly. Interesting answer,, Neither realized they were already evaluating each other. Competing without understanding why.

The heirs nearby watched nervously. Most people became intimidated around Layla. Theo seemed completely unaffected, That alone made him unusual.

Layla folded her arms, "You've caused quite a stir tonight." Theo smiled. "Apparently." ,,"You enjoy attention?" ,,"Not really." ,,"Yet here you are." For a brief moment, silence hung between them.

Then Layla laughed softly in angry way ,,,"what's wrong with this man." Most people either feared her or worshipped her,,,but Theo did neither,, It was refreshing annoying.

Unfortunately, she still remained unconvinced,, Everything about him felt suspicious, mysterious and unclear,, Layla always wanted people to fear and worship her .

As the evening continued, she found herself watching him occasionally, Meanwhile, Obunga stood across the room smiling quietly. He looked positively delighted, As though he knew something nobody else did,, Which,is fairness...

Because neither Theo nor Layla understood the truth, They didn't know fate had connected their lives years ago, They didn't know powerful families had already written their names into the same future, For now, they were simply two stubborn individuals standing on opposite sides of a mystery.One intrigued while One is suspicious.