12– Gabrielle

“You don’t see me, Gabrielle.”

“You don’t care to know me.”

Kayden’s strained, gravelly voice echoed relentlessly in my head like a haunting loop that I couldn't shut off. 

No matter how hard I tried to focus, the vivid memory of his eyes filled with an unfamiliar pain and disappointment was the only thing alive in my mind.

My fingers flexed around the steering wheel, a frustrated breath escaping past my lips.

I stared blankly at the front doors of the high-end restaurant where Arthur was waiting for me.

I leaned my head against the headrest, wondering if I was mentally ready to sit down and chat with my boss. 

I wasn’t properly put together at the moment. My thoughts were a mess, and my chest still ached from how hard my heart was pounding. But I was already parked here. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. I needed to just walk in there and get it over with.

Stepping out of the car, I smoothed down my blazer and walked into the restaurant. After stating the name for the reservation, a hostess led me into a secluded VIP dining lounge that Arthur had booked out for us.

“You look like a total mess. And here I thought you two had a good night,” Arthur said dryly the moment the hostess slid the door shut, leaving us in private.

“It was a great night. It’s just been a bad morning,” I sighed heavily, lowering myself into the plush leather seat opposite him. I dropped my bag onto the table. “How are you, Arthur?”

“I’m well,” Arthur responded, swirling the water in his glass before fixing me with an observant look. “What exactly happened to your morning?”

I looked at him with a raised brow, as if the answer should have been common knowledge. 

Kayden Alvarez happened.

Arthur picked up on the unspoken vibe instantly, a loud, booming laugh bursting through his throat.

“Yeah, go ahead and laugh all you want. My life is obviously a joke to you,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. The corner of my mouth tightened as I fought back a reluctant smile.

“Pardon me,” Arthur said between cackles, waving a hand. “I just couldn’t help it. But whatever the case is behind the scenes, you’re doing a phenomenal job of selling this romance angle to the public. The metrics from that night market stunt are off the charts.”

“It’s my job.”

“And you’re damn good at it, thank God,” Arthur said, his tone turning a bit more casual as he leaned back. “But tell me, now that you’ve actually worked with Alvarez closely and seen the real guy behind the jersey... have you finally let go of that silly little crush you had on him?”

The question made everything inside my chest screech to a halt.

The air left my lungs in an abrupt rush. A muscle ticked beneath my jaw.

It felt like a slap to the face to be reminded of my past attraction to Kayden—an attraction that had occurred once upon a time, long before I was assigned to his account, and had never lasted long enough to hold any real water.

It was just a fleeting, foolish moment from two years ago, when I got a little too excited after watching Kayden move majestically on the ice at a charity game.

That excitement died the moment I actually met him off the ice and realized the majestic athlete was just an arrogant, reckless playboy who had nothing of substance to him. Or so I had thought.

I leaned back into my chair, forcing a slow breath through my nose. “Was that the reason you pushed me so hard to handle his account, Arthur? Because you wanted me to forgo some imaginary crush?”

“You weren't sent to handle Alvarez to cure a crush, Gabrielle,” Arthur replied, picking up his menu. “You were assigned to him because he specifically requested you. Word for word. He refused to sign his contract renewal with the agency unless you were named his personal handler.”

My jaw practically dropped. “What?”

Arthur raised his eyes from the menu, looking surprised by my reaction. “You didn't know?”

“How on earth was I supposed to know?” My heart started hammering against my ribs, a cold wave of shock washing over me. “How did he even know who I was six months ago?”

“It was two years ago actually,” Arthur said.

“What?”

“Two years ago,” he repeated. “He started asking about you then, but you were not ready to take on someone like him. So I said no, many times. And he pulled some strings, leaving me no choice but to give you to him.”

“Give me to him?” I frowned. “You sound like you sold me.”

Arthur chuckled. “You know what I mean.”

“But…” I shook my head, trying to piece things together. “How did he know me two years ago?”

Arthur shrugged carelessly. “I wouldn’t know. I assumed you two had crossed paths before.”

“Well, that’s not the case.”

I sat there, paralyzed, my mind frantically spinning backward through the last two years. 

Two years ago. 

He had demanded me. He had weaponized his multi-million dollar contract renewal just to force Arthur to assign me to his account.

“How could he have even known my name from two years ago,” I whispered, looking down at my hands. My palms were suddenly clammy.

“Well, he clearly did,” Arthur said softly, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the edge of the table. He took a slow sip of his water before sighs escaped him. “How does that make you feel?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “I’m wondering if he stalked me.”

“Stalked?” Arthur chuckled. “Well, it’s not so bad to be stalked by the Kayden Alvarez.”

“Arthur,” I groaned. 

“What?” He gave me a knowing smile. “It’s obvious you’re still crushing on him.”

I snapped my head up. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re triggered by him,” Arthur said plainly, unfazed by my defensive posture. “You have been from day one. You’re always impassive to everyone else, Gabrielle. But Kayden? Kayden leaves a dirty jersey on his floor or flirts with a woman, and you look like you’re ready to burn the city down.”

“Because he is a liability—”

“Because you still have lingering feelings for him,” Arthur cut me off, his voice gentle but unyielding.

“Arthur, I don’t—”

“Don’t lie to me, Gabrielle. I’ve known you since you were wearing braces and studying for your SATs,” he stopped me, raising a hand to cut off my defense before I could even form the words. “Truth be told, it doesn’t matter. Liking him doesn’t change anything or make you less of who you are. But as someone who cares about you... I think you need to stop fighting so hard and just have some fun.”

I blinked, thrown off balance. “Have fun? Arthur, my career is hanging by a fragile thread. My face is currently a meme on sports blogs!”

“And the thread is secure for the next twenty-eight days,” Arthur countered. He leaned back into his plush chair, looking relaxed. “You’ve spent your entire life building an impenetrable wall around your heart because of what happened in your past. You view everything as a risk assessment. But you spent two years holding a silent, secret crush on a magnificent athlete, and now, through a ridiculous twist of fate, you are legally bound to be his girlfriend for a month. Why live this contract period like a… contract period?”

“Because it is a contract period,” I told him matter-of-factly.

“God,” Arthur groaned. “Why’s it so difficult to have a conversation with you?”

I stared at him, my throat tight. “It’s because you’re always beating around the bush, Arthur. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I’m suggesting that maybe you shouldn’t embrace this as a PR strategy. Embrace it as if it were a real relationship. Go on the dates. Let him hold your hand. Kiss him as much as you’d like. For once in your life, Gabrielle, stop treating love like… it’s such a terrible thing.”

I chuckled. “Don’t let my mother hear you say that to me.”

“Your mother is a stuck up bitch.”

My mouth dropped open, my eyes widening with shock. 

“What?” Arthur raised his shoulders, letting them drop lazily. “You said so yourself.”

“And you’re repeating it back to me.” I scoffed in disbelief. “I’m definitely telling your wife that you called her sister a stuck up bitch.”

“Then I’m firing you and telling the world that you’re under qualified for your position.”

“What? That’s so unfair!”

“Then let’s keep our secrets to ourselves, deal?”

I rolled my eyes. “Deal.”

A wave of silence hit. I felt suffocated as Arthur’s suggestion pressed against every corner of my mind, clawing at the back of my throat. My fingers tightened around the edge of the table until my knuckles turned white.

“Let’s say I agree with your suggestion, what happens at the end, Arthur?” I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. “If I keep feeding my delusions... what happens when the thirty days are up and my heart is broken?”

Arthur looked at me, sadness touching the corners of his eyes, though his expression remained calm.

“This is exactly why you younger generations are so unhappy,” Arthur replied. “You are always thinking about the end, forgetting to simply exist in the present moment.”

I shook my head, a stray tear threatening to escape. “What does that even mean?”

“It means, Gabrielle, that if your heart is broken at the end of this... then so be it. That is the price of being alive,” Arthur said, leaning in, his gaze holding mine. “It means that even with all your immense intelligence, and all your flawless observation skills... you have failed to see just how Alvarez looks at you.”

The last bit of the statement made me snort out a laugh. 

“The way he looks at me?” I breathed harshly.

“Yes.”

“And how does he look at me?”

Arthur leaned back, his mouth curved into a small smirk. “Like he wants to hide you away from the world and keep you to himself for the rest of his life.”