5- The Performance

My kiss on his knuckles wasn't submission; it was a seal. 

No more humiliation. No more betrayal. No more cheating.

“Swear it.”

His grip tightened.

“Swear on your life.”

My throat dried but playing along, I nodded firmly.

“I swear on my life, Zayne,”  

His smile sharpened into something devilishly predatory. 

“Good girl,” he hummed and stepped back, leaving me baffled.

“Let’s cover the loopholes before proceeding,”

“What loopholes?” 

“The public needs to see a united front. The engagement announcement needs to be real, immediate, and utterly convincing.” 

He pulled out his phone, already conveying a series of orders into it that required immediate obedience. 

“Get me a line to JNews. I demand a live, streamed interview with Lia James in thirty minutes. Tell them Mr. Nightwood and Miss Iglesias have a major personal announcement.”

He snapped the phone shut, his eyes returning to me with chilling coldness, his eyes judged me, observing all of my inches.

“What?” 

“You look too casual, Kristine, for the interview. Fix the look. You are not that loser’s girlfriend anymore, you are my soon-to-be bride. Look like one,” he ordered dominantly, taking me by surprise.

I blinked, standing like a statue, registering his words because such swift progression was not a part of my plan. 

He was about to go back to his phone but paused, “Why are you still standing? Go,”

“Okay,” 

Exactly thirty minutes later, dressed formally, I sat beside him in his private conference room, pumping my blood in anticipation.

Every detail had been calculated.

The lighting.

The skyline. 

A branded window view of the city skyline. 

‘Take that, Edric.’ I thought, a small victorious smile playing on my lips..

Maintaining a perfect smile, our one hand was intertwined as a display of affection. His other hand spread across the headrest, asserting his dominance. 

“We are live in three, two...” 

Clearing her throat, the interview went live, people started watching immediately.

“Welcome, viewers,” the interviewer, Lia James, beamed. 

“We are here with Zayne Nightwood and Kristine Iglesias, following the… scandalous news of their unexpected pregnancy.”

“The word ‘scandal’ is inaccurate, Lia,” Zayne interrupted, his voice deep, smooth, and laced with a strange affection.

“What is accurate then, Mr. Nightwood?” 

Zayne turned his head slowly, meeting mine. An unreadable gleam flickered as he squeezed my hand possessively.

My eyes twitched, failing to read through his actions when he lifted our joined hands and kissed the back of my palm.

“This is not a scandal. Merely a surfacing of a complicated, irresistible, and forbidden relationship.” He paused, letting the implication hang, gaining all the attention. 

“A passion we can no longer hide due to our baby,”

He immaculately displayed his affection openly, convincing everyone with the fake softness.

Playing my part too, I forced myself to lean into him, resting my head lightly on his shoulder. 

“Are you confirming what the world is hoping for, Mr. Nightwood? That you are committing to Kristine and the child?”

Lia gasped, she knew she was going to receive a bonus. 

Zayne didn’t break the stare, his expression melting into something intensely tender. He tucked a stray strand of my hair behind her ear, tracing his fingers on my jawline, inducing a fire in my body.

“Kristine Iglesias is going to be my wife in two weeks.” he declared, earning a series of gasps. 

My smile froze.

What the hell?

We never discussed this.

“What?”

“June. Ring.”

“Yes, Sir,”

Shifting back slightly, his hand extended when his assistant placed the beautiful carved box in his palm only to reveal a spellbinding ring.

His hand waited between us.

I stared at it.

Three weeks ago...

I had wanted another man's wedding ring.

Now I was about to marry his greatest enemy.

How quickly my life has changed…

“Miss Iglesias?” 

Zayne was daring me to break character, still offering me his hand.

This. 

This was it. After that everything would change. 

Convincing my heart it was the right decision, I hesitantly presented my hand. 

I was shocked and disheartened at the same time by the way things turned. 

Not the future I imagined. 

But, this was certainly the path I had chosen. 

“Congratulations!” 

Subsequently, I stared at Zayne as if he was my entire world. 

The man who had pulled me from the wreckage of my previous relationship.

My Savior. 

“We are absolutely ecstatic to be welcoming our child and we are announcing our engagement. Let’s live happily ever after, Dear,”

Liar. Every word is a lie. 

A voice screamed in my head.

But the camera saw only devotion and so did my pretty eyes. 

“Of course… Dear,” I smirked, my gaze darkening.

He saw revenge burning behind my smile, and it made him chuckle.

“Miss Iglesias, many are saying this is a sudden, dramatic shift from your relationship with Mr. Carton.”Lia pressed.

“Can you address the claims that this new relationship was born out of revenge?” 

I sat up straight, letting go of Zayne only to place one hand flat on my chest and another towards the camera to show off the diamond ring.

“Edric and I… we have closed that chapter,” I said, injecting just enough sadness to make it believable. 

“The pain was real, yes. But Zayne, he showed me what real commitment and passion felt like.”

“We wish Mr. Carton well, but we are focused on our future.”

He spoke up first, setting up clear-cut boundaries before Lia could make another judgement.

“Also, if anyone tries to interfere with my fiancée, they will be dealt with severely.”

Zayne continued from my side, hand pressing firmly on my shoulder to serve the perfect ending - a strict warning.

“Obviously. Good luck to you two,” 

The interview was a smashing success. 

But, the time things wrapped up and everyone was gone, I pulled away roughly from him, my jaw dropping.

“What the hell was that, Zayne?” I snarled, my jaw dropping. “Two weeks? Don’t you think it’s too early?”

He simply unbuttoned his suit jacket with a grace that made my skin prickle.

“You swore on your life, Kristine. Did you think a 'seal' was just a poetic gesture?” He asked in a low, tempting tone, pushing me down on the couch, shifting on top of me.

“I thought it was a partnership.” 

He reached out, his fingers unhooking my dress’s front, exposing the cleavage, pulling me sharply into his space.

His face buried in my chest.

He cut me off sharply. “I don’t do partnership, Kristine.” 

His hand slid inside my shirt, kissing my exposed skin passionately. 

“I do ownership.” 

His teeth grazed my earlobe, giving my breast a rough squeeze.

“And right now.” 

Zayne’s eyes darkened, slowly unbuttoning his shirt, exposing his sexy abs. He pulled my legs around his waist.

Before I could resist, he had his thumb tracing my lower lips before putting it in my mouth.

“I am going to make you understand who holds the authority in this relationship, Kristine.”