CHAPTER 4•ON ONE CONDITION!!

~ Chiara.

I paced restlessly in my room with the card in one hand and my phone in the other, weighing my options.

This was a very bad idea.

Where did the sudden urge to make Yvette chew gravel come from ?

Chucking caution to the winds, I dialed his number.

“Ms DeLuca,” his arrogant drawl made me grit my teeth.

My heart beat came in palpitations.

“I’ll do it.”

“I didn't get that ,Ms.DeLuca?” He asked. I could imagine him smirking as he spun on his expensive office seat.

“I’ll be your wife for a year.”I grated out tightly and he chuckled.

"I'm not surprised.” He said smoothly.

“But there's a catch ,”

“And what might that be?”

He already sounded bored with the conversation.

“I want a wedding ceremony.”

He went silent for a bit. “Is that really necessary?”

“Yes. I know we’re already married technically but I have my reasons for wanting a proper wedding ceremony.”

“Hmm,” he hummed for a few seconds.

I believed he was contemplating my condition.

“And is that all?”

I thought about my company’s desperate need to sign a deal with him.

Would I look like a shameless gold digger by asking him to land us the contract?

I immediately decided against it. Him funding a wedding was enough trouble and I really didn't want to be indebted to him.

“Yes that’s all.”

“Good. Hire any wedding planner of your choice. See to everything and do what you need to and I'll have my PA send you as much as you need to foot the bill” He stated.

“Thank you.” I smiled in relief.

This wasn't so bad after-all.

“One more thing,Chiara?”

I liked the way my name seemed to roll off his tongue.

What did I expect? Alexander Carrington was a world-famous playboy to the nines.

Focus. I reminded myself.

“Yeah?”

“We’re having a public dinner tonight.Wear something classy.I'll pick you up at seven.”

And with that ,the line went dead before I could respond .

And that's when it hit me.

The full reality of being fake married to a complete wealthy stranger I had a one night stand with weeks ago

My life right now had to be the prelude to some cliche romcom on GoodShorts. The only thing is this was reality and there was no way this would work out.

I thought about calling Jessica to let her know about my decision but then I had to wait until after my dinner with Alex to finalize everything.

I went about the rest of my Sunday, rounding up some work that came with me for the weekend and mentally prepping myself to be picked and needled by the public eye .

Catching a break, I scrolled through Tiktok and felt the air whoosh out of my lungs out of my lungs when I saw pictures of Nathaniel and Yvette on my For You Page.

She was announcing their engagement and he had the audacity to tag me! I was seething.

I saw that she had locked the comments. Apparently, people who knew about Nathaniel and I commented on their confusion and to save face, she stopped the comments from rolling in.

Snake that she was .

The downside became that most of these people were sending dms to me instead to know what was going on.

I didn’t have it in me to respond so I exited the app immediately.

Jessica’s call came on cue

“You saw it?” She went straight to the point as always.

“Yup.” I said, popping the 'p'

“That bitch is really unbelievable . I can’t believe we were friends with her for so long.”

“She was there for me at a time nobody else was.” I muttered.

“Babes ,you knew I never liked that girl . I saw through her fake ass, the minute I met her.”

Jessica has been my friend for over six years. Yvette has been my best friend since childhood . They never really got along and I never understood why.

I guess I saw it now but it was too late anyways.

“I’m having dinner with Alexander Carrington tonight,” I said, switching lanes.

“Ooooh!” She squealed so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ears .

“Jeez calm down.” I chuckled, trying to sound unperturbed even though I was bubbling with excitement.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I just did , didn't I ?.”

“See you in thirty .” She piped and hung up.

What was it with everyone hanging up on me today?

Exactly thirty minutes later, my doorbell rang.

“You drove down here to get all shaved up because I said I was having dinner with Alexander Carrington?” I was amused.

She snapped her fingers, rolling her eyes and pointed her long nails at me. “The Alexander Carrington I know of ?Now that name right there, that’s more than enough reason to fly across the country just for deets. However, that’s not why I’m here.”

“What then are you here for?” I asked in confusion.

“To get you prepared. Duh.”

She swept in with two racks of what I could only term as piece of dresses ."Left to you.. you'd roll into dinner with Alexander looking like a community center teacher.I'm not letting you disgrace me Chiara , tonight of all nights."

“I don’t need to-“

“Shhhh!” She hushed me quickly. I clamped my mouth shut. “Fairy godmother Jessica, is here to save the day,”

“Don’t tell me you brought your boxes of lotions and tubes.” I sighed.

She grinned. “Damn,you know me too well,girl.”

“Oh lord,” I muttered.

This was going to be one hell of an afternoon.

If there was one thing Jessica was known for, it was going all out just to look stunning ..

Over the next few hours, she gave me a whole spa day.

The full package.Did my nails, styled my hair, picked out my dress, heels and jewelry and of course did my makeup.

Even with the hours of head start, she still managed to make me a few minutes late when Alexander’s driver came to get me that evening.

"It's good to keep a guy waiting" she kept on saying.

I looked down at the car that just pulled into the building’s parking lot. I couldn't believe my eyes .

It was a 2023 Rolls-Royce Sweptail.The most expensive car in the world

Jessica whistled. “Now that’s a fancy car…”

“Suddenly I no longer think this is a good idea.” I sighed.

“Don't you dare,Chiara” She reproached.

“I’m nervous. I wish you could come with me.”

“Trust me Jessica, you got this. You’re looking so tea now and I’m sure he can’t wait to rip this dress off you tonight.”

My nose scrunched up. “Ewww. That was one night.”

Her guffaw made me relax a bit. “What's stopping you guys? I know you enjoyed it.”

“I can barely remember it.” I muttered, fighting back my blush.

“You were sore in the morning. That’s a good reminder.” She winked.

“You’re unbelievable.” I laughed .

“Go on,” she nudged me towards the door. “Have fun!”

When I got downstairs, the chauffeur was waiting for me.

“Good evening Ms DeLuca.” He said as he opened the door to the backseat for me.

“Good evening,” I replied and slid in.

I wasn’t used to this kind of treatment. I didn’t even think it would ever be possible for me to sit in a chauffeur driven vehicle say less of a Rolls-Royce on my way to a ‘date’ with a trillionaire. It was crazy.

The drive was silent, except for the faint sound of soft music coming from the stereo.

I stared out the window, letting the beautiful night pass my sight.

About half an hour later, he parked in front of this fancy restaurant with a breathtaking view of the sea .

The contents of my stomach threatened to spill out as I was hand-led to the rooftop .I chewed on my lip.

When the door opened, I sucked in my breath .

“Oh my God.”