Chapter Seven: Sweat And Spotlight

The gym smelled like metal, rubber mats, and faint humiliation.

I stood in front of the mirror, the one that seemed way too wide, tugging at the hem of my black tank top. The fabric clung to every roll and curve I hated, despite Susan’s pep talk this morning.

“You’re here for strength, not for show,” she’d said, tossing a banana into my tote bag and shoving me out the door like a mother hen with designer sneakers.

Now, I stared at my reflection, breath short, heart racing.

It was day one.

Day one of reclaiming my body.

Day one of proving that Bryan’s words couldn’t touch me anymore.

I shifted awkwardly, pretending not to notice the fit girls stretching near the yoga mats or the muscular guy eyeing me curiously by the dumbbells. I picked up the smallest weights I could find and started curling like it was nobody’s business.

By rep seven, I wanted to die.

“Nice form,” came a voice behind me. I turned and found a trainer I didn’t ask for, all jawline and judgment. He gave me a pitying smile, the kind people reserve for lost puppies and women trying to change.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“You might want to keep your elbows tucked—”

“Actually,” I cut in, “I might want to survive my first set before I graduate to corrections.”

He raised a brow, hands up. “Noted.”

My phone buzzed on the bench. I reached for it, grateful for the interruption.

Andrew Walker.

I rolled my eyes but answered. “What do you want?”

“You need to be at my office. Now.”

“I’m literally at the gym.”

“And I’m literally not interested. You have ten minutes.”

“Excuse me?”

He didn’t wait. “Wear something decent. You’re about to become a headline.”

The line went dead.

What?

What now?

⸻

Susan screeched when I barged into her flat five minutes later, breathless and dripping with sweat.

“I need a dress. I need hair. I need to look like I didn’t just fight with a treadmill and lose.”

She blinked. “I thought you were working out, not attending the Grammys.”

“Andrew called. Something about a public appearance. Apparently, we’re going viral today.”

Her eyes widened. “Like… together? You and him?”

I nodded, already unzipping my gym top. “He said I need to be there in ten. Help me not look like a raccoon who ran through a thunderstorm.”

Susan, to her credit, was a wizard in panic.

In five minutes flat, she’d wiped my face, styled my hair into a sleek ponytail, and found a red midi dress that hugged my curves but didn’t scream desperation. She shoved nude heels into my hands and kissed my forehead.

“Go knock ‘em dead.”

“Or get knocked out. Same thing.”

⸻

Andrew’s office was already buzzing when I got there.

Camera flashes.

Reporters murmuring.

A podium with sleek branding behind it that screamed Walker Industries.

I froze.

Andrew stood near the front, in a navy suit so sharp it could’ve sliced glass. When he saw me, something flickered across his face — maybe surprise, maybe approval. I wasn’t sure.

He walked over like he owned the world and leaned close, low enough that only I could hear.

“You clean up well. For someone who was probably bench-pressing donuts an hour ago.”

I didn’t flinch. “Keep talking. I’ll shove a protein bar where the sun doesn’t shine.”

His lip twitched. “Charming.”

“Why am I here?”

He glanced over his shoulder, jaw tightening. “Denmark told a few ‘colleagues’ about our engagement. It’s spreading faster than I expected. I had to call this press briefing to take control of the narrative.”

“So I’m here for… what? Moral support?”

“You’re here because we’re making it official. In public.”

My heart stalled.

“Official how?”

He turned to face me fully, eyes serious now. “You’re going to stand next to me. Smile. Look successful. Look like my fiancée. And if anyone asks, we’re hopelessly in love.”

I blinked.

“This is insane.”

“No,” he said calmly. “This is damage control.”

A staff member signaled to him from the podium. “You’re on in two.”

Andrew took a step closer, fixing the strap of my dress as if we were lovers, not business partners. His fingers brushed my collarbone, too gentle for comfort.

“You ready?”

“No,” I whispered.

“Too bad.”

He walked off without another word.

A second later, he stepped up to the podium and the cameras exploded.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, voice smooth and commanding, “thank you for joining me on such short notice. I know there’s been speculation over recent meetings and some… premature leaks.”

Laughter from the crowd.

Andrew didn’t smile.

“I’d like to make something clear today, officially and publicly.”

He looked over at me.

I froze, heart hammering.

“This is Maria Smith,” he said. “Entrepreneur. Visionary. And the woman I’ve asked to marry me.”

There was a gasp. A flurry of camera clicks. Reporters leaned forward like wolves on a scent.

My mouth went dry.

He gestured for me to join him.

I stepped forward, every nerve in my body screaming. But I smiled. That trained, perfect, Miss Universe smile Susan had taught me.

Andrew took my hand.

It was warm. Firm. Too familiar.

“We’ll be answering no questions for now,” he said. “Further details will be shared at the engagement party.”

Party?

He never mentioned a damn party.

He nodded once, then led me off stage.

As soon as we turned the corner, I yanked my hand free.

“Are you out of your mind?”

He barely blinked. “It worked. Look at the coverage already—”

“I didn’t agree to be dragged into some headline announcement like a show pony, Andrew.”

“You signed the contract.”

I shoved my heel into the floor. “That contract didn’t include ambush press conferences and fake love stories in front of a thousand cameras!”

“You want out?” he challenged, voice low, controlled. “Then walk. But I promise you, that five thousand won’t even cover what you’ll lose.”

I stared at him, shaking with frustration.

“This is just a game to you, isn’t it?”

He leaned close, voice like silk over a blade. “It’s a game we both chose. So either play it well… or stay out of my way.”

He turned and walked off.

Leaving me behind.

Heart racing.

Panic rising.

And suddenly, the gym felt like the safest place in the world.