Chapter 5

Natasha Whitmore's pov

I chose the simplest dress I bought that morning.. it was a black, high necked sheath that covered everything and revealed almost nothing. No deep neckline, no slit.

The opposite of the women Daniel was photographed with. I pinned my hair into a low twist, applied the barest makeup, and told myself the plan did not require looking like them. It required control.

Daniel was already waiting when the car stopped at the gala entrance. He stood beneath the canopy in a black tuxedo, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable...until his eyes landed on me. They stayed there. Longer than politeness required. Longer than indifference should have allowed.

“You look beautiful,” he said when I reached him.

The words landed so unexpectedly that heat rushed straight to my face. I felt the flush rise and hated how quickly it showed.

“Thank you,” I managed.

He offered his arm. “I have a surprise for you tonight.”

I took it, mind already racing. A surprise. From the man who had looked at me yesterday like I was an inconvenience. I couldn’t decide whether to feel wary or hopeful.

Inside, I moved through the crowd at Daniel’s side, answering when spoken to, smiling when required.

Then I saw Ryan and Sarah stood near the centre of the room, locked in a slow, shameless kiss that left no room for interpretation. His hand rested low on her back. Her fingers were in his hair. People around them smiled and murmured approval.

Something sharp twisted in my chest. The pen I had been holding...needed for a quick note on the evening’s schedule....snapped cleanly in half between my fingers. Ink smeared across my palm.

Daniel’s voice came low beside me. “Are you all right?”

I forced the corners of my mouth upward. “Yes. Fine.”

Ryan’s eyes found mine over Sarah’s shoulder. The smirk that followed was pure mockery. He knew exactly what he was doing. Around us, voices rose in praise

"Such a beautiful couple, so well-matched, how lucky they are."

The anger that had been simmering since the rainy bench boiled over.

I turned, grabbed Daniel’s collar with both hands, and kissed him.

The room went silent for half a second, then exploded into gasps. Someone muttered that I would be thrown out. Someone else laughed under their breath.

I didn’t care. I poured every ounce of fury and hurt into the kiss and then Daniel’s hand slid to the back of my neck and he kissed me back. Fully. Deliberately. Like he had been waiting for the chance.

Ryan was on us in seconds. He wrenched me away by the shoulder, face dark with rage.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled. “Sleeping your way through the city already? You didn’t waste any time, did you?”

I jerked free of his grip. “Don’t you dare. You lost the right to comment the moment you put your hands on my best friend.”

His fingers closed around my wrist, hard enough to bruise. “You ungrateful...”

“Let go of her.” Daniel’s voice cut through the noise.

Ryan’s head snapped toward him.

Daniel stepped closer, eyes cold. “Stay away from my girlfriend.”

The air left my lungs. Girlfriend. The word hung between us, impossible and suddenly real. Ryan’s face twisted in disbelief. “You’re lying,” he said. “She’s nobody. A discarded...”

I reached for Daniel’s hand and laced my fingers through his, standing straight. The contact grounded me. I met Ryan’s stare without flinching.

Sarah appeared at Ryan’s side, her expression tight with something that looked a lot like panic.

She murmured something urgent in his ear and pulled him away from the growing circle of watchers. He went, but not before shooting me a look that promised this was far from finished.

The moment they disappeared into the crowd, I released Daniel’s hand and took a small step back, the picture of sudden shyness.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For helping me.”

He looked down at me, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly. “I’m simply protecting what’s mine. My girlfriend.”

I almost laughed. He had to be joking...using the word for effect, nothing more. Then his expression shifted, something more serious settling into place.

“Be mine,” he said, voice low enough that only I could hear. “Officially.”

Across the room, Ryan had stopped walking. He stared at us like a man watching something he could not control. The warning in his eyes was clear. I felt it, and I ignored it. A slow smirk curved my lips.

“Yes.” I leaned in close, close enough that my breath brushed his ear.

“I know you don’t really like me,” I whispered. “Once this is over, you won’t have to pretend.”

I still didn’t understand the game he was playing....why he had claimed me so publicly, why the word *girlfriend* had left his mouth so easily. But the look on Ryan’s face made the risk worth taking. I would play along for as long as it served me.

Daniel’s quiet, dark chuckle vibrated against my skin.

“Kiss me again,” he murmured, “before that boyfriend of yours bursts from jealousy.”