5

Nathan had just received the green light from my parents.

I should’ve felt relieved.

Instead, my stomach felt like it was made of bricks and butterflies.

There was no white dress. No vows.

Just a quiet agreement to sign our marriage papers in court,no guests, no rings, no romantic anything.

Perfect for him.

Painfully awkward for me.

I walked him out alone. Mum and Dad didn’t follow.

Not even a “take care of her.”

It was almost like they couldn’t look at him for too long without biting their tongues.

And Nathan?

Stone-cold as usual. Hands in pockets. Gaze forward.

He stopped by his car and turned to me.

There was no softness. No goodbye hug.

Not even a “see you tomorrow, wife-to-be.”

“I’ll send a car for you at ten,” he said flatly.

I nodded like a robot.

Then… it happened.

Before I could even respond, Nathan suddenly stepped forward, grabbed me by the waist and pinned me against the car door.

I gasped. My heart hit my ribs.

“What...”

His hands caged me in, one on each side of my shoulders. His face was so close I could smell the faint trace of mint and arrogance.

He wasn’t kissing me.

But to anyone watching from a distance?

It definitely looked like he was.

I blinked, stunned, lips slightly parted.

And then I caught it! Movement from the corner of my eye.

My dad.

Peeking from the upstairs window.

Oh.

This wasn’t passion.

This was performance.

Nathan’s lips brushed my ear, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.

“Don’t move,” he murmured. “He’s watching.”

And just like that, my heart sank from butterflies to bricks again.

It was all an act.

For Dad. For the neighbors. For control.

He leaned back just enough to keep up the illusion of a kiss, his face unreadable. Cool. Calculated.

“You should smile,” he whispered. “You're supposed to be in love, remember?”

I hated how he made it sound like a threat dressed as a suggestion.

Still, I obeyed.

I smiled. Just enough to sell the scene.

Even if it felt like my dignity had been auctioned off.

He stepped back then, cool as ever.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ivy,” he said, loud enough for my dad to hear through the glass.

He got into the car without another word and drove off like nothing had happened.

And me?

I stood there with my back pressed to the car, still feeling the ghost of his breath on my neck, and the dull ache of reality in my chest.

This was just the beginning.

And I wasn’t ready.

*****

I sat on my bed, phone clenched in hand, preparing myself to scroll through a hundred new headlines about me,the girl who “seduced” a billionaire and got caught half-naked in his hotel room.

But… nothing.

No mentions. No hashtags.

No comments dragging my name through mud.

It was like the entire internet had suddenly forgotten I existed.

My brows pinched.

What in the...

Then it hit me.

Nathan Blake.

His team must’ve wiped everything. Clean, silent, thorough.

The power to erase an entire media storm overnight?

Terrifying.

And impressive.

I stared at the empty feed, heart still thudding from the emotional rollercoaster of the past 24 hours.

One message popped up on my screen.

From Him.

Nathan Blake:

Be ready by 9 a.m. sharp. You’ll be attending a press conference with me.

After that, you’ll move into the penthouse.

Desmond will send the details.

Don’t be late.

No greeting.

No emoji.

No “hope you’re doing okay after everything.”

Just commands.

Cold. Controlled. Corporate.

Like I was another one of his employees.

Which… I guess I now was.

Kind of.

My stomach twisted as I read the message again.

A press conference?

I hadn’t even gotten a proper dress ready, and now I had to face flashing cameras and fake smiles again? With him beside me?

And move in right after?

God.

This was happening too fast.

Too real.

Too loud.

I dropped the phone beside me and fell back on the bed, eyes on the ceiling.

In 24 hours, I had gone from being a nobody trying to survive…

To a girl with a billionaire husband she barely knew…

A girl now expected to smile and stand by his side like it was all real.

THE NEXT DAY

Just as I was about to throw my blanket over my head and pretend the world didn’t exist, my phone buzzed again.

This time, it wasn’t Nathan.

It was an unknown number.

Your attire has arrived. Our driver is parked outside.

ETA to venue: 45 minutes. Please be ready.

– DB Management

I blinked.

Attire?

I scrambled to the window, and sure enough, a sleek black car was parked just down the street. Not flashy, but too clean and polished to belong in my neighborhood. A man stood beside it in a charcoal suit, sunglasses on despite the fading sun.

My heart stuttered.

This was real.

It was all happening.

I barely had time to respond when a knock came to the front door.

I rushed downstairs, almost tripping, only to find a delivery woman in uniform holding a white garment bag with elegant black letters on it.

Elara Haute.

That was... a designer brand.

An expensive one.

“Ivy Carter?” the woman asked with a polite smile.

“Uh… yes?”

She handed me the bag. “This is for you. You’ll need to change quickly,the driver’s waiting.”

I nodded, swallowing hard.

I shut the door, dragged the bag upstairs, and slowly unzipped it like it might explode.

It didn’t.

Instead, it revealed the most stunning two-piece skirt suit I had ever seen.

There was even a tiny black box tucked into the side pocket.

I opened it to find pearl stud earrings. Simple. Understated.

My reflection stared back at me in the mirror like I was watching someone else’s life unfold.

“This isn’t real,” I whispered to myself.

But it was.

One thing was clear now: Nathan wasn’t doing this halfway.

If he wanted the world to believe I was his, he was going to make sure I looked the part.

Even if I felt like I was still learning how to breathe.

*****

The conference room was a lion’s den of reporters and flashing cameras.

My ears rang. My palms were soaked. And Nathan?

Completely unbothered.

He sat beside me like he was born to control rooms like this.

I could barely breathe, but he leaned close to the mic and delivered every word with a practiced charm.

“Yes, the rumors are true. I’m engaged. Ivy Carter is the woman I’ve chosen to spend my life with.

I love her. And I stand by her.”

I love her.

He said it without flinching. Without blinking.

And he was good. Too good.

He laced his fingers through mine under the table and gave me a soft smile that felt like a performance… but to the rest of the world? It looked like love.

The cameras ate it up.

The headlines were already being written in real time.

Billionaire Nathan Blake Makes It Official!

Mystery Girl Finally Identified: Meet Ivy Carter, Nathan’s Fiancée.

I should’ve been spiraling.

Instead, I found myself exhaling for the first time since the hotel.

He was controlling the narrative.

And somehow, it was working.

The vultures backed off. The questions softened. The press smiled. It was like watching a magician in a tailored suit hypnotize a crowd.

When it was all over, he stood up and offered his hand.

“Come on.”

I took it.

Still unsure of everything, but with no other choice.

In the car, he didn’t say much. Just scrolled through his phone like nothing life-changing had happened. Like we hadn’t just lied to the world.

But then he glanced at me and said, “I’m not sure I’ll be pleased with your wardrobe.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

He tossed his phone into the seat beside him. “Your dresses. You’re going to be photographed a lot now. Headlines matter. Impressions matter. And…” he smirked, “frankly, you’re a bit of a mess.”

Ouch.

“I’m not your doll,” I muttered, turning to the window.

He ignored that completely.

“I’m taking you shopping.”

Twenty minutes later, I stood inside the most luxurious fashion house I’d ever stepped foot into.

Crystal chandeliers. Velvet seats. A personal stylist.

.

Nathan sat like a king in the waiting lounge, watching me sift through racks like I belonged to a different species.

“Pick what you like,” he said, not even looking up from his phone. “But it has to be classy. And flattering.”

I rolled my eyes but said nothing.

Eventually, I picked a few dresses and went into the dressing room.

First dress? Too tight.

Second? Too extra.

Third? Surprisingly perfect.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror. The dress was deep blue, with subtle shimmer and a neckline that danced between elegance and allure.

Maybe, just maybe, I could look like someone who belonged in Nathan Blake’s world.

I stepped out, dress still in my hand...

And stopped cold.

Nathan was no longer alone.

A woman,tall, glamorous, every inch polished woman was sitting on his lap.

Kissing him.

Her hand was curled around the back of his neck, her lips crashing into his like they owned him.

His hand?

Resting casually on her thigh.

My feet glued themselves to the floor.

The dress slipped from my fingers and pooled to the ground like a puddle of my pride.

Nathan didn’t even notice.

Or maybe he did—and didn’t care.

WHO IS SHE??