Chapter 6 : A Cruel Welcome

• Celine's Pov •

Adrian was waiting for me outside the banquet hall, leaning against his car with his hands in his pockets. When he spotted me, he straightened and glanced toward the hotel entrance.

“Are you still willing to go through with our arrangement?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll have my lawyer draw up the terms of our fake relationship in three days.” He opened the passenger door. “Let me take you home.”

“I’m staying with my best friend tonight. I need some distance from Nathaniel and all this drama.”

Adrian didn’t argue. “Then let me make sure you get there safely.”

I got into the car.

The drive was quiet. I watched the city lights pass by, tears stinging my eyes. By the time we reached Camilla’s apartment, all I wanted was to lie down and forget the night had happened.

“Let’s meet tomorrow morning,” he said. “We should agree on the terms before my lawyer drafts the contract.”

I nodded and stepped out. Camilla opened the door before I could knock.

“Celine!” she exclaimed, alarm in her eyes. “What happened?”

She pulled me inside and shoved her phone toward me.

“Have you seen this? What’s going on, babe? You’re all over the media!”

A video played on her screen. I recognized the banquet hall immediately. It showed me walking up to Nathaniel and slapping him, then throwing my wedding ring at him.

My stomach twisted as Camilla swiped to the next screen. A headline filled the display.

Billionaire Nathaniel Frost’s Loyal Assistant Humiliates Him at His Engagement Dinner.

I stared at it.

What the hell?

“It’s everywhere,” Camilla said. “Someone posted it less than an hour ago. News pages are already sharing it.”

I scrolled through the comments.

She really thought she was going to marry her boss.

The audacity of this assistant. He’s marrying a woman from his own circle, and she’s throwing a tantrum.

She looks like the kind of woman who mistakes basic kindness for love. Embarrassing.

A bitter laugh escaped me. They had no idea I was Nathaniel’s wife, or that the ring I’d thrown at him had been on my finger for two years. They had no fucking idea I’d walked into that dinner believing I was still the woman he’d promised to love.

To them, I was just a jealous assistant who couldn’t accept her boss’s engagement.

I watched the video play again, my chest tightening as it showed me slapping Nathaniel and throwing my ring at him. I couldn’t cry or laugh. I just sat there, staring at the screen.

“Do you want some water?” Camilla asked.

I shook my head.

She took the phone from me and set it on the table. “People are already making up stories, Celine. Some are saying you’ve been sleeping with him.”

I bit down on my lower lip.

“You don’t have to read any of this,” she said, sitting beside me. “You could tell them the truth. I know you’ve always been in love with him, but you need to protect your reputation. Go online and explain that the video was misunderstood. Make it clear you’re not in love with your boss.”

I couldn’t answer. Even Camilla didn’t know I was married to Nathaniel. That was how deeply buried our secret had been. Now she wanted me to tell the world I’d never loved him.

“I can’t,” I said, my voice breaking.

My phone vibrated on the table. Nathaniel’s name flashed across the screen, followed by several messages.

I picked it up.

By the time you come back to apologize for messing up what we had, it will be too late. You have until midnight to fix the mess you created tonight.

A second message followed.

Stop acting like a child. You’re not the first woman to have a husband who’s interested in another woman.

I read them twice, my disbelief turning to anger. What did he expect me to apologize for? Slapping him in front of people who had no idea he’d been living a double life? Or finally refusing to swallow his lies?

Even now, he expected me to clean up the mess he’d made.

I typed a reply before I could stop myself.

You want an apology? Try explaining to your fiancée why you’re still married to me.

My thumb hovered over the screen before I deleted the message. I wasn’t giving him the satisfaction of knowing how close I’d come to losing my mind over him.

I turned the phone facedown and shut my eyes. Nathaniel still thought I would come crawling back, but he was about to find out how wrong he was.

•••

I woke up on Camilla’s couch with a stiff neck and a headache. I’d barely slept, but I refused to spend the morning thinking about Nathaniel.

After a quick coffee, I told Camilla I needed to collect my files and personal belongings from his house.

“Want me to come with you?” she asked.

“No. I’ll be fine. I just need to get my things and move out of his place.”

She told me to call if anything happened. I grabbed my bag and headed out.

I arrived at Nathaniel’s house expecting to collect my belongings and leave. I’d lived there for years, and everything I needed was still inside.

The security guards stopped me at the entrance.

“Miss Ward,” one of them said, “you can’t go in.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Your access has been revoked. We need Mr. Frost’s approval before letting you through.”

I blinked at him, stunned. I’d walked through those gates countless times, often beside Nathaniel. Now I couldn’t even enter to collect my own things.

“Can you call him?” I asked, half irritated.

“You’ll have to contact him yourself, ma’am.”

I took out my phone and called Nathaniel. He didn’t answer.

I tried again.

Someone picked up on the second ring.

“Why are you calling Nathaniel?” Veronica’s sharp voice cut through the line.

I pulled the phone away and checked the screen. “Veronica?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know who this is.” Her voice rose. “What are you trying to do? You’ve embarrassed yourself enough. You no longer work for Nathaniel, so stop calling my man, you desperate slut!”

I stood at the gate, her words sinking in.