Acting It Out

Chapter 4: 

Alina's pov 

 That night I slept very little. I was having trouble processing the contract I had just signed and my thoughts were racing. One part of me wanted to laugh, another to scream and a tiny silent part to cry. But nothing would change if I cried. It was precisely at 6:00 a. m when my phone buzzed.

 Dante: The car is downstairs. Get ready.

He said as if he already owned me, I gazed at the message and the audacious assurance in his words. I got dressed quickly wearing dark jeans, a white silk blouse and not much makeup. I had to appear gentle without being frail. 

Untouchable but beautiful. A woman who wouldn't recoil when she married a billionaire. It was a sleek, black spy-movie-type car. 

With a nod, a silent driver opened the door. Nothing to say, just a luxury. 

“Miss Alina,” he said courteously. 

I slid in after nodding back. 

Yes,now my name is Alina Thompson, the wife who was forgotten. This sister who was betrayed. But that is no longer the case. 

As we pulled up, we saw a sophisticated rooftop garden with glass walls all around. Like bees, cameras, stylists, makeup artists and public relations managers were all over the place. Dante Blake wearing a sharp charcoal suit that gave him the appearance of danger 

wrapped in luxury, he stood in the middle of it all. As soon as I got out of the car his gaze fell on me. 

“ You're late,” he said as he approached.

 I raised my chin in response.

“ You're early.”

 He smiled and I could swear that I had really made a terrible mistake years ago when I refused to marry this hot tycoon.

 Immediately the photo shoot started. A haze of poses and flashes. 

 I glued myself to Dante, playing t he ideal portrayal of a woman in love. I believed I was a puppet but I did a good job in my role. 

“Closer,” called the photographer. “We need intimacy and passion. Act as if you are infatuated with one another.”

 Dante pressed his forehead against mine as he leaned in. 

“You smell like war,” he muttered. 

“You also have a sharp scent. Too much cologne.”  

Just before the last flash a grin twitched across his lips

 The PR manager then gave us a phone containing the draft engagement announcement. 

Power couple alert: Dante Blake, a multimillionaire , is no longer available for purchase. He and Alina Hart, a business consultant and heiress, are getting married. 

Sparks flew when the two met at a private charity gala. In six weeks the wedding is planned and they would say I do to each other. The pair's close friends and family claim their true love. 

I laughed. 

“True love?”

“People believe what they want to believe.” Dante said breezily 

“What if this doesn't change Barry's perspective?

What if he doesn't care?”

He raised an eyebrow and he looked like he wanted to laugh or something.

“Oh, he'll be interested. Even though Barry is arrogant he plays the cool card. Alina you were his prize. Right now you're going to be mine.”

It was a word I detested. Prize.

 As if I were a prize that men spread among themselves but then I smiled. 

I had to. It was a game.

“Tonight we have an event,” he stated. 

A dinner for charity. Be prepared. I want the ring to be seen by everyone.”

 I glanced down at my fingers sparkling diamond. It seemed heavy as if it understood the gravity of the lies it stood for. 

“I have nothing to put on.”

“Now you do.”

He gestured for a black-clad woman to bring over a bag of clothes. 

“A high-end dress made to your exact measurements. Greetings from the world of luxury.”

“Where everyone wears a mask.” I said quietly.

He took a moment to observe me. “Wearing a mask you're good at won't hurt.”

I didn't say anything.

By 7:00 p. m. I was wearing a deep emerald gown that accentuated my curves and glistened in the chandelier lights as I stood outside the Rosewood Hotels grand ballroom.

 I now have crimson lips and smoky eyes thanks to the makeup artist's skill. 

I was a far cry from the woman who had sobbed in a hotel room only a few days before. Dante showed up next to me, reaching out. 

“Are you ready to ruin him?”

“I was born ready.”

As we went inside, the crowd dispersed, flashing cameras, and whispered exclamations. 

I remained upright, my fingers interlaced with Dante's. We appeared to be powerful and also deeply in love

Until I caught sight of him. 

Barry. He and Camille stood close to the bar, her hand snagging his arm as if she were supposed to.

 Despite being made of cream silk, her dress seemed cheap to me. When she saw me her smile wavered. I smiled more broadly. Barry's gaze shifted from my face to the diamond in my hand narrowing and then to Dante. 

His lips clenched. Slowly we passed them and I stopped as soon as I got close enough.

“Oh Barry,” I said kindly. Did I send you an invitation?

Then Camille moved forward. “You've already gotten married?”

“ Six weeks from now,” I stated while displaying the ring. “I suppose it happens quickly when it's real.”

Dante wrapped my waist with his arm. 

“We just can't wait.”

Barry treated me like a complete stranger. As if he was no longer able to touch the woman he had deceived.  

“You signed the papers then?” He said coldly, the blood in my body stopped moving. 

“I hadn't.” I feigned a smile. “I was joking. I did, of course, long ago. You should have checked your drawer.”

He snorted. “The inheritance clause won't be effective unless I agree as we both know. You'll need my signature.”

 “She doesn't need anything from you,” Dante stated in a stern voice. “Especially not with your consent.”

 The tension was like lightning between them . I looked up at Barry. 

“You don't think that I can inherit it do you”

 His voice was low as he leaned closer. 

“I think you are bluffing. 

You lack the necessary qualities.”

I grinned quietly. “Then watch me.”

Dante's hold tightened and before I could say another word he yanked me away. Barry's eyes were staring into my back as we left. 

“Very well done,” Dante murmured. “He's upset now.Well done. That's the strategy.”

I knew in my heart though that this was just the beginning. The war was on. And I was prepared to destroy everything by fire