Tension.

“Nayla! Don’t move! Turn around,” he commanded, his tone intense. He looked dangerous—sinful.

For a moment, my legs froze. This wasn’t real; I must have been hallucinating again. I was sure I was going insane.

“I said, turn around!” His voice came again—hoarsely and more intense this time.

Gathering all my courage, I ran. My legs felt stiff and heavy, but I made it; I made it to my room.

I shut the door and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath.

I shouldn’t have gone there. I should have stayed back and watched a movie or taken a peaceful nap. What the hell was wrong with me?!

But damn! He was so sexy—so fucking sexy, so irresistibly sexy.

“Knock! Knock!”

A loud knock jolted me from my thoughts. My eyes flew open, my heart pounding as if it might leap out of my chest.

He was back?!

“What do I do? What do I do?” I shut my eyes, trying to think of something—anything.

“Knock! Knock!”

The knock came again, louder this time. I squeezed my eyes tighter, mustering all the courage I had.

I held my breath and turned to open the door.

But to my surprise, it wasn’t Roy. It was Collin, smiling widely with both hands in his pockets.

“Collin,” I managed to say.

He raised an eyebrow, his smile fading slowly. “What’s wrong? Why do you look tense?”

I forced a smile. “I—I just wasn’t expecting you,” I lied. Actually, I wasn’t lying at all.

“You’re sure? Or is it about what the lawyer said? Roy told me everything over the phone. That’s why he invited me over to discuss,” Collin said, adjusting his black curly hair behind his ears.

Why would Roy invite Collin over when he had nothing to do with the fact that me and Roy had to get married in three months?

“Why don’t you come down so we can all discuss this?”

“Actually, I’m really busy. How about you go ahead? He’ll inform me later,” I said, making up an excuse to avoid seeing Roy. How could I face him?

“But you have to be there. Roy said it’s important for you to be present,” Collin insisted.

I sighed, nodding slightly. “Alright, I’ll be down in a minute,” I said, and he nodded with a smirk. I watched as he turned to leave.

How do I face Roy?

---

ROY’S POV.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

What have I done? Why did I stop her from leaving? How did I get so carried away?

What is she going to think of me after this? I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have let her go. Now she’s going to hate me. Fuck!

“You’ve been lost in your thoughts? It’s still about your father’s will, right?” Collin asked, breaking me from my thoughts once more.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve worked too hard to just let his assets go like that,” I said. If only Collin knew that something else was bothering me—something I wished I could erase.

“Nayla, what took you so long?” Collin said as my eyes caught sight of her… Nayla.

I felt my chest tighten as she made her way down the stairs.

She wasn’t staring at me. She normally did, but this time she didn’t… How could she look at me after what I’ve done? I fucked up.

She sat across from me, right beside Collin. Finally, she looked up at me, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. For the first time ever, I couldn’t stand her gaze.

I looked away, clearing my throat.

“So what did you want to talk about, Roy? Nayla is here already,” Collin said, reminding me of why I had called this meeting. I had totally forgotten. I was already losing my mind.

“Yeah, I called you both to discuss the issue of the will and how we could work it out,” I said, turning to Collin, who was staring at Nayla with his usual lustful eyes.

I knew Collin had always had a thing for Nayla. He knows not to mess with her because she’s mine…I mean, she’s my sister.

But today, I had made a tough decision that was crucial… or else I wouldn’t be able to get hold of my father’s will.

“Collin, I need you to focus on me because this is important for you and Nayla,” I said calmly.

Nayla and Collin exchanged glances before turning to look at me.

“Nayla, in order for you to get your part of father’s will, you would have to get married to Collin.”

“What?!” she exclaimed, frowning in disbelief.

---

NAYLA’S POV.

“What?!” I yelled, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“Please listen to me, Nayla. It’s only going to be for a couple of months—six months, to be precise. I have requested a contract that Collin would sign. After six months, you both can part ways, and you’ll be free to be with whoever you want,” Roy explained. But I wasn’t sure how to take it.

“What about you?” Collin asked. I shifted my gaze from Collin to Roy, my brow slightly raised.

“I have someone…..You really don’t have to worry about me. It’s all going to be strictly professional—for both mine and yours,” Roy said, his eyes locking onto mine.

I could feel his eyes conveying something… as if he was really letting me know that I had to be strictly professional about it. It’s not like I had a choice.

Collin was an extremely handsome guy. “If looks could kill,” that was the definition of Collin’s look. But besides admiration, I had never felt any kind of way towards him. To me, he was just my big brother’s best friend.

“I’ll arrange for the contract signing next week. I hope we all cooperate?” Roy asked, and I turned to glance at Collin, who was smiling at me. He seemed to be really excited about it.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Well, that’s all for now,” Roy said, and I nodded.

“Okay, I’ll be in my room then,” I said, getting up from the couch.

“See you later, Collin,” I said before walking out.

“See you,” Collin responded.

Just as I was making my way up the stairs, I overheard Roy say something to Collin… something that made me stop in my tracks.