Chapter 5

Nova's POV

“Will you really do anything I want?” I asked, and he nodded.

"I'll do it," I said finally.

I watched Levi relax back into his seat, his once creased brow now relaxed, and his hair was already slightly dishevelled. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, I thought I saw him smile. Then, he let out a soft breath, almost like a puff of air, as if he'd been holding his breath for a long time.

"Thank you." He said.

I guess he really needed me for his plans, too, but it was good. This way, we'd get what we want.

He stood up and walked over to a nearby cabinet, then turned back to face me. "Juice?" he asked, smiling.

“Hmm,” I nodded, watching Levi mix the contents of two juices together. I stared at him confused as I wondered why he did so. Why didn't he just offer me one? I found it quite disturbing, but I couldn't voice out my concerns just yet.

After he poured the mixture into two glasses, one for me and one for him, he handed me mine. But I waited for him to drink first, and when he did, I took a sip.

I instantly regretted my actions. The taste was overpowered by sweetness. It tasted like bananas, mangoes, and lime.

Levi chuckled and began to speak, "So, as of now, you are my wife. You–"

But I cut him off, "I have conditions.” I interrupted. I didn't plan on letting him take control of the situation.

“We'll have to play by my rules. We'll set boundaries and make this fake marriage as real as possible, but only when necessary."

Levi nodded, “Definitely, let's get the details down on paper and sign on it." I watched him take out his laptop and signal me to talk.

I cleared my throat before speaking, "We'll only act like a couple in the public eye. No romantic gestures whatsoever. Touching will be limited to hugging and light kisses on the cheek, but that's only when we're in public."

I needed to set things straight, with no strings attached. "We won't get too involved in each other's private lives. We'll keep it strictly business."

Levi typed furiously on his laptop while nodding along as I spoke. But I could still see the sly expression he had on his face. I decided to ignore it, so I took another sip of the juice. I hated to admit it, but it wasn't as bad as it tasted before.

"I have the right to do anything I want to do. You won't dictate for me, and your family members won't dictate for me either. As you stated earlier, you will offer me resources for my own plans, and you'll help me to achieve what I need. Then, after this whole facade, we'll get divorced and go our separate ways."

Levi stopped typing, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. But he didn't raise his head from the laptop, he seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. I could tell he didn't like something about what I said, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let him dictate my life, just like Jace and Sarabi did.

We sat in silence for a moment. “Levi? Are you….” I trailed off.

I was beginning to think he would back out, especially when he suddenly rested his back on the couch and stared directly at my face.

Did I go overboard with the boundaries? I only asked for freedom and I won't take it back!

Levi spoke up, "Sure, but if we're going to make this work, Nova, we need to be together always. That means going to functions together and, most importantly, living together."

I shook my head, "Functions and social gatherings are fine with me. But living together? No way.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my disagreement. He looked like he was about to argue, but I spoke instead.

“That's not necessary, we can live separately until the marriage, but I can come over when your grandfather is visiting.”

Levi looked like he was in deep thought before he finally typed something on his laptop and then turned to me. "Okay, deal. Anything else?”

I shook my head. "None for now."

He stood up and walked over to a nearby printer, where he printed out a few documents. He handed them over to me, and I quickly read the pages. Everything I had mentioned earlier was listed, and I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

And then something caught my eye, my name had changed, again.

I was no longer Nova George.

I'm now Nova Adam.

Wife to Levi Adam, my ex-husband’s boss. The CEO of AIMS Enterprises.

As I signed the documents, I couldn't help but think back to the last documents I signed. My divorce papers. The papers that broke me into shreds. But now, in less than 4 weeks, I'm already married to someone else.

Just as I finished signing the documents, Levi's phone vibrated on the table. He glanced at the screen, and I almost thought I saw a deadly glare on his face. He excused himself and walked to his desk.

I took the opportunity to check my own phone, which had been buzzing since morning. After searching for my phone in my bag, I saw a notification from Max. As expected, he was waiting for me while I was here getting married.

Again.

My hands trembled as I clicked on the notification. I was hoping something worse hadn't happened yet, but the message I read made my head spin.

“Hey, Nova. Just wanted to check in. Were you able to get the money?"

It was like someone struck his hands inside my stomach and twisted it into knots.

I didn't know if I should be relieved that nothing bad had happened again or worried that nothing good had happened either.

How do I tell him I wasn't able to do anything and that Jace had drained the account? I didn't even tell him where I was going when I left him this morning. I glanced at the time, 2 pm, I didn't realise time had gone by soo fast.

"Any problem?" Levi asked as he walked back to sit.

"It's just an issue at the bar," I replied, trying to brush it off. But then something clicked in my head. Levi owed me.

I handed him his copy before I started speaking slowly, “Say, about the compensation….. Can I get it now? The bar was vandalized—”

"I'll help," Levi interrupted. “Just see it as a thank-you gift for last night.”

I was taken aback by his fast response, "Really?" I asked, “ I won't pay back?”

"Of course not, it's yours, remember? You don't need to thank me either. My lawyer will follow you to sort it out.” he replied.

Finally, Levi stood up. "I think that's all for now. My driver will take you back."

I nodded, relieved that the main reason I came here was finally taken care of. But then, I had a sick, twisted thought. I couldn't shake the feeling that Max's misfortune had turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

But true to his words, Levi called his lawyer, who introduced himself as Mr Joel. After a brief explanation, we set out to leave for the bar.

As we stepped out of Levi's office, some employees began to come out from their offices, staring at us. Most of them seemed surprised while the others seemed confused. He offered his arm, and I took it as a cue to the start of our agreement.

A young man suddenly walked up to us. "Good afternoon, Mr Adams." Levi nodded and then the young man turned to me. "Mrs Adams," he whispered, and I nervously smiled.

Levi introduced him as Mr Eric, his assistant.

As we all walked together, I wondered how the news had spread soo fast. Was it because of the confrontation Levi had with Jace earlier this morning? The greetings grew more frequent after we came out of the elevator. I felt like a fish in a glass bowl, with all eyes on me, whispering heavens knows what.

But I needed to get used to this. Time to be Mrs Adams!

Levi, however, seemed to be all in the attention. Of course, he would. He's the CEO, so it was only natural. I even spotted Jace and Nova, staring at me. Naomi looked confused as she seemed to be speaking to Jace, but Jace's attention was fixed on me.

We finally reached the front of the building, but our arms were still entwined. “I'll wait for a cab. You can go in,” I said softly.

Levi looked at me like I just said something stupid. Suddenly, two red Rolls-Royces stopped in front of us, and two buff men stepped out. One from each car, accompanied by an older man who I assumed was the driver.

"Why would I let my wife use a cab?" Levi asked. "This is yours from now on, along with the driver and security."

I blinked at him, stunned by what he said, “The sec-” but before I could finish, I felt large arms going around my waist, pulling me close, followed by soft lips on mine.

To say I was shocked was an understatement, my mind went haywire and I tried to move back but Levi's grip on me only tightened and I almost felt him smile!

Levi's lips slowly left mine, but his arm were still firmly wrapped around my waist. I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me like he didn't just break the first rule I made.

“Nova!” I heard a familiar voice yell, and I turned back to see an angry ex-husband storming towards us.