CHAPTER 9

The morning after the deal, they sent two people to my room before I could brush my teeth. Hannah drove in a rack carrying dresses. The other woman was dressed in what looked like very expensive suits, and she carried contracts.

Neither of them made eye contact with me.

I signed the NDA and the papers finalizing my agreement with the Caldwells..

Hannah stood off to the side quietly while the stylist dressed me. I wished Hannah would look at me. She was the closest thing I had to a friend in this place, and I wondered what she was thinking about all this.

I was dressed in a blue dress, white coat, and nude heels. The makeup was subtle rich-girl makeup. And a necklace with a diamond so big I could see my reflection in it was placed around my neck.

“You look like money,” the stylist muttered when she finished. “Or at least, like someone they’d let into a yacht club.”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at myself in the mirror and waited for the panic to come. It didn’t. There was just a strange hollowness. Like someone had carved me out and left the skin behind.

They made me ride with Mason to the press conference.

Dean was in a separate car. Evelyn stayed behind, probably sitting somewhere in the house with her husband like a spider at the center of her perfect silk web.

Mason tapped his knee the whole ride. “You okay?” he asked.

I didn’t answer.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to,” he added. “I just… I didn’t mean for things to go this far.”

I looked at him. “You kissed me in public. This is exactly as far as it goes.”

He leaned back, sighing. “It wasn’t supposed to matter.”

But it did. It mattered more than either of us had expected.

“Lani, I’m sorry for the way I reacted yesterday. I didn’t mean—”

“What?” I cut him off. “You didn’t mean to call me a maid like it was the dirtiest thing ever? Well, I’m sorry Mr Caldwell, I’m sorry that you have to marry a mere maid.”

My anger surprised me. I thought I was handling this whole thing better, but I guess not.

Mason at least had the decency to look down in shame. “I didn’t mean that. I just… Dean and I are different.”

“Right,” I muttered.

“As the first son, I think he always knew that so many decisions in his life would already be made for him, you know? What school he attended, where he would work and who he would marry. And while I hate that for him, I’ve always felt a bit relieved that it isn’t me.”

“Lani, I was supposed to have the choice to pick who I wanted. That’s the good thing about being the neglected son.”

Hearing Mason say these things really put them into perspective for me. I’ve always just thought about them as money hungry and evil. But now, I could see that there was more. And I was starting to feel bad for immediately writing him off.

“I’m sorry, I guess I never thought about it like that…”

He smiled. “I know.”

“Who would you have picked? Do you know?” I asked.

Mason shrugged. “There is no one. But I kinda liked that the options were open.”

The driver interrupted before I could say anything back. “We’re here, Mr Caldwell.”

Mason turned to me with a big smile. “You ready, Liana?”

I smiled despite myself. “Yeah.”

The press conference was a joke. We sat in with a white backdrop with the Caldwell logo behind us. Dozens of cameras were shoved in our faces with a hundred microphones.

Mason spoke like someone who was used to the craziness of it all.

“I understand the recent controversial events that have caused such an uproar, but Liana and I have been together for some time now. We just wanted to enjoy privacy for a little longer before sharing our happiness.”

I sat beside him, legs crossed and spine straight. My face felt numb from holding the same soft smile.

The first question came fast. “Liana, how did you two meet?”

I blinked.

They drilled this into me. We were supposed to say London, a gala in Chelsea.

My mouth opened, and nothing came out.

Mason jumped in. “It was London. A charity gala. She corrected the sommelier, and I knew I was in trouble.”

The all laughed and I forced a smile.

“How long have you been engaged?” Someone in the crowd asked.

Mason smiled charismatically. “We’ve been engaged for six months.”

“And how did your families react?”

“As you know, my fiancée’s parents, Mr and Mrs Vale were tragically killed in a horrible plane crash eight years ago. But she has become one with the Caldwells, and we’re all very thrilled about this union.”

Lie, lie, lie.

Then someone asked, “Liana, what was it like growing up with a legacy like the Vale fortune behind you?”

My fingers twitched.

I kept the smile on my face. “Private. My father always said wealth should whisper, not shout.”

More cameras flashed and the questions were never ending. “Are you excited to marry into the Caldwell empire?”

I hesitated. Just for a second.

Dean’s voice cut from offstage. “We’re not taking personal questions.”

And just like that, the air shifted.

One of the reporters stood. “There’s been some speculation that you worked at the Caldwell mansion as a maid?”

I stayed still. Mason didn’t miss a beat. “You’ve said it yourself sir, it is what it is, mere speculation. Miss Liana is a very important member of our family and our society.”

“We won’t be taking any more questions,” Dean said into a mic. “Thank you for your time.”

After the event, we were herded us back to the car like cattle.

Dean was already inside, scrolling through something on his phone. Probably monitoring media coverage. Probably trying to control the narrative as they seemed to enjoy doing.

Mason got a call and stayed outside.

So it was just Dean and me in the backseat. I stared out the window in silence, feeling my stomach doing somersaults.

“You didn’t mess it up,” he said eventually.

I looked at him.

He still wasn’t looking at me. “The press thing. You could’ve frozen but you didn’t.”

“Oh,” I said. “Thanks for the glowing review.”

“You’re not used to lying.”

“Not at your level.”

Dean didn’t smile, but something in his face softened. “They’re going to keep pushing, you know?. Evelyn, and my father… They’ll want more. They’ll want a tighter image and more control.”

“I figured.”

“You should be ready.”

“I am. I want to see my family.” I said firmly.

“You know you can never go back there. You signed an agreement.”

“I know what I did. But I can’t just disappear on them. I need to let them know that I’m okay.”

“Lani…” he hesitated.

“Dean. I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important. Your house is protected by thousands of security guards. There’s no way I’ll be able to leave on my own. Please, help me… just this once.”

He was quiet for a while but he finally agreed. “Fine. Meet me in the basement later tonight.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

He finally looked at me then. And for a second, I couldn’t read him.

“Don’t disappear inside this,” he said.

Too late, I wanted to say. But the car door opened, and Mason climbed in, ending whatever that almost-moment was.