The CEO's Fake Girlfriend

Today is the day I make the devil get stuck with me. God, I hate him. I hate his perfectly pressed suits. I hate how he walks like he owns every molecule of air in this building. I hate his cold stares that make grown executives stammer like kindergarteners. He’s a monster, pure and simple. If I had three wishes, I'd wish for financial security, better dancing skills for Maya, and... well, I’d spare him the third one. I might’ve wished his dick shrank and made every woman on Earth repulsive to him, but he’s not even the womanizing type. He's too busy being a heartless machine to chase skirts—or, too busy dealing with the fallout from his ex and the tanking stock prices she caused. For two weeks, I’d been trapped in this damn cafeteria, swallowing every curse word that clawed at my throat whenever his face showed up on the company monitors, while serving soup with the same hands that… No. Don’t think about that night. The health inspection team had arrived twenty minutes ago, a

It was past nine when I parked at the end of Ronan's long, winding driveway. I could have driven right up to the main entrance, but I wanted him to wait a little. Let him feel the extra two minutes. Small rebellions were all I had left. I hated this place. I hated how I knew exactly how many steps it took to the oversized front door. I hated that the security system recognized my face and let me in with a soft beep that felt more like a prison door opening. Inside smelled the same as always, cigars and polish and something else I could not name. Power, maybe. I walked the familiar path through the foyer, past the art pieces I knew Ronan had bought to impress people. My heart beat fast but I forced my breathing to stay steady. Never let him see weakness. That was rule one of surviving him. I sighed the moment I saw him. Ronan Hayes, sprawled in a leather chair like some king on his throne. His long, rough hair fell over his sharp cheekbones, framing those obsidian eyes I hated lo

Lucien's POV "What was that supposed to mean?" I remained composed, my expression the exact look Rafael alongside my PR team had drilled into me for tonight; Part possessive alpha male, part lovesick fool who couldn’t live without his woman. A man reclaiming what was his after being publicly dumped. If only she would stop looking at me like she wanted to stab me with the nearest champagne flute. "What don’t you understand, Ms. Sterling?" I talked lowly, aware of the curious glances circling us. "For starters, why the hell you kissed me." She spat the words, not attempting to hide her disdain. I took her hand before she could pull away. Her fingers were stiff, trembling slightly. I lifted them to my face and pressed a slow kiss to her palm. She smelled faintly of vanilla, clean and soft, completely at odds with the fire in her eyes. "Is it a crime to kiss my girlfriend in public?" Her green eyes glinted fiercely, as I leaned in, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. "You be

By 5:30, I was still pacing our apartment, hair thrown into a bun after running frustrated hands through it too many times. My phone remained silent, its blank screen mocking my earlier confidence. "He's not coming," I finally admitted aloud. Maya looked up from her textbook. "Maybe the driver is just running late?" "Six hours late?" I laughed bitterly. "No. He... dumped me." "You could just go to the Hayes building," Edmund suggested from our tiny kitchen where he was making tea. "Show up at his office." "And what? Beg for his attention?" I shook my head. "After I ran my mouth like that? No way." The thought of walking into Hayes Corp, past security, just to end up groveling at Lucien's feet made my stomach turn. I'd rather starve. By 6 pm, even my stubbornness had to face reality. Maya returned from the nearby coffee shop, handing me leftover pastries and sympathy. "Nothing?" she asked, though my face told her everything. "Nothing." I sank onto our couch. The pain s

I dropped to the ground and curled into myself, waiting for the pain, the blood, anything that told me I'd been shot, but there was nothing except my own hammering heartbeat. I stood shakily, hearing ragged breaths from a corner. I saw a chained woman with a side-shaved head, bra top, torn jeans, and bleeding cuts, a bullet wound in her shoulder. The bullet hadn't been for me. My mouth fell dry. I turned back to Ronan, "What... is this?" I knew he was ruthless, but... a gun? He was sitting now, Miss Grey standing beside him. His eyes didn't move in my direction. "Come here." I hesitated, looking back at the woman. "Now, Camila. Kneel." I moved to him and lowered myself beside his chair. Ronan made a gesture, and two men stepped forward with metal pipes in their hands. They approached the chained woman and without warning, began striking her legs, her stomach. I squeezed my eyes shut, but Ronan's fingers suddenly dug into the back of my neck, forcing my head up.