LOGINTiana's POV
I wasn't able to sleep that night. The effect of Maddie's accident was heavy in my heart, making me cry almost throughout the night. The next morning, I tried to ignore the knot of guilt I was feeling in my stomach. It felt as if I was stealing something that belonged to my sister. I knew she must have been dying to tell me why she was getting married so soon but she must have signed some NDA with Seth. I tried to convince myself that I was doing the right thing by not only saving Seth's ass, I was saving all the employees at Berkley Empire who would lose their jobs if Seth lost his inheritance. I packed a few of Maddie's clothes that she had initially picked out for her honeymoon. Even though we wore the same sizes, our dressing style was different. I loved simple and modest dresses while Maddie loved flashy, short and slutty dresses. I was forced to pack some of my clothes too just in case. After checking on Maddie at the hospital, I informed the doctor that I wouldn't be visiting for a while. I went back to our apartment to get dressed and waited for Seth's driver to pick me up. I was wearing one of Madison’s red silk slip dresses, the sparkling engagement ring Seth had given me was heavy on my left hand. Seth's driver came and he drove me straight to the hangar. Seth was waiting by a sleek, black private jet, flanked by a single pilot and an intimidating security guard. He looked really handsome in his grey trousers and navy jacket. His face was utterly unreadable as I approached him. It made me remember that this man was the same untouchable CEO I saw at work almost everyday. "You came." He said in a flat tone, his eyes traveling down my body, his jaw tightened. "You left me with almost no choice, Seth. So, I’m here.” I responded, shifting from one foot to the other under his stare. Now I was thinking if wearing Maddie's dress was a bad idea. He didn't acknowledge my words, he just led me up the stairs into a cabin that was more like a flying luxury apartment. It had plush cream seats, dark mahogany panels, and a full-service bar. The flight attendant smiled professionally before discreetly vanishing into the cockpit area, leaving us alone. "The flight is gonna take about eleven hours, that gives us enough time to do what we need to do before we land." He settled into a seat opposite, gesturing for me to sit in front of him. He placed a tablet between us. It was open to a bullet-pointed document. "What is this?" I asked, eyeing the tab curiously. "You need to read and sign this." He said as he pushed it forward, the seriousness in his looks tightening the air around us. I picked up the tab and read the document. It was a contract stating that I wasn't allowed to mention this arrangement to anyone and there should be no reason for physical contact unless completely necessary. I was okay with that, I knew Seth and I would have to touch each other. It was unavoidable if we wanted people to believe we were married, but it would only be in the presence of other people. There were other rules but they weren't really complicated. I read them all over again, making sure there was no line that stated that I would have to pay any certain amount if I breached the contract. He even offered to give me a promotion at work after this was done since I clearly stated yesterday that I didn't want his money. "Done!" I said as I signed and handed the tablet back to him. He leaned closer to take the tablet from me, his cologne drifting between, it smelled clean, sharp and expensive. It wasn't fair that someone this cold could smell that good. "There are a few things you need to know if we want to make this work. This..." He gestured to the both of us, "is make believe. There is a possibility that my parents will be visiting, we have to pretend like we are madly in love with each other in front of them." My stomach made a funny movement at the mention that we had to pretend to be in love. The problem was, I wasn't good at pretending like Madison but I didn't mention this to Seth, he would probably just say that I just had to try. It was too late to back out of this deal now. "My parents met Madison once and they don't know that she has a twin. I'm sure they'll barely remember what she's like, so you don't have to pretend to be Madison in front of them." "Okay, I think I can do this." I breathe out, leaning back into my seat and trying to imagine what meeting his parents would be like. "See, this is easy. Remember to introduce yourself as Madison Berkley, act like you love me and that's all." He made it sound really easy but seriously, how hard could it be to pretend to love someone? It wasn't like I had never been in love before. "So, what is going to happen after the honeymoon?" I asked him. "I get my inheritance, you don't lose your job and even get a promotion, everybody wins." "No, I mean if Maddie isn't awake by the time we come back, am I going to keep pretending?" It wasn't as if I didn't want my sister to wake up, I really hoped she would so that I wouldn't have to keep pretending. Seth shook his head before adjusting himself in his seat, "no, I don't want things to get uncomfortable for you at work so you don't have to pretend when we are back. The deal will be off after two weeks, even if Madison doesn't wake up." "What if your parents find out that you lied to them?" "They won't, they will be traveling out of the country after I claim my inheritance, so you have nothing to worry about." I smiled and nodded while he gave me a curt nod. As if sensing that we were done with our conversation, the flight attendant showed up and asked if we wanted anything. I ordered a glass of wine while Seth ordered whiskey. I tried my best to stay awake after another glass of wine but my sleepless night eventually caught up on me. When I woke up, I found myself in a moving car. At first, I panicked. I jerked up in my seat and looked around me, that was when I saw Seth sitting beside me with his tab in his hands, looking unbothered by my behaviour. "You are awake," he said, not looking up from his tab, "you slept all through the flight, I tried to wake you but you didn't answer. I almost thought you were dead." I blinked and adjusted myself in my seat, he must have carried me into the car. I let out an awkward laugh as I fixed my hair, "I'm a heavy sleeper." I told him. I quickly checked my face to make sure there was no drool. He didn't respond, just continued with whatever he was doing. I was reminded that this man was a machine and he was always working, even on his honeymoon... fake honeymoon. I sighed and looked out the window, the sky was clear and bright making a smile appear on my face. I kept gawking at the beautiful buildings that we passed by on our way to the resort. This city was beautiful. It almost made me forget what I came here for. Soon, we got to the resort. I climbed out of the black SUV with Seth while the driver helped with our load. The air was warm, heavy with plumeria and salt. It was the smell of paradise. Seth stood beside me, his hand robotically moved to my waist, holding me firmly. I swallowed, ignoring the way his palm burned through the fabric of my cloth and into my skin. That was when it dawned on me, this was really happening. I had no choice now, there was nowhere to run to. I had to be Madison Berkley to survive the next two weeks. "Are you ready?" Seth asked calmly. "Yes." I answered as I nodded stiffly. We started to walk towards the entrance of the resort. A man in a white linen suit, who I guessed was the manager, welcomed us and ushered us in. The resort was painted in all white and was sparkling clean, I had never seen anything so bright in my life. I tried my best to maintain my composure as I stayed close to Seth, whose body was rigid as hell. "Mr. And Mrs. Berkley, welcome to the Honeymoon Serenity Suite." He beamed at us, "Let's get you signed in before I lead you to your lodge." He led us towards the receptionist who was also smiling brightly at us. I wonder how much these people were paid to smile at their customers like there were friends with them. "Can I have your name, ma'am?" The lady spoke as she typed on the computer steadily. "Tiana pa-" Seth drew me closer to his body, clearing his throat loudly to block out my voice. I gasped and looked up at him to see him forcing a smile at me with his brows raised. I immediately understood what he meant, it hadn't been up to five minutes into the pretense and I was already screwing up. Lord, help me. "Madison Berkley." I smiled at the receptionist who was patiently waiting, "You know, I'm not used to the name yet. It still feels strange that I'm a married woman now." I laughed awkwardly. Oh my God, Tiana, shut up! This was one of the things I was afraid of, I always rambled off whenever I told a lie because of how nervous I got. Seth forced out a laugh as his hand tightened on my waist like a sort of warning, "you don't have to tell them that, baby. You will get used to it soon." He then leaned down and kissed my cheek before whispering into my ear, "no more talking." My face burned bright red from the contact while I bit my lips to stop myself from blurting out more nonsense. The lady must have thought we were flirting with each other, she smiled at us and then continued typing, she handed me a book and told us to have a nice stay. "I will lead you to your suite." The manager who had been waiting for us said. He continued to blab about some things as we got into an elevator and pressed the fifth floor. Seth answered him while I tuned out of their conversation when I saw two couples coming out of a room before the doors closed, they both looked flushed. There was a large sign on top of the door with 'NO SEX!' boldly written there. It didn't take rocket science to tell what they had done in that room. As the door slid open, the manager swiped his key card to open the door of the first room, which I guessed was where we would be staying. "Your personal butler awaits to help you with whatever you need. There are lots of activities you can do while you are here in this book, you just have to register for whichever one you are interested in the morning." As soon as the manager was gone and we were inside the house, Seth's hand was off my body. "You have to be careful next time, you almost fucked us up back there." He said in a calm tone as he surveyed the room. I was surprised at his reaction, I had half expected him to yell at me or scold me for not being able to tell a simple lie. The way he used the word 'us' and not 'me' made me realise even more how I was also going to be affected if I failed at this, Seth was obviously good at pretending, I needed to be good too. "I'm not really good at lying and pretending. But, I'll do better next time." "If those staff notice anything strange between us, they won't waste a second to call my father and inform him." I nodded at him as he walked away into the suite. It was then that I noticed how breathtaking the suite was. Floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a view of the ocean that wasn't far from here. There was a sitting area, a massive private balcony, and a large bedroom. I walked into the bedroom and saw a single, enormous king sized bed, layered with white linens and lots of pillows. I looked around for a couch, futon perhaps, or any other piece of furniture but there was none. That was when it dawned on me that my boss and I would be sharing the same bed... for two weeks!!Tiana’s POVSix months had passed since Leo was kidnapped by Madison. He had recovered fully from his heart condition and was getting ready to start school.Caleb got treated by one of Seth's doctors, he went back to Oakville after recovering from the gunshot wound. Seth made sure his flower shop became one of the most successful ones in the city as a thank you gift for saving my life and helping Leo when he was abducted. Seth and I got married four months ago as he couldn't wait for me to be his completely after wearing his ring. It was a small, private wedding held in the garden at the back of our house.Our lives had been filled with happy moments since then, but something was still on my mind and I needed to let go of it. "Are you sure about this, baby?" Seth's deep voice slipped into my thoughts as he stopped the car, his eyes searching mine. He placed a protective hand on my protruding belly, his thumb stroking the silk of my dress gently."Yes, I'm sure. I will be right back.
Tiana's POVThe door to our bedroom creaked annoyingly as I opened it slowly, sneaking out of the room so that Seth wouldn't catch me. My heart drummed frantically against my ribs, and my palms were slick with sweat as I started to shut the door. "Tiana? Is that you?" I froze, my hand hovered over the door handle when I heard Seth's voice from the bathroom. "Uhm, yes." I responded in a shaky voice. He came out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel in his hand. He looked exhausted but was trying his best to conceal it. Neither of us had been able to sleep through the night. He dropped the towel on the dresser and started to walk towards me with a sad look on his face. "My investigator will give us an update soon, I have a strong feeling he is going to find out where she is hiding." "That's good, but uhm... I can't seem to breathe in here. I think I should go for a walk." I lied, my voice cracking a bit.His brows raised a bit, his dark eyes scanning my face with an intens
Tiana’s POVThe world had become a series of blurred faces and static noise in a couple of hours. I was sitting on the edge of the velvet couch in Seth’s parents' living room with an arm wrapped around myself, but I couldn't feel anything around me. I couldn't feel the warmth of the tea Seth’s mother had pressed into my hand some minutes ago, I hadn't even taken a sip out of it. How could I, when my son was with that wicked woman. He was still recovering and shouldn't be going through all this, I just hope Madison would have the decency not to hurt him. The house was crawling with people. The police drifted past the windows, asking the maids and the security guards questions. Tech experts were hunched over laptops, rewatching every second of the security footage.A pair of warm hands settled on my knees. Seth knelt in front of me, he looked equally worried but I knew he was trying to be strong for me. He took the mug of tea from my hand, his eyes softening as he looked up at me. "W
Seth’s POVI stood at the bottom of the grand staircase in the foyer, checking my watch for the tenth time tonight. We weren't late, I was just nervous. My parents would finally be meeting Tiana and Leo tonight and they were really excited about it. So, no, I wasn't worried things wouldn't go well, I was nervous for other reasons. My heart thudded with an uneven rhythm against my ribs when I heard the click of heels on the tiled floor above. I looked up, and breath was punched right out of my lungs. This woman would be the death of me. I sucked in breath as Tiana descended the stairs in the emerald silk gown I’d had Nikki source from Milan. It hugged every curve of her body perfectly, the deep green colour made her skin look like cream and her eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. She looked like a queen. My queen."You’re staring, Seth." She giggled, as she reached the bottom step with a shy smile."You look breathtaking, Tia. So beautiful." I breathed, taking her hand and kissing t
Tiana's POV"Don't talk about my son that way, he is not a thing." I hissed, fisting my palm into a ball and holding myself back from punching her in the face. I wouldn't allow anyone to talk to Leo that way, especially not the person who almost made me lose him. "So what? What are you going to do to me? Uh? And wait, are you back to use him to force your way back into Seth's life? You really have no shame-"Before she could finish spewing out the trash she was saying, I raised my hand and smacked her across her face.She gasped in shock as her head tilted to the side, the men behind her moved to grab me but she raised her hand to stop them. "I can handle her on my own." I was grateful the mall wasn't busy today. I wouldn't be happy if the video of my sister and I fighting was all over the internet a day before meeting Seth's parents. That would be a total disappointment. Madison cast a glare at Leo before looking at me. "This isn't over, Tiana. You just declared war by coming bac
Tiana’s POVI woke up in a recliner, my body aching with a fatigue that went down to my bones. I blinked, my gaze immediately darting to the center of the room.Leo was still on the bed. He looked peaceful, his small chest rising and falling in perfect sync with the steady beep of the new monitors.The surgery had been a success and I couldn't be more grateful. The tiny pacemaker was already doing the work his heart couldn't manage on its own. The specialist said he will soon be awake and will be discharged when his vitals are stable. "He’s okay now, Tia." I turned my head towards the voice and saw Seth standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, giving me a small, reassuring smile. He looked exhausted, even more than I was. He offered to look over Leo through the night while I slept. I didn't know what I would have done if he hadn't arranged a specialist for Leo. I would have gone crazy at the hospital back at Oakville. "I'm just really glad that it hasn't gone beyond that stage." S
Tiana's POVSeth and I finally made it to the tenth floor without tearing our clothes off each other's bodies. After making me feel so hot, he immediately kept his hand to himself and climbed the stairs like nothing happened. Turns out Theo didn't even reach the tenth floor before leaving the comp
Tiana's POV"What are you talking about, Theo?" I hissed into the phone, terrified of whatever he was up to.Wren looked at me with rapt attention when she heard Theo's name, she leaned closer as if to hear what he was saying. "I’m waiting for you out front. I don't want to enter the building sinc
Tiana's POVI had tried my best to keep the promise I made to Maddie for the past few days. I had been going to meetings with Seth but I kept my distance from him and he did the same. All Seth talked about whenever I was with him was work, he didn't look at me in ways that would make me want to te
Tiana's POVAs the clock on my new desktop showed 8:55 AM, I rose to my feet and walked towards Seth's office, knocking on his door once. "Mr Berkley, it's almost time for your first meeting." I had spent the last 45 minutes arranging the documents for the meeting and reading the rest of the thin







