Chapter 9

Harper’s POV

I was a woman on a mission.

A mission to get the hell out of this building before Ethan Reynolds even looked in my direction.

Logically, there was zero reason for him to notice me. To him, I was just another nameless employee. A nobody. But my anxiety? Oh no, it was convinced that the second we crossed paths, he’d sniff out my deception like a bloodhound.

I checked the time. 11:45 AM.

Lunch hour. Perfect.

Plan A: Blend into the rush of employees leaving the building. Simple. Foolproof. Non-suspicious.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, put my head down, and walked with the river of humans leaving the building. My heart hammered as I bobbed and weaved through people, hyper alert to everything in motion.

Don’t look back. Don’t even glance at the lobby.

The revolving doors were in sight. I was so close.

Then—

“Mr. Reynolds, sir! Good afternoon!”

My stomach dropped.

No. No. NO.

I risked a glance—big mistake.

Across the lobby, Ethan Reynolds was stepping out of the elevator, looking obnoxiously perfect. Tailored suit. Polished shoes with that intimidating CEO stride.

My pulse skyrocketed.

Abort mission.

I veered right, practically tripping over my own feet in my rush to disappear. 

Plan B: Hide. Find a plant. A vending machine. A hole in the ground—anything.

“Miss Adams?”

I yelped. Loudly.

Connor, my coworker, blinked at me. “Uh… you okay?”

I forced a smile. “Yep! Just—uh—needed to—” I motioned vaguely toward the exit. “Go!”

Before he could question me further, I bolted.

Freedom. Fresh air. The sidewalk.

I let out a relieved breath, feeling smug at my successful escape—

Until I spotted the black SUV.

My body froze mid-step.

No. No. It couldn’t be.

But sure enough, Ethan Reynolds was standing outside the car, adjusting his cufflinks like some damn movie star.

Panic punched me in the stomach.

WHY IS HE EVERYWHERE?!

I dipped my head, turned on my toes and hastily walked the other way.

Just keep walking, Harper. Fast but casual.

Then my phone rang.

I fumbled with my bag, practically dropping the phone in my rush to answer. “Riley, thank God—”

“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?”

I blinked. “Uh… walking?”

“You were supposed to meet me an hour ago.”

 “Oh. Right. Minor detour.”

Silence. The kind that said, I know you’re full of it.

Then, Riley hissed out words that made my soul leave my body.

“Harper… my father is throwing an engagement party.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “I’m sorry, WHAT?!”

“You heard me. Engagement. Party. For me. And Ethan Reynolds.”

The world tilted.

Riley kept talking, but my brain had officially exited the chat.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Reality rebooting. Please hold.

“You there?” Riley snapped.

I swallowed, forcing words out. “But—but that’s—”

“Completely insane? Yeah. Welcome to my morning.”

I ran as fast as I possibly could over to the park and when I arrived Riley was sitting on one of the benches with her arms crossed. She had sunglasses on but I could feel her staring at me. 

I dropped on the bench beside her.

“Okay. Let’s—let’s process this rationally.”

She turned her head slowly. “Rationally?”

I held up my hands. “Hear me out! Maybe this is just a misunderstanding.”

“My dad is already inviting people, Harper. He’s calling it the biggest social event of the year.”

I groaned, pressing my face into my hands. “Okay. That’s bad.”

“No kidding.”

I glanced up at her. “But, I mean… this technically isn’t the worst thing that coulda happened.”

Riley lifted a brow. “Oh, really?”

“Well… I mean… Ethan’s not exactly ugly?”

Riley pulled off her sunglasses just to give me the most unimpressed look of my life.

I coughed. “Okay. Irrelevant point.”

She dropped her head and laughed again, rubbing her temples before looking back up at me. “I don’t fucking give a damn what he looks like. I care that my father—who’s been patiently waiting for me to get engaged in this lifetime—for fucks sake—is about two seconds from booking a wedding venue in god-knows-where and hiring a fucking caterer.”

I winced. “That’s… really fast.”

“Ya think?”

I chewed on my lip. “Okay. Okay. Let’s regroup. Maybe if I just—talk to Ethan, I can get him to cancel.”

Riley looked skeptical. “And if that doesn’t work?”

I hesitated. That was a very good question.

She sighed dramatically, flopping against the bench. “I can’t believe I let you do this. I must really love you.”

I shot her a look. “You literally begged me.”

“Did I?”

“You promised me free rent!”

She gasped. “Are you seriously bringing up old debts at a time like this? After everything I’ve done for you?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, here we go.”

“Remember when I faked being your study partner in college so you could avoid that creepy guy?”

I groaned. “Riley—”

“Remember when I bailed you out of that terrible date with the guy who called himself ‘Zane the Alpha’?”

I threw my hands up. “Are you seriously tallying up favors right now?!”

She crossed her arms, looking offended. “I just think it’s interesting that you suddenly don’t care about our history of mutual sacrifices.”

I buried my face in my hands. “You’re the worst, you know right?”

“I know,” she said sweetly. “But you love me.”

I sighed. “Fine. I’ll fix it.”

Riley brightened immediately. “You promise?”

I hesitated, rubbing my palms against each other. “Riley… there’s something I forgot to mention.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What?”

I inhaled sharply. Okay. No big deal. Just say it.

“…Ethan is my boss.”

Silence.

Not just any silence. The kind where the birds stopped chirping. The air went still. The universe held its breath.

Riley just… stared.

Then, very slowly, she took off her sunglasses and said in a monotone:

I’m sorry. I blacked out for a second. What the hell, did you just say?

I swallowed. “He’s the new CEO of GlowMira.”

Riley launched forward, grabbing my arms. “HARPER. WHAT. THE. HELL.”

“I KNOW!” I wailed. “I DIDN’T KNOW AT FIRST, OKAY?!”

She looked like she was having a full existential crisis. “You—you tricked your BOSS into a fake relationship?!”

“Technically, I tricked my date into a fake relationship, and then fate decided to humiliate me.”

Riley shoved her sunglasses back on and leaned forward, hands clasped together. “Okay. Harper.” She inhaled deeply. “Fix. It. NOW.”

I nodded rapidly. “I will. I’ll talk to him. I’ll get him to cancel.”

I had never lied so blatantly in my entire life.

“Good. Great.” She exhaled. “Oh my God, I need a drink.”

And then—

My phone rang.

I glanced at the screen. My stomach plummeted.

ETHAN REYNOLDS.

I met Riley’s eyes.

She smirked. “Guess he’s not much of a waiting type.”

I hit decline.

Two seconds later, it rang again.

Decline.

Again.

My fingers clenched around the phone as I watched the screen light up for the fourth time.

Riley leaned back, entirely too entertained.

“So… are you going to answer, or should I?”