CHAPTER FIVE

Mimi woke up on the velvet chaise lounge in the small private study, the sunlight streaming in through the panoramic windows already intense. She sat up slowly, feeling the stiffness of sleeping in an unconventional position, but also the strange, disorienting peace of absolute silence. This was it. This was the golden cage she had bought for herself with a contract and a single night of dazzling deceit.

The first sound she heard was the subtle click of the door opening. A moment later, a small, impeccably dressed woman with kind eyes and a professional smile entered, carrying a pressed linen tray. This was Mrs. Ade, the personal assistant William had mentioned.

Good morning, Mrs. Williams to be, Mrs. Ade said softly, her voice respectful but not overly familiar. Mr. Williams asked me to bring you a light breakfast and to brief you on your schedule. The legal team has arrived to finalize the contract documents, and then you have a video call with his mother, Mrs. Evelyn Williams, at 11 am.

Mimi accepted the breakfast, her stomach knotting at the mention of the mother. She knew that confrontation would be far more dangerous than facing the press. Thank you, Mrs. Ade. Please, just call me Mimi. And before the lawyers, I have an urgent personal errand. My important documents, my academic certificates and identification, are still at my previous address. I need to retrieve them immediately.

Mrs. Ade’s professional smile faltered slightly. Mr. Williams gave explicit instructions, Mimi. You are not to leave the penthouse. Your departure and return must be managed with absolute discretion to protect the narrative. I am not authorized to arrange outside movement.

Mimi felt a surge of cold anger. She wasn’t a prisoner, she was an employee executing a contract. The fifteen million naira was not worth her freedom, or the safety of her most precious possessions. Mrs. Ade, these are not clothes or minor belongings. They are my life’s work. I cannot execute the contract without them. Please inform Mr. Williams that I need access to my documents immediately, or the agreement is void.

Mrs. Ade, sensing the steel beneath Mimi’s calm exterior, nodded quickly. I will inform him immediately. Please use this time to prepare for Mrs. Evelyn Williams. She is highly particular about appearances.

The document signing with the lawyers was swift and clinical. Mimi read every line of the dense, legally binding document. The terms were exactly as agreed one month, fifteen million naira upon signing, a rigorous confidentiality clause, and the explicit mention of separate quarters. She signed her name, exchanging a piece of paper for her financial future, and watched as the transfer was confirmed instantly on her phone. Fifteen million naira. She felt light headed, overwhelmed, and intensely alone.

She barely had a moment to absorb the financial reality before the call with William’s mother began.

William was already seated in the main living room, dressed in a sharp suit, radiating professional control. He looked up as Mimi approached, his expression stern. Mrs. Ade informed me about your request to leave. We will discuss that later. Focus now. This conversation is not a negotiation. It is a confirmation. Be polite, be reserved, and offer only brief, generic answers. My mother is highly skilled at extracting information.

The screen on the wall flickered to life, showing the regal, perfectly composed face of Mrs. Evelyn Williams. She was stunningly beautiful, wearing a sophisticated lace gown even for a video call, and her eyes, though assessing, held a cold, unwavering intensity that made Mimi shiver.

William, darling, Mrs. Williams greeted her son, her voice smooth and polished. I trust the fallout is manageable. I am still quite shocked by this sudden development, but I will manage the committee. Who is this girl.

William immediately took the lead, placing his arm around Mimi’s chair. Mother, this is Mimi. She is everything I’ve been waiting for. Mimi, this is my mother, Mrs. Evelyn Williams.

Mimi forced the charming, reserved smile she had perfected hours earlier. It’s a great honour to meet you, Mrs. Williams. I know this is a surprise, but I hope to earn your approval soon.

Mrs. Williams paused, her eyes narrowing as she studied Mimi. An honour. Very polite. You were hidden for a reason, my dear. What, exactly, did William see in you that compelled him to risk the entire family reputation on an impulse.

It was a trap, a highly calculated verbal strike designed to provoke a weak or insecure response. William tensed beside Mimi, ready to intervene, but Mimi knew she had to take this shot alone. She had to establish a narrative of strength and quiet pain, the kind that might appeal to a mother.

Mimi leaned forward slightly, dropping the saccharine smile and adopting a look of quiet, genuine sincerity. She lowered her voice, making it soft, almost vulnerable, yet unwavering.

Mrs. Williams, with all due respect, I understand the surprise, but I am not an impulse. William knows I have always valued my privacy above everything else. My life has been marked by personal tragedy, losing my parents young, and I had to spend years fighting for my independence before I met William. I did not want the scrutiny of public life, and he respected that. I’m reserved, not hidden. I am here because I love William, and I will be his wife. My past is my own, but my future is with your son.

She used the truth of her parents’ deaths and her struggle to create a powerful, emotional smokescreen. She had given up nothing specific, but she had conveyed deep resilience and a tragic backstory, which often softened high society judgment.

Mrs. Williams stared at her for a long moment, the silence crackling across the connection. Her expression finally shifted from open hostility to grudging curiosity. Mimi hadn’t offered a weak defence, she had offered a narrative of quiet strength, a quality Mrs. Williams deeply respected.

Tragedy and resilience, Mrs. Williams murmured, filing the information away. I see. Well, your poise is impressive, Mimi. I will reserve judgment. But understand this, your role is to support my son and the family legacy. I will be watching closely. I expect to meet you for lunch next week. Prepare yourself.

The call ended abruptly, the screen going dark.

William let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He stared at Mimi, his dark eyes filled with a mixture of shock and intense admiration. You handled that with astonishing precision. I’ve never seen her back down so quickly. The tragedy narrative was masterful. Where did you learn to play that game.

Mimi stood up, returning to her professional detachment. It’s not a game, Mr. Williams. It’s the truth, strategically deployed. Now, let’s discuss my actual life’s work. I need my documents. They contain my original degree and professional certifications. If they are destroyed or lost, my career options after this contract are severely limited. I will not risk that.

William realized she was serious. She was demanding control over her own future, even in the middle of their fake relationship crisis. He knew she wouldn't back down. The legal risk of alienating his fake fiancée when the contract was only just signed was too high. He sighed in frustration, conceding defeat.

Fine, William snapped, walking toward his desk. We will go to your apartment immediately. But we go together, and you will not speak to anyone there. If anyone sees us, they must believe we are just driving by your old address for sentimental reasons. We will be discreet. You will wear a hat and sunglasses.

No, Mimi countered firmly. We need to go to Emberwood first. That’s where I was told to leave my work bag with my locker key and emergency purse. I left it with the staff manager, Rachel, before Sophia’s announcement. I need the key to retrieve my personal things.

William stopped, running his hand through his hair. Emberwood. The place where the lie began, the home of the staff who knew her as a waitress, the headquarters of his best friend. Going back was an unnecessary, massive risk.

Emberwood is impossible, Mimi. The staff know you. Victoria, the head waitress, hates you. The risk of exposing the truth is too great.

Then you must make a choice, Mr. Williams, Mimi said, crossing her arms, her composure now absolute. Either you risk a quick, discreet stop at your friend’s restaurant to retrieve the key, or I call my own transport and walk out of this contract right now to secure my future. I have the funds to live without this charade. I am giving you a professional chance to honour your agreement.

William stared at the floor, then back at her. He saw the fire, the competence, and the absolute self reliance that had first captivated him. He was trapped by his own choice. He needed her to hold the lie together for the next month, and she was forcing him to take the biggest risk yet.

Fine, William conceded, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. Emberwood it is. But you follow every instruction perfectly. We will present as a couple making an unscheduled, romantic drop-in to see my friend Ethan before we leave the city for our immediate honeymoon. You are not a waitress. You are a wealthy, slightly flighty woman in love. We leave in ten minutes. Get the largest sunglasses you can find.

As they waited for the elevator, Mimi felt the heavy weight of the diamond ring and the immense pressure of the lie. She was returning to the scene of the crime, going from contract employee to fake fiancée in the same building. The thought of seeing Victoria’s face, knowing the power she now held over the woman who had tormented her, was a small, cold satisfaction. She adjusted the brim of her hat, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and fierce determination.

The real game was about to begin.