CHAPTER TWO — THE TRAP

Noah didn’t sleep. He spent the night staring at the ceiling of his tiny apartment, replaying Ethan’s words over and over like a broken record.

“You’ll marry me.”

“Half a billion dollars.”

“Say yes.”

He’d thought it was a joke at first.

Until Ethan sent him a calendar invite titled Marriage Contract Proposal — 9:00 AM.

So now, at exactly 8:59, Noah was standing in Ethan Cole’s penthouse office, coffee trembling slightly in his hand.

Ethan looked infuriatingly calm behind his desk, scrolling through something on his laptop like he hadn’t just turned both their lives upside down.

“You’re late,” Ethan said, without looking up.

“It’s one minute to nine.”

“In my world,” Ethan replied dryly, “that’s late.”

Noah rolled his eyes, setting the coffee on the desk. “So, do I call you fiancé now, or should we wait until after the paperwork?”

Ethan finally looked up, smirk tugging at his mouth. “Cute. Sit down.”

Noah sat. “You’re serious about this.”

“I don’t do jokes.” Ethan closed the laptop and leaned forward. “This isn’t a game, Noah. We’ll have to make this believable legally and publicly.”

Noah frowned. “Publicly? You mean people will know?”

“That’s kind of how marriage works.”

Noah stared. “You can’t be serious. The media—”

“The media will do what I want them to,” Ethan interrupted. “We’ll control the narrative.”

“Control the—Ethan, this is your life. People will think you’re—”

“Gay?” Ethan finished for him. His voice was calm, but his eyes flickered. “Let them think about what they want. It’s temporary.”

Noah shook his head in disbelief. “You realize you’re going to start a war with your father.”

Ethan’s smile was sharp. “Good.”

Before Noah could reply, Ethan’s phone buzzed on the desk. He glanced at it and the color drained from his face.

Noah frowned. “What is it?”

Ethan didn’t answer. He turned the screen toward Noah.

It was a headline.

Big, bold, and impossible to miss.

> Billionaire Ethan Cole Secretly Engaged to His Male Assistant. Inside the Shocking Love Story of the Year!

********

Noah froze in shock. “What—how—?”

Ethan snatched the phone back, scrolling through the article. His own company’s PR photos were plastered everywhere between him and Noah at events, at the office, at that one charity gala where Noah had fixed his tie and kissed him. Cropped. Zoomed. Twisted into romance in a way even a child could understand.

“Holy shit,” Noah whispered.

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “This went live fifteen minutes ago.”

“There’s no way this is a coincidence,” Noah said.

“It’s not.” Ethan’s voice went flat. “Someone leaked it.”

Noah blinked. “Who would—”

“My father,” Ethan cut in. “He’s testing me. Pushing me into a corner.”

Noah’s mind spun. “So what do we do?”

Ethan stood abruptly, already grabbing his jacket. “We play along.”

“What?”

“We make it real.”

“Ethan—”

He turned, eyes blazing. “If I deny it, I look weak. If I confirm it, my father loses control of the narrative. He can’t force me to marry his choice if I’m already ‘engaged.’”

Noah stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “This is insane. The whole internet thinks we’re—”

“Let them.”

Noah rubbed his temples. “You’re dragging me into your family feud.”

“You said you trusted me.”

“I said I tolerated you.”

Ethan gave him a pointed look. “Close enough.”

Before Noah could protest, Ethan was already walking toward the elevator. “We’re holding a press conference at noon.”

Noah blinked. “What?”

Ethan didn’t answer.

By the time they reached the lobby, chaos had already started.

Reporters swarmed the front doors like a flood. Flashbulbs exploded. Questions flew through the air.

“Ethan! Is it true you’re engaged to your assistant?”

“Noah, when’s the wedding?”

“Are you in love or is this a PR stunt?”

Ethan didn’t flinch. His hand brushed Noah’s arm a brief, grounding touch before he stepped forward, calm and composed, like he was born for this.

“Mr. Cole!” a reporter shouted. “Can you confirm the engagement?”

Ethan smiled faintly, turning to face the cameras. “Yes,” he said. “I can.”

Noah froze.

The crowd clapped.

Microphones shot forward. Shouts overlapped. Cameras flashed brighter.

Ethan kept talking, smooth as glass. “Noah Bennett is not just my assistant. He’s the person I trust more than anyone. Our relationship may come as a surprise, but it’s very real.”

Very real. The words echoed in Noah’s head like gunfire.

Ethan reached for his hand and gave him a soft kiss. His fingers were warm, confident and unshakable.

Flash after flash went off.

Noah’s heart hammered in his chest. What the hell is happening?

When the chaos finally eased, Ethan leaned closer and whispered, “Smile. It’s good for optics.”

Noah forced a grin that felt like it might break his face.

Back upstairs, after security cleared the reporters, Noah rounded on him. “What the hell was that?!”

Ethan tossed his jacket onto the couch. “Damage control.”

“You just told the entire world we’re in love!”

“Better than telling them I’m a failure.”

Noah stared at him, chest rising and falling. “You’re out of your mind.”

Ethan’s tone softened a fraction. “I told you this would be risky.”

“Risky? Ethan, I just got outed to the entire internet!”

“You’re not out,” Ethan said evenly. “You’re in a contract.”

Noah threw his hands up. “Same thing!”

For a moment, silence filled the room sharp and tense

Then Ethan said quietly, “I’ll double it.”

Noah blinked. “What?”

“The payment,” Ethan said. “Make it a billion.”

Noah stared. “You think money fixes everything?”

“It fixes most things.”

Noah laughed, short and bitter. “You’re unbelievable.”

Ethan stepped closer, voice lower now. “I’m giving you an out. Take the deal, Noah. Walk away rich. Or walk away broke and let my father win.”

Noah met his gaze, those cold blue eyes that, for once, looked almost desperate.

“This isn’t just business for you,” Noah said quietly. “You want to hurt him.”

“I want control,” Ethan said. “And you’re the only person I trust not to stab me in the back while I take it.”

Noah hesitated, pulse racing. “And what happens when people start asking for proof? Pictures? Statements? Real affection?”

Ethan’s mouth twitched. “Then I guess we’ll have to fake it.”

Noah swallowed hard. “You don’t even like being touched.”

Ethan’s eyes held his. “Maybe I’ll make an exception.”

Noah looked away first. “You’re going to regret this.”

“Probably,” Ethan said. “But not as much as my father will.”

Two hours later, Ethan’s office door opened again.

His secretary poked her head in, nervous. “Sir, the PR team just called. You need to see this.”

Ethan looked up. “What now?”

She hesitated. “The engagement story… it’s everywhere. But there’s something else.”

She handed him a tablet.

Noah leaned over his shoulder to read.

It was another headline.

> Exclusive: Ethan Cole’s ‘Fiancé’ Noah Bennett Already Has a Secret Past — And a Hidden gay romance Connection to Richard Cole.

********

Ethan froze.

Noah’s face drained of color. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know.”

But the look in his eyes said otherwise.

Because for the first time since the chaos began Ethan Cole looked afraid.