CHAPTER 6

Aeun set the papers down and spoke with a notable lack of enthusiasm. "Review these and sign them when you're done," she said. She crossed her arms in front of me and gave me a piercing look. "What's wrong, Eli? You seem off." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her inquiry. How could I not be, considering Bryle had said he would pick me up last night, and I had waited for three hours with no sign of him? Had I truly believed in him? Was I losing my mind? I shook my head at the thought.

"I need to tell you something, Ae," I said reluctantly, starting to go through the papers Aeun had given me. "The reason Cava Corp agreed to the partnership is that..." I hesitated, unsure if I should continue.

My phone rang, diverting my attention—it was Mom. I let out a sigh before answering. "Eli, good thing you picked up. We're at the airport with your dad. We'll be staying at your place tonight. Would that be okay?" I sighed again.

"Yes, Mom, it's fine. I won't be home for about a week," I replied with a forced smile.

"What? Where will you be staying? Can't you come home for just 3 days?" I knew they'd only pester me about marriage, so why would I show up?

"Sorry, Mom, you guys just take care of the house. The staff is there, they'll take good care of you."

"Is that so? We came specifically to see you..." I picked up a hint of sadness in her tone, and I chose not to respond further. I didn't want to drag out the conversation; it was getting tiresome with the same topic about marriage. Uh. Really, Felicity? Is that why you agreed to be Mr. Bryle Calixus Caje's fake wife? I shook my head at the thought. I did it to save the Lee Corp, not because he's handsome or deadly hot. Ah-huh? Tsk. Just... I don't have time for romance.

After wrapping up my thoughts, I picked up my phone, intending to call my secretary, Mr. Fort, when Bryle's name suddenly appeared on the screen—my handsome fake husband was calling. I smirked, "Why?" I answered curtly. I heard him clear his throat before speaking.

"Where are you? Let's meet up." My eyebrow rose at his words—had he forgotten he was supposed to pick me up at my place today? He sounded like he wasn't expecting anyone to be waiting.

"I'm busy," I replied tersely, making sure he got the message that he wasn't a priority.

"I'm busy too, but I want to see you, so I'll come to you." I wasn't sure if he was teasing me or being genuine. Why was I getting annoyed by his cheesy lines?

"That's an overly old trick; you won't win me over with that," I said dismissively and hung up on him.

Shaking my head, I thought I’d get more work done if I just focused on it. But a few hours later, I received another call from Bryle. Irritated, I answered—and before I could say a word, he cut in, "I’m coming to your office." Then he hung up. I was confused, unsure if he was joking. As I turned back to work, I felt the office door open.

My fake husband's handsome face appeared at the door, holding a bouquet of red roses.

"Here," he said, placing it on my desk. I raised an eyebrow, not bothering to look at the flowers. "A peace offering for not picking you up earlier at your place," he said.

"You didn't have to bother, I wasn't even waiting for you." I lied, turning my attention back to my laptop. But he still managed to catch my attention.

"My mom called me, she wants to meet up. Sounds like she's planning to set me up with someone else."

Great, why did he have to tell me that? As if I'd care. I stayed silent, focusing on my work, sensing him moved closer to me. Then, suddenly, he gripped the armrest of my swivel chair and spun me to face him. I was caught off guard.

"When I speak, I expect your full attention," he said firmly, leaning in until our lips were almost touching. "So when I talk, you listen, Felicity Rose Caje."

"It's Lee, not Caje," I retorted, trying to hide my slight nervousness at his proximity. "Don't call me Caje when we're alone, we're not married. You're not really my husband."

"What do I care if we're not officially married? Our agreement is enough," he said, suddenly capturing my lips in a kiss that left me stunned for a few seconds. But as it went on, I felt myself getting hypnotized, involuntarily responding to him. This can't be happening... He pulled me closer, and I found myself standing, our kisses continuing as I was pushed back against the desk. I moaned as his lips trailed down to my neck. At the same time, I felt his grip tighten on my shoulders, his hands sliding down my arms and settling on my waist. I didn't know whether to push him away—I couldn't think straight.

"Ughh..." I didn't realize I'd moaned a little louder as he slipped his hand under my top, cupping my breast over my bra and gently squeezing it repeatedly.

"Do you want me to satisfy you?" he whispered between kisses, his question feeling oddly familiar. Before I could answer, there was a sudden knock at the office door. I almost panicked, shoving Bryle away. We both looked toward the door, where Aeun's expressionless face appeared. She glanced at Bryle briefly before walking over to my desk and placing some new papers down.

"Eli, your parents are here. They're in the lobby, talking with some board members. Get ready, your parents will probably figure out what’s going on." Aeun said this with little enthusiasm, glancing at Bryle. "I’m not in a position to lecture, but maybe it’s not a good look with your hand on my best friend’s waist."

It was like a cold splash of water—suddenly aware of Bryle’s touch, I jolted and stood up, clearing my throat while avoiding the gaze. "When you’re done with your parents, just head to the parking lot. I’ll wait for you there." Bryle didn’t wait for a response; he just left my office.

I rubbed my temples. What was I doing? Why did I let him kiss me? I told myself not to fall for his charm!

"Tell me the truth, Eli. What’s going on between you and Mr. Caje? You two seem... different."

"Huh? Nothing’s going on." I lied.

"Are you lying to me? I don’t believe it, you’re clearly hiding something." Aeun’s witted comment made me sigh—she was my best friend, she’d probably see right through me. I was about to say something when my parents arrived. I greeted them, chatted briefly about their trip, then excused myself, saying I had a meeting at Blu Arte’s—even though I didn’t.

Was I avoiding my family? Yes. Because of the arranged marriage they wanted, I almost didn’t want to spend a second with them. I sighed and headed to the parking lot, where my fake husband was waiting.

"Hey," he greeted me as I approached. I didn’t say anything, didn’t return the greeting. He picked up on it right away.

"Is everything okay? Did your parents scold you about the company almost failing?" He asked,

"No," I replied quickly. "I just wanted to avoid hearing something I don’t want to."

"Really? What is it?" He crossed his arms, leaning against his car. "Are they going to lecture you about not working hard enough?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes automatically. "You know, if you don’t have anything nice to say, maybe just leave. I’m not in the mood for jokes, Mr. Caje."

"Where do you want to go?" He shifted the conversation, "Want to grab a drink?"

I considered it. Why not? I hadn’t gotten to celebrate saving Lee Corp yet, and Bryle did help me, so maybe it was okay to celebrate with him.

We ended up at a bar farther than I expected, but it was worth it—the view was stunning, right by the beach. After ordering three buckets of vodka, he led me to the shore. We sat down to drink while watching the waves crash.

"I’ve wanted to ask you this for a while, Bryle…" I started, staring out at the sea. "Out of all the demands you could’ve made, why a fake marriage?"

"No particular reason, it just came to mind," he said, like it was a casual question. "Why did you agree?" He turned the question back to me.

I sighed, looking at him. "For Lee Corp. I didn’t want it to fail because of me. Maybe I wasn’t the best CEO for my family’s company, and…that happened."

"Don't say that, companies face unexpected problems all the time. You just need to think ahead to solve them." I smirked at Bryle's words—why did he seem so cool to me? I shook my head at the thought.

I took another swig from the bottle and ended up choking, coughing as Bryle moved closer, patting my back. "Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded repeatedly, finishing the rest of the vodka from the bottle.

I glanced at Bryle; he was still staring at me. "Thanks for helping me," I said. He didn’t reply, just kept his gaze on me, drifting down to my lips. I felt something urging me to move closer.

"Felicity, I want to ask you something," he whispered, not breaking eye contact with my lips. "May I taste your lips again?"

I didn’t know what was in that question, and he didn’t wait for an answer. He kissed me, and I responded eagerly. I lay back, and he leaned over me, our kisses deepening until I felt a strange heat spreading through my body.

It was clear this would go far beyond merely kisses…​