CHAPTER 8

"What do you mean?! You agreed to pretend to be married to him in exchange for Cava Corp’s partnership with Lee Corp?!" Aeun asked, shocked, and I just nodded curtly.

"You’re crazy, Eli! Why would you agree to that? You didn’t even think it through! We have plenty of other companies that would partner with us; you should’ve just backed out!" She kept lecturing. "And now you’re telling me you’re moving in with him?! You’ve really lost it, Felicity Rose Lee!"

"What could I do?" I shrugged. "It’s a deal, I agreed. No backing out now."

Aeun winced at that, rolling her eyes with a sigh. "I knew it, you make terrible decisions without me. I’m not responsible for what happens to you, Eli. You’re the one choosing this path."

"Aeun, Bryle seems nice, actually." I tried to convince her, but she just shook her head and turned away.

"Go ahead, say that, but I won’t be surprised if he screws you over," she shot back.

"There was a board meeting with your family, and your parents were thrilled. They praised the sales boost. They are really impressed with what you did."

"Did you tell them where I went?" I asked.

"No, I wasn’t in a position to say anything. Besides, how would I even tell them? I don’t even know where you were yesterday. You didn’t tell me, and I called you a bunch of times—you were out of reach!" She waved her hand and headed for the door. "Oh, and Duke wants us at the clubhouse. Says he has something to announce." My mouth fell open at Aeun’s words. I didn’t press for more, maybe later with Haze.

By noon, I got a message from Bryle. I checked it right away—he was inviting me to dinner after office hours. I rubbed my temples, as I had already made plans so that I couldn’t say yes. Instead of replying, I just let it go.

As planned, we went to Haze’s clubhouse. He said he had a new movie project and was throwing a celebration.

"Babe, are your mom and dad at your place?" He smiled. "Your mom messaged me, asking about you."

"Ah, yes, but they won't be staying long. They're heading back to Chengdu."

"Oh, what brought them to Lee Corp? Just visit?" I shrugged at Haze’s question.

"They probably heard about the recent sales drop, so they stopped by and set up a meeting. And Eli didn’t show up." I sigh when Aeun says that.

"Good thing they didn’t discuss the sales slump in the meeting. My family would’ve definitely lectured me." I commented,

"Why would they lecture you? It’s not your fault the sales dropped. The ones who should be accountable are the people in charge." Haze shook his head with a smile. "Relax, babe, don’t pressure yourself too much."

We kept drinking until I started feeling dizzy. I checked my phone—it’s 1 a.m. already. I excused myself to Aeun and Haze, and I needed to head home. Bryle is probably waiting.

And I was right. As I got home, he was on the sofa, arms crossed, staring intensely. I furrowed my brow. Was he mad?

"Why are you so late? Where did you go?" he asked sharply.

"I went to a friend’s with Aeun," I replied briefly, walking toward my room. I felt him behind me, following me.

"Why didn’t you at least tell me where you were? I waited outside Lee Corp for hours. I thought you just worked late, turns out you went somewhere else—" I cut him off.

"What’s it to you where I go? We’re not actually married, are we? Just because we had something at the beach doesn’t mean you own me now." I snapped, lightly tapping his forehead. "Get it in your head: we’re not real spouses. So you have no right to lecture me, got it? If you can’t limit yourself to meddling in my life, I’ll just leave your house."

Bryle didn’t get a chance to respond. I slammed my room door shut, not bothering to think if I’d offended him.

After freshening up, I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Bryle’s behavior. I heard a knock on the door. I didn’t say anything, and the door opened. Bryle’s face was calm again, like he’d realized he’d been too strict.

"Eli," he started, walking softly toward the bed. He sat down and gently touched my leg. "I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I wasn’t trying to limit what you do. But… could you just let me know if you’re doing something else or if you have other priorities? So I won’t be worried."

I furrowed my brow. He was… worried?

I didn’t say anything. He leaned in gently and kissed my forehead. When our eyes met, he gave me a quick peck on the lips, then walked out of the room. I stared blankly, puzzled. What was that? Did he… like me? Or was it because I’m his fake wife? I shook off the thoughts, deciding to just roll with the confusion.

When I went to Blu Arte’s to check on things, I got a bunch of good news. I was smiling as I walked back to Lee Corp. I ran into Aeun, and even with the pile of papers she dumped on my desk, my grin didn’t fade.

"How’s the new museum going, Eli?" She asked, making me smile.

"Doing well for the first week since the launch, I'm hoping it keeps going smoothly."

"No celebration planned?" She smirked, almost teasing me. I shrugged at the question, "Like a hangout at Haze’s clubhouse later?" She added.

"Sure," I said with a grin. "But I’ll drop Mom and Dad off at the airport first."

"Are they leaving soon?"

"Yup, they're heading back to Chengdu, you know, business."

"Yeah, okay. Want me to come with you to the airport?" I knew Aeun wanted to join me because she’s also close to both Mom and Dad, but I wanted a bit of time alone with them, even if just for a moment. I considered it, but shook my head.

"No need, Ae. You should head to the clubhouse. I'll join you later."

"Alright."

As planned, I dropped Mom and Dad off at the airport, and after that, I headed to the bakery near Cava Corp. Bryle and Vale often hang out there when office hours are wrapping up. And I was right—they were both there, looking deep in conversation, probably about work.

"Hey," I greeted them as I approached. They offered me a seat, but I declined, not wanting to stay long. Aeun and Haze were probably getting restless at the clubhouse.

"Nice to see you again, Vale. Just a quick hello," I said, turning to Bryle with a smile. "I’ll be late getting home, don’t wait for me, I’m with Aeun."

"Oh… Okay, take care." He said, I nodded and left.

Ever since he'd said he's sorry for overreacting, he’s been like this—more restrained. I wasn’t bothered, actually preferring the space. Besides, I’ve stopped thinking he has feelings for me. The past few weeks, our treatment of each other has been pretty casual, like we’re just roommates in his house. And his sister hasn’t visited yet, so we haven’t had to share a room.

When I arrived at the clubhouse, my two best friends were just starting to drink. Haze and Aeun were laughing, seemingly having an interesting topic. They noticed me and immediately invited me to join. We drank for a few hours, until I started feeling the effects of the alcohol.

When I got back to Bryle’s house, I found him lounging on the terrace, focused on his laptop. I sat down in the chair next to him and gazed up at the sky.

"How was the hangout with your friends?" he asked casually. "You smell like alcohol, Eli. You drank again."

"We were just celebrating. Whenever one of us hits a milestone, it’s the norm for us to drink to celebrate." Bryle nodded slightly at that.

"Get some rest. The night out at Cava Corp, which got postponed—we’ll be doing it tomorrow night." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Will you join?"

I studied him for a moment, weighing the decision. "Okay." I eventually agreed. Bryle nodded subtly. I stood up and was about to leave when I remembered, "I’ll get some rest. You should rest too, after you’re done working."

"Yeah, good night, Eli." He said it without looking at me again, and for some reason, I didn’t want to leave him there on the terrace. ​I leaned in slightly and kissed him on the lips. He paused for a moment, but as he kissed me back, he pulled me closer, guiding me onto his lap. Our kisses grew more intense, each of us lost in the moment. His lips lingered on every part of my skin, leaving marks of traces of his kisses. A continuous soft moan came out of me as I felt the increasing heat flowing through my body.

I find myself unable to resist doing these things when I’m with him...

I desperately want to continue what we’re doing right now…