(Kaan’s POV) I sigh as I close the door to the room Raya is in and head to the kitchen to put the bags of takeaway food on the table. As always, the place is spotless because my housekeeper comes in daily to make sure everything is in order, with not a speck of dust in sight. I don’t know what Raya is going to do for me tomorrow when she wakes up, in exchange for sleeping here tonight. I would have to mess up the place a little for her to be able to do something, but it seems a bit extreme. And I do hate clutter and mess. D@mn, what am I even doing, bringing her here? I mean…sure, we clicked and I had a great time but I could have just hailed a taxi and sent her home. Or called my driver for an overtime gig, he would have come. But for some reason, I didn’t. I couldn’t. I experienced extraordinary fear for the first time tonight. It’s an unfamiliar emotion because I never felt it for any of the extreme sports I ever tried. I never blanched in front of the highest jump, the deepe

(Raya POV) He stares at me pensively while leaning against the door. I stare back, waiting for him to give me a proper explanation. He sighs as he walks back to the table. “Do you know why I was at the pub last night, Raya?” I blink in confusion, trying to remember what he said his problem was but my mind is drawing a blank at the moment. “I…” It would be so embarrassing to admit I don’t clearly remember so I take a deep breath and cautiously say “I thought you weren’t being serious.” He chuckles as he sits back on his chair. He wraps his hands around his giant mug of coffee and stares at it, without really seeing it. “On the contrary. The woman you saw with my parents just now, Ms. Westley? I was on a dinner date with her last night before I ended up in the pub.” “Oh?” Again, the twisted little painful stab in my chest that I don’t even want to think about anymore. He glances at me before staring back at his cup, tracing the rim with his forefinger absent-mindedly, around an

(Kaan’s POV)I close the door of my room behind me with a sigh. It’s barely eight in the morning and I’m bloody exhausted. I’m trying to keep it together because I’m a grown-up and a f*cking lycan with noble king ancestors. I’m a businessman who can destroy a competitor’s life’s work without batting an eyelid and still sleep well at night, as if it’s just another day. Dealing with women shouldn’t be this hard, right?Wrong.Right now, there’s nothing more I’d like to do than bang my head on the door, but Raya might hear and worry about me. To be honest, I really need to be alone right now. To get dressed for work. To process what I just did and ponder upon my life choices. To calm my soldier down.What have I done?What was I thinking, offering her such a tacky proposal? Pretend mate? I sound like a f*cking romance novelist. Where the hell did that come from!? What the hell happened to my sanity this morning? Why did I go through with it!?Why did I kiss her?Why…why did it feel so…go

(Raya POV)“...will you let me court you?”I stare at him suspiciously, unable to stop the snort that escapes quite inelegantly from my nose, breaking the magical moment. “Right.”His eyes fill with amusement at my unorthodox reaction. “What? You know, sometimes I feel like you never take me seriously because I'm good-looking—”The intercom cuts his teasing remark short and he frowns as he turns to answer it. “Yes?” He asks curtly.Melissa nervously clears her throat. “Um, sir, I’m very sorry to intrude, but the investors have started to arrive and we still have to go over some of the details for the presentation…”Kaan sighs, distracted from our conversation. "Alright, Melissa. Just give me a moment, and then we’ll start. But first, please tell Elijah to come in here."Melissa gives a relieved affirmative before the line goes off.He whispers to me. “Don’t tell anyone about our agreement, not even Elijah,” he mutters something else under his breath but before I can ask him to repeat

(Kaan’s POV)As the morning sun gently filters through my window, I stir from my sleep, feeling revitalized and utterly rejuvenated. It was the best sleep I've ever had in my entire life.I take a deep breath and a familiar scent wafts into my nostrils.I frown as I open my eyes, baffled. Did I accidentally fall asleep in the wrong bed? My frown deepens when I find Hiraya sleeping peacefully beside me, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. She has a serene expression on her face, and her tousled hair frames it like a messy halo. I can't help but smile at the sight, feeling a surge of affection for this beautiful woman lying next to me, the sight of her first thing in the morning a welcome view indeed.I take a moment to savor the serenity of the moment, grateful for this quiet and intimate time with her. Although… What happened last night remains a mystery and it is starting to bother me.Turning my gaze away from her lovely face, I look around. Relief washes