Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

Chapter 11 – Emergency Ryan's alarm went off at five as usual. By the time the sun began to rise, he'd already finished his usual five-mile run. The morning air had left him feeling refreshed, and he walked back into his apartment expecting the same peaceful silence he was used to. He still wasn't used to the idea of him having a fake girlfriend, he heard about it before from team mates and celebrities, but he never thought he would ever need one yet here he was. He grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and leaned on the counter, enjoying the quiet for a moment. Then he remembered. He wasn't living alone anymore unfortunately.By nine o'clock, the silence was shattered.Emma burst out of the guest room, her hair was wet and her sweater slightly twisted. With the gala hanging over her head like a dark cloud, she was already behind schedule and the most nervous she had ever been for anything else.She rushed around the apartment, grabbing everything she thought she'd need. Withou

Chapter 12 – The Charity GalaEmma stared into her open suitcase for what felt like the fifth time. Every outfit inside looked completely wrong. She owned jeans, oversized sweaters, and flour-dusted aprons not elegant gowns for black-tie charity galas. She had never been to an event like this before. Whenever her parents attended one, Allison was always the daughter they proudly took along.She was about to walk into an event full of millionaires and high-profile athletes looking like she'd gotten lost on the way to a coffee shop.Marcus came back, basically letting himself in while Ryan stood in the living room, “ I almost forgot the most important thing” he walked straight to Emma's room."Emma?" Marcus called. "Can you come out here for a second?"Emma frowned at her reflection before opening the door."What's wrong?"Marcus stood in the living room with a grin on his face, a long black garment bag slung over one shoulder."Problem solved."Emma looked from Marcus to the garment ba

Chapter 15 – Headlines and Home IceEmma's phone began buzzing on the bedside table at six in the morning, vibrating so relentlessly it nearly fell to the floor. When she finally picked it up, dozens of notifications flooded the screen.Captain Ryan Carter Secretly Engaged?Mystery Woman Becomes Future Mrs. Carter?Ryan Carter Moves On After Allison?Emma's stomach dropped as she stared at the photo of her hand resting beside a water glass, the diamond ring was impossible to miss. One careless decision had turned their carefully planned arrangement into front-page news. All because she'd picked up a ring she thought looked pretty... and forgotten to take it off. Still half asleep, she wobbled into the hallway. Ryan was already downstairs, pulling on a dark athletic jacket over his workout clothes.Before either of them could speak, the front door unlatched and Marcus burst into the penthouse without bothering to knock as always. He carried a tablet under one arm and three printed mor

Chapter 17 – Shopping and an Unexpected Ex"I need to make a stop before we head back," Emma said as they reached the parking lot , looking up at Ryan. "I'm out of whipped cream, butter, and vanilla bean paste and a lot more "Ryan slowed his pace, brow furrowing as he glanced down at her. "For what? You just baked two dozen rolls and there are more of your pastries in the fridge.""I have a cake order due in two days," Emma explained, "A custom three-tier vanilla bean with raspberry filling."He paused for a second,"You take orders from home?""Of course I do. I don't have my own store yet, so I take private orders. It's how I build a client base. Duhhh"Ryan stared at her for a beat, up until now,he saw baking as just her hobby but now seeing the determination in her made him realize this was a career she took seriously."We should go straight back to the penthouse," he said, turning toward the car "Marcus wants us laying low. Besides you can always get someone to get them for

Chapter 19 – The Breaking PointAllison sat in the driver's seats as she tried to regain her composure. She had barely put the key into the ignition when Matt opened the other door.Matt pulled himself into the seat, his face was filled with frustration as he slammed the door shut behind him."We're not done with this, you can't just walk out on me like that " Matt said, his breath coming in short, irritated exhalations. "Why are you acting like this, Allison? It's a picture in a tabloid. Why are you losing your mind over Emma and Ryan?"Allison kept her eyes straight ahead on the empty driveway. "I am not losing my mind. I just don't feel like being cross-examined in my own house.""We're married!" Matt snapped, turning in his seat to face her directly. "We are trying to build a life together after everything that happened. We went through absolute hell with the press, with Ryan, with your family—and now you're acting like the entire world is collapsing because your sister is wea