The morning after the event, I walked into the Rivera Corp building, heels clicking nervously against the polished floors. Even in a fake marriage, people noticed. Everyone was staring. Whispers followed me like a shadow.
"Did you see the Rivera couple last night?" one colleague murmured. "Ms. Mendoza looks… perfect. Ethan's lucky."
I felt my face heat up. Lucky? Lucky? I was the one pretending to be married!
Sophie's text buzzed in my phone: "Ignore them. Just smile and survive the day. You got this, Lara."
I tried, but as I stepped into the office, my nerves were on high alert. And then, there he was—Ethan Rivera, sitting behind his sleek desk, looking effortlessly in control. His gaze met mine, and I felt my heart skip.
"Good morning," he said calmly, eyes scanning me like usual. "Are you ready for today?"
"Yes… I think," I muttered, lowering my gaze.
"Relax. Office whispers are temporary. Our arrangement… needs consistency. Confidence," he added.
Confidence. Right. Easy to say when he walks like he owns the world.
Halfway through the morning, one of the interns, a cute but overly enthusiastic guy named Mark, approached Ethan with a folder. "Sir, the quarterly report—"
Ethan waved him off politely, but Mark's eyes lingered on me, smiling a little too long. My stomach churned.
"Everything okay?" Ethan asked, eyebrow slightly raised.
"Uh… fine," I said quickly, pretending not to notice.
But Ethan's gaze didn't leave me. He subtly moved closer when Mark walked away. "Do you want to leave?" he asked softly. His voice was calm, but there was an undertone of possessiveness that made me shiver.
"No! I mean… I'm fine," I stammered.
He gave me a small, reassuring smile but stayed alert, almost like a guardian. And somehow, that made me feel both nervous and strangely comforted.
During lunch, whispers became more obvious. Colleagues speculated: "Are they really married?", "She seems too calm with him.", "Do you think Ethan likes her?"
I tried to focus on my salad, but Ethan noticed. "Ignore them. Their opinion doesn't matter," he said quietly, placing a protective hand on mine for a brief second.
My heart fluttered. Contract marriage. Just pretending. Right?
By the end of the day, I was mentally exhausted. The whispers, the stares, the subtle tension… and Ethan's constant presence. He hadn't said anything over, but his subtle gestures, his protective looks, and his quiet attention made my chest ache.
As we left the office, I realized something: the contract was supposed to be simple, clean, business-like. Pero with every glance, every touch, every whisper in the office… it was becoming something far more complicated.
And I couldn't tell if I was ready for that.