Chương 1 - The Ring and the Rumor
Charlotte crossed her arms, leaning against the edge of the dresser in the penthouse bedroom.
Her expression was a study in absolute control, a sharp contrast to the chaotic Northeastern sweatshirt she wore.
"Yes," she said smoothly, her voice betraying no emotion.
"My solution was to put the ring on you."
"If we are secretly engaged, then taking an intoxicated partner home is not predatory."
"It is protective."
I stared at her, the absurdity of the situation finally piercing through the lingering fog in my brain.
"You expect people to believe we are engaged?"
"We don't need them to believe it forever," she replied, picking up her coffee mug.
"We just need the board and the Hawthorne committee to believe it until after the presentation tomorrow."
"Once the bid is secured, we can quietly break off the engagement citing irreconcilable differences."
"It’s a temporary shield."
I rubbed my temples, trying to process the magnitude of the lie she had just constructed.
"Charlotte, this isn't just a white lie."
"This is corporate fraud."
"If they find out we fabricated a relationship to protect the firm's reputation during a major bid, we will both be fired, and the firm will be destroyed anyway."
"They won't find out," she said with chilling certainty.
"I have already instructed my assistant to leak the news of our engagement to a friendly contact at the Boston Globe."
"The story goes live in exactly one hour."
My stomach performed a violent flip.
"You didn't even ask me!"
"I didn't have time," she countered, her eyes flashing with a sudden, fierce intensity.
"Richard Vale moved faster than I anticipated."
"He had a photographer waiting for you."
"He had someone drug your drink."
"He is playing to destroy us, and I will not let him dismantle my grandfather's legacy because you were stupid enough to leave your drink unattended."
The harsh truth of her words stung, but she was right.
I had been careless, and Vale had exploited that weakness immediately.
"Fine," I said, looking down at the heavy gold band in my hand.
"We play the engaged couple."
"What’s the first step?"
Charlotte set her mug down and walked toward the bedroom door.
"The first step is you getting dressed."
"We have a meeting with Richard Vale in my office in forty-five minutes."
"He called an emergency board session to discuss your 'erratic behavior' at the gala."
"We are going to walk in there, hand-in-hand, and watch him choke on his own setup."
I quickly showered and changed into a spare suit Charlotte kept in the guest room closet for visiting executives.
When I emerged, she was no longer wearing the sweatpants.
She was dressed in a tailored navy blue suit, her hair pulled back into a severe bun, her glasses firmly in place.
She looked like a CEO preparing for war.
We took her private elevator down to the underground parking garage.
Her driver was waiting beside a sleek black sedan.
As we climbed into the back seat, Charlotte reached out and took my hand.
Her fingers were cold, but her grip was firm.
"Remember," she whispered as the car pulled out into the morning traffic.
"You are completely in love with me."
"You proposed to me last night in the sculpture gallery."
"You were overwhelmed with emotion, which is why you appeared unsteady."
I nodded, reciting the fictional narrative in my head.
We arrived at the Mercer & Rowe building, a towering glass and steel structure in the heart of the financial district.
The moment we stepped into the lobby, I could feel the stares of the employees burning into us.
The rumor had clearly already spread.
Charlotte did not flinch; she walked with her head high, our hands intertwined.
We took the elevator to the executive floor and walked directly toward the main boardroom.
Through the glass walls, I could see Richard Vale sitting at the head of the long mahogany table.
He was a man in his late fifties, with silver hair and a smile that never quite reached his cold, calculating eyes.
He looked up as we entered, his smile widening into something distinctly predatory.
"Charlotte," he said smoothly.
"And our star architect."
"I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make it after your... eventful evening."
Charlotte did not let go of my hand.
"We wouldn't miss it, Richard," she said, her voice steady and commanding.
"Though I must admit, the premise of this emergency meeting seems rather redundant now."
Vale raised an eyebrow.
"Redundant?"
"I was under the impression we needed to discuss the significant liability this young man poses to the firm's reputation on the eve of our most important bid."
Charlotte raised our joined hands, allowing the gold band on my finger to catch the light.
"He poses no liability," she stated clearly.
"We are engaged."
"And if you attempt to use his emotional proposal as leverage to undermine this firm, I will personally see you removed from this board for malicious interference."
The silence in the boardroom was absolute.
Vale stared at the ring, his smile finally faltering.
For a moment, I thought Charlotte had actually won.
Then, Vale leaned back in his leather chair, steepled his fingers, and began to laugh.
It was a slow, chilling sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"A brilliant countermeasure, Charlotte," Vale chuckled, shaking his head.
"Truly."
"But unfortunately for you, I don't care about the engagement."
May you like
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick manila folder, tossing it onto the center of the table.
"I called this meeting to discuss the fact that your fiancé just sold the confidential blueprints for the Hawthorne project to our biggest competitor."
