Chapter 3
Elena stared at Damian, her mind reeling as he listed out his rules as though this marriage was nothing more than a corporate deal.
"Live with you? Attend every event? Pretend like I'm in love with you in front of your family?" she repeated, her voice rising.
Damian didn't even flinch. "Yes. Exactly that. My parents are too smart for half-truths. They'll know if it's fake. Every detail has to be perfect."
She sat back, bewildered, feeling like the ground had shifted beneath her. His words came like waves crashing over her before she could catch her breath.
"And what if I mess up?" she asked nervously.
"Then everything collapses," he replied flatly. "Which is why you won't mess up. I'll make sure of it."
Her mouth opened and closed in disbelief. Make sure of it? Did he think she was some actress he could train into the perfect wife?
Still, beneath all her outrage, there was that undeniable truth—she had agreed. She had said yes.
"Okay…" she murmured finally, almost to herself.
Damian gave a short nod, like a man signing the final line of a contract. "Good. Then prepare yourself. Tomorrow, you're meeting my parents."
Elena's heart nearly stopped. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes. No better time to start proving you're ready."
She let out a sharp laugh, more panicked than amused. "Sir, isn't this too sudden? I don't even know how to break this to my family. How do you expect me to just drop this news?"
Damian's eyes narrowed slightly. "That is why you have to tell them tonight."
Her eyes widened. "Tonight?"
"Yes." His tone was final, cutting, almost cold. "If you don't tell them now, if you're not ready by tomorrow—then I'll take it that you aren't interested in this contract anymore."
Before she could form another protest, Damian pushed back his chair and stood. "I'll see you tomorrow—if you're still in."
And with that, he left. Just like that. No reassurance, no second glance, just the lingering echo of his footsteps fading into the restaurant's glittering silence.
That night, Elena walked into her family's home carrying the weight of ten storms. During dinner, her fork barely touched her plate, her thoughts running in maddening circles. How do I tell them? What do I even say?
Her mother's voice cut through her haze. "Elena, is everything alright? You're unusually quiet."
Her father glanced up too, frowning. "Yes, you're fidgeting like you've seen a ghost."
Her younger brother giggled. "She's hiding something."
Elena forced a smile, but it wavered at the edges. "I… I need to tell you something. And it's big."
Her family leaned in, expectant.
Elena's heart pounded. Words clawed at her throat, but she couldn't hold them back anymore. With a deep breath,she just blotted out the first thing in her mind.
"I just got a new job "
And like that everyone went into silence showing both excitement and shocked faces.
As her family celebrate with joy , she begins to think whether she did the right thing by not telling them the truth right?.