Ayla's PovWhen I walked through the front door that night, I was expecting chaos. Aunt Clara's shouting, Uncle's angry muttering, maybe even worse. That was how it usually was when I came home late.
But instead, I found something far stranger.
They were all in the living room, aunt Clara, Uncle, and Ema. And every single one of them was smiling well except Ema, she looked upset
"There she is!" Aunt Clara's voice was honey-sweet, and it sent a chill crawling down my back. "Ayla, darling, you're finally home."
Darling? Since when was I darling?
Before I could speak, Uncle was already waving me over. His cheeks were red, but not from anger this time more like excitement. "Sit, sit. You won't believe what just happened."
My eyes flicked to Ema. She wasn't smiling like the others. She was leaning back, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed on me like I offended her.
"What… happened?" My voice sounded small.
Aunt Clara clasped her hands together, like she was delivering news of a miracle. "A man came here. Said he was your" her eyebrows wiggled, "fiancé's assistant."
My stomach dropped.
Nathan.
"And guess what?" Uncle leaned forward, almost glowing. "He paid it all. Every last penny I owed. Gone! Just like that. Said it was from your man."
I blinked, my heart stumbling over itself. Gone? Just like that?
But Aunt Clara wasn't finished. Her voice rose with triumph. "And that's not all. He gave us money, real money. He said it was to keep the family comfortable." She gestured toward the coffee table where an envelope sat, thick and bulging.
I stared at it. My mouth went dry.
Uncle grinned wider, like he'd just won the lottery. "And he explained everything too. Said you had to keep it all confidential because your fiancé likes his life private. That he's so in love with you, he didn't want anyone else coming between you. That's why he engaged you quickly, before anyone could interfere."
Aunt Clara sighed dreamily, like she was hearing the start of a fairytale. Even Uncle nodded, satisfied with the dramatic excuse.
But me?
I just stood there, my heart a mess of knots. Nathan had said that? He'd actually spun that story for them?
And Liam behind all his coldness, all his rules and clipped words he had let it happen. He had sorted out their debts, thrown money at their feet, and even made excuses for me so they wouldn't tear me apart with questions.
The realization made my throat burn. For the first time in a long, long while, I felt something I wasn't used to feeling.
Cared for.
Ema's voice cut through the moment, sharp and poisonous. "So it's true then?" Her eyes were locked on me. "You really are with someone rich."
Heat rushed to my cheeks. "I never"
"Don't play innocent." She pushed up from the chair, arms folded tight across her chest. "First, you're sneaking around after work. Now some stranger shows up throwing money around. What else am I supposed to think?"
"Ema, enough," Aunt Clara snapped, though her eyes were still glued to the envelope, shining with hunger. "If Ayla's found someone to take care of her, then good. Finally she's doing something useful for this family."
The words stung, as they always did. Useful? That was all I ever was to them.
I wanted to explain, to tell them it wasn't like that,that it wasn't even real. But the words tangled in my throat. What could I even say? Yes, I'm pretending to be engaged to a man who terrifies me, and he's buying your silence with money?
No. They would never believe me.
Ema's lip curled, and I felt her eyes crawling over me like knives. "I don't know how you did it," she said coldly. "But it won't last. People like him don't stay with girls like you."
Her words hit me harder than I expected. Because deep down, I knew she was right.
I slipped into my room as soon as I could, clutching the little black card Liam had given me like it was alive. Downstairs, the fat envelope Nathan had dropped off sat on the table like it belonged to some other family, not ours. Both of them came from him and both of them are reminders that my life wasn't really mine anymore.
I didn't want to think too hard about it, so I packed instead. My small bag filled up fast with the same old things two plain blouses, my café apron, jeans that were already thinning at the knees. Then I laid out the outfit I'd wear tomorrow. My first day of pretending to belong in Liam's world.
Thursday morning came.
Nathan showed up early, neat as always, and before I could even catch my breath, he started showing me how to…well…not embarrass Liam.
"Straighten your shoulders. Don't look down. Short answers, polite smile. Nothing more."
It was exhausting, but I tried.
At some point, I blurted out, "Thank you for what you told my family. About…me having a fiancé and everything. I don't think I could have explained it like that."
Nathan gave me a little smile, but then shook his head. "That wasn't me, Ayla. That was Mr. Cross. He told me exactly what to say."
I froze, and something in my chest squeezed. Mr Cross had thought of that. He didn't just cover their debts he even gave me a story to fall back on.
For a man who acted like he had no heart at all, he was paying attention to things I didn't even ask for. Maybe he wasn't all ice after all.
In the afternoon, Nathan drove me and Mr Cross to the city. We stopped in front of this huge shiny mall that looked like it belonged on TV, Mr Cross got out too, which surprised me. I thought he'd just send us in. But no he walked beside me, tall and serious, while everyone in the mall turned their heads to look.
It hit me then. He wanted this. He wanted us to be seen, for Richard, or whoever else was watching.
Inside, the mall came alive. Salespeople straightened the second we walked in, bowing slightly, their eyes flicking nervously to Liam before fixing fake-bright smiles on me.
At first, I thought it was just who he was. A billionaire. A man people respected or feared.
But the longer it went on, the stranger it felt. They didn't just treat him like a customer. They treated him like more.
I tried not to trip over my own feet as Nathan walked me through the boutique I had only ever seen in magazines. I was afraid to touch the dresses, the shoes probably cost more than our entire house, bags lined in velvet, jewelry that sparkled too much to be real, everything screaming luxury.
"Try this."
"Step here, miss."
"Would you like the matching heels?"
My head was spinning. Liam didn't say a word, but I could feel his eyes on me every time I stepped out of the fitting room.
By the end, I was carrying more bags than I could count, and Nathan finally said we were done. That was when I noticed we hadn't paid for a single thing. We didn't even stop at the counter.
I panicked a little, whispering to Nathan, "Wait aren't we supposed to…pay?"
Liam didn't answer. He just kept walking like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Nathan gave me a look, almost amused. "This mall belongs to Mr. Cross. We don't pay here."
I nearly tripped over my own feet. "He owns the whole mall?"
Nathan just smirked. "Among other things."
And I swear, I hugged those bags tighter.
Billionaire things.
And somehow…I was right in the middle of them.