The black SUV slid smoothly into Clara's apartment, dark windows reflecting the chaotic swarm of cameras. Reporters shouted over one another.
Ethan Ashford had arrived.
Earlier today, Clara Torres had been the scandal…the woman the press wanted to devour, but now she was the fairytale.The man caught with her that night had gone on record: Clarifying that she is just "an old college friend," claiming Ethan had been there too. Overnight, betrayal became romance. Gossip circles declared it the wedding of the year.
Inside, Clara sat curled on the couch between Riley and Sofia, a pizza box open on the coffee table. Riley animatedly described a fashion disaster at her last runway show, Sofia countered with wild hospital stories.. The life of a medic. Clara laughed, until the knock came.
Her laughter died instantly.
When she opened the door, the air shifted. Ethan filled the doorway, tall, in a black suit, his expression unreadable. In one hand, he held white lilies, his other hand in his pockets.
"Ladies," he said smoothly, stepping inside as if he owned the place. His eyes found Clara. "Long time." He added with a sinister smile.
Gone was the boy she remembered. This man was different. The kind who didn't just take control of a room, but kept it. He had grown his family's architecture empire into something untouchable.
"Thanks for helping me with the press." she filled the silence, arms crossing.
"How did you find the man from last night? Do you know who had sent him" She asked. She had wondered how he had been so quick to clear her name.
"Should I give you his number so that you can thank him?" He replied with a complicated expression.
"The plan is simple. We fake a relationship, wait until people forget, and then it's done." She said, ignoring his sarcastic question.
"No." His voice was clear. "We promised them marriage. We deliver marriage."
Her eyebrows rose. "I don't want marriage, not now, not ever. This rumor...it will die."
"Was it just a rumor Clara"? I know the full details. I know more than I would wish to". He sounded upset.
"Yes, I slept with someone. I'm twenty-seven, Ethan. I'm allowed. I have needs. Don't you?" She shouted.